Translation error over 'cancelled' Airbus order

A newspaper that reported China had pulled out of a deal to buy 150 aircraft from Airbus, causing a stir among the national media, had mistranslated the original story by a United States news agency.

The paper, based in Chengdu, Sichuan province, in an article quoted Bloomberg News as saying: "Airbus does not expect to realize its target, set in 2005, to sell 150 jets to China this year." The report topped all major Chinese web portals yesterday.

But the original story from Feb 25 actually said that the France-headquartered aircraft manufacturer has seen its "plans to sign a fourth Chinese order for more than 150 planes since 2005 delayed".