EU to challenge WTO ruling on Airbus subsidies

The EU is to file an appeal against the World Trade Organisation's ruling on a US complaint that state subsidies for the aerospace giant Airbus are illegal and detrimental to its main competitor, Boeing.

A WTO panel on 30 June ruled that Europe's Airbus consortium benefited from illegal subsidies as the support schemes paid by Britain, Germany and Spain for the A380 jumbo jet were linked to export performance - meaning as long as the company has contracts to sell products abroad, they r...