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          Because no
            single European manufacturer had the resources to compete with
            Boeing and McDonnell Douglas, France and West Germany agreed in 1969
            to create the Airbus consortium.  The first Airbus, the
            prototype A300, flew in 1972.
             Airbus is currently owned by EADS and BAE Systems
            (British Aerospace).  EADS is a European consortium
            which includes  Aerospatiale of France,  Construcciones Aeronauticas
            SA (CASA) of Spain and  Daimler Chrysler Aerospace 
            (Dornier and Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm) of Germany. 
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