Actually, repayment of Airbus loans does not begin until the airplane starts
to make a profit - thus development of a new airplane is a very low risk
proposition.

Jack


"Peter Kemp" peter_n_kempathotmaildotcom@ wrote in message
...
On or about Thu, 18 Dec 2003 06:04:41 -0500, Cub Driver
allegedly uttered:

The only thing Boeing hoped to do with the Super 747 was to scare
Airbus into canceling the 380. That failed, and Boeing backed down. It
is a private company and it has a responsibility to its workers and
stockholders not to commit suicide. Airbus is essentially bankrolled
by governments, so it can afford vanity projects, just as Britain and
France afforded the Concorde.

To be fair, Airbus isn't bankrolled by the governments anymore. The
most that has happened are loans to Airbus, which have been paid back
with significant gains. The same thing happens when Boeing gets tax
breaks for new aircraft sites (like the 7E7), except they don't get
paid back.

---
Peter Kemp

Life is short - Drink Faster