Aircraft

Airbus and Boeing's 2007 deliveries are neck-and-neck as they head into the final quarter of the year.

The two companies total output for the year is expected to reach 900 units this year - a record for this century - and has reached around 660 after the first nine months.

The split between the two rivals is almost exactly 50/50, and it remains to be seen who will end the year ahead and whether the industry's all-time output record of 914 deliveries achieved in 1999 will be surpassed.

Boeing holds the lead in orders so far, with 893 net orders - around 100 more than its rival. Airbus has had a far stronger first nine months than in recent years, with its 791 orders being a fourfold increase on the 204 sales in the same period last year.

The full-year order tally should comfortably surpass last year's 1,834 net sales, although it remains to be seen if it the all-time sales record of 2,057 set in 2005 will be beaten.

The combined order backlog has expanded beyond 6,000 aircraft - with Boeing holding a slim advantage at the nine-month mark. The A320 and 737 narrowbody families account for two-thirds of the total, while the 787 makes up a further 10%.

Airbus and Boeing deliveries and orders - Q1-Q3 2007