British Air (BAB) gave Boeing (BA) a big order for its 787 Dreamliner–24 planes.
At the same time it dropped the 747 as its large long-haul plane and bought the A380 super-jumbo instead. The A380 faced a number of delays, and industry observers wondered it is would every fly.
The A380 is still untested as a work horse in commercial aviation. The 747 has impeccable credentials. And its new stretch version has already started to sell well.
So, why the contrarian move by BA? Perhaps it is to help itself and its neighbors. Airbus is in trouble. It is one of the industrial crowned jewels of the EU, And, Airbus has accused Boeing of getting US government help in R&D in complaints filed with the World Trade Organization. It claims that all of the Defense Department work it gets help Boeing offset its costs to build commercial planes.
Perhaps the purchase of aircraft is about to become more political.
Douglas A. McIntyre
Take This Retirement Quiz To Get Matched With An Advisor Now (Sponsored)
Are you ready for retirement? Planning for retirement can be overwhelming, that’s why it could be a good idea to speak to a fiduciary financial advisor about your goals today.
Start by taking this retirement quiz right here from SmartAsset that will match you with up to 3 financial advisors that serve your area and beyond in 5 minutes. Smart Asset is now matching over 50,000 people a month.
Click here now to get started.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Latest from 24/7
