The World Trade Organization ruled Tuesday that European aircraft maker Airbus received improper subsidies for several of its commercial airliners—thereby giving it an unfair advantage over rival Boeing. The New York Times reported these findings Tuesday, citing US and European officials familiar with the confidential ruling, which reinforces the WTO’s interim judgment last summer in this complaint brought forward by the US government. Boeing applauded the decision in a statement, calling it “a powerful, landmark judgment and good news for aerospace workers across America who for decades have had to compete against a heavily subsidized Airbus.” Meanwhile, Airbus countered in its own release that “70 percent of the US claims were rejected” and that no European measures have caused “material injury” to any US interest. The WTO is expected to rule in June on a European counterclaim against US support of Boeing. More to come.
The U.K. and the U.S. will continue to enjoy access to the ports, airfield, and workshops at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean for at least another century, under a deal inked between the U.K. and Mauritius May 22.