'Manufacturing Defects' Boeing Falls Behind Airbus for Third Consecutive Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] American Boeing, which is experiencing the greatest crisis in its history due to large-scale aircraft defects causing crashes and concealment suspicions, has lost the title of 'world's largest aircraft manufacturer' to European Airbus for the third consecutive year.

On the 11th (local time), The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Airbus delivered a total of 611 aircraft last year, surpassing Boeing's 280, maintaining the world's number one position in delivery volume for three consecutive years.

Boeing significantly increased its delivery volume last year compared to the previous year (157 units) thanks to the resumption of operations of the 737 Max, which had caused consecutive crashes, but failed to reclaim the top spot.

The 787 Dreamliner saw deliveries plummet from 53 units the previous year to 14 last year due to manufacturing quality defects that halted deliveries.

However, Boeing secured a total of 909 orders last year, leading Airbus (771 units) in the order competition. Boeing's total orders last year were the largest since 2018.

However, when excluding cancellations or changed orders from the total orders, Airbus had 507 net orders, more than Boeing's 479.

Airbus is aggressively increasing production of small and medium-sized aircraft, aiming to benefit from the recovery in air passenger demand and Boeing's production issues.

Guillaume Faury, CEO of Airbus, said, "There were many very meaningful orders last year," adding, "I believe this is a sign that the COVID-19 pandemic crisis has passed its peak."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.