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Essay on Boeing Aircraft Company vs. Airbus

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Prepared for:
Professor Nicolas Kuzm

Topic Paper 3:
Boeing Aircraft Company vs. Airbus

Managerial Economics
Fall 1, 2012
Section OB

September 2, 2012

Introduction:

For decades, Boeing and Airbus have struggled for dominance in the large commercial aircraft market. In 2010 and 2011, the World Trade Organization ruled that each firm has received illegal subsidies from the governments of the United States and the European Union, which have enhanced their competitive positions. This paper considers the nature of these rulings and the future competitive environment in the global jetliner industry. This paper will also demonstrate how Boeing and Airbus approach the aircraft marketplace, how they are alike and different …show more content…

General Comparison
Boeing and Airbus have been at loggerheads for a very long time. Both companies fight intense battles for every major order of commercial aircrafts and have actually bet on different strategies as to how the aviation market is going to develop. There are various avenues along which we can differentiate the two companies. Let us start with the first one: products. Airbus spent more than $15 billion on the development of the "Superjumbo" Airbus A380. They bet on the concept that people would fly from one hub to the next in the big plane, and take a smaller plane to their final destination. So if one had to fly from Columbus, OH to Edinburgh, Scotland people would take a small plane like the Airbus A320 to New York City, fly on the A380 to London, and then take another smaller plane from London to Edinburgh. Boeing thought that this idea was flawed and people would rather fly directly from Columbus to Edinburgh and therefore, they went for a slightly smaller plane, but a plane that had a longer range, and lower operating costs. They named it the Dreamliner, the B787, and it is expected to get in service sometime over the next 3-4 years if things go as planned (something that has not happened with the 787 project). How this will pan out is anyone's guess today.

The next difference is the

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