Airbus beats Boeing in 2010 plane orders

A late rush of orders helped European aircraft-maker Airbus to record higher sales than US rival Boeing in 2010.

Airbus said it had received 644 new orders last year, worth $84bn at their full list price - with 200 of them placed in December.

Airbus benefited from a late rush of 200 new orders placed in December

That was enough to push Boeing into second place with 625 plane orders.

The news came as Virgin America confirmed 60 new A320 orders, half of which will be in the new eco-friendly "Neo" format.