Airbus Chief Executive Guillaume Faury acknowledged on Wednesday during an interview with France Inter that Boeing is likely to overtake Airbus in the annual order race for the first time in six years, attributing the shift in part to U.S. tariff dispute agreements.

Nevertheless, Faury emphasized that Airbus remains ahead of its American rival in both deliveries and backlog, as he spoke on the program "La Grande Matinale" on Wednesday.

Driven by robust demand for its 787 long-haul jet, Boeing reported 908 net orders after cancellations from January to November, compared to 700 for Airbus.

"The fact that we have been ahead of them for five years in terms of order intake means our backlog is significantly larger than that of our main competitor," Faury said during the interview.

"However, it's true that they have received considerable support from the American president during tariff negotiations with several countries, where the issue of commercial aircraft orders became part of resolving the trade dispute," he added.

TENSIONS WITH THE U.S. BENEFIT BOEING

According to analysts, several airlines have placed orders with Boeing or planned announcements to ease trade tensions with the United States this year, particularly in Asia.

U.S. industry officials maintain that the 787, a long-haul aircraft, is selling well regardless of trade issues. Airbus, meanwhile, leads in smaller aircraft categories, such as the A321.

While Airbus orders have lagged for several months, Faury's comments confirm a likely shift in the ranking of new orders. The French planemaker is expected to retain its title as the world's largest aircraft manufacturer thanks to increased deliveries.

Asked about reports of a major pending order from China, the CEO said he did not expect an imminent new order for hundreds of aircraft, but mentioned discussions regarding approvals for previous orders.

On Wednesday, Airbus announced it had received Chinese approval for the delivery of 120 previously ordered aircraft.

Industry sources said Airbus is banking on an order of up to 500 aircraft from China to meet its order targets. Beijing is also negotiating a similar deal with Boeing.

(Reporting by Tim Hepher; French version by Coralie Lamarque; edited by Augustin Turpin)

By Tim Hepher