Airbus plane orders down in Q1, profits up

PARIS (AP) — Airbus Group said Tuesday that orders for its jets slumped in the first quarter, but profits rose and it hopes to put its A350 long-range jet into service by the end of the year.

The European plane maker, Boeing’s chief rival, said in a statement that it took in 103 orders in the quarter, worth 21.1 billion euros (US$28.9 billion). That is down from 410 orders in the first quarter of 2013.