Brussels, 17/06/2009 (Agence Europe) - Through its legal adviser Robert Novick, US aeroplane constructor Boeing fiercely criticised its European competitor Airbus, on Tuesday 16 June. Airbus is seeking repayable aid from the EU member states involved in developing the A350. “We are again very disappointed that Airbus had elected to use government funding to develop its airplane, when it already has enough resources,” Novick told AFP on the sidelines of the Le Bourget Air Show. “This shows disrespect for the cases going through the WTO to decide whether the aid is compatible with WTO rules,” he added. The previous day, the Airbus partner countries failed to agree on repayable aid for the launch of the Airbus A350, but France proposed up to €1.4 billion and Germany €1.1 billion. Repayable aid for the development of the long-haul A350, costing €11 billion, to compete with the Boeing 787 range from 2013, are “perfectly legal”, retorted French Secretary of State for Transport Dominique Bussereau on the same day. “It is in no way a subsidy,” he added, saying that such aid “falls fully within international trade criteria”. The EU and the US, which have been accusing one another of illegally subsidising their civil aviation sectors, are in dispute at the WTO over Airbus/Boeing. Washington brought its complaint in October 2004, accusing several member states of providing hidden subsidies to Airbus (DS 316). The EU immediately riposted with a counter complaint against the US over Boeing, claiming that the American company was receiving public subsidies (DS 353). (E.H./transl.rt)