STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
NPR's business news starts with the Boeing - Airbus rivalry.
This is the business news equivalent of one of those big pro-football rivalries, and the European company Airbus reports, today, that it's ahead. It took a record number of orders in 2011 - more than 1,400 airplane orders. That surge was driven by demand for Airbus' revamped A-320 aircraft, which is supposed to be more fuel efficient.
In contrast to 1,400 orders for Airbus, Boeing sold only about 800 aircraft last year. Boeing though, does have a revamped of its workhorse, the 737, and Boeing is aiming for a boost in orders in 2012. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.