PARIS (Reuters) - Airbus delivered 566 aircraft in 2020, maintaining its crown as the world's largest planemaker for a second year as U.S. rival Boeing (NYSE:BA) remained mired for most of that period in the grounding of its 737 MAX, company data showed on Friday.
Deliveries from the European planemaker fell 34% from a record 863 in 2019 as the coronavirus crisis hit air travel demand.
The announcement confirms a Reuters report on Tuesday that Airbus had delivered more than 560 aircraft in 2020, beating an internal target..
Airbus sold a net total of 268 aircraft after adjusting for cancellations, down from 768 in 2019.
Boeing delivered 118 jets between January and November and had a negative total of 454 net orders before accounting adjustments, giving Airbus an unassailable lead for the year. MAX deliveries resumed in December.
Cancellations for Airbus jets included 10 A350 wide-body jets on order from troubled Malaysian carrier AirAsia X.
In total Airbus lost orders for 26 wide-body jets, reflecting a continued severe slowdown in intercontinental travel - expected to be the slowest travel industry segment to recover from the pandemic.
Airbus is planning a summit meeting with major suppliers in the coming days, amid mounting speculation that it may have to delay planned jet output increases as Europe faces a resurgent coronavirus crisis, industry sources said.
