Boeing Income Tops Airbus
As measured by the value of deliveries, Boeing topped Airbus in the most recent renewal of their annual competition. Although Airbus delivered a greater number of aircraft to customers in 2009 than did Boeing (498 versus 481), Boeing’s revenue from its deliveries surpassed Airbus by an estimated $4 billion. The likely value of Boeing’s deliveries after standard discounts was about $33 billion, compared with about $28 billion for Airbus. By the numbers, the simple conclusion is that Boeing sold a more valuable mix of aircraft. While Boeing rolled out a record number of its profitable wide-body 777s in 2009, Airbus only delivered 20 of its larger-sized wide-body aircraft. Generally, bigger planes mean bigger profits, so the larger offerings of the manufacturers are more profitable than the workhorse single-aisle aircraft such as the A320 and the Boeing 737.
The results fit the pattern of recent years, though the 2008 Boeing strike allowed Airbus to post annual sales results that topped Boeing’s. Looking forward, despite challenging market conditions, neither Boeing nor Airbus have plans to slow the production schedules of the airplanes that contribute most to their bottom line. In particular, Boeing is scheduled to deliver its first Dreamliner at the end of 2010, which will put Boeing in a very solid market position for new aircraft that are fuel efficient and serve the long-haul marketplace.
AIA Source: William.Chadwick@aia-aerospace.org
