PARIS (AP) – Airbus delivered a record number of planes last year despite engine and cabin production problems, even as new orders slumped for both the European manufacturer and its U.S. rival Boeing.
An unlikely customer provided a big boost to the industry in 2016: Iran, scheduled to receive its first Airbus plane in years Wednesday as part of a multibillion-dollar deal made possible by a hard-fought nuclear agreement.
Airbus executives played down concerns that the industry is facing a downturn after a long-running buying spree by Mideast and Asian carriers, but refused to issue forecasts for this year. China’s slowdown and volatile fuel prices threaten to weigh on aircraft orders.
Airbus announced Wednesday that it delivered 688 planes over the year, primarily in the single-aisle A320 family, compared with 635 in 2015 and above the company’s own expectations. Airbus increased deliveries of its long-delayed A350 wide-body to 49 overall.
The A320 range dominated Airbus sales last year, when it won 731 net orders compared with 1,036 the year before.