Airbus net orders in the red by end of first quarter

PARIS (Reuters) - Airbus suffered more cancellations than orders by end-March, leaving the European company with a bleak first quarter after its five-year winning streak in the race for jetliner orders against U.S rival Boeing ended last year.

Airbus said on Thursday it had won 62 gross orders during the first three months of 2019 but some 120 cancellations left it with a negative net order figure of 58. Deliveries stood at 162 including 134 single aisle planes and 22 A350s.

Earlier this month, Colombian airline Avianca cancelled an order of 17 Airbus A320 Neo aircraft and delayed deliveries on 35 others, according to a securities filing.

(Reporting by Matthias Blamont; Editing by Sarah White)