"The tender is for Boeing"

Le Figaro. – Northrop and EADS waive answer the call for bids for the tanker to the U.S. military …

WELSH Louis. – We are not going as this tender is clearly in favor of the Boeing B767. The specifications are intended for a smaller aircraft than the Airbus A 330 without taking into account the superior capabilities of the latter. I regret, because we have the best aircraft, which has won every competition in the world, including Britain and Australia, against Boeing. It was useless to file an appeal. I'm not sure the American taxpayer will be a bargain for the U.S. military, it has a plane less modern, less capable than Great Britain, Australia, Saudi Arabia or United Arab Emirates.

You build a factory in Alabama?

The site of Mobile in Alabama would assemble the tankers.Therefore, this assembly project in the southern United States is no longer valid. This decision does not affect our overall interest to the U.S. market. We have to develop.

In what trades do you develop in the United States?

For now, we look rather acquisitions of medium size, including the United States, but not exclusively. As for trades beyond the defense, we bear a special interest in services and security. But everything is a matter of expediency.

The euro-dollar is she always so critical?

Of course! And the euro at 1.35 dollar remains strong. I remember I started Power 8 in 2007 to address just one dollar to 1.35. This is not because we went from 1.50 to 1.35 as the dollar problem is solved! EADS had 9.8 billion euros at end December 2009.

What will you do with that war chest?

The Net Cash position is considerable, but we will in the next four years, reaching a peak of investment on the A 350. We must maintain a sufficient level. It is essential to maintain the trust of our customers, who pay installments four to five years before delivery of their machines. The cash position is also an important component of our rating. It is therefore a priority for us to protect it. Airbus beats records of shipments, but profitability is average.

The economic crisis is still there.Are you planning to launch a new savings plan?

In 2009, our accounts are strongly marked by the provisions on the A 380 and above on the A 400M (1.8 billion euros) and by currency effects, whose overall impact is negative in 2009 2.5 billion euros compared to 2008! Apart from these "special items" Our operational performance is satisfactory. End of 2009, we completed a year ahead of the expected savings under Power 8, or 2.1 billion euros. Power 8 + begins now and will run until 2012. To date, I have no plans identified new savings plan, but I do not want to tie my hands and we must be able to react to changes in our environment guaranteed approval cash loans