Airbus is claiming this year’s top honours at the Le Bourget Paris Air Show, with $57bn-worth of business covering 421 aircraft, while Boeing said its customers placed orders for 331 aircraft valued at $50.2bn.

 

These totals from the world’s two biggest aircraft manufacturers at this week’s annual battle for commercial airline orders also include ‘commitments’ as well as orders however and in reality the book prices both manufacturers are quoting are often renegotiated or discounted long after they are placed.

 

Nevertheless, the commitments to both manufacturers bode well for the international airline business as a whole as airlines update fleets with new-technology and ever more eco-friendly aircraft.

 

Commenting on the Boeing sales performance this week, Vice Chairman, President and COO Dennis Muilenburg said: “We have more research, development and capital projects underway and are bringing innovation to market faster than at any time in our history. That innovation is helping to drive our customers’ success and we were able to demonstrate that with the products we brought to the show.”

 

 

Not to be outdone, John Leahy, Airbus’ COO said: “Our latest forecast for 32,600 planes in the next 20 years is being proved correct. The orders and commitments at this year’s Paris Air Show demonstrate three things; Asia is powering the growth, we are leading in single-aisle and wide body and our A321neo is the aircraft of choice in the middle of the market.”

 

Back at Boeing the company said customers placed orders and commitments during the week for a total of 331 Boeing aircraft valued at $50.2bn at list prices with additional orders subsequently posted on the Boeing Orders & Deliveries website, including 21 next-generation 737s for ‘unidentified customers’. [The 737 remains the most successful commercial passenger aircraft in sales terms of all time-Ed].

 

Including freight and military aircraft, The Boeing Company says it remains on track to deliver between 750 and 755 airplanes in 2015 – ‘a new industry record’.

 

 

Meanwhile, Airbus claims that it won $57bn-worth of business for a total of 421 aircraft, with firm orders for 124 worth $16.3bn and commitments for 297 worth $40.7bn

 

In the wide body market, Airbus kicked-off the show with the announcement of the first operator for the new A330 Regional, with Saudi Arabian Airlines taking 20 on lease from IAFC, a leading lessor in the Middle East.

 

The A350 XWB also continues to attract new business with commitments for 31 A350-900s, with Airbus referring to this ‘as the world’s most modern, advanced wide-body aircraft’. It won 55 orders and commitments worth $15.6bn.

 

In the single-aisle sector, the A320 family of aircraft won 103 firm orders and 263 commitments worth $41.4bn.