Thursday, July 09, 2009

DTN News: Airbus Confirms 09 Order, Delivery Goals ~ June Orders Up

DTN News: Airbus Confirms 09 Order, Delivery Goals ~ June Orders Up
*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) PARIS, France - July 9, 2009: European aerospace giant Airbus Wednesday reiterated its previous targets for 300 new aircraft orders and 483 deliveries in 2009. Toulouse-based Airbus, a unit of European Aeronautic Defense & Space Co. NV ( EAD.FR), said it received 68 aircraft orders, after 22 cancellations, in the first half of 2009, bolstered by a surge of orders around the time of the Paris Air Show last month. Airbus' rival, Boeing Co. (BA) of the U.S., announced few new orders at the Paris show and had net orders of just one aircraft in the first half due to cancellations. In June alone, Airbus won gross new orders for 58 aircraft, according to the company's data. "Things are looking up and there is an air show still to come in Dubai," a company spokesman told Dow Jones Newswires. Airplane manufacturers tend to win fresh business at major air shows. The 300-plane order target is based on recent memorandums of understanding that Airbus hopes to turn into firm orders for around 69 aircraft by the end of 2009, the spokesman said. "The orders target remains at 300 aircraft, though it remains challenging." Airbus Chief Commercial Officer John Leahy earlier this year forecast between 300 and 400 new orders for Airbus single-aisle and wide-body planes this year. But a recoil in airline passenger traffic due to the global economic crisis, high fuel prices, order cancellations and delivery deferrals requested by airlines seeking to conserve cash has raised doubts about whether global leaders Airbus and Boeing can reach previous targets. There also has been much speculation about whether Airbus will attain its plane delivery targets given delivery deferrals. In the first half, however, the company delivered 254 aircraft to customers - a figure slightly higher than half its full-year target. "We're on target to meet our projected deliveries for this year," the spokesman said. Data from Airbus show that the bulk of the company's orders and cancellations so far this year have been for single-aisle aircraft. First-half net orders in this sector totaled 47 planes, while those for wide-body planes totaled 21. These totals reflect 15 and seven cancellations, respectively. Airbus shares ended trading Wednesday on the Euronext Paris exchange down EUR0.16, or 1.4%, at EUR11.23, in line with the overall market. The CAC-40 blue- chip indicator ended the day 1.3% lower than the previous close.

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