Airbus tops sales in first day of Paris Air Show

As Russian premier Vladimir Putin arrived in France to tout his country’s aerospace industry, European plane maker Airbus said it had notched up $14.4bn of orders on the first day of the 49th international air show in Paris.

The company outsold US rival Boeing’s $9.3bn with 544 commitments for its new A320 aircraft.

Airbus also won almost 100 orders and commitments for its A320neo family of planes worth an estimated $8.3bn. Airbus believes it has the upper hand with the A320neo, whose efficient engines save airlines 15 percent in fuel costs, according to the company.

Boeing and Airbus are locked in a battle over the market for single-aisle aircraft, with Airbus marketing a revamped version of its A320 and Boeing holding back on deciding whether to upgrade or redesign its 737.

“I think it is going to be a different conversation at the end of the week, depending on what Airbus achieves this week in terms of orders for the neo,” Henri Courpron, Chief Executive of International Finance Lease Corporation, the world’s largest aircraft leasing company said.

“So if we assume, based on rumours and reports, that the neo is going to be a great success this week, then it prompts Boeing to do something. It cannot do nothing,” he said.

But Boeing outsold Airbus in the market for more expensive long-haul planes, including for a new version of its most recognisable jetliner, the 747.

Analysts expect narrow-body planes, the backbone of the fast-growing budget airline market, to be a key battleground for orders between Airbus and Boeing at the biennial air show.

Boeing conceded it might lose some custom while it ponders the future of its 737. The firm said on Sunday it would decide by year-end on its new strategy.

Airbus collision

Despite gains in sales, Airbus was left red-faced after the showcase A380 – the world’s largest passenger jet – was damaged when one of its wingtips collided with a building on the eve of the show.

Airbus had been hoping to use a high-profile flying display to launch a new marketing campaign for the A380 with a slogan painted on the underside of the plane.

The incident provided an unexpected PR boost to Korean Airlines when Airbus replaced the in-house test aircraft with a just-assembled A380 in the airline’s light blue livery for the prestigious daily air display at Le Bourget airport.

The incident was a setback for Airbus as Boeing showed off its rival 747-8 stretch jumbo and stacked up 17 new orders worth over $3bn.

Airbus officials said that if all went well the test plane could stage a comeback on Wednesday. The air show runs until June 26.

In pictures: Paris Air Show