PARIS (AP) - Airbus ends the 47th Paris Air Show with a total of 425 firm orders, the company said Friday, a monetary and image boost for a company beset by troubles.
The orders came from 19 customers for Airbus' leading product range - the A380 superjumbo, the A350 XWB, the A330/A340 family, as well as the A320 family, an Airbus statement said.
Airbus also said it received commitments for a total of 303 additional aircraft.
The deals bring Airbus' firm orders to at least 600 for the year so far. Rival Boeing has booked a total of 510 so far.
Airbus received 13 orders and commitments for its double-decker A380 superjumbo as Qatar Airways increased its order book by three. Emirates Airline committed to eight planes and Air France-KLM to two A380s.
Airbus received a total 141 orders for its A350 XWB jetliner from customers such as Aerflot during the week. The company also received commitments for 52 aircraft from four additional customers. The A330/A340 Family received a total of 132 orders and commitments, of which 83 are firm and 49 are commitments, Airbus said.
Airbus led Boeing on sales for several years but fell behind in 2006, a bruising year for the European planemaker plagued by management turmoil at parent company EADS and delays to the A380 superjumbo.
At the end of May, Airbus was behind Boeing this year by a considerable margin, having booked 201 firm orders compared with Boeing's 417.
While Airbus hopes the heavy order flow this week will boost its credibility among customers, the company is still expected to report another big loss this year. Worker morale is low, as Airbus pushes ahead with job cuts and factory selloffs as part of its Power8 restructuring plan, meant to recoup losses from the A380 delays.
In addition, Airbus has been fighting an uphill battle against the Dreamliner to win customers in the lucrative commercial medium-sized long-range jet market since it was forced into an expensive redesign of the aircraft by unhappy customers - resulting in the extra-wide-body, or XWB, model.
The changes have pushed back the first delivery date of the plane until 2013, years behind the first delivery of Boeing's 787 due in May 2008, which is now sold out for delivery until 2013.