Friday, December 14, 2001 - 12:00 a.m. Pacific
David Bowermaster Seattle Times aerospace reporter
Airbus executive blasts post-attack help for Boeing
PARIS — The head of European aircraft manufacturer Airbus criticized recent U.S. government-aid packages issued in the aftermath of Sept. 11, saying they provided "direct help" for Airbus' rival Boeing.
Airbus president Noel Forgeard said in an interview published in yesterday's edition of Les Echos, a financial daily, that the U.S. aid was a "veritable Boeing Marshall Plan."
In September, the U.S. Congress approved a $15 billion relief package for the U.S. airline industry. The package seeks to restore vitality to a sector of the economy devastated by the Sept. 11 attacks.
Forgeard also denounced parts of a separate $20 billion anti-terrorism package for the Pentagon, which was approved by Congress last week.
The defense measure includes language that would establish a new program in which the government would lease up to 100 Boeing 767s to be used as air tankers to replace an aging fleet.
Forgeard called it "a form of direct help" for Boeing.