Brussels, 05/10/2011 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 5 October, the European Commission authorised the Belgian state to pay a reimbursable advance of €32.8 million to the Belgian aeronautical company SABCA for the development of flat support structures for the future Airbus A350 XWB, to be used for passenger transport. This aid is in respect of an innovative project which will help, amongst other things, to reduce the overall carbon footprint of the aircraft. It will have little impact on competition, as SABCA has a small market share, and was judged to comply with European rules on state aid, as it is limited to the amount required to complete the project and will help to fill a gap in the market. The financial sector was reluctant to provide sufficient funding for the project, due to the scale of the investment, technological and commercial risks it brings with it and the duration of the amortisation. In the event that the project succeeds, the aid will be paid back in full and an additional fee will be paid to the Belgian authorities. (FG/transl.fl)