Airbus Year-End Order Rush Masks Woes Selling Biggest Jets
- Flurry of A320 contracts comes as delivery to Qatar is delayed
- Toulouse planemaker has been rocked by management overhaul
Air Fares Set to Rise in 2018 on Business Demand
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Airbus SE completed the year doing what it does best: selling its bread-and-butter narrow-body aircraft.
The European manufacturer late Thursday firmed up its biggest-ever order from Indigo Partners for 430 A320 aircraft -- a contract that was previously announced -- while also unveiling a new deal for 50 re-engined versions of the same jet. All told, the flurry of activity during the past two weeks has totaled 705 single-aisle plane orders with a sticker price of $81.5 billion, pushing its full-year tally ahead of the figure at rival Boeing Co.