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Airbus seals $15bn Indian plane order
AIRBUS basked in the world’s biggest commercial plane order yesterday, with shares in parent EADS lifted by news of its $15.6bn (£9.9bn), 180-aircraft deal with Indian airline IndiGo.
The agreed purchase underlines India’s development as a major aviation market and provides a welcome boost to EADS chief executive Louis Gallois, who has been pushing expansion into emerging markets as traditional markets falter.
It also gets an early blow in for Airbus in the annual battle with US rival Boeing for sales supremacy.
Airbus has so far reported 388 net plane orders up to the end of November, or 440 before adjusting for cancellations. It delivered 461 planes in that period.
EADS shares closed up 2.1 per cent to €20.20 in Paris trading yesterday.