Boeing slams Airbus optimism on superjumbo-paper = = = = Thursday March 25, 8:10 PM EST = LONDON, March 26 (Reuters) - U.S. plane-maker Boeing (BA) said its rival = Airbus (EAD) may sell so few of its 555-seater superjumbo aircraft it cou= ld be unable to repay the $3.5 billion in launch funds loaned by governme= nts, the Guardian newspaper said on Friday. The newspaper said Randy Baseler, head of marketing for Boeing's commerci= al airplanes, ridiculed Airbus' forecast global demand of 1,138 planes. H= e said demand was at most 320 and Airbus would find it impossible to brea= k even on sales of 250 A380s. The paper said Baseler said Airbus had won its first 129 orders for the A= 380 by offering airlines a 40 percent discount on the $230 million list p= rice. Boeing has been overtaken by Airbus as the world's top commercial planema= ker, after the European firm topped it in deliveries in 2003 for the firs= t time. The rivals have been in a long-running dispute about the level of= demand for the superjumbo, which Airbus plans to start delivering in 200= 6. = =A92004 Reuters Limited. = Roger EWROPS