Aircraft manufacturer Airbus has said that it increased its production output for the ninth year running in 2010, delivering a record 510 aircraft to 94 customers.

In the previous year airbus delivered 498 aircraft. Of the 2010 deliveries, 401 were A320s, 91 were A330/A340s and 18 were A380s. To its military customers Airbus delivered 20 light and medium transport aircraft.

Last year Airbus booked 644 commercial aircraft orders, up from 574 in 2009, valued at $84 billion, representing 51 per cent of market share. The company's military division received 21 new orders.

The company said that it recruited 2,200 people last year, taking its workforce to 52,500, a figure which is set to rise by another 3,000 this year.

Tom Enders, President and CEO of Airbus, said, "2010 was a good year, in fact better than expected twelve months ago. The market rebound and improved programme performance has been particularly encouraging. However, with plenty of challenges, especially in our development programmes, we'll have to work hard to further improve and also make 2011 a successful year for Airbus.

"This is the result of strong airline demand for new and more eco-efficient aircraft. We respond to our customer's requests by introducing the right technologies at the right time as per the launch of the A320neo."