Statement by Airbus President and CEO Tom Enders in response to the WTO announcement of a further delay of the report in the Boeing subsidies case (DS 353)

"We are surprised and disappointed by the last minute announcement of yet another delay by the Boeing subsidies panel.

We are, however, not surprised by the apparent difficulties the WTO is faced with.

We have said time and again that the complexity, interconnectedness and industrial significance of the Boeing and Airbus cases would strain the capabilities of the WTO.

Since these cases were filed, the world has changed. In aviation, the previous duopoly marketplace is increasingly being populated by government-sponsored players, leaving Boeing and Airbus as those that, by any objective measure, benefit least from government support.

The ongoing struggle of the WTO to address the world as it was in 2004 (the date the cases were filed) raises the question whether it can succeed in its basic mission to create a climate for a negotiated settlement on the basis of fair market rules in the interest of both the industry and the employees on both sides of the Atlantic.

Another delay is a disappointment. But we are looking forward to the Boeing subsidies panel report. It will eventually come, and it will show: Boeing has received billions of dollars in WTO illegal subsidies.

The importance of this report is greater, however, than a simple vindication of the obvious fact that Boeing aircraft such as the B787 would not exist without government subsidies.
 
When the two WTO reports are published, those nations whose industries are building the aviation technologies of tomorrow can consider the WTO's views on the past to craft new market rules that efficiently guarantee fair trade, a level playing field and continuous technology investment."