Boeing under pressure as Airbus tops 500 orders for its upgraded aircraft

AIRBUS SAS reached a goal of topping 500 orders for its upgraded A320neo aircraft by the end of the Paris Air Show on the second day of the event as carriers put pressure on Boeing Co to respond with an all-new airliner.

US leasing firm CIT Group signed an outline order for 50 single-aisle neos worth $4.6 billion (€3.15bn) at list price, propelling the model to Airbus’s pre-show target, and a 10-plane deal from PT Garuda Indonesia gave the re-engined jet a first contract from a client until now loyal to Boeing Co’s rival 737.

JetBlue Airways Corp of the US bought 40 A320 neos, while Boeing won 15 737 orders from Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA plus 10 from Malaysian Airline System Bhd that were already on its books.