Airbus Wins More Orders Than Boeing For Second Year Running

European aviation giant Airbus SA won more aircraft orders in 2015 than U.S. rival Boeing Co., data released on the two companies' websites showed, while Boeing managed to deliver more planes to customers than Airbus.

Airbus registered a total of 1,036 net orders after cancellations by Dec. 31, it said Tuesday, a fall of 29 percent from 2014, compared to Boeing's tally of 768 orders, down 46 percent from 2014.

However, Boeing was ahead of Airbus when it came to deliveries, having handed over 762 aircraft to clients in 2015, compared to Airbus’ 635 deliveries in the year. While Airbus attracted more orders, Boeing sold more of its big-budget wide-body jets such as the 787. A major part of Airbus’ orders were for single-aisle aircraft like the A320 and the A320neo.

The situation was similar in 2014, albeit with a smaller margin. Boeing topped Airbus in deliveries, 723 to 629, but Airbus edged its U.S. rival with 1,456 orders compared to Boeing's 1,432. Both plane makers have suffered a slowdown in 2015 after two years of growth in the aviation industry amid concerns of an economic slowdown in China — the biggest market for both companies.

Airbus CEO Fabrice Bregier reportedly said Tuesday the company will continue to increase production of the A350 wide-body jets. He also admitted that orders for the A330 wide-body jet slowed down as the Toulouse, France-based manufacturer introduced a new-engine version of the plane which it said it will start delivering at the end of 2017.

The company also reported a backlog of 6,787 aircraft worth $996.3 billion at list prices Tuesday.