Boeing sells jet in Paris at last

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Boeing recorded its first order for a commercial jet at the Paris Air Show yesterday, in a small but symbolic breakthrough in its race with European rival Airbus to be the No. 1 airplane maker.   Boeing won an order for two of its updated 737-800 jets from aircraft leasing company MC Aviation Partners, a unit of Japan's Mitsubishi Corp. The planes are worth $153 million at list prices.   The 737-800 is a short-to-medium range, single-aisle aircraft, seating up to 189 passengers. It competes with the Airbus A320, which has won dozens of orders in Paris already this week.   On Tuesday, Kuala Lumpur low-cost airline Air Asia ordered ten A350-900 jets and placed options for five more.   Airbus has made more than $6.2 billion from sales of 57 aircraft at the show, largely from Asian and low-cost airlines.   Boeing dismissed the Airbus announcements, however, saying it does not save up orders to announce at air shows.   While Airbus is doing relatively well in commercial airliners, however, it is suffering in the defense sector, with delays mounting for its troubled new A400M military transport airlifter.   Airbus missed a 31 March contractual deadline for the first flight, and is negotiating new technical requirements and commercial terms with the seven buyers.   Lockheed-Martin and Boeing are seeking to take advantage by offering as alternatives their proven C-130J and C-17 models to the European air forces.   The Paris Air Show is marking its 100th anniversary. The world's biggest air show, it opened to industry on Monday, and opens to the public Friday to Sunday.     *┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á *┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á *