Non, it146;s a deal

Europe, with France always in the lead, has since the 1960s been extremely sensitive to shakeouts in civil aviation. It responded to rising bottomlines of American aviation majors 8212; once a grand troika of Boeing, Mcdonnell Douglas and Lockheed 8212; the staple European way: by pumping in subsidies to shore up a local competitor. America, they said, had massive domestic demand to keep its civil aviation sector viable 8212; Europe8217;s flag must float on government aid. That is, if egalite cannot be won by the invisible hand of the market, continental pride must be secured through state intervention. It then is, one supposes, just a leap of logic to demand that other governments also be inducted into this spirited battle against American imperium. If the market mechanism cannot deliver the deal to Airbus, the Indian government must. If no violation of fair trade protocols can be proved, the brains trust in Toulouse clearly feels, seeds of a spicy scandal can neatly be planted.

Not so fast. This is where New India must firmly tick off Old Europe with a firm and resounding 8220;non8221;. India is slowly, and hopefully surely, on the way to massive programme of upgrading infrastructure. It cannot have it skies emptied of reinforcements just because European companies have lost out on a piece of the pie. The transatlantic battle is best returned to its natural habitat: at the portal of a fast food outlet on the Champs Elysees.