SEATTLE, Jan 5: US aviation giant Boeing Co. said on Thursday it received a record 1,002 net commercial plane orders in 2005, putting it on course to regain the top spot from its European arch-rival Airbus.

The figure beat the US company’s previous high of 877 net orders in 1988, which includes orders for both Boeing and McDonnell Douglas. The companies merged in 1997.

Boeing posted 272 net orders for commercial planes in 2004. Gross orders in 2005, which exclude cancellations and conversions, totalled 1,029.

“Clearly, 2005 was an incredible year for our customers and for Boeing,” Boeing Commercial Airplanes chief executive Alan Mulally said in a statement.

Boeing said it recorded 569 net orders for its medium-haul 737 planes, 154 for long-range 777s and 235 for its new Dreamliner 787s. The company also delivered its final 757 in 2005 after 23 years of production.

Boeing said that in total, more than 72 different customers ordered its airplanes in 2005, including airlines, cargo carriers, leasing companies and private customers buying models such as the Boeing Business Jet.

The 2005 totals included 28 aircraft from customers who wished to remain unidentified as of Wednesday.

The order figures mark a spectacular comeback for Boeing after the company spent recent years on the back foot to Airbus. The European consortium, which announces its 2005 order figures later this month, is hoping to top 800 orders.

The combined orders for the world’s two biggest plane makers look set to smash the previous record of 1,600 in 1989, marking a recovery for the global aviation business after years in the doldrums.—AFP