Stratasys Limited has announced that in December 2014, Airbus has produced more than 1000 flight parts using its FDM 3D Production Systems for use in the first-of-type A350 XWB aircraft.
Avianca has signed a purchase agreement for 100 A320neo Family aircraft, the largest single order ever made in Latin America’s aviation history. The agreement, which includes A319neo, A320neo and A321neo aircraft, will allow Avianca to maintain one of the youngest fleets in the region as the airline aims to replace airplanes currently operating from their Bogota, Lima and San Salvador hubs.
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Airline celebrates milestone in Hamburg with partners Airbus and CFM
France: Airbus has decided to further increase the production rate for its A320 Family to 50 aircraft per month from Q1 2017, matching market demand. Additionally, the aircraft manufacturer is adjusting the A330 production rate to six a month from Q1 2016 as it transitions towards the A330neo.
“As an aircraft manufacturer, it is our role, for our employees, partners, customers and investors to anticipate market demands whilst delivering on orders and managing revenues,” said Didier Evrard, executive VP Programmes. “Given the success of the A320 Family, both CEO and NEO, we work closely with our supply chain, assess our manufacturing capabilities and decide on the most appropriate rate. On widebodies we are adjusting A330 production in preparation for transition to NEO while in parallel the A350 XWB is on a steep ramp-up.”
France: Airbus has exceeded its targets for 2014, achieving a new record of 629 aircraft deliveries for 89 customers of which eight are new, comprising 490 A320 Family aircraft, 108 A330s, 30 A380s and also the first A350 XWB. This production achievement means that the company’s aircraft deliveries in 2014 were up for the 13th year in a row, surpassing the previous record set in 2013.
Airbus also achieved 1,456 net orders from 67 customers (of which 14 are new) — the company’s second best year ever, comprising 1,321 single aisle aircraft and 135 widebodies. As a result, by year end, the backlog had climbed to a new industry record of 6,386 aircraft valued at US$919.3 billion at list prices.
At 2014 year end, the company commanded more than 50 percent market share for aircraft above 100 seats. Among the numerous sales achievements was the A330neo’s success in attracting 120 firm endorsements within just six months of its launch.
“2014 has been an excellent year and the teams in Airbus not only delivered on, but exceeded their targets and commitments,” said Fabrice Brégier, Airbus president and CEO. “Airbus also made strong progress towards a faster, simpler and more agile company, while our strategy of incremental innovation is helping to consolidate our market-leading position in all categories.”
Toulouse, France: According to Airbus’ 2014-2033 Global Market Forecast, new deliveries of passenger and freight aircraft for China will be 5,363 over the next 20 years, including 3,567 single aisle aircraft, 1,477 twin-aisles and 319 very large aircraft. With a total market value of US$ 820 billion, this represents 17 percent of the global demand for more than 31,000 new aircraft over the next 20 years.
With passenger traffic in China growing well above the world average, it is set to become the leading country for passenger travel in both domestic and international markets. The country is expected to overtake the US in 2023, in terms of the number of passengers, and in 2027, in terms of Revenue Passenger Kilometre (RPK). Domestic air traffic in the country will also become the world's number one in 10 years.
In the next 20 years, the forecast average annual growth rate for the domestic Chinese market is 7.1 percent but will grow even faster over the next 10 years at 8.3 per cent on average per year. By 2033, the domestic Chinese market will remain the largest flow, representing 11.9 per cent of world traffic in terms of RPK.
During the period between 2013 and 2023, the average annual growth rate for international traffic from/to mainland China will be 8.1 percent. Four out of the 20 largest flows (RPK) will be from/to the country. The average annual growth rate for markets between emerging Asian countries and China is 7.5 per cent, 6.6 percent for China-US routes, and 5.6 percent for routes between Western Europe and China.
One of the reasons for the country's dynamic air transport growth is its long-term economic development. The average annual economic growth in the country is forecast at 7.4 percent between 2013 and 2023, and it will become the world’s biggest economy in 2023, with its GDP accounting for 19 per cent of the world’s total.
This economic growth is in turn, spurred by the country's urbanisation. While the urban population in China’s mainland was 711 million in 2013, representing 54 percent of the total population, this will grow to 1.014 million in 2033 to represent 71 percent of the population.
Average wages in China have increased five-fold in the past decade and they will continue to rise in the years ahead, fuelling higher levels of disposable income and private consumption, which is expected to account for 41 percent of Chinese GDP in 2023.