Summary Box: Farnborough Airshow kicks off with orders for Boeing, Airbus, Bombardier

Summary Box: Small flurry of orders at air show

WHAT’S BEEN ORDERED: Arch rivals Boeing and Airbus announce new orders worth almost $13 billion as the Farnborough International Airshow opens. Canada’s Bombardier says it has signed a deal with Qatar Airways worth $122 million.

WHY IT MATTERS: The flurry of orders raises hopes that the aviation industry is on the way back up after a dire two-year slump. No one, though, expects to see commercial plane orders anywhere near the record-breaking $88.7 billion worth announced in Farnborough in 2008 before the global credit squeeze took hold of the industry.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR: Boeing says it will announced a “significant” amount of orders over the next few days.