Airbus announced Wednesday that it beat rival Boeing in 2007 deliveries but trailed it in new orders.

Airbus said it delivered 453 planes to Boeing's 441 in 2007, according to a company statement. Meanwhile, Boeing (NYSE: BA) bested European-based Airbus in 2007 net new orders, 1,413-1,341. Airbus' 2007 delivery total was up 19 from 2006's 434. Airbus said it expects to deliver 470 planes in 2008.

"2007 was a challenging year but also successful year for Airbus," Airbus President and CEO Tom Enders said. "We were successful in the market and mastered the industrial challenges of the production ramp up, the timely delivery of the first A380, and the implementation of the Airbus Power 8 turn-around program. 2008 will be as challenging on all fronts. But I am sure that, with the dedication of our people and all involved, we shall master them. On the commercial side, I anticipate that our order intake will be above our deliveries."

Delay city

Airbus has been plagued by a series of production setbacks as it rolls-out two new commercial aircraft deemed critical to the aerospace giant's early 21st century aviation strategy: the 500-seat A380 superjumbo jet and the A350.

Repeated production delays for both the A380 and the A350, a lengthy management restructuring process , and a spat among France, Germany, United Kingdom and Spain regarding which nation should bear the brunt of efficiency-enhancing job cuts, have served to reduce major airliners' confidence in Airbus' ability to deliver next-generation aircraft in a timely manner, according to analyst C. Leonard Bauer.

While noting that Boeing's record, as a result of the second delivery delay for the 787 Dreamliner announced Wednesday, can no longer be considered pristine, Bauer said Airbus' "will need several years of solid, on-time production data points before it stops giving major airline executives gray hairs."

"The current major hurdle for Airbus is whether the redesigned A350 can compete with Boeing's 787 Dreamliner. No one expects the A350 to lead in that race, but Airbus needs to grab about 30% of that market to show it's not relinquishing that space to Boeing," Bauer said. "And above all, Airbus can't have any more A350 delays, as that would basically signal to airlines that Airbus won't be able to deliver a sizable A350 order to them in an acceptable time period."

Bauer said Airbus had recorded 292 orders for the A350 by the end of 2007, while Boeing had recorded 817 orders for the 787 Dreamliner.