Conclusion: Airbus Industrie and International Cooperation

Abstract

The project began with a puzzle, why didn’t the US and the European Community engage in a trade war over Airbus Industrie during the period 1970–1992? Certainly there would seem to have been good reasons to do so. The US aerospace industry is one of that state’s most important economic sectors; not only is it a key defence sector, its positive balance of trade makes a significant contribution to the US balance of payments. For the European Community, Airbus was a singular success story for European collaboration; Airbus did in 20 years what no single European firm had ever been able to do, sell civil airliners in significant quantities against American competition. In short, both sides had enormous stakes in preserving their industries.