Boeing announces 535 net orders in 2021 | Photo credits: Boeing
by Eric M. Johnson
SEATTLE, Jan.11 (Reuters) – Boeing edged rival Airbus in net orders for 2021, although it lags behind the European aircraft manufacturer in terms of deliveries, figures released Tuesday showed.
The Seattle-based automaker recorded 535 net orders over the year, after cancellations and conversions partially offset by accounting adjustments. The number of gross orders amounted to 909.
Airbus recorded 507 net orders in January-December. It also delivered 611 devices in 2021, an increase of 8% compared to the previous year.
Boeing has largely met analysts’ expectations by delivering 340 aircraft in 2021 against 157 in 2020, which nevertheless represents a drop from the 380 deliveries recorded in 2019.
The devices delivered include 14 787 Dreamliner model aircraft, up from 41 in 2020, the inspection of these devices, following production defects, having worsened the delays due to the COVID-19 crisis.
Boeing continues to lead cargo aircraft sales, with a record 84 orders for new production freighters in 2021.
Airbus, for its part, has recorded the first orders for its new A350 freighter, although these partly consist of order conversions from airliners to freighters.
As of 5:44 p.m., Boeing stock was up 2.61% on Wall Street. (French version Valentine Baldassari)