Ahead of Donald Trump's inauguration, Airbus (EADSF, Financial) CEO Guillaume Faury cautioned of a possibly robust protectionist stance taken by the next U.S. government.
Speaking as chairman of France's GIFAS aerospace association, Faury told Reuters that under the new government, protectionism seems certain even if exact details of U.S. trade policy are yet unknown. Set to reveal 766 aircraft deliveries for 2024—a 4% YOY bump— Airbus is still under intense competition with Boeing (BA). By contrast, strikes and continuous quality issues caused Boeing deliveries to drop by one-third last year.
Long a prominent topic in U.S.-European trade conflicts, the transatlantic rivalry is Years of litigation conducted through the World Trade Organization turned into a trade war under Trump's previous term, leading to reciprocal duties on airplane components and other items. Although a truce between the US and the EU momentarily stopped the clashes with, the emergence of China's Comac C919 looms huge. Comac wants European certification this year, raising the stakes on Airbus-Boeing rivalry given the ever-evolving global aircraft industry dynamics.
