Airbus easily outpaced US rival Boeing with the number of orders for its aircraft, as it dominated Le Bourget airfield on the final day of trading at the Paris Air Show.
The business program at one of the world’s largest aerospace-industry exhibitions closed on Thursday. Over the four days, Airbus secured firm orders, letters of intent and memorandums-of-understanding for 595 jets, while Boeing had orders for 234 planes, according to the aviation consulting firm IBA.iQ which tracks aircraft orders.
Boeing had a rough start from the very beginning of the show on Monday when the company recorded zero orders, while its main competitor in the large jet airliner market, Airbus, won 100 orders.
Boeing inked the first deal at the 2019 Paris Air Show on Tuesday, as South Korea’s biggest carrier Korean Air Lines Co Ltd announced the purchase of 20 Boeing 787-10s and a lease on 10 Boeing 787-9s. On Wednesday, it won its first orders for 200 Boeing 737 Max planes, a surprise since the aircraft were grounded in most parts of the world after two fatal crashes.
Meanwhile Airbus presented the youngest member of its aircraft family, the long-range, single-aisle A321XLR, which became the star of the show. This model alone won 48 aircraft orders, 79 commitments and 99 conversions from A321 to XLR, the company said in a statement.
