CompositesWorld
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NEWS 29 CompositesWorld.com Commercial Aircraft Projections & Data The reports are in, and the two major commercial airframers are noting newsworthy numbers, as they tally totals from 2017. Airbus' (Toulouse, France) Commercial Aircraft deliveries in 2017 were up for the 15 th year in a row, for a new company record of 718 aircraft delivered to 85 customers. Deliveries were >4% higher than the previous record of 688 set in 2016. The 2017 total comprises 558 single-aisle A320 Family (of which 181 were A320neo, an increase of 166% over 2016); 67 A330s; 78 A350 XWBs (up by nearly 60% from 2016) and 15 A380s. In addition, Airbus achieved 1,109 net orders from 44 customers. At the end of 2017, Airbus' overall backlog stood at 7,265 aircraft, valued at US$1.059 trillion at list prices. This year capped 15 consecutive years of Airbus production increases. From its four A320 plants in Hamburg, Tianjin, Mobile and Toulouse, Airbus is said to be on track to achieve a rate of 60 per month on single-aisles by mid-2019. Industrial milestones achieved by Airbus Commercial Aircraft in 2017 included delivery of the 100 th A350 XWB; the delivery of the 50 th A320 Family aircraft from its facility in Mobile; the first flight of the A330neo; certification of the A350- 1000; inauguration of the new A330 Completion and Delivery Centre in Tianjin, China, with two first deliveries; and structural completion of the first Beluga XL. The Boeing Co. (Chicago, IL, US) reportedly set an industry record with 763 deliveries in 2017, driven by high output of its 737 and 787 jets. At the same time, the company grew its backlog, with 912 net orders, reflecting healthy demand for its single-aisle and twin-aisle airplanes. Boeing reached a new high on the 737 program as it raised production to 47 airplanes a month during 2017 and began delivering the new 737 MAX, contributing to a record 529 737 deliv- eries, including 74 of the MAX vari- ety. On the 787 Dreamliner program, Boeing continued building at a high production rate for a twin-aisle jet, leading to 136 deliveries for the year. On the orders front, 71 customers placed the 912 net orders, valued at Major aircraft OEMs celebrate 2017 US$134.8 billion at list prices. The total extended Boeing's backlog to a record 5,864 airplanes, reportedly equal to about seven years of production. In 2017, the 787 Dreamliner family racked up nearly 100 net orders and the 777 family captured 60 net orders. Other milestones include the first flights of the 737 MAX 9 and the 787-10 Dreamliner, and the start of production of the 737 MAX 7 and the new 777X. AEROSPACE