On the eve of closing the doors of the Salon du Bourget, a shadow could come tarnish the immense success of the European manufacturer Airbus at the time of high mass biannual aerospace. While the group has announced four days a new record of orders, with 72.2 billion worth of contracts garnered the announcement by China of a possible blockage of a contract for $ 3.8 billion ( 2.7 billion euros) for 10 A380 looks like a grain of sand from the well-oiled machine seize up.
At least, that understands the Financial Times on Saturday. Echoing the words of sources familiar with the matter, the newspaper said that Beijing had threatened "to undermine a deal worth billions of dollars for 10 Airbus super jumbos" in protest against the decision of the European Commission to include air transport system in the trading of CO2.This measure is to buy permits for each tonne of carbon emitted dioxin in European airspace, beyond a certain threshold. The Asian company Hong Kong Airlines was the official control of very large aircraft at the Paris Air Show. But the hardening of the Chinese position facing the European measure prevents the conclusion of the agreement, according to sources.
This disagreement does not allow to increase to 12 orders for A380 harvested at Le Bourget. Thursday, Airbus had reported a firm order for 10 A380, from an unidentified customer. According to one industry source, this command corresponds to that of Hong Kong Airlines. The counter for very large aircraft will remain blocked for the moment 2.
The case could also be amplified in the coming months fast payday loans. "These are not the only contracts held hostage by the Chinese.One on the A380 could be only the first, "explains the paper citing its source. Because the European manufacturer has other current contracts with the Middle Kingdom. Meanwhile, the Airbus management is counting on a visit to Berlin next week Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, to unblock the situation and conclude the contract.
"No plan B '
Beyond this contentious spot, the tour in Europe, China (Wen Jiabao arrived here Friday in Hungary, a country holding the rotating presidency of the European Union) should be an opportunity to address the underlying problem of quotas. A delicate matter, the European Commissioner for Climate Action, Connie Hedegaard has formally ruled out that the Chinese retaliatory measures have any impact on the measure, scheduled to take effect next January. "There is no plan B. Our position is very clear.We would not amend, "she said.
Faced with this inflexibility, Tom Enders, the boss of Airbus, for its part called on Europe to be flexible, saying the "madness of attracting reprisals" from a player as influential as the China. For the latter, comply with the requirements of the EU would entail, for the Chinese airlines, a surcharge of $ 126 million in 2012, according to data from the China Air Transport Association (CATA). This figure set to rise in coming years, when China's increasing its flights to Europe. In his struggle, China is also supported by the United States.
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