DUBAI – Airbus on said on Wednesday it has secured an order for six aircraft from Senegal Airlines worth a total of $670 million, taking the European plane maker’s total orders at the Dubai Airshow to $5.3 billion.

Airbus said Senegal’s new national carrier, which will launch services early next year, has agreed to buy four A320s and two A330s.

Senegal Airlines was launched last month to replaces Air Senegal International, which collapsed earlier this year.

The Senegalese deal caps off a relatively successful airshow for Airbus at which it has trounced rival plane maker Boeing in the number and value of orders received.

Boeing, the world’s largest aircraft manufacturer, has witnessed a lean few days at the airshow, with its only order coming on Tuesday with a deal for a total of 11 737-800s from two Algerian airlines worth as much as $891 million at list price.

Airbus, meanwhile, has received commitment for a total of 33 aircraft from six airlines.

“We had a good airshow – better than many expected. But our industry is not out of the woods yet,” John Leahy, chief operating officer for customers at Airbus, said in a statement.

“There will be a difficult winter ahead of us, but with the deals we made in Dubai and the interest in our products that we saw here, spring may not be that far away.”

Plane makers have been hit by sluggish sales due the global recession as airlines cut back amid a steep decline in demand for air travel.

Aircraft orders began to trickle in at the Airshow on Tuesday, but around $8 billion in orders so far still pales in significance to the $150 billion-plus raked in at the last show in 2007.

Source: business.maktoob.com