Boeing Says ’98 Commercial Jet Orders Up 15%

Boeing Co., the world’s biggest jet maker, said it won 656 firm orders valued at $42.1 billion for commercial jetliners last year, a 15% increase over 1997. The figures signal that Boeing probably surpassed European rival Airbus Industrie in total jet orders. While Airbus won’t be releasing comparable figures until Monday, it had 503 firm orders through Nov. 30 and since has announced 43 more orders to take its provisional total to 546. The combined orders of at least 1,202 mark the fifth consecutive year of increased business for the world’s only two big jet makers, which together got 1,028 orders in 1997. Analysts warn the two are likely to see a decline this year as recessions in Asia and elsewhere force airlines to cut spending. The order bonanza hasn’t been a similar boon for Seattle-based Boeing because of unprecedented assembly-line bottlenecks and a fierce discounting war with Airbus.