Friday, April 04, 2014

Airbus Orders Hurt by Cancellations: European Aircraft Maker Lost Orders on A350-800

The Wall Street Journal
By  Robert Wall

April 4, 2014 5:13 a.m. ET

LONDON—European aircraft maker Airbus Group NV's net orders plunged to 103 in the first three months of the year, only a quarter of the year-earlier figure, following cancellations for its A350-800 long-range jet.

The Toulouse, France-based company booked 158 gross orders against 55 cancellations and a full year target of around 650. Airbus shipped 141 aircraft in the first three months, three fewer than it did in the same period the year earlier.

Leasing company Aircraft Purchase Fleet canceled an order for 12 A350-800s, the smallest version of the plane maker's newest airliner. Airbus has been encouraging customers to opt for larger models of the twin-engine long-range airplane, including the A350-900 now in flight testing and due to enter service this year. The latest in a series of cancellations for the A350-800 shrinks the backlog for this type to only 34 aircraft, including from Hawaiian Airlines 
and Russia's Aeroflot.

The A350-800 is due from 2016, although Airbus officials have said they may shift the date until the end of the decade as the company focuses on fielding larger models that also carry a higher price, including the 369-seat A350-1000 scheduled to enter service in 2017.

Airbus also suffered five A330-300 cancellations in March as Chinese carriers combined to order 21 of the planes.

Airbus, the world's second-largest airliner maker, trails Boeing Co. in first-quarter order intake and deliveries. Boeing said yesterday it booked 235 net orders in the first three months and handed over 161 airliners. The Chicago-based company has had 40 cancellations so far this year.

Airbus had a backlog of 5,521 planes at the end of March. Both plane makers are increasing output for their aircraft as they seek to satisfy growing demand from airlines for more fuel-efficient jets. Airbus said in February that output for its best-selling A320 would increase to 46 aircraft a month in 2016.


Source:   http://online.wsj.com