Aircraft orders are expected to decline by about 50 percent to 700 planes this year in tandem with a slowing global economy, European manufacturer Airbus said Wednesday. Airbus executives said on the sidelines of the Singapore Airshow the order book this year is expected to include 30 A380 double-decker aircraft and more than 100 A350s long-range planes. "We expect fewer orders this year," said John Leahy, chief operating officer for customers at Airbus. "The size of the order intake this year will be more in the category of 700 aircraft rather than 1,400 (in 2007)," he said at a news briefing, adding that this was a conservative estimate.

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