Boeing jetliner sales top 2006 record

SEATTLE – Boeing Co. said Wednesday it has received 1,047 commercial airplane orders this year, already beating its 2006 record-setting total of 1,044 orders with more than a month to go.

Boeing said it has taken orders for 580 of the popular 737 as of Nov. 20, and for 290 of the new midsize 787, whose delivery has been delayed until November or December 2008 because of assembly problems.

This is the third consecutive year Boeing’s orders have topped 1,000.

“That’s pretty astounding,” said Boeing spokesman Jim Condelles. He credited a surge of orders from airlines in Asia, India and Latin America, and the continued rebound of the air travel industry after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Boeing’s top competitor, Airbus SAS, had logged 1,021 commercial jet orders as of the end of October, the most recent data available on the company’s Web site.