Flight Daily News

Boeing ran Airbus close in the annual airshow sales battle, but Airbus was victorious at Farnborough as the companies announced around 190 orders worth almost $19 billion.

Airbus’s rethink on the A350 hampered its normal show agenda, preventing it from announcing the usual string of major deals, but it still unveiled 114 orders worth more than $9.7 billion (at catalogue prices).

Boeing announced 72 orders worth $9.1 billion – the most significant of which was the $2.8 billion deal with Emirates for 10 747–8Fs. Boeing would have secured a clear victory had its biggest prize – the expected confirmation of Qatar Airways’ $4.9 billion deal for 20 777s – not evaporated when the airline suddenly cancelled the announcement of the already–signed order, due to circumstances not fully explained.

Full analysis of the orders signed at the show will appear in next week's issue of Flight International magazine.