Offsetting the difficulties of 2012 for EADS (European Aeronautic Defence Space), its Airbus SAS commercial unit is closing in on this year's gross order target of 700 aircraft even before the anticipated flurry of contract announcements that mark the upcoming Paris Air Show.Included in the sales are a stunning 234 A320s to Indonesia's Lion Air and another 82 to Turkish Airlines (Tuerk Hava Yollan), plus 102 aircraft for Deutsche Lufthansa, including two A380s. Despite a healthy increase in revenue, 2012 will be remembered for the failed marriage between EADS and BAE Systems, which CEO Tom Enders has explained by saying that "all the stars in the firmament were in line-except one: the political one!"
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