Airbus sneaks past Boeing in 11th hour

0 Comments | USA TODAY, January, 2006 | by Roger Yu

Strong year-end sales allowed Europe's Airbus to close 2005 as the global commercial airplane market leader.

A December sales surge boosted Toulouse, France-based Airbus to 1,055 net orders for the year. The earlier-announced yearly total for archrival Boeing: 1,002.

The figures confirm what has been anticipated for months: the best year ever for the world's two builders of large airliners. The companies' combined orders of 2,057 handily beat the 1,631 net orders received in 1989. Net orders account for cancellations.

The plane makers achieved their record-breaking year largely because of rapidly expanding aviation markets in Asia. China, for example, bought 150 single-aisle A-320 models during a visit to Paris in December by Chinese Prime Minister Wen...