Article Posted on : - Nov 09, 2010

PARIS (AFP): US aircraft manufacturer Boeing has eclipsed European rival Airbus in the number of net orders received this year, registering 480 to 369 for Airbus, company data showed.

Airbus, a unit of European aerospace giant EADS, said in a statement that at the end of October it had received 421 overall orders, of which 52 were cancelled, leaving a total of 369.

Boeing had received 553 orders in the year to November 2, or 480 after the cancellation of 73 of them, the company said on its website.

Airbus since the start of the year has delivered 417 aircraft, including 15 A380 superjumbos, the world's largest civilian airliner.

The company scored an important point on Monday with an announcement by Japan’s low-fare Skymark Airlines that it would buy four A380s, with an option to buy two more.

The deal gives Airbus foothold in a market where Boeing has long had a near-monopoly and is welcome news, coming after Australian carrier Qantas grounded its A380 fleet following an engine blow-out last week.