Airbus likely to book record orders at Paris Air Show
14 Jun 2011
Paris: This year's Paris Air Show may likely provide rich pickings for European aircraft builder, Airbus. Industry sources estimate that total Airbus orders may well surpass the record 255 orders confirmed by airlines at last year's event at Farnborough, England.
The surprisingly low Airbus order numbers for May would suggest that it may have held back order announcements for the Paris Air Show that starts 20 June, industry observers said.
Airbus said Wednesday it delivered 50 new aircraft in May but added just seven new customer orders.
Airbus officials appear to be confident that the order book for the A320neo, a re-engined, more fuel-efficient version of the top-selling A320, will exceed 500 by the end of the air show.
The current tally for the A320neo stands at 332, including 130 firm orders.
Airbus, a division of European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co (EADS) has said it expects to deliver between 520-530 aircraft this year, and that gross orders should exceed this figure.