WTO says airbus got illegal subsidies

(New York Times, Geneva, 4 September 2009) A preliminary report by the World Trade Organization has found that Airbus received illegal subsidies for the $13 billion A380 superjumbo jet and several other airplanes, hurting Boeing in the battle for sales, American and European officials said Friday. [ECA Watch: While a substantial portion of Airbus and Boeing subsidies are for development costs, export credit support for commerial aircraft represented some 30% of all OECD ECA budgets in 2005, the last date for which the OECD ECG published figures about these taxpayer supported subsidies.]