US planemaker giant Boeing Co. said Thursday it received a record 1,044 commercial airplane orders last year, regaining the top space from European rival Airbus for the first time since 2000.

 

The 2006 total surpasses the previous Boeing record of 1,002 net orders in 2005. Gross orders in 2006, which exclude cancellations and conversions, totaled 1,050. Boeing recorded 1, 029 gross orders in 2005.

 

"2006 was another outstanding year for our customers and for Boeing," said Scott Carson, Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and chief executive officer.

 

"Beyond the order totals, we are very excited about the breadth and depth of our 2006 order book. We have secured significant orders from customers around the globe and across our product line as we continue to build a strong, well-balanced backlog," he said.

 

For the second consecutive year, the 737 program achieved a record with net orders of 729 airplanes. The previous record total for the 737 program was 569 in 2005.

 

Boeing also had a strong year across the board in twin-aisle commercial airplanes: 157 orders for the 787 Dreamliner program, 76 orders for 777s, 10 orders for 767s, and 72 orders for 747s -- the highest total for the 747 program since 1990 and fifth highest in the history of the program.

 

According to its forecasts, Boeing's rival airbus, which won around 800 net orders in 2006, will drop to second place in orders for the first time since 2000.

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 5, 2007)