Airbus chases aircraft lessors as order race tightens

Airbus has been chasing deals with leasing companies in recent weeks to try to narrow a gap in orders against rival Boeing, while industry experts took a somewhat more sanguine view on 2018 deliveries after shares took a beating. The outcome of the recent leasing talks could affect a tighter-than-expected race for orders in 2018, though Airbus is relying on a recent burst of orders for a newly acquired Canadian jet program and lags Boeing on a like-for-like basis. The last-minute order flurry complicates a jigsaw of data awaited by investors as uncertainty lingers over whether Airbus met its crucial aircraft delivery target for 2018 - a reliable guide to profits and a barometer of supply chain tensions. Industry sources have said Airbus was unlikely to meet the 800-jet goal (782 excluding the Canadian A220), but others said Airbus could still spring a surprise after workers delivered jets late on Dec. 31 that had not been expected to make the cut. Bloomberg reported Thursday that Airbus had delivered more than 790 and fewer than 800 aircraft in 2018. In a new year message to staff, planemaking chief and designated chief executive Guillaume Faury sounded upbeat on 2018 but warned industrial execution and quality must improve. Airbus is due to announce commercial data on Jan. 11, but without the fanfare of an annual news conference that for years featured outspoken former sales chief John Leahy as the company reins in communication before its full results, due on Feb 14.<br/>