Article Posted on : - Jan 18, 2011

TOULOUSE, FRANCE (AP): Airbus said Monday it took in 574 net new aircraft orders in 2010, beating rival Boeing Co. for the third year running as the international aviation market rebounded more strongly than expected from the steepest drop in its history.

The Toulouse-based plane-making consortium said 2010 orders were worth $74 billion at list prices, that it delivered a record 510 aircraft last year, and predicted even more deliveries this year.

A year earlier, Airbus took in just 271 net orders as the global economic slowdown led airlines to cancel or delay existing orders and stop making new ones.

Boeing this month reported that it took in 530 net orders in 2010 and delivered 462 aircraft.

Airbus CEO Tom Enders said the European jet builder will deliver between 520 and 530 aircraft this year, and said orders will be higher than that.

"We've made tremendous progress, it makes me more optimistic on 2011 than I was for 2010," Enders said in a statement.

Airlines that cut back during the downturn are now scrambling to add jets to handle rising traffic as the international economy rebounds. Soaring jet fuel prices are also forcing carriers to look for newer, more efficient planes to replace gas-guzzling older models.