Airbus set a new record in the aviation industry on Monday when it completed the biggest aircraft sale in history.

The order for 234 Airbus aircraft by Indonesian carrier Lion Air was worth close to $24 billion, beating by some $2 billion the previous record held by Boeing and American Airlines.

The achievement by the French aircraft manufacturer was welcome news for the French economy, which is currently struggling with an unemployment rate of over 10 percent.

By John Power (john.power@heraldcorp.com)