Airbus says this year's Paris Air Show has been more fruitful for the plane maker than had been expected in a depressed aviation market. Commercial director John Leahy said this could point to a turnaround in the sector.
'The Air Show was definitely more successful than we had anticipated, which is an indication that the market seems to be slowly beginning to turn around,' Leahy told AFP news agency on the fifth day of the show, which runs until Sunday.
Today was the first day for attendance by the general public after four days that had been reserved to industry professionals and journalists.
Leahy said that - taking account of deals done at the air show this week - Airbus had received nearly 150 orders since the start of the year.
The manufacturer, a division of EADS, has said it hopes to secure 300 orders in all of 2009 but has warned that in light of the current economic downturn far fewer planes could be sold.
