Airbus CEO says he expects a good year, pares forecast for A380 sales in 2008

Berlin: European plane maker Airbus on Wednesday pared back this year's forecast for A380 jumbo jet orders by 10 planes but said its order book remained solid despite a drop in demand compared to a year ago.
Speaking to reporters at the Berlin Air Show, John Leahy, the chief operating officer at the Toulouse, France-based plane builder, said the company expected 20 orders for the giant passenger plane this year, down from its previous estimates of 30 from February.
"We expect 20 orders for the A380 this year, mainly in Asia," he said at a press conference at the sprawling air show.
Chief executive Tom Enders said that the company was not seeing as strong a year as it had in 2007, but said that Asian markets were helping offset slipping demand in the United States. However Leahy told reporters that demand in India, a growing market, was weakening, with it likely that carriers there could delay or even cancel more orders from the EADS unit through 2008.
The downbeat note was softened by the announcement that Middle East airline Gulf Air placed a firm order for 35 new passenger jets that will more than double the number of Airbus planes in its fleet.
Earlier this week, Airbus said British Airways had signed an order for two Airbus A318s.
On Tuesday, JetBlue Airways Corp. said it would put off buying 21 A320s for its fleet for as long as five years.
28/05/08 The Associated Press/International Herald Tribune, France

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Categories: Berlin air show 2008