Airbus retained its crown as the world's biggest plane maker ahead of Boeing for the fourth consecutive year, thanks to its stronger position in the Chinese market, the popularity of A320 family of jets and regulatory issues that delayed the deliveries of its US rival, analysts have said.
Toulouse-based Airbus held on to the top spot in terms of new aircraft orders and deliveries in 2022 after it won 1,078 jet orders.
It had a net total of 820 orders after cancellations while its backlog stood at 7,239 aircraft at the end of December.
Airbus handed over 661 aircraft last year, an 8 per cent increase compared with 2021.
Boeing delivered 480 aircraft and secured 774 new commercial jet orders after cancellations and conversions while its backlog stood at 4,578 jets at the end of December.
Despite Boeing's strong performance in December — when it delivered 69 commercial jets and recorded 250 gross orders — its tally of orders and deliveries for the full year still fell behind its European rival.
“Airbus has won the race again, with Boeing's performance still subdued by the 737 Max troubles and 787 Dreamliner manufacturing issues. This will remain a factor in 2023,” said Richard Maslen, head of analysis at the Capa Centre for Aviation.
“Airbus is now in a position where it is close to returning to pre-pandemic levels of activity, with production building steadily — if not as rapidly as hoped — and orders returning. Boeing has more ground to make up.”
The two plane makers collectively booked 1,628 in net orders last year as the global aviation industry continued to recover from the pandemic on the back of strong travel demand.
However, they have faced supply chain delays and worker shortages that have hindered their efforts to boost production to meet airline demand for new jets with better fuel efficiency.
In December, Airbus said that based on a “complex operating environment”, its target of reaching “around 700” commercial aircraft deliveries in 2022 was out of reach.
In addition to supply chain disruptions, Boeing also faced regulatory and administrative issues that delayed deliveries of its 787 Dreamliner wide-body.
It also sought to win more orders for its best-selling 737 Max that was previously grounded for 20 months after two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people.
“Airbus is in a stronger position because it did not have its narrow-body model family grounded, nor was it prevented from delivering wide bodies,” said Jonathan Root, senior vice president at Moody’s Investors Service.
“Airbus has a bigger narrow-body backlog because it introduced the A321 Neo sooner than Boeing [launched] the 737-10. The extended range variants of the A321 Neo also make it a more attractive model and Airbus started selling this model sooner than Boeing,” he said.
The European plane maker is also helped by the production of its A320 narrow-body aircraft in several factories, compared to Boeing's single 737 factory, with the geographic distribution giving Airbus an edge amid the continuing supply chain constraints, he said.
However, with Airbus saying that the first production slot available for a narrow-body is in 2029, this could lead airline customers to order more Boeing aircraft, thus closing the gap between the two in coming years, Mr Root said.
For now, A321 Neo sales are helping to propel Airbus ahead of its US competitor.
“Airbus continues to grow its lead because the A321 Neo continues to gather steam, particularly for transatlantic and intra-Asia routes,” said Richard Aboulafia, managing director of Washington-based AeroDynamic Advisory.
While Boeing had a “very strong” performance in December, much of this came from the handover of existing jets, he said.
“In terms of new build production, they have yet to sustain the hoped-for rate of 31 narrow bodies per month,” Mr Aboulafia said.
By contrast, Airbus's production rate was 65 A320s a month before it increased to 75, apart from the production of more A220s.
“In other words, Boeing’s market share problem will continue to get worse,” Mr Aboulafia said.
Airbus has also continued to strengthen its presence in the Chinese market where it has delivered more than 100 aircraft in 2022 while Boeing delivered eight planes to China.
“Airbus has long held a stronger market position in China for short-haul aircraft and also has a manufacturing presence there, putting it at an advantage over Boeing,” said John Strickland, director of London-based advisory JLS Consulting.
“The US manufacturer is also a victim of the Chinese recertification of the 737 Max that has not yet been granted and is at a disadvantage from overall US-China trade and political tensions,” he said.
Outlook for 2023
Looking ahead, supply chain delays are expected to continue to affect both manufacturers in 2023, according to aviation analysts.
“The biggest challenge is delivery on schedule to airline customers. Both manufacturers have real problems and the current shortages of components will make it very difficult for them to deliver to plan,” OAG chief analyst John Grant said.
“We can expect to see many airline chief executives at various times in the year express their frustration at the two suppliers and the vagueness of their production schedules.”
Stanislas Duquesnoy, senior vice president at Moody’s Investors Service, said supply chain challenges would pose a difficulty for Airbus as it continues to raise its production rates, although airline demand for narrow-body aircraft remains strong.
“Supply chain issues that affected Airbus during 2022 will continue to impact the company at least for 2023,” he said.
“Demand for aircraft from airlines, especially for narrow bodies and Airbus’s A321 neo aircraft remain very strong so that we are not concerned about the demand prospects for Airbus’s portfolio of aircraft.
“The company’s order backlog remains very strong providing long term revenue visibility.”
Read more about the coronavirus
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2)
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UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Villains
Queens of the Stone Age
Matador
Super 30
Produced: Sajid Nadiadwala and Phantom Productions
Directed: Vikas Bahl
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Srivastav, Mrinal Thakur
Rating: 3.5 /5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Bharat
Director: Ali Abbas Zafar
Starring: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Sunil Grover
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
UAE tour of the Netherlands
UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Fixtures:
Monday, 1st 50-over match
Wednesday, 2nd 50-over match
Thursday, 3rd 50-over match
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Ipaf in numbers
Established: 2008
Prize money: $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.
Winning novels: 13
Shortlisted novels: 66
Longlisted novels: 111
Total number of novels submitted: 1,780
Novels translated internationally: 66
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
WHEN TO GO:
September to November or March to May; this is when visitors are most likely to see what they’ve come for.
WHERE TO STAY:
Meghauli Serai, A Taj Safari - Chitwan National Park resort (tajhotels.com) is a one-hour drive from Bharatpur Airport with stays costing from Dh1,396 per night, including taxes and breakfast. Return airport transfers cost from Dh661.
HOW TO GET THERE:
Etihad Airways regularly flies from Abu Dhabi to Kathmandu from around Dh1,500 per person return, including taxes. Buddha Air (buddhaair.com) and Yeti Airlines (yetiairlines.com) fly from Kathmandu to Bharatpur several times a day from about Dh660 return and the flight takes just 20 minutes. Driving is possible but the roads are hilly which means it will take you five or six hours to travel 148 kilometres.
