[SW6906]

If Boeing can succeed in keeping Airbus from getting low or zero interest "loans" that don't have to be paid back if the product doesn't break even, Airbus is in BIG trouble. They can't afford to do this without subsidies.......

[SW6906]

Ping!

[Red Badger]

Subsidies are against WTO rules, no?.......

[antiRepublicrat]

That's "Schadenfreude" -- you pronounce the "e" at the end.

[AxelPaulsenJr]

This is gonna send the Aribust defenders into a tailspin.

[NavyCanDo]

THIS WILL MAKE YOU LAUGH - - NEWS FLASHBACK 11/22/04 - Subject A350 launch decision.

``It's Airbus's job to make life harder for Boeing and an A350 launch will do just that,'' said Richard Aboulafia, vice president of the Teal Group, a Fairfax, Virginia-based consulting company. ``The 7E7 (787) business case is not sewn up yet.''

[VOA]

bump

[Red6]

A380 flop
Herkules flop
Tiger flop
Eurofighter flop
Galileo flop

Yet they just have an endless supply of cash. Hmmmmmmm must be nice. And of course they will have massive investment into an accelerated development of the A350.

What will the Europeans do? Deny the fact that EADS is heavily subsidiesed, make counter accusations, keep moving on.

[nikos1121]

How does Boeing do that?

[Proud_USA_Republican]

Since putting the A350 on the market in December, 2004, Airbus has logged 100 firm orders -- including an order for nine planes signed on Mar. 30, 2006, by Finnair. That compared with 291 orders booked by Boeing for the 787 since May, 2004.


Let's not forget that Airbust's definition of a "firm" order and Boeing's is completely different.

Airbust finds anyway it can to count, "option" orders which is that the airline company might order those jets in the future, but isn't financially bound to, as "firm" orders. Firm orders are where the airlines are contractually purchasing the planes and dates for the planes being delivered are negotiated. The airline manufacturer will issue a reserved slot on the assembly line for the plane to be built.
Airbust has gotten into the habit of counting option orders as firm orders so it can always claim it sells way more planes than it does.
Airbust in the last days of 2005 tried to count a massive order of planes sold to China which put them past Boeing in total plane orders. China came back later and said this order was still in negotiation and these weren't even option orders yet.

[DennisR]

...and the A380 sales have slowed to almost zero...

Airbus: Stupid enough to want to have the biggest commercial airliner, stupid enough to try to build it.

[AlexW]

A note of interest, I have a young French friend (17) here in Slovakia. His pastime is spent on his computer, making flight simulations with different makes of planes and destinations.
He loves to show me his latest simulations of takeoffs
and landings.

His favorite large planes are Boeing. He has no interest in Airbus !!
While us Freepers like to beat up on the French, I have to admit that my best friends, and very nice people here, are French and in Slovakia working for French companies.

[longtermmemmory]

I don't think airbus will every be allowed to cease to exist.

They will put them in recievership and write off all the loans. (a marketing point for the pooreer customers)

Airbus has never been about making airplanes, airbus is about a "make work" program.