Anyway, my BlackBerry has been buzzing all week with email announcements from Airbus and its PR agencies telling me about the latest plane orders. Every few moments; 20 of this or that plane type was being ordered by one or airline or another. To see the latest order book coming from the European planemaker you’d think they were rolling in orders, which, with the exception of the A320 family, they are not.

Airbus has played its little game again. Whether its Farnborough or Paris, the European planemaker stores up the orders and announces them at the airshow (they do it with even more gusto when the biennial show is in France).

Who do they think they are kidding? We know that these deals were done months before ad then held off for signing so they could trot them out in a glut to make the situation look rosy.

Also, it is almost comical the way the same plane orders will often appear several times in press releases, at different points in the process. Take for instance Emirates with its extra A380s. These were actually announced some months ago when the memorandum of understanding was signed. Then they are announced again when the order was signed without a word being said about the previous announcement.

I think the final total of press releases was over 25.

Boeing has always said it doesn’t play the orders game at the airshows, and they are usually more upfront about it. So why does Airbus bother? Do they think we are fooled by the repetition of orders throughout the process of Memorandum of Understanding, firm orders, rights to buy etc?

Sorry guys, I am not fooled. Give it a break and let my BlackBerry have a rest, too.

Posted by Richard Quest: 4:30 PM

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