Financing Airbus, Boeing customers

Too much is being made over a decision by France to funnel cash through French banks for the express purpose of providing financing to Airbus customers.

France will provide $6.5 billion to the banks for loans to the airlines. The US government should follow suit. Bloomberg News has this report about the lack of financing available to customers potentially hurting Boeing.

The French stories headline or write about the money to the banks being aid to Airbus. In a round-about way, it is, but more to the point the world credit crisis is putting the squeeze on airlines. Depending on who you believe, there is a funding gap of $10bn to $28bn this year for customers buying airliners. Even though Airbus and Boeing pledged up to $1.5bn and $1bn respectively in customer financing this year, and other OEMs will likely step up as well, and even though the export credit agencies are doubling their participation, this isn’t enough.

The Obama Administration proposes around $900bn as a stimulus for the US economy, some of it for dubious project the Republicans rightly question, such as millions to resod the National Mall in Washington, hundreds of millions to engineer social policy via Planned Parenthood and (at least at one point) funding to build a museum in Las Vegas about the history of the mob.

Boeing is the USA’s largest exporter. Instead of funding dubious projects, Obama should earmark money for the banks that would be required to put into the credit markets to finance Boeing airplanes.

France got it right. The US should follow its example.

4 Comments on “Financing Airbus, Boeing customers

  1. “France got it right. The US should follow its example.”

    Absolutely spot on! In fact, I say we should drop the WTO case and inject “launch aid” into our own industries.

  2. To Aurora,

    but then the US wouldn’t have enough money for
    NASA and USAF research programs!!

    Total non sequitur: Can poppies be used to make bio-fuel? Could help to solve one problem in Afghanistan.

  3. We didn’t mention the Exim Bank because Europe’s export credit agency is doing the same thing. France’s move is over and above that, and now Germany is considering to the same thing. The US ought to as well.

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