PARIS, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Airbus airplane deliveries reached a number in the mid-730s in 2023, beating a target of 720, industry sources said on Tuesday.

Airbus declined to comment ahead of a full-year announcement of commercial aircraft data on Jan. 11.

The figure suggests Airbus delivered over 50 planes in just over 10 days after Reuters reported on Dec. 19 that deliveries had already reached 680 planes, taking some urgency out of its traditional end-year scramble to hit the main industrial target.

Airbus has also broken industry records for gross and net orders, according to several people familiar with the numbers.

It was the second time since the pandemic that the world's largest planemaker had tried to recapture the 720 mark for annual deliveries, after supply pressures dashed the attempt for 2022.

One supplier said the European group had requested enough parts from suppliers to cover 740 deliveries for 2023.

After a weak start to the year, analysts have voiced increasing confidence that Airbus will meet its delivery targets in 2023, but say 2024 will be challenging, with the production ramp-up hampered by shortages of materials and parts.

Jefferies analysts said in a note on Tuesday that Airbus delivered an estimated 109 airplanes in December, up 11% from the same month last year and implying 732 deliveries for 2023.

Citing preliminary data from Aviation Flights Group, Bloomberg reported earlier that Airbus had probably delivered 733 airplanes in 2023. (Reporting by Tim Hepher Editing by Louise Heavens and Mark Potter)