Paris-traded Airbus Group reported first-quarter results Tuesday morning, and while profits were better than analysts expected, earnings were lower than in the first quarter a year ago, even though revenues rose. Where Airbus is struggling is with keeping costs under control as it targets delivery of its first A350 wide-body jet by the end of the year and keeps working toward breaking even on its A380 jumbo jet sometime next year.

Airbus delivered 626 commercial aircraft in 2013 and expects to deliver a similar number this year. The Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) delivered 648 planes last year and is forecasting 715 to 725 deliveries this year.

R&D costs on the Airbus A350, a direct competitor for Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, rose 18% in the first quarter and the company is still dealing with a restructuring in its military aircraft division as it closes sites in France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom following drastic cuts in European defense spending. The company will cut a total of 5,800 jobs as part of the restructuring.

Airbus’s order backlog totals €683.2 billion (about $940 billion) more than double Boeing’s $440 billion backlog. However Boeing delivered 191 new commercial aircraft in the first quarter and took orders for a net 235 more planes, a book-to-bill ratio of 1.23. Airbus is aiming for a book-to-bill ratio in 2014 of 1.0.

Boeing is having its own troubles. April deliveries totaled just 56 aircraft, 10 fewer than in March and a pace that will not get the company to its forecast delivery total. Airbus delivered 52 planes in April in line with its forecast total for the year.

READ MORE: Why a Boeing 777 Costs $320 Billion

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