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Paris Air Show crowd greets third Airbus A350 test flight

It was a good day for Airbus publicity as its energy-efficient passenger A380 jet flew over the high-profile air show and the French president hitched a ride in an A400M airlifter.

The Airbus A350 XWB -- short for extra-wide body -- competes with Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, another two-aisle passenger jet designed to cut fuel costs for workhorse airline routes. The Dreamliner, though grounded temporarily after battery problems earlier this year, has a multi-year head start.

During the Paris Air Show, though, Airbus parent company EADS got some good news: $21.4 billion in commitments from customers who plan to buy 69 of A350 jets. The new orders came from Singapore Airlines, United Airlines, Air France-KLM, and Sri Lankan, Airbus said.

The French company also got some publicity when French President Francois Hollande arrived at the show on the company's A400M, a hulking four-engine airlifter for military customers. Airbus took in $68.7 billion total in orders for new aircraft, doubtless welcome news in a country afflicted by the European economic malaise. 

The Airbus A350 XWB -- short for extra-wide body -- competes with Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, another two-aisle passenger jet designed to cut fuel costs for workhorse airline routes. The Dreamliner, though grounded temporarily after battery problems earlier this year, has a multi-year head start.

During the Paris Air Show, though, Airbus parent company EADS got some good news: $21.4 billion in commitments from customers who plan to buy 69 of A350 jets. The new orders came from Singapore Airlines, United Airlines, Air France-KLM, and Sri Lankan, Airbus said.

The French company also got some publicity when French President Francois Hollande arrived at the show on the company's A400M, a hulking four-engine airlifter for military customers. Airbus took in $68.7 billion total in orders for new aircraft, doubtless welcome news in a country afflicted by the European economic malaise. 

Part of that was a $8 billion deal to sell 20 of its massive A380 jets, which with two full decks are the largest passenger jets on the market today.

Both the A380 and the 787 Dreamliner were fixtures at the Paris Air Show making daily flights for thousands of customers, suppliers, and members of the public who attended the premier show.

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