Late order flurry vaults Airbus past Boeing for 2021 crown

A year-end order bonanza for Airbus SE has swept away the lead built up by Boeing Co. and put the European planemaker in position to claim bragging rights for 2021. 

Boeing amassed an order advantage in early 2021 fueled by pent-up demand for its 737 Max as the single-aisle workhorse came off a two-year grounding. Through October, its lead stood at 428 aircraft, based on figures reported by the two planemakers. 

But Airbus cashed in during the last two months of the year, notching major wins at the Dubai Airshow in November and snatching narrow-body accounts at Qantas Airways Ltd and Air France-KLM in mid-December. 

In the final week of the year, the European planemaker landed 40 firm orders from leasing firm Aviation Capital Group, while a tentative deal reached with U.S. giant Air Lease Corp. in Dubai was expanded to 116 jetliners and has now been finalized, according to an Airbus spokesman.

With those added in, Airbus edged Boeing by 58 planes, based on a Bloomberg calculation of announced orders.

Airbus may also be able to claim victory on a net basis. 

Through November, Boeing had reported 457 net orders for 2021, with Airbus trailing at 368. 

But the European manufacturer’s December haul pushed its annual total to some 664 jets before netting out any cancellations that haven’t been disclosed. That compares with 476 for Boeing, which notched a December freighter deal with UPS. 

The final tally won’t be known until both companies report official figures in early January. 

It’s entirely possible that Airbus will disclose a slew of cancellations and fall short of catching Chicago-based Boeing on a net basis. With Covid-19 continuing to roil airline finances, both manufacturers have endured clawbacks that shaved hundreds of orders off their books.

The contract wins will nonetheless reassure executives at Toulouse, France-based Airbus that the planemaker has bolstered its case with suppliers for a planned production increase. 

Airbus has already cemented an unassailable lead in annual output.

Through November, it had delivered 518 aircraft toward an annual goal of 600 for the year. Boeing had handed over 302 jets, as a pickup in 737 Max deliveries was offset by production problems on its larger 787 Dreamliners.