Delivering final word in a nearly 14-year standoff, a World Trade Organization body has ruled Boeing received U.S. subsidies via tax breaks from Washington state that damaged sales of aircraft made by European archrival Airbus.
The decision by the WTO's appellate body considered whether the U.S. aeronautics and defense giant had complied with a 2012 ruling that found Boeing received at least $5 billion in subsidies that were prohibited under international trade rules.
Thursday's ruling found the Washington tax breaks led to lost sales of Airbus' A320neo and A320ceo aircraft in five sales campaigns.
The appellate body also reversed some previous rulings in favor of the EU, but found no grounds upon which the European bloc could seek damages from an arbitrator, except over the Washington state tax breaks.