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Airbus joins Boeing in claiming record 2013

Airbus has followed rival Boeing in claiming record orders in 2013.


The European manufacturer delivered a record 626 aircraft to 93 customers, including 15 taking delivery of Airbus aircraft for the first time.


But Airbus fell short of deliveries achieved by Boeing, which said earlier this month that it delivered 648 aircraft last year.


Airbus now claims a 51% market share in aircraft with over 100 seats. Commercial director John Leahy said losing out to Boeing “doesn’t matter to us at all”.


“I think we’re happy with what we’ve got. It’s a duopoly, with a 50-50 split here. I don’t really care if they have two more airplanes or we have two more,” he said.


Airbus delivered 493 of its A320 short-haul aircraft, 108 A330s, and 25 A380 superjumbos last year.


The year’s total orders for 1,619 aircraft were more than double Airbus’s expectations, but Leahy warned demand was unlikely to continue at its current pace, the BBC reported.


“The fact is, we cannot as an industry continue at this level. But what we are doing is we’re continuing to increase production,” he said.


Airbus chief executive Fabrice Bregier added: “If the market remains positive, if the customer needs more aircraft, I think we would be silly not to ramp up again.”


The company hired 3,000 more people last year.

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