Airbus Leading American Counterpart So Far In 2007

Confirming rumors of a big order, on Monday Malaysian carrier AirAsia signed on the dotted line for 50 Airbus A320-family aircraft, plus options for up to 50 more. That $3 billion (list) deal was just the beginning, however, of a big day for big plane deals.

Reuters reports that also on Monday, Singapore Aircraft Leasing Enterprise (SALE) committed to 40 single-aisle airliners -- splitting the total down the middle between the Airbus A320, and Boeing's 737 at 20 apiece. The deals are worth a combined $2.8 billion, with the planes slated for delivery between 2009-2012.

"Reaching the 50-airplane milestone is a significant step in our relationship with Singapore Aircraft Leasing," said Barry Caldwell, director of Sales for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "The global popularity of the 737 ensures that these airplanes will bring years of profitable operations for both SALE and their customer airlines."

Separately, Airbus also confirmed a deal with Grupo Marsans, announced at Farnborough 2006. The Spanish tourism and transport company ordered 12 A330 twinjets, in a deal worth just shy of $2 billion list.

The SALE and Grupo Marsans deals are part of Airbus' 2006 order tally, counting towards its annual total that will be announced January 17. It is widely believed, however, that Boeing will easily win the 2006 sales order crown, with 1,044 net orders. Boeing also counted its share of the SALE package for 2006.

Airbus is counting the AirAsia deal, however, towards its 2007 numbers... meaning that for the moment, Airbus leads the 2007 sales orders race against its American rival.

FMI: www.boeing.com, www.airbus.com