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Article: Airbus Goes Ahead on Jumbo Jet; European Consortium Will Incorporate, May Offer Stock
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- June 23, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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Airbus Industrie, the European aircraft consortium that is rivaled
only by Boeing Co., plans to announce Friday that it will move toward
production of the world's largest commercial airliner, capable of
carrying as many as 650 passengers.
Airbus is pouring $12 billion into development of the A3XX, as the
new plane is called. A prototype of the giant four-engine jet is
being built in a special hangar at Airbus headquarters in Toulouse,
France. The plane would loom large alongside a Boeing 747, which
typically carries 416 passengers, and is expected to retail for an
estimated $230 million per airplane.
The 30-year-old consortium also is to announce that it will become