Airbus may get aid from European governments

Aircraft manufacturer Airbus may get assistance from European governments to help fund $15.4 billion in development costs for its A350 model, French Transport Minister Dominique Perben said.

France and the other countries where Airbus has its main operations will keep an earlier commitment to help the company if it makes the request, though the aid may not be direct loans as in the past, Perben said.

Airbus, based in Toulouse, France, is seeking funding for the 300-seat A350 XWB jet to challenge Boeing Co.’s 787.