The Boeing Co hit a new record by delivering 143 airplanes to the Chinese mainland in 2013, a 60 percent year-on-year increase, the US-based aircraft manufacturer revealed on Wednesday. Adding deliveries to other Chinese regions, the total delivery number was 168 in 2013, said Marc Allen, president of Boeing China. China is the only country outside the US currently operating more than 1,000 Boeing aircraft, he said. The manufacturer delivered 28 percent of Boeing 737 aircraft made in the US to China in 2013. "Importantly, we expect this rate ?more than 140 aircraft deliveries a year ?to continue this year and in the future," Allen said.
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China's fast development of air traffic and airlines are the main reasons for the manufacturer's delivery growth, he added.
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Boeing's main rival also benefited from China's robust market in 2013. Airbus SAS delivered 133 airplanes to China in 2013, accounting for more than 20 percent of its global deliveries. It is also the fourth year in a row for Airbus' deliveries to China to exceed 100. The European aircraft manufacturer plans to maintain this rate in 2014, said Robin Tao, Airbus China spokesman, on Wednesday.
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Over the past year, the two major airplane builders both received more than 200 orders in China.
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China is not only a market for airplanes from other countries but also a significant supplier to international aircraft manufacturers. The contract value between Boeing and its Chinese suppliers increased by 20 percent in 2013 compared with 2012. AVIC Xi'an Aircraft Industry Co Ltd became the first Chinese supplier of the Boeing 737 Max last year. In 2013, the assembly line of Airbus in Tianjin delivered 46 A320 family aircraft, which was nine more than it managed in 2012.
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