Talks between the European Union and the United States to reach a deal on ending subsidies for aircraft makers are still on despite a request from Airbus for aid to launch its A350, the EU's executive said today.
"The commision is still in discussion with the United States and therefore no doors are closed," a European Commission spokeswoman a news briefing, responding to Airbus's announcement that it had asked Britain for funding.
The United States, keen to defend Boeing against its European rival, has said it would reopen a lawsuit it launched at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) if European governments agreed to grant Airbus soft loans to launch the A350.
"We remain convinced that the litigation in front of the WTO would be counter-productive," the spokeswoman said.