Airbus changes A350, A380 loan programmes to comply with WTO rules

Airbus and its four home countries—France, Germany, Spain and the UK—have made changes to reimbursable launch investment loans that they believe will bring the aid in compliance with WTO rules. “We are confident that we have now achieved full compliance in the DS316 case as a clear demonstration of the will to ensure a fair-trade environment respecting international trade agreements,” Airbus general counsel John Harrison said. The measures follow a May 15 WTO Appellate Body ruling that launch aid on the A350 and A380 programs was improper. The appellate ruling left about $9b in subsidies in play on which the US said it would seek authority from the WTO to impose countermeasures, which would take the form of tariffs against EU products. The details of what Airbus has changed are confidential, although Airbus is understood to have agreed to repay a UK government-backed loan before the end of this year, which would be earlier than planned, and to not take some support as initially planned for the A350 program. Airbus said the changes “are aligned with current market conditions.”<br/>