The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has handed down its preliminary ruling in a dispute between the US and Europe <br />over two of the worlds biggest aircraft makers.<br /><br />Boeing, backed by the US government, claimed that Airbus Industry, a division of the European defence company EADS, received an unfair boost from billions of dollars in European government financing to develop new planes.<br /><br />The details of the ruling, which follows a five-year investigation, will not officially be made public for <br />months. But the Wall Street Journal newspaper says the WTO has ruled that European subsidies for the launch of the Airbus A380 airplane were illegal. <br /><br />John Terrett reports.
