KUALA LUMPUR - European aircraft manufacturer Airbus said on Monday that 2009 would be a tough year for orders, with quite a few being deferred, although it did not expect many more cancellations.

"I don't think we will have that many more cancellations," Airbus Commercial Director John Leahy told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the International Air Transport Association.

Both Airbus and rival Boeing Co have suffered as travel demand has dried up in the global economic downturn prompting several airlines to cancel or defer orders.

Reflecting the tough environment, Leahy told Reuters on Sunday that Airbus, was maintaining its 2009 sales target of 300 gross orders, but it was more difficult to accomplish.

Airbus has booked 32 gross orders to end-May.

The head of global airlines body IATA told Reuters last week that plane orders could fall 30 percent in 2010.