The last transatlantic row over aircraft was five years ago, when America attacked subsidies to Airbus. Boeing eventually urged the White House to seek peace, because it feared its European customers would side with their local manufacturer and stop buying Boeings. He has three main concerns. The first is the sheer dominance of the combined group. Passenger jets have a working life of about 25 years, and almost one in four jets in the air today is a McDonnell Douglas.
Airlines remain in close contact with the supplier, buying spares and dealing with technical issues.
The European Commission argues that this will give Boeing an inside track in selling jets to these airlines. Second, the Europeans complain that acquiring McDonnell Douglas will increase Boeing's defence and space business so much that it will strengthen its commercial-aviation side too. The bulk of McDonnell Douglas's business is military aircraft, and this is the main reason Boeing wants to buy it. But Boeing has offered to make potential spillover contracts more transparent by filing an annual report on them to the Europeans for approval. This may form the basis of an eventual compromise on this issue.