European aerospace leader Airbus will get a 3 billion euros ($3.42 billion) loan from the European Investment Bank as European Union officials seek to build out the bloc's own technological capabilities to fend off mounting competition from the U.S. and China.
The EIB said that an initial 1 billion-euro tranche--signed at a ceremony in Brussels Monday--would bolster Airbus's research and development in European aerospace. The financing package will support the company's planned investments through 2030 in areas such as commercial aviation, security and defense, the EIB said, with projects in France, Germany and Spain.
The bank said the corporate loan was the largest the EIB has ever authorized after Airbus made its request six months ago.
"The EIB Group is deploying its full firepower to bolster Europe's technological autonomy, industrial strength and economic competitiveness," Nadia Calvino, the EIB's president, said in a statement. The financing plan shows Europe can move with speed and at scale to support its champions and reinforce its position in the emerging geopolitical landscape, she added.
The institution, which is jointly owned by the EU's 27 member states, has recently ramped up its support in sectors such as defense and tech as policymakers try to address increasingly tense trading relationships with countries like the U.S. and China. Airbus also signed a deal with fellow European aerospace groups Leonardo and Thales in October to create a joint venture that could better compete with Elon Musk's SpaceX.
"The highly competitive terms and extended flexibility grant us the maximum optionality to manage our balance sheet, minimize the cost of carry and sustain our long-term investments in aerospace innovation," Thomas Toepfer, Airbus's chief financial officer, said.
Write to Edith Hancock at edith.hancock@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 29, 2026 08:02 ET (12:02 GMT)
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