PARIS: Airbus aircraft deliveries slipped in August, but the manufacturer stayed in front of US rival Boeing.
Airbus said it had delivered 39 aircraft in August, down from 49 a month earlier and slightly below the 41 in August last year.
About a quarter of the deliveries were for low-cost carriers that are riding out the crisis relatively well compared to traditional rivals, such as India’s IndiGo and Hungary’s Wizz.
Boeing, whose 737 MAX has been grounded for more than a year over two fatal crashes, delivered 13 aircraft in August.
2020 deliveries
Airbus said it had delivered 284 aircraft so far in 2020, down 43 per cent from 500 in the same period of 2019. Boeing delivered 87 aircraft in the first eight months, down from 276 a year earlier.
Airbus delivered four wide-bodied aircraft in August including one to its own military arm and one to Cathay Pacific easing a backlog of undelivered A350s parked in Cathay livery outside Airbus factories.
With the aircraft market stagnant, Airbus sold one jet in August, a private A320neo to an undisclosed buyer. So far this year, Airbus has sold 370 aircraft or 303 after allowing for cancellations.
Boeing has sold 67 aircraft but a slew of MAX cancellations has pushed its net order tally down.