From: "Rich Gauszka" 

Weak dollar, French - German nationalistic animosity - The future of Airbus
no so bright?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2007/02/20/cnairbus20.xm
l
Mr Gallois implored France, Germany, Spain, and Britain to "find a
solution that overcomes national issues".

"I made proposals which I deem balanced, both from an industrial and a
technological point of view, and which serve our objective of economic
competitiveness. I wish that they can lead to the consensus we urgently
need. Airbus cannot delay any longer," he said.

Mr Gallois said Airbus was facing crippling competition from rival Boeing,
which has recaptured its crown as the world's biggest jet maker with the
help of a weak dollar. The euro has risen almost 60pc against the dollar
over the past five years, reaching $1.3159 yesterday.

Airbus aims to cut costs by ?2bn (œ1.35bn) a year by 2010, and find private
partners for plants that are not deemed "core" assets. A wiring
error in the A380 superjumbo has led to delivery delays stretching to 2010,
causing
?4.8bn of extra costs and penalties that have bled the company's reserves.

Michael Glos, Germany's economy minister, denied yesterday that his country
was insisting on "one-for-one" job cuts between France and
Germany but said there should be an "equal sharing out". Earlier
this month, he threatened to punish EADS with the loss of contracts if
German workers bore the heaviest losses.

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