European airliner manufacturer Airbus, part of the larger aerospace and defence company, Airbus Group (previously EADS), announced last week that it had exceeded its commercial targets for last year. The company set new records in aircraft deliveries – 626 – and gross order intake value ($240.5-billion, using list prices). It also set a new industry record for the gross number of aircraft ordered (1 619) and reached another industry record of a 5 559 aircraft production backlog, amounting to eight years’ production and worth (using list prices) $809-billion.

“I thank the Airbus teams for these great achievements,” said company president and CEO Fabrice Bregier. “The transformation of our company into a simpler, more agile and faster one is clearly taking shape. “We are producing aircraft at all-time highs and selling our market-leading products at record levels. These benchmark results are feeding nicely into our profitability targets, and I am proud to report that the trajectory is showing strongly upwards. “To expand our leadership in single aisles and wide bodies, 2014 will be significant with the first flight of the A320neo and the entry into service of the A350 XWB.”

Airbus also announced that it had raised its list prices for its airliners by an average of 2.6%, with effect from January 1. The increment was calculated by the planemaker using its standard escalation formula, over the period January 2013 to January 2014. The list price is not necessarily identical with the actual price paid by an airline, as the latter depends on the degree of customisation specified, the selection of engines and design weights.

“Our new 2014 pricing reaffirms the unbeatable value of Airbus’s modern, fuel- efficient aircraft family,” stated company chief operating officer: customers John Leahy. “We see continuing strong demand in all aircraft-size categories as our reliable, efficient product line enables customers to grow their businesses profitably [and] please passengers, who will always favour the most comfortable cabin.”

In terms of deliveries, in 2013, Airbus handed over to 93 customers 493 A320-family aircraft, 108 A330s and 25 A380s – 15 of those customers were new. This was the twelfth year in succession that saw an increase in deliveries by the company. It also beat the previous record delivery year (2012) by 38 aircraft and exceeded Airbus’s original target for 2013.

In terms of gross orders, these comprised 377 A320ceo and 876 A320neo aeroplanes, 77 A330s, 239 A350 XWBs, and 50 A380s. This is 11 aircraft more than ordered in Airbus’s previous record year, 2011.

Airbus list prices start at $71.9-million for the A318, which is the company’s smallest airliner, rising to $85.8-million for the A319, $93.9-million for the A320 and $110.1-million for the A321. These aircraft are all members of the A320 family. The new engine option (neo) versions of this family have higher list prices than their current engine option counterparts. So the A319neo is listed at $94.4-million, the A320neo at $102.8-million and the A321neo at $120.5-million.

Regarding wide-body aircraft, the A330200 comes in at $221.7-million, the A330-200 freighter at $224.8-million and the A330300 at $245.6-million. The new-generation A350800 has a list price of $260.9-million, the A350900 $295.2-million and the A3501000 $340.7- million. The list price of the A380 Superjumbo is $414.4-million.

By the end of last year, Airbus had obtained a 51% gross market share of aircraft with more than 100 seats. Since its creation, the company has sold almost 14 000 aircraft to more than 360 customers, of which more than 8 000 have been delivered. Also during 2013, Airbus Military delivered 31 aircraft, including the first two production A400M airlifters and seven A300 multirole tanker transports.