Airbus orders dominate Paris Air Show as Boeing takes backseat — again

Airbus

orders and new models have taken center-stage at this year’s Paris Air Show, as its U.S. rival Boeing

spends yet another major industry event keeping a low profile due to turmoil at the business.

Airlines and manufacturers use air shows as an opportunity to make splashy aircraft purchase announcements following months of negotiations, some of which will be wrapped up at the event. Airbus had racked up nearly $21 billion as of Thursday morning, per a Reuters calculation.

That included 132 firm orders on Monday, from customers including Saudi leasing firm AviLease, Japan’s ANA and Poland’s LOT, versus 41 for Boeing and 15 for Brazil’s Embraer, according to a tally by aviation advisory IBA.