Airbus sees "several hundred" orders at Paris Airshow

[PARIS] Airbus could announce "several hundred" airplane orders at the June 15-21 Paris Airshow, Fabrice Bregier, chief executive of the planemaking unit of Airbus Group, said on Saturday. "It will be a good show," he told i-Tele television.

Airbus has seen a surge in demand for jets like the medium-haul A320, but is struggling to find buyers for its largest model, the 544-seat A380 superjumbo.

Despite calls by Dubai's Emirates to update the engines, Mr Bregier said an A380 revamp was "not currently on the agenda", adding, "we'll do that when the time is right".

Mr Bregier said the recently weakened euro was at a "good level" for European businesses.

Asked about suggestions Airbus would quit Britain if it leaves the European Union, he said: "We produce all our wings in Britain and I have no intention of changing this strategy. I am very satisfied with the support we receive from the UK."

The head of Airbus UK warned last week of "huge" economic risks for Britain outside the EU and said Airbus would reconsider investments if Britons voted to leave the bloc in a referendum due by the end of 2017. "As a European citizen, and as the head of one of the few flourishing European enterprises, I hope the UK stays in Europe, but it is up to them to determine themselves," Mr Bregier said. "If the UK happened to leave then we would examine the consequences for our business. I think we will avoid this, because Europe has made progress on the basis of crises that subsequently lead to progress."

REUTERS