The Farnborough Air Show opened near London in July 2004 with Boeing and Airbus renewing their dispute over government funding, even as industry leaders expressed far greater confidence than at the previous show two years earlier, when aviation was still reeling from the September 11 attacks.
Boeing drew first blood on opening day, landing an Emirates order for four 777-300ER jets plus options on nine more, a deal valued at roughly $2.96 billion at list prices. Airbus executives hinted that their own announcements, possibly for the A380 superjumbo, could follow later in the week.
The subsidy row dominated early exchanges. Airbus CEO Noel Forgeard insisted his company receives repayable government loans, not grants, saying: 'We pay commercial interest on them.' Boeing's commercial aviation chief Alan Mulally countered that Airbus was violating the spirit of a 1992 US-EU agreement to phase out state support. Both sides said they hoped to avoid a full transatlantic trade dispute.
Airbus entered the show having overtaken Boeing in civil aircraft deliveries for the first time in 2003, banking on its 550-seat A380, which had 129 orders and was due in service in 2006. Boeing was promoting its fuel-efficient 7E7 midsize jet, with 62 orders and a planned 2008 delivery date.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in July 2004, in its own words.