Airbus, a subsidiary of Airbus Group, has ended the year 2014 with sales of 1,456 net orders for commercial aircraft (1,321 single-aisle and 135 wide-body aircraft) to 67 customers, 14 of which are new, and a new delivery record of 629 units.
These figures are not higher than its record of 1,503 orders in 2013, but for the European manufacturer they represent the achievement of the second best year in its history, exceeding the targets it had set for 2014.
In December, Airbus received confirmation of an order for 100 A320 Family aircraft from China Aircraft Leasing Company (CALC), China’s leading independent aircraft operating lessor, valued at 8.7405 billion Euros, which beats orders for Boeing.
At the end of 2014, Boeing received 1,432 net orders, 24 fewer than its European rival, which beats its record in 2007, the year when it delivered 723 aircraft, 94 more than the European aircraft manufacturer.
In 2014 Airbus broke the previous year’s record, with 629 aircraft deliveries to a total of 89 customers, eight of which are new. During its annual press conference the European manufacturer explained that it delivered 490 A320 Family aircraft, 108 A330s and 30 A380 units over the year to the clients and it also sold the first A350 XWB.
President and CEO of Airbus, Fabrice Brégier, described 2014 as an "excellent year" for the company which "surpassed its goals and commitments." A year, he noted, when the market share of Airbus exceeded 50% of aircraft with more than 100 seats and the A330neo consolidated its success, receiving orders for 120 units in just six months after its launch. He added that the target for the A350 XWB was met, culminating in its delivery to Qatar Airways on time.
In addition, Airbus officially launched the A321neo with a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 97 tones, after receiving the first commitment to purchase from Air Lease Corporation (ALC).
The leasing company based in Los Angeles has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for an additional 30 A321neo aircraft, an increase in the order for 60-90 units placed at the Farnborough Airshow 2014. This will make it the launch customer for the increased range option of the Airbus A321.
If the MoU for 30 A321neo aircraft plus 25 A330neo Family were to become firm orders, the total number of orders for Airbus aircraft from ALC would be 258 aircraft (53 A320ceo Family, 140 A320neo Family, 15 A330 Family, 25 A350 WXB Family and 25 A330neo Family).