Airbus Still Leads Passenger Jet Market

[Onlooker]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060117/ap_on_bi_ge/france_airbus

A December sales surge kept Airbus on top of the global passenger jet market in 2005, the company said Tuesday — bettering Boeing Co.'s orders and deliveries in a record year by both measures.

...

Airbus announced 1,055 net orders for 2005, beating its U.S. rival's 1,002, and delivered 378 airliners to Boeing's 290. Excluding cancellations, the Airbus tally came to 1,111 orders, the largest number ever booked either side of the Atlantic.

The Airbus figures defied predictions that the European plane maker would lose the lead in orders that it took from Boeing in 2001, two years before it pulled ahead on deliveries. In the 11 months to Nov. 30, Airbus had reported 687 firm orders.

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I wonder if we started to lose the race as a result of 9/11 and of Bush's foreign policy. When all things are equal, such as a comparison between Airbus and Boeing, I could easily see some foreign countries choosing Airbus because of their dislike for the Bush administration's nationalism.