Paris/London — Airbus sales chief John Leahy conceded defeat to Boeing at his last European air show, marking a rare show of humility from the American, who confirmed his plans to retire after racking up $1.7-trillion of jet orders over two decades. The time frame for Leahy’s exit isn’t yet clear, and he will work on a smooth transition to deputy Kiran Rao, he said at Airbus’s closing press conference at the Paris Air Show. Airbus had no new civil models coming to market at the expo, unlike Boeing, which racked up more than 300 sales and commitments for the Max-10 stretch of its 737 single-aisle workhorse. "The fact is, this is a slower year for orders than previous years," Leahy said at the briefing on Thursday. "Are we conceding that Boeing sold a few more airplanes than we did? Yes. Every dog gets his day." Airbus secured $39.7bn of new jetliner business at the show, Leahy said, comprising firm orders for 144 aircraft worth $18.5bn at list prices and looser commitments for 182 pl...
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