Airbus beats Boeing in orders, lags on deliveries

Airbus beat Boeing in the race for new business last year, swelling its total order book to US$1t, but remained behind on deliveries. Airbus had 1,036 net aircraft orders after cancellations, down 29% from 2014, compared with Boeing's tally of 768, a fall of 46%. Both plane makers experienced a slowdown after two years of heavy orders, and amid concerns over the impact of economic jitters and low oil prices on demand for fuel-saving aircraft. Despite that, deliveries of popular models grew, reflecting industry forecasts of persistent growth in traffic. Airbus hit a company record of 635 deliveries and predicted over 650 in 2016, with new orders again exceeding deliveries. Boeing said last week its deliveries rose 5% to 762, an industry record. Combined deliveries came in a whisker below 1,400, having doubled in the past decade. Airbus plane making chief Fabrice Bregier said the latest data showed the market was "resilient".<br/>