As Boeing is mired in controversies after two fatal crashes involving its 737 Max 8, Airbus has seized the top spot as the biggest planemaker in the world.
Airbus, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin have always occupied the top three spots for the biggest planemaker. For the first time since 2011, Airbus has managed to outmuscle Boeing as it delivered 863 aircraft in 2019.
Experts in the aviation industry have predicted that Airbus’s hegemony in the aerospace sector will prevail for years to come as 737 Max 8 will haunt Boeing for a long time.
Statistics
In October, Airbus had to revise its delivery target for 2019 due to wide-ranging industrial complexities. With a 3% reduction, the US aerospace giant set its delivery target at 860 aircraft. However, Airbus deployed extra resources to go beyond its revised target of 860 aircraft. In 2018, Airbus delivered 800 aircraft, 7.9% less than 2019. Of the total 863 aircraft, 640 are single-aisle-aircraft.
Traditionally, Airbus’s production plants remain closed over the holidays. However, the aerospace giant diverted thousands of workers and canceled their holidays to deliver 863 aircraft before the new year began. Production facilities of Airbus were bustling late till new year’s eve as thousands of employees worked late to surpass the revised target only for the airline to fly away new jets as soon as possible.
Airbus is yet to offer its official statement on the figures. It will publish its statement once the audit is concluded.
As for Boeing, the outlook appears to be gloomy. Boeing grounded its 737 Max 8 aircraft, once touted as the world’s most efficient aircraft, in March 2019. From January to November in 2019, Boeing delivered just 345 aircraft, less than half of what it delivered in 2018 during the same period. It delivered 806 aircraft during 2018.
Via: Reuters
