Airbus tops A380 delivery target

PARIS (Reuters): Airbus topped its 2011 target for superjumbo deliveries late on Friday when it handed over two A380s in rapid succession, reaching 26 deliveries of the giant aircraft for the year.

The European company had targeted at least 25 deliveries of the world’s largest airliner this year and earlier on Friday boosted its target for deliveries next year to at least 30.

Dubai’s Emirates took ownership of the 25th aircraft to leave the production line on Friday evening, followed minutes later by China Southern, which took delivery of the 26th.

EADS unit Airbus has delivered a total of 67 A380s since the plane entered service in 2007. Airbus is racing to meet a record total delivery target of 520-530 aircraft of all models combined in 2011.

The world’s largest planemaker ahead of Boeing had delivered 477 aircraft by the end of November.