Boeing Gets First Paris Air Show Order, For 2 Jets

GREG KELLER

LE BOURGET, France (AP) — Boeing Co. finally joined the orders race on the third day of the Paris Air Show, but its $153 million order Wednesday for two single-aisle planes paled beside the $6.25 billion already chalked up by European rival Airbus.

Yet even Airbus' numbers were diminutive compared to sales in past years. Airlines and governments strapped for cash and credit appeared to have come to the world's biggest air show as tourists instead of buyers this year, admiring the high-tech hardware but hiding their checkbooks.

With commercial orders scarce, American defense contractors elbowed into the troubled market for European military transport planes at the world's biggest air show. The salon at Le Bourget has also been haunted by unresolved questions about the crash of Air France Flight 447.

The vast bulk of the commercial orders have been for single-aisle planes, the cash cows of both Boeing and Airbus. In the current economic climate, it's harder for airlines to finance larger aircraft, which may also be harder to fill if the recession continues to dent air travel.

Kuala Lumpur low-cost airline Air Asia was the only customer to place an order for the larger aircraft: 10 A350-900 worth $2.4 billion at list prices.