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Boeing, Airbus both grab record orders in '05
By Lu Haoting (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-01-19 06:45
Fuelled by demand in Asia and the Middle East, Airbus and Boeing last year
clinched the largest number of orders in their respective histories.
Airbus, based in France, received 1,055 net orders, which nearly doubles its
previous record year in 1998. Chicago-based Boeing achieved 1,002 net orders,
surpassing its previous record of 877 orders in 1988.
"Last year was a record year for the whole industry and for Airbus in
particular," Gustav Humbert, Airbus president and chief executive officer, said
when announcing the results on Tuesday.
"Airlines have never, ever placed so many orders, a sign that they are very
optimistic about the future of air transportation, with also a lot of new
carriers emerging and bringing cheap air travel to an increasing number of
consumers," he said. "But it also reflects the need for more modern equipment to
face the rising fuel prices."
Analysts said a key driver for the record high orders was the strong demand
from Asia and the Middle East.
"China and India, two developing economies in Asia, are the markets that need
to be closely watched. With their economies growing fast, the two countries
witnessed surging demand for air transportation," said Liu Weimin, director and
professor with the Aviation Laws Research Centre at the Civil Aviation
Management Institute of China.
Nearly 40 per cent of Boeing's orders came from Asia and the Middle East last
year. The aircraft giant received 120 orders from China. It also signed a deal
with Air India for 68 jets, which is the largest commercial airplane order in
India's civil aviation history. Air carriers from the Middle East handed Boeing
43 orders during the Dubai Air Show in November.
Airbus received 72 orders from China last year, rising 50 per cent
year-on-year. During the Dubai Air Show, the European aircraft company confirmed
30 orders from India and 23 from Middle East air carriers.
"What this says to me is, the recovery is in full swing," Randy Baseler,
vice-president of marketing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said on Boeing's
Website.
"Air travel is growing in leaps and bounds, and airlines and nations are
investing in new aircraft to accommodate that growth. Regardless of Boeing
versus Airbus issues, this is good news for everyone who works in or supports
the commercial aircraft industry," Baseler said.
While struggling with rising aviation fuel costs, airlines are searching for
the best balance point between cost control and quality improvement, Liu said.
"It's true that buying new aircraft means new investment, but new aircrafts
are more efficient in fuel consumption and require less maintenance," said Liu.
Airbus continued to outsell its competitor Boeing in terms of orders for the
fifth consecutive year. It also maintained its leading position in terms of
deliveries for the third year in a row. Airbus delivered 378 airliners, bringing
the Airbus turnover to approximately 22.3 billion euros. Boeing's delivered 290
aircrafts in 2005.
(China Daily 01/19/2006 page10)
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