Airbus surpasses Boeing in orders

As of Nov. 30, Airbus has beat both its rival the Boeing Co. and its own record in commercial jet sales in 2007.

The European company updated its orders tally Monday, listing 1,204 orders through the end of November. That tops Airbus’s previous best year in 2005 when it hauled in 1,111 gross orders and 1,055 net orders.

Boeing, which reports its orders weekly, has won 1,144 net orders through Dec. 4. The Chicago-based aerospace company also is enjoying a record sales year. Boeing logged in 1,044 net orders in 2006 – its top sales year until this one.

Both Airbus and Boeing expect to add even more orders onto their impressive backlogs before Dec. 31. Louis Gallois, chief executive of Airbus’ parent company EADS, anticipates that Airbus will win 1,300 orders before the year ends, according to Reuters.