<p>We will be number one in 2014: Airbus CEO</p>
<p>Fabrice Bregier, CEO of Airbus, says the French
company will be number one in terms of aircraft deliveries beating its
rival Boeing.</p>
Fabrice Brégier, President and CEO of European aircraft manufacturer Airbus, has told CNBC his company would take the bragging rights on aircraft deliveries over rival Boeing this year, but added that the focus remains on its "extraordinary" backlog of 6,000 planes that are in the pipeline.
"Competition is fierce with Boeing, it's clear," he said on Monday.
"We are not focused on that. Clearly we have already more than 1,000 net deliveries this year after a recalled year last year...we will be number one, or very close to number one."
Brégier's prediction of 1,000 net deliveries compares to 647 deliveries for Boeing, according to its website which last updated at the end of November. The remarks come as
Airbus completed the delivery of its brand new A350 XWB wide-body product to Qatar Airways Monday.
"Competition is fierce with Boeing, it's clear," he said on Monday.
"We are not focused on that. Clearly we have already more than 1,000 net deliveries this year after a recalled year last year...we will be number one, or very close to number one."
Brégier's prediction of 1,000 net deliveries compares to 647 deliveries for Boeing, according to its website which last updated at the end of November. The remarks come as
Airbus completed the delivery of its brand new A350 XWB wide-body product to Qatar Airways Monday.
The carrier had ordered a total of 80 A350 aircraft, which
is seen as a competitor to Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, which launched in
2011. Monday's delivery had been scheduled for earlier in the month but had been delayed without any clear explanation. Shares in Airbus tanked 10 percent on the news which came on December 8, but were trading nearly 1 percent higher on Monday.
Brégier said that it was an "historic" day for the company and was the culmination of 10 years of hard work. The plane boasts the ability to use 25 percent less fuel than similar aircraft of its size.
He also played down comments made earlier in the month from Airbus Group CEO, Tom Enders, which had led to speculation that it might be looking to discontinue the A380 model. Brégier said the A380 is a "fantastic" aircraft and the company will continue to support it.
Brégier said that it was an "historic" day for the company and was the culmination of 10 years of hard work. The plane boasts the ability to use 25 percent less fuel than similar aircraft of its size.
He also played down comments made earlier in the month from Airbus Group CEO, Tom Enders, which had led to speculation that it might be looking to discontinue the A380 model. Brégier said the A380 is a "fantastic" aircraft and the company will continue to support it.
Brégier also remained bullish on the outlook for plane
manufacturers following the dramatic drop in the price of oil. He
believes that carriers would continue to buy new jets and seek further
fuel efficiency gains, despite the fall in price. He added that 50
percent of carriers' costs are currently from fuel, which meant that
they would see more revenues and thus more cash to spend on planes.
"(The oil price) is probably positive, it will stabilize later on. It is very good for the aircraft manufacturers," he said.
—CNBC's Phil Han contributed to this article.
"(The oil price) is probably positive, it will stabilize later on. It is very good for the aircraft manufacturers," he said.
—CNBC's Phil Han contributed to this article.
Matt ClinchAssistant Producer, CNBC.com
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