Boeing started the year ahead of its European rival Airbus, after clinching the industry’s top spot in 2012, with broadly higher orders and deliveries in January, data showed.

EADS unit Airbus said it had taken 140 orders during the month, or 121 after adjusting for cancellations, and delivered 35 passenger jets to airlines.

Boeing said yesterday it had delivered 39 aircraft in January, beating Airbus despite a halt in deliveries of its 787 Dreamliner, which has been grounded by battery safety concerns.

The US company sold 145 aircraft between January 1 and February 5, the nearest comparable period for which data is available, and took no cancellations.

Both companies’ order books were unusually active for January.