U.S. upholds Airbus import tariffs despite protests

The United States are upholding the import tariffs of fifteen percent on Airbus aircraft, despite the manufacturer’s recent protests with the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The tariff was increased this year as, according to the United States, Airbus is receiving illegal state aid from various European countries. The conflict between Boeing, the U.S. and Airbus has been dragging on for years; both sides accuse each other of receiving illicit subsidies and tax breaks in order to finance the development of new aircraft. The WTO has repeatedly reprimanded the rivals for relatively minor irregularities, but so far has not proceeded to issuing harsh convictions.

Airbus recently urged the WTO to reverse import tariff increase, as the manufacturer receives a lot of orders from U.S. airlines. Major American customers include Delta, American, United, Frontier, Spirit and JetBlue. Airbus even opened a factory in Alabama, as the aircraft that are produced in the United States are not subject to the tariffs.