Airbus expects decline in new aircraft orders in 2009

European aircraft manufacturer Airbus is expecting a sharp reduction in the number of new orders in 2009 as the global economy slows, the firm's chief operating officer said in Hong Kong Thursday. But John Leahy, who heads the company's sales side, said the company was currently facing a record backlog of orders that would see it through the next few years.
Leahy said that its order book for the A380 superjumbos were full until the end of 2013. Airlines across the world have reported disappointing passenger and cargo figures in the past few weeks, as the global slowdown begins to cut into business travel and exports.