Paris: Airbus delivered a record number of planes last year despite engine and cabin production problems, even as new orders slumped for the European manufacturer and its US rival Boeing.
Airbus announced Wednesday that it delivered 688 planes over the year, primarily in the single-aisle A320 family, compared with 635 in 2015. The company increased deliveries of its long-delayed A350 wide-body.
The A320 range also dominated Airbus sales last year, when it got 731 net orders compared with 1,036 the year before. There's a backlog of 6,874 planes ordered but not yet delivered.
Fabrice Bregier, CEO of Airbus commercial planes, said the first half was "unusually difficult" but the company is now focusing on ramping up deliveries.
Boeing says it delivered 748 planes in 2016 and took in 668 net orders.
