Airbus dropped behind US rival Boeing in the race for new airplane deals in the first quarter after a pair of wide-body order cancellations, while Boeing finalised a major Canadian sale, company data showed yesterday.

Airbus said it had won 40 new orders in March, led by a diplomatic deal that saw China unblock 27 orders for A330 jets during a state visit to Europe by President Xi Jinping.

However, it suffered two order cancellations, including 12 A350-800 aircraft from a company linked to struggling Italian airline Alitalia and five A330s from Philippines Airlines.

Airbus ended the quarter with 158 new orders or 103 net orders after adjusting for cancellations.

Boeing said on Thursday it had won 275 gross orders or 234 net orders in the first quarter. Cancellations for both planemakers ran at about the same level during the quarter.

Boeing leapfrogged its arch-rival in gross orders after winning an order for 61 narrowbody jets from Air Canada, marking a shift of suppliers by the Montreal-based airline. The order, first announced in December, was finalised this week.

Airbus said the cancelled A350-800 order came from Aircraft Purchase Fleet, a Dublin-based leasing firm originally set up to provide capacity for Alitalia.-Reuters