AEROSPACE

Airbus Gets $1-Billion Order for A-320s: Northwest Airlines Corp. ordered 20 of the aircraft, making it Airbus Industrie’s biggest airline customer of A-320s. It is the Minneapolis-based carrier’s first major order since going public. It will take delivery of 13 A-320s in 1998 and seven in 1999. The order will give Northwest, the fourth-largest U.S. airline, a total of 70 A-320s. International Lease Finance Corp., which buys and leases aircraft, is Airbus’ biggest A-320 customer; it has 75 planes in service or on order. The new A-320s, which can seat 150 passengers, will replace older planes and add capacity for medium to long U.S. flights. Toulouse, France-based Airbus is the world’s second-largest producer of large civil aircraft after Boeing Co.