Airbus nudges ahead of Boeing for new orders

Paris: European plane maker Airbus has once again overhauled archrival Boeing for orders this year according to figures revealed on Monday. This constitutes a remarkable turnaround for Airbus, which was trailing far behind Boeing for new orders earlier in the year.

On Monday, figures on the Airbus website showed that the European group had received 680 firm orders in the first six months of the year, including 152 for the A350, while Boeing had a total of 544 over the same period.

The turnaround has come primarily on the back of a rush for orders for its A350 XWB, which is a direct competitor for Boeing's runaway success, the 787 Dreamliner.

The mid-sized 787, which has so far drawn 677 orders in total, was unveiled by Boeing on Sunday at a massive ceremony at the company's headquarters in the United States.

The Toulouse, France-based Company unveiled record new orders at the Paris Air Show last month.

In terms of deliveries made in 2007, Airbus is also slightly in front of Boeing, with 231 made over the first half of the year, as compared with 220 for Boeing.