PARIS, Feb 15 Reuters Europe39;s Airbus unveiled a special dividend on Thursday after posting higher 2023 results, buoyed by record airplane orders and higher deliveries but dampened by a fresh charge of 200 million euros 214.62 million in its troubled Space unit.

The world39;s largest commercial planemaker said core adjusted operating profit rose 4 to 5.8 billion euros as revenue rose 11 to 65.4 billion, and predicted core profit of 6.5 to 7.0 billion euros in 2024.

Airbus proposed an unchanged regular dividend of 1.8 euros a share, and added a special dividend of 1 euro per share as net cash topped the 10billioneuro threshold previously identified as a potential trigger for returning cash to shareholders.

Airbus is riding a wave of orders from airlines coping with a rebound in travel demand from the pandemic, helping it to build up cash reserves in contrast with U.S. rival Boeing which is mired in debts stemming from a series of crises.

Airbus, as expected, forecast around 800 jet deliveries for 2024 but announced a further delay in entry to service of its A321XLR singleaisle jet to the third quarter from the second. The first customer airplane entered final assembly in December.

The company39;s forecasts are subject to no further disruption to tight global supply chains or the world economy.

The Space unit charge brings the total written off in that segment last year to 600 million euros and comes a day after Reuters reported that CEO Guillaume Faury had told…