The European aircraft maker Airbus on Friday announced at the Paris Air Show that it had gained orders and options for 280 aircraft, worth 33.5 billion dollars. 

Airbus' marketing director John Leahy said the company "will have 51 percent of the market" and intended to keep ahead of its US rival Boeing both in orders and deliveries in the following two years, with at least 360 aircraft deliveries this year and about 400 in 2006.

Boeing announced orders and options for 146 airliners worth 15. 19 billion dollars and is expected to deliver 320 aircraft this year.

On Thursday Airbus announced that it had orders and options for 261 planes, valued at 29.278 billion dollars. That would double the value of Boeing's orders for 146 planes at 15.197 billion dollars. 

(Xinhua News Agency June 20, 2005)