Jul 22 2010 by Eleanor Barlow, Flintshire Chronicle
A SALES chief at Airbus said the firm will easily exceed its 2010 forecast for up to 300 new plane orders and could reach as many as 400 by the year’s end.
John Leahy said the aircraft manufacturer, which has a factory in Broughton, was likely to complete Farnborough air show today (Thursday) with around 200 orders - an impressive illustration, he said, of how the aviation industry had bounced back from a global downturn.
“I do think we will probably be closing in around 200, maybe a little bit less or a little bit more, but that’s pretty impressive. I think it says the market is back,” he said.
“Our full year target was 300 aircraft sold, so clearly we are going to go past that. I think the full year number will probably be between 300 and 400. It’s not a full recovery but clearly it is a recovery.”
Many of the orders Airbus closed at the show were with aircraft leasing companies, who are among the first to pull back from the market when the industry weakens and the first to get back in when it recovers.