In a banner year for the industry, Airbus trails Boeing in jet sales

Airbus has sold more jets in 2005 than in any year since it was formed 35 years ago, but it still trails The Boeing Co. as the two airplane titans head down the home stretch of a remarkable year, the likes of which the industry may not see again for a while.

Even though John Leahy, the irrepressible Airbus sales chief, boasted at the Dubai Air Show last month that Airbus would pull even with Boeing by year's end, it appears Boeing will best its rival for the first time in orders since 2000.

But Airbus has closed the gap.

The European company released order totals Wednesday that are current through November. The figures show Airbus with 687 orders.

For the same period, Boeing had 825 gross orders, or 800 net orders.

The net total reflects cancellations and model conversions. Airbus said its tally through November represents gross orders. It could not provide net totals.

Last year, Boeing had 272 net orders; Airbus 366.

Airbus announced Wednesday that the German low-cost carrier Germanwings had signed a firm deal for 18 of its A319s, but those orders were previously included in the Airbus total.

In addition, Airbus said, Finnair plans to order nine A350 jets and three A340s, though that deal is not yet firm.

On Tuesday, Boeing announced that Royal Air Maroc had firmed up a deal for four 787s. Those orders also are included in the Boeing tally through November.

But several big recent order announcements have yet to be turned into firm deals and are not yet part of the order totals for Boeing or Airbus.

These include orders from China for 70 Boeing 737s and 150 Airbus A320s.

Boeing has also won a dozen 777 orders from Cathay Pacific that are not yet firm, as well as 35 777 and 787 orders from Air India.

And both plane makers have sizable orders pending with Qatar of the United Arab Emirates. Qatar has said it will order up to 60 A350s and 20 777s.

For both manufactures, their best-selling jets this year have been the smaller, single-aisle models used by low-cost carriers.

Airbus has 549 orders for its A320 family to Boeing's 465 gross orders for the 737 family.

Boeing's 787 handily leads its competition, the A350. Boeing has 185 787 orders this year, to only 49 firm orders for the A350. But the A350 got a late start. It was not until this fall that the Airbus program was officially started.

Boeing's 747, which Leahy had predicted was all but finished, has done better in 2005 than the A380. Boeing has 48 gross orders for its biggest plane to 10 orders for the even bigger Airbus giant. But those 747 orders are all freighters. Boeing recently approved development of the 747-8, a bigger and more-efficient version that will enter service in 2009.

One of Boeing's successes this year has been its 777. Boeing has 109 gross orders for the twin-engine, long-haul plane and is closing in on the record 116 orders that it received for the 777 in 2000.

Sales have slowed for the competing four-engine A340. Airbus had only 15 firm orders for that plane through November.

Airbus was formed in 1970. Until now, it's best year ever selling planes was 1998, when it won orders for 556 jets.

Boeing's best order year for commercial jets was in 1989, when it won 879 gross orders. That does not include jets sold in 1989 by McDonnell Douglas. After its 1997 merger, Boeing included McDonnell Douglas orders with its own order totals going back to 1955

After a record 2005, some industry analysts believe orders will dramatically fall off for Boeing and Airbus in 2006.

Randy Baseler, Boeing's vice president of marketing, told the Reuters Aerospace and Defense Summit in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday that 2005 could be a peak in the current industry up cycle.

But Noel Forgeard, the former Airbus chief who now co-runs EADS, the Airbus parent company, told Bloomberg News that order totals for 2006 could be close to those this year. He said the legacy carriers in the United States as well as in Europe could provide a "second wave" of orders next year.

Although Boeing is likely to retake the order crown for 2005, Airbus will deliver more jets this year, just as it did in 2004 and 2003.

Baseler told the Reuters conference that it could be 2008 or beyond, when deliveries start for the 787, that Boeing will produce as many if not more planes than Airbus.

P-I aerospace reporter James Wallace can be reached at 206-448-8040 or jameswallace@seattlepi.com.

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