US aerospace giant Boeing has said it had booked 800 commercial plane orders in the first 11 months of 2005, giving it an apparent lead over European rival Airbus.

Airbus, which has been the market leader in recent years, is due to release its figures for the same period today. As of October, Airbus had booked 494 orders compared with 674 for Boeing for the same period.

Boeing is expected to overtake Airbus this year in terms of orders. But the European consortium was expected to remain ahead of Boeing in aircraft deliveries, most recently estimated at 360.

Boeing said it plans 290 deliveries for 2005.

Of the most recent orders, Boeing said 185 were for its787 "Dreamliner," touted as its plane of the future.

But the majority of orders -- 462 -- were for the 737, the smallest in its commercial fleet.

(www.financialexpress.com)