Airbus and Boeing see record sales year for 2007

Airbus is expecting to sell about 1,300 aircraft by the end of 2007. Boeing is up to 1,154 sales to date, with more expected.

A good proportion of the record numbers can be attributed to Middle East buyers, who have, in a single year, ordered more than 700 aircraft between the two manufacturers - over 60% of the 1,160 units that Boeing predicted the region would require over the next 20 years, or three quarters of Airbus' long term projections.