The chief rival of Europe's Airbus, the Boeing company, Monday signed a cooperation agreement with Brazil's Embraer to collaborate in the fields of commercial aircraft safety and fuel efficiency.
The deal, which could increase competitive pressure on Airbus,
was sealed as US President Barack Obama met with his Brazilian
counterpart Dilma Rousseff at the White House.
"The agreement establishes an important relationship between two
of the world's largest aerospace companies to cooperate in ways that
enhance operational efficiency, safety and productivity, improve
customer satisfaction and create value for both companies and their
customers," Boeing said in a statement.
The two companies will cooperate on enhancing safety and
efficiency of commerical aircraft and on research into sustainable
aviation biofuels.
The presidents of the two firms - Frederico Curado of Embraer and
Jim Allbaugh of Boeing - signed the agreement after the annual
meeting of a public-private partnership group that ties the two
countries together.
Airbus and Boeing dominate the market for commercial jets. Embraer
is best known for its smaller corporate and regional aircraft, but
lines have blurred in the industry as Embraer and its chief rival,
Canada's Bombardier, have started producing larger fliers.
Allbaugh called the deal a "significant agreement" that will
benefit customers. Curado said the entire aviation branch would
benefit from their cooperation.
