Airbus reports strong demand for its planes at Paris Air Show

PARIS, June 20 (KUNA) - European-aircraft maker Airbus Industries reported Thursday that there has been strong demand for its planes from multiple airlines and leasers during the first four days of the Paris Air Show.
In a statement, Airbus indicated that it's new, long-range, single-aisle A321XLR had been strongly endorsed my carriers, with 11 customers opting for this latest model.
Overall, a new business was drummed up for 363 Airbus commercial aircraft, including 149 firm orders and 214 commitments, letters of intent or options.
In addition, customers converted 352 orders from smaller to larger planes, including the A321XLR, which has a range of 4,700 nautical miles and can service routes from Europe to the United States.
Included in the deals at the Le Bourget field, the smaller A220 100-seater got 85 orders and the large, wide body A330 neo, a more environmental and fuel-efficient model, got 24 orders.
Airbus said that the A321XLR was clearly "the star of the show" with 48 firm orders, 79 commitments and 99 order conversions to that model.
Airbus had an easier time at the Paris Air Show than rival Boeing, which was facing many questions over the two crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia of its 737 Max carrier within the last year, with the loss of hundreds of lives.
The 737 MAX is currently grounded worldwide pending technical modifications and evaluations.
The problem did not prevent IAG, which is a parent of British Airways, from ordering 200 of the troubled Boeing planes, but observers said the list price was driven down sharply by IAG. (end) jk.aa