Airbus (Hall 4, Stand A14) expects to deliver even more aircraft this year than in 2003, the first year it handed over more commercial aircraft to customers than Boeing.
EADS co-chief executive Philippe Camus reported the upbeat outlook as the air show was about to start at Farnborough. With the upturn in civil aviation, the company also expects orders and production to be on the rise in 2005.
Airbus delivered 161 aircraft in the first half of the year, including 117 single aisle aircraft, 39 A330s/A340s and five A300s/A310s. The single aisle breakdown is: three A318s, 44 A319s, 54 A320s and 16 A321s.
Earlier this month Boeing reported that it delivered 75 aircraft in the second quarter of the year, totaling 151 for the first half of the year. The half year figures include 105 of the 737 next generation model, 19 777s, 12 767 and 757 models, nine 747s and six 717s. The company also delivered eight C-17 military transports in the first half of the year.
Airbus will have its smallest and its largest aircraft currently in service on display: the A318 and the A340-600. Also, an Airbus Corporate Jetliner (ACJ) and its test A340-300, fitted with one Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine instead of the conventional CFM International CFM 56 engine, will be on static. The Trent 900 engine is one of two engine options on the A380 and is currently undergoing flight test on the A340-300.
