Alenia Joins Airbus in Jet Ventures

Alenia of Italy signed an agreement to join France’s Airbus Industrie on several projects, including a new 550-seat “superjumbo” jet, as the European consortium seeks to challenge Boeing Co. as industry leader. The accord comes several days after Seattle-based Boeing teamed up with St. Louis-based McDonnell Douglas Corp. to develop Boeing’s own superjumbo jetliners. McDonnell was the world’s No. 2 commercial jet maker until Airbus supplanted it this decade. The addition of Alenia gives Airbus access to Alenia’s lower wages and factories, including a highly automated plant near Naples, as well as additional capital for the superjumbo project, which may cost $8 billion.