The Paris Air Show in Le Bourget opened its doors to the general public Friday after four days reserved for trade visitors during which aircraft manufacturers reaped 48.7 billion dollars worth of orders. This represents three times the amount registered at the last Paris Air Show in 2003, according to DPA. In the highly volatile competition between the European constructor Airbus and its American rival Boeing, Airbus has come away as the clear winner, with 33.5 billion dollars in orders and intentions to buy for 280 planes, the company's commercial director, John Leahy, said Friday. "We will have 51 per cent of the market (this year)," Leahy said, refuting Boeing's claim that it would surpass Airbus in orders in 2005. Airbus's new long-haul A350, which is still on the drawing board, did especially well during the air show, attracting 115 orders, including 60 from Qatar Airlines. At least one-third of all orders came from new Indian air carriers, reflecting a boom in India's air travel market, which is growing by 25 per cent a year. "India and China should also drive growth (in the aviation sector) in the future," Leahy said. The Paris Air Show ends on Sunday. Some 300,000 visitors are expected to visit the air show before it closes its door.
