Airbus Revenue Sets Record Despite Decrease In Orders Boeing Expected To Retain Top Spot In Aircraft Industry

Despite a 15 percent drop in commercial aircraft orders, Boeing’s chief rival, Airbus Industrie, reported record revenues Wednesday and vowed to win more than 50 percent of the world’s civil aircraft market by the turn of the century.

Airbus Managing Director Jean Pierson was expected to outline his strategy today during an annual address to employees at the European consortium’s headquarters in Toulouse, France.

But based on 1995’s order book, financial analysts predict it will be difficult for Airbus to nudge Boeing from its position as the world’s No. 1 commercial aircraft maker.

“This is a backwards year for Airbus,” said Paul Nisbet, an analyst at JSA Research in Newport, R.I. “Fifty percent is a lofty goal - and one they are not likely to attain.”

More likely, he said, is that Boeing will capture up to 80 percent of the Asian aircraft market, which should experience doubledigit growth in airline traffic in the next few years as economic gains in the region spur more travel.

Airbus trailed both Boeing and McDonnell Douglas Corp. in the 1995 race for commercial jet orders, ending the year with 106 purchases worth an estimated $7 billion. That compares with Boeing’s estimated 261 orders worth about $19 billion, and 114 orders worth an estimated $4.5 billion for McDonnell Douglas.

The consortium reported 1995 revenue rose by $1.1 billion, or 13 percent, to $9.6 billion on a surge in orders for expensive wide-body aircraft. It did not disclose earnings for the year.