Airbus narrows delivery gap, reinstates Qatar jet orders

European planemaker Airbus narrowed a gap with last year's jetliner deliveries after a sharp increase in February and turned the page on a major legal dispute with Qatar Airways by reinstating billions of dollars of plane orders.

The world's largest planemaker said it had handed 46 jets to customers in February, more than twice the 20 which had marked a disappointing start to the year in January. Deliveries for the first two months reached 66 jets, down 13 from a year earlier.

Airbus said in a monthly bulletin that it had reinstated orders for 73 aircraft from Qatar Airways after revoking them during a dispute over damage to the surface of grounded A350s.

Airbus and Qatar Airways settled the dispute at the end of January, averting a rare and potentially damaging UK court trial in the jet sector. Speaking in Berlin, Qatar Airways Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker called the settlement a "win-win".