For one week at least, the gloom of the global recession seemed to lift along with the storm clouds gathered over the grounds of the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, France. An unexpected
flurry of sales activity gave the air transport market in particular a welcome boost, as contracts for firm orders, options, letters of intent and memoranda of understanding totalled close to $17 billion.
Unfortunately for Boeing, buyers didn’t spread their investments evenly, as Airbus grabbed most of the headlines by announcing $12.9 billion worth of “commitments” for 127 airplanes, 58 of which involved firm orders worth $6.4 billion. In stark contrast to its European rival, Boeing left Paris with a decidedly modest order total of two 737-800s from Mitsubishi Corporation subsidiary MC Aviation Partners, giving the Chicago-based company a net order total for the year of nine airplanes. Still, given the state of the world’s airline business, the fact that Airbus and the various regional aircraft manufacturers could stage a sales rally of the magnitude seen in Paris surprised even the most optimistic observers.
