PARIS (Reuters) - Airbus delivered 766 airliners in 2024 and looked certain to maintain leadership of the jetmaking industry for a sixth year as arch-rival Boeing ( BA ) recovers cautiously from a prolonged internal crisis, company data showed on Thursday.

The European planemaker fell fractionally short of a headline target of "around 770" jets but was expected to claim victory after leaving itself a margin for error as global supply chains remain hampered by parts and labour shortages.

The widely watched deliveries, confirming a provisional tally of 766 jets reported by Reuters, marked a slowdown in Airbus' industrial recovery from the pandemic, with annual growth more than halving to 4% from 11% a year earlier.

Although Boeing ( BA ) has yet to report annual data, a cautious ramp-up and regulatory curbs following a mid-air blowout on an Alaska Airlines jet one year ago had already left an unbridgeable gap between Boeing ( BA ) and Airbus deliveries for 2024.

Analysts say the two planemakers continue to compete aggressively for new orders, however.

Airbus posted 878 gross orders or a net total of 826 after cancellations, down 61% from a record 2023. By end-November, Boeing ( BA ) had 370 net orders after cancellations.