Five days after Boeing, it was Airbus's turn to present its balance sheet for 2016 on 11th January. As ever, the race between the European and American aircraft manufacturers continues apace.
On the industrial front, Boeing came in first for the fifth consecutive year with 748 aircraft deliveries last year, compared to 688 for Airbus. But the European company wheeled out 49 A350s, almost achieving its goal of 50 set by the Airbus commercial aircraft President. For its part, the American aircraft manufacturer delivered 137 Boeing 787s.
On the sales front, on the other hand, Airbus nosed ahead of Boeing with 731 aircraft orders compared to 668 for its competitor. However, both aircraft manufacturers experienced a sharp slowdown in orders, which were quite simply halved in comparison to 2014.
Fortunately, the two aircraft manufacturers still have something to smile about. Airbus has a backlog of orders equivalent to over 9 years of production, and Boeing over 7 years.
