Boeing, the world's biggest civil aviation company, yesterday raised the stakes in its battle with Airbus for supremacy in global air travel by dismissing its European rival's plans for a superjumbo jet as "too late, too risky".

Boeing said the world jetliner fleet would more than double over next 20 years to 26,200, with 17,000 new planes worth $1,200 billion (£853 billion) delivered.

But Boeing said in its annual market outlook that demand for bigger jets would be small. Mr Bruce Dennis, vice-president of marketing, said the projected requirement for airplanes of 500 seats or more would amount to 425 before 2017, against the 1,300 estimated by Airbus.