Airbus set a new net orders record of 1,503 aircraft during 2013, confirming that it exceeded Boeing’s net and gross totals for the year.

The airframer landed gross orders for 1,619 jets including a new order for 100 aircraft from a customer which, for the time being, remains undisclosed.

Airbus delivered 626 aircraft including 108 A330s and 493 single-aisle types, as well as the 25 A380s it had scheduled.

The airframer’s net orders include 299 A330s and A350s and 42 A380s. It has removed five A380s attributed to India’s Kingfisher Airlines from its books.

Gross orders included 876 A320neo-family jets – taking the total demand for the re-engined type to more than 2,600 – but the manufacturer also landed 377 for the current A320 range.

It secured gross orders for 239 A350s and 77 A330s plus the 50 A380s destined for Emirates. The overall figure amounted to more than $240 billion worth of aircraft at catalogue prices.

Airbus chief executive Fabrice Bregier, speaking in Toulouse, says the company achieved an “extremely good” intake for the year.

Its gross figure surpassed by 88 aircraft Boeing’s total of 1,531 while Airbus’s net orders exceeded its US rival’s by 148.

Airbus chief operating officer for customers John Leahy says the figures include a firm order for 100 aircraft from a “large customer”, including paid deposits, but that it has requested its identity to remain confidential.

“We’re well positioned for at least the next five years,” says Leahy, referring to the continuing duopoly with Boeing and the Airbus backlog of 5,559 aircraft.

“I think we’re getting our act together [on deliveries],” he adds. Airbus’s delivery figure for 2013 is its highest on record, although Boeing’s was greater at 648.

Source: Cirium Dashboard