Airbus Industrie's brisk sales, which greatly exceeded expectations in 1999, pushed the Europeans ahead of Boeing in terms of new aircraft orders and firm backlog in an increasingly acrimonious environment. The European consortium logged 420 firm orders, canceled contracts covering 24 aircraft and concluded the year with a record 1,400-aircraft-plus backlog and 168 customer airlines and leasing companies. "We achieved much more than a good year. 1999's results accelerated and strengthened a long-term trend toward parity with our competitor," a senior Airbus executive claimed.
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