Airbus and Boeing 2014: the rain of orders and deliveries continues, with no sign of slackening

Now 2014 has drawn to a close, Boeing looks likely to outreach arch-rival Airbus in terms of both aircraft orders and deliveries in their annual race. However, neither manufacturer has room for complaint about the previous year, with both the numbers of aircraft purchased and added into the fleets of airlines at near record levels.

In total, more than 2,500 aircraft have been ordered between the two big manufacturers. Orders are close to matching the peak years seen in 2013 and 2007. Even with production at unprecedented levels, with Boeing set to deliver a record 715-725 aircraft and Airbus around 625-630, book to build ratios are better than 2:1, keeping order backlogs growing.

And there are few signs that this situation will deteriorate, with lower fuel prices, at least for the medium term and a relatively strong economy in the US and Asia.