Europe’s Great White Hope

Remember all that fuss over the A380 (mainly from Leftists)? The great threat to Boeing? Europe’s arrival as a global power house? The end to evil US domination of the skies (by a single US company)?

THE new chief executive of Airbus today outlined a vast restructuring plan for the ailing aircraft maker that could involve major job cuts and shifting more production out of Europe.

The presentation came a day after Airbus suffered another setback when European and US aviation authorities said the A380's powerful wake meant that other aircraft would have to keep a greater than usual distance between themselves and the giant plane.

This could led to more congestion at airports, and thereby reduce the appeal to airlines of the A380, which can carry 840 people and will be the biggest civilian airliner when it enters service next year.
If it enters service next year. . .

The A380 is of vital importance for the reputation of Airbus amid a fierce battle for orders with US rival Boeing.
Mmm – thinks – who would I be betting on in this great, ideological struggle between the massed European forces for socialist goodness and wonderfulness, and a single US company (force for capitalist badness and awfulness)?

EADS, a Franco-German group, owns 80 per cent of Airbus, with the remainder of the company held by BAE Systems of Britain.
Go France and Germany, you dynamos, you! Beat that evil Yankee company! Show them who’s boss!

BAE chief executive Mike Turner, whose company is seeking shareholder approval to sell its 20 per cent stake in Airbus to EADS, said on September 13 that EADS might seek a fresh cash injection from shareholders because of the Airbus crisis.
Seems BAE might have lost some of that European loving feeling. . .

No comments:

Post a Comment

All comments containing Chinese characters will not be published as I do not understand them