PARIS ¨C Airbus called on Thursday for a chance to compete for a blockbuster plane order by British Airways owner IAG, which stunned industry executives at this week¡¯s Paris Airshow by ordering 200 of Boeing¡¯s grounded 737 Max.
Airbus announced a new version of its best-selling A321 with close to 240 orders and commitments in Paris, only to see its grip on IAG¡¯s European short-haul networks damaged by the Boeing deal, which analysts said shores up the embattled 737 Max.
Boeing¡¯s top-selling aircraft has been taken out of service worldwide since an Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max crashed in March, five months after a Lion Air 737 Max plunged into the sea off Indonesia. A total of 346 people died in the two disasters.
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