A spate of orders late in 2001 was not enough to save the world's largest civil aircraft maker, Boeing, from almost halving its sales compared to the previous twelve months. The combination of a global economic slowdown and the effects of September's terrorist atacks in the US was responsible for the slump in orders, the company said. Boeing, which has recently relocated its headquarters to Chicago, received orders for 335 new passenger aircraft, 45 percent fewer than in 2000. Although deliveries exceeded expectations - 527 planes - the company expects that number to fall next year to between 350 and 400. It already faces stiff competition from European manufacturer Airbus Industrie which is to go ahead with producing the world's biggest passenger jet, the A380. Boeing, who named China Airlines as its biggest customer last year with 22 aircraft, says its best selling plane is still the Boeing 737 narrow-bodied plane which has become the workhorse for airlines around the world.