11,000 jobs could go

10/07/2008

A change of plan by the US government could see more than 11,000 British jobs threatened.

The Pentagon has pulled out of a deal with aircraft manufacturer, Airbus, to provide tankers to the US Air Force, it has been reported.

A further 14,000 jobs across Europe could be threatened should the contract now be awarded to rival US manufacturer, Boeing.

Union leader, John Wall, general secretary of the Confederation of Ship Building and Engineering Union told the Times: "Airbus beat Boeing in every single major feature in this competition and I don't see that changing, but what has changed is the political pressure to buy American."

The US government has claimed "significant errors" were made when the contract was awarded to the European aerospace firm.

Typical of modern defense contracts, parts for the Airbus aircraft are often made and assembled in different countries.

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