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Airbus hails record deliveries during 2017

Airbus achieved record deliveries of 718 commercial aircraft in 2017.

This compared to 688 aircraft delivered the previous year with commercial aircraft revenues rising by 3.5%.

The European manufacturer expects deliveries to rise to around 800 aircraft in 2018 but the target depends on engine manufacturers meeting commitments.

But Airbus revealed that a new issue had recently emerged over new generation A320neo power plants.

This came after supplier Pratt & Whitney introduced new engine fixes in the fourth quarter of 2017, “the impact of which is under assessment with respect to 2018 deliveries”.

Airbus added: “CFM International meanwhile experienced some maturity issues in 2017 on some batches of the LEAP-1A engine.

“The A320neo ramp-up remains challenging and requires that the engine suppliers deliver in line with commitments.”

Last year’s deliveries comprised of 558 A320 family aircraft, 78 A350 XWBs, 67 A330s and 15 A380 superjumbos.

A total of 1,109 net commercial aircraft orders were received against 731 in 2016.

The backlog reached a record year-end level of 7,265 commercial aircraft, according to Airbus.

A recent major order by Emirates “provides increased visibility on the A380 programme for the years to come”.

Adjusted earnings [EBIT] for the commercial aircraft division rose to €3.5 billion from €2.8 billion in the previous 12 months, reflecting a “strong delivery performance supported by improved foreign exchange rates”.

However, total revenues at the European aircraft manufacturer were stable year-on-year at €66.8 billion.

Airbus expects the world economy and air traffic to grow “in line with prevailing independent forecasts, which assume no major disruptions”.

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