Airbus makes big splash at Air Show (page 2 of 2)

Orders had stood at 1,021 at the end of October but increased sharply during the Dubai air show.

He said the recent flurry of orders is partly due to the backlog of aircraft orders. 'Companies know if they don't place their orders now, they won't get the delivery early enough to meet their needs,' he noted.

Airbus believes it is successful in the region because it is offering the right type of planes for the market. 'Our long range aircraft, the A-380 and the A-350, can fly 8,200 nautical miles, reaching 6.2 billion people, or 95 per cent of the world's population, nonstop from Dubai. That is why the largest number of A-380s ever ordered in the world is going to Emirates,' Leahy said.

The Middle East region has ordered 700 Airbus planes, which represents about nine per cent of the total orders that have been received by the company. Currently, 300 Airbus aircraft are in service in the region, representing six percent of all aircraft that have been delivered worldwide.

Leahy expects Dubai to continue to explode as a regional hub. 'Ten years ago, Dubai was ranked number 28 in terms of major airport hubs. In 2007, it had up moved to 10, and it will be in the middle of the top 10 in two years,' he said.