AIRSHOW - Airbus sees slow sales, flat output

By Martina Fuchs and Tim Hepher

DUBAI (Reuters) - Airbus is sticking to a sales target of 300 planes for 2009, but sees a slow return to a healthy flow of new orders over the next two years, its top sales executive said on Wednesday.

Despite gloom in the industry, Airbus also expects to keep output flat as the "panic" of the economic crisis wears off and some airlines speed up deliveries they deferred after the economy sank last year, John Leahy told Reuters Television.

"Three hundred is still the target (for 2009) ... we're still aiming for it. It's a stretched target now, but I think we'll get close. We are getting a lot closer than many people think," Leahy said in an interview at the Dubai Air Show.

"It will probably be another two years of low incremental orders, but still we can try and keep very high production levels."

The timing echoes comments by Boeing's top commercial executive to Reuters earlier this week.

Airbus has 166 firm orders so far this year, including 15 signed at a subdued Dubai Air Show, which contrasts with the order frenzy seen at the same event two years ago.

Leahy said there could be a partial breakthrough in coming months on one of the few large deals around, a contest between Airbus and Boeing to provide some 150 aircraft to UAL Corp's United Airlines, while suggesting little would happen this year.

"This might happen in two tranches. First, a wide-body deal for 20, 30 wide bodies and then come back six months from now and then maybe look at other aircraft," said Leahy, who is the Chief Operating Officer for Customers at the European plane maker.