Airbus hit by planned US tariffs on EU goods

Earlier this year, Airbus celebrated its 50th anniversary by performing a formation flight of its aircraft families. Photo: © Airbus

The United States plan to impose new tariffs on goods from the European Union, this time including aircraft.

According to officials, the US Trade Representative (USTR) will add a 10% tariff on all aircraft imported from EU countries. This will mostly affect the multinational European aircraft manufacturer Airbus, which celebrated its 50th anniversary earlier this year.

On Wednesday morning, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) gave the Trump administration green light to impose tariffs on US $7.5 billion (€6.8 billion) in European goods, most notably aircraft, following a complaint over what the US says are ‘illegal subsidies’ for Airbus. A claim the manufacturer and European governments have been fighting against for years.

In a statement released immediately after the WTO’s decision, the company’s CEO Guillaume Faury commented that “Airbus will continue working with its US partners, customers and suppliers, to address all potential consequences of such tariffs“. He says that Airbus is ‘hopeful’ that the United States and the European Union “will agree to find a negotiated solution before creating serious damage to the aviation industry“.

A detailed list of products affected by the latest tariff proposal from the United States is reportedly due to be released on Wednesday night. It would take effect on October 18th.

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