The Airshow is Over and Boeing is the Winner

Aerospace company Boeing (NYSE: BA) is being hailed the overall winner as the Farnborough Airshow in the UK comes to an end.

According to Reuters, neither Boeing nor Airbus earned the kind of order numbers that they would have wanted, but both companies are claiming their own victories.

For its part, Boeing picked up 50 percent more orders than Airbus, including a huge $14.7 billion order from United Continental (NYSE: UAL). Airbus won a new order from Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific for the largest version of the A350.

Benzinga reported on July 10 that General Electric (NYSE: GE) Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) has committed to purchasing 75 737 Max 8s and 25 Next Generation 737-800s.

Boeing said in a press release at the time that, "GECAS is a leader in the airplane leasing and financing industry with a successful track record of placing 737 with airlines worldwide," said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Ray Conner. "The GECAS leadership team understands the importance of having advanced, fuel-efficient airplanes to meet their customers' needs. This commitment confirms the value of the 737 MAX in today's competitive marketplace."

It was important for both companies that the show go well, as Benzinga reported in February that European banks are seriously reducing lending and trade rules curtailing the use of government-backed loans.

“European banks will step back a little in terms of financing this year,” Randy Tinseth, marketing vice president for Boeing's commercial airplanes unit, said in a briefing. “The capital markets will play a more and more important role in financing new deliveries.”

According to Reuters, Boeing took orders for 285 MAX jets, and the company said that it now has 649 firm orders, "compared with 1,454 for the A320neo which gained a year's start as the two planemakers opted in succession to put fuel-saving engines on their most-sold jets."

On Friday morning Boeing traded at about $71.70, up roughly 0.3 percent.

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