Industry grows more accepting of government help for airlines

(IHT, Paris, 1 February 2009) Billions of euros earmarked last week by the French government to keep the credit crunch from choking off revenue to the European plane maker Airbus might, analysts said, end up helping to finance its next-generation aircraft, the A350, in what once might have been decried as an illegal subsidy. "This would have sent up huge red flags and set off alarms one or two years ago, but now it's how everyone is running their economy," an an aerospace consultand said. "Protectionism is here - it's not like legality matters any more." The official export credit agency of the United States is also considering increasing its help for Boeing, its biggest client.