AIRBUS SUBSIDIES AND THE TANKER COMPETITION
Boeing is concerned that government subsidies Airbus has received
as launch aid for its commercial jets, including the A330,
will create an uneven playing field in the KC-X tanker competition.
EADS, the parent of Airbus, plans to offer the U.S. Air Force
an A330-based tanker. Boeing will offer its NewGen Tanker.
The World Trade Organization recently ruled, according to members
of Congress and others who were briefed on the ruling, that
the Airbus subsidies are improper. Those Airbus subsidies should
be accounted for in evaluating any proposal for an A330-based
tanker, according to Boeing. “We believe this subsidized-price
advantage tilts the U.S. Air Force’s refueling tanker
competition in favor of Airbus’ parent, EADS,” Jim
McNerney, president, chairman and CEO of The Boeing Company,
wrote recently in “Our Flight Plan.’’ Employees
can read more of what McNerney had to say about the subsidy
issue and the tanker competition on the Boeing intranet. This
section of Frontiers is only accessible within The Boeing Company
internal Web.
Our
Flight Plan >> |
 Bob Ferguson/BOEING |
