Airbus seals India order, Qatar A380 sale

European plane maker Airbus bathed in a shower of orders and sales of its A320 medium-haul workhorse, including a record deal for 180 for Indian budget carrier IndiGo at a rainy Paris Air Show Wednesday. On top of that $15 billion (Dh55 billion) sale, Airbus was also expected to sign a deal with Qatar Airways to buy five of its A380 superjumbos, an industry source said. Both deals include big orders of the star of this year's trade show: the retooled, more fuel-efficient A320neo. Airbus' US rival Boeing for its part signed a memorandum of understanding for the sale of 40 B737 medium-haul planes to Russian company UTair Aviation for a list of price of $3.2 billion. The monster A380, in the light blue livery of Korean Air, sat on the runway at the old Le Bourget airfield, brought in at the last minute after the intended show model damaged its wing on arrival. That craft was due to appear later Wednesday after repairs. Nearby stood its rival, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The first Dreamliner due to fly long-haul commercial routes was presented by its launch customer, Japan's All Nippon Airways, which vaunted it as a key to its ambitious expansion. "We have a target to expand our international network and the 787 will play a significant role in that target," Shuichi Fujimura, a senior vice-president of the airline (ANA), told reporters, presenting a model of the plane's future dark blue striped livery. The Dreamliner wowed the crowds when it landed on Tuesday at the air show. On the rainy third day of the show, visitors were able to splash through the puddles to climb aboard ANA's Boeing 787, minus some seats and trimmings, and admire its larger-than- normal cabin windows, a point of pride for the airline.