Airbus keeps top spot with 766 jet deliveries in 2024

Airbus delivered 766 airliners in 2024 and looked certain to maintain leadership of the jetmaking industry for a sixth year as arch-rival Boeing recovers cautiously from a prolonged internal crisis, company data showed on Thursday.

The European planemaker fell fractionally short of a headline target of "around 770" jets but was expected to claim victory after leaving itself a margin for error as global supply chains remain hampered by parts and labour shortages.

The widely watched deliveries, confirming a provisional tally of 766 jets reported by Reuters, marked a slowdown in Airbus' industrial recovery from the pandemic, with annual growth more than halving to 4% from 11% a year earlier.

Although Boeing has yet to report annual data, a cautious ramp-up and regulatory curbs following a mid-air blowout on an Alaska Airlines jet one year ago had already left an unbridgeable gap between Boeing and Airbus deliveries for 2024.

Analysts say the two planemakers continue to compete aggressively for new orders, however.

Airbus posted 878 gross orders or a net total of 826 after cancellations, down 61% from a record 2023. By end-November, Boeing had 370 net orders after cancellations.