Airbus Ministers' Meeting At Farnborough Airshow

Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (UK)

Airbus Ministers' meeting at the Farnborough International Airshow - 14 July 2008

Ministers from the governments of Germany, France, Spain and the United Kingdom, with responsibilities for the civil aerospace industry, met at the Farnborough Air Show today to discuss Airbus matters.

The meeting was chaired by John Hutton, Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. Also present were Teresa Santero, Secretary General for Industry in Spain, Peter Hintze, German Parliamentary State Secretary and Patrick Gandil, Director General of Civil Aviation (DGAC). Airbus was represented by the CEO, Dr. Thomas Enders.

The Ministers agreed on the importance of Airbus, and its supplier companies, in each of their respective countries as key contributors to their economies. Airbus is a global success story and provides a route to market for thousands of suppliers, all involving highly-skilled, high-value manufacturing work.

This continues to be a challenging time for the sector, with rising oil prices sharpening the focus on the need for sustainable development and environmentally compatible technologies. For this reason, Airbus and the four governments are all investing increasingly heavily in new technologies which will make aircraft more environmentally friendly and position the company better for the future. Airbus also has to contend with the unfavourable market conditions created by the weak dollar - which make its recent successes all the more encouraging.

Ministers passed on their congratulations to Airbus on the news that, in the next six weeks, two more airlines will take delivery of the flagship A380 - an aircraft that is setting new standards in the global market. Joining Singapore Airlines, Qantas and Emirates are the latest customers to benefit as operators of this revolutionary aircraft.

Further evidence of successful collaboration was demonstrated in the form of the rollout, just two weeks ago, of the A400M military transporter aircraft.

The Ministers again exchanged views on the ongoing WTO disputes and were united in highlighting the need for balanced solutions so as to ensure a 'level playing field' internationally.

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ENDS

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