The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS.PA) is the dominant aerospace company in Europe today. Its largest subsidiary, Airbus S.A.S., is an aircraft manufacturing company based out of several European nations, with the majority of its operations in France, Germany and Spain. The majority of EADS's profits arise from Airbus' operations.

Airbus and its primary competitor Boeing control most of the commercial airplane industry. Recently, Airbus has faced a barrage of difficulties stemming from delays with both the A380 and A350. These delays could cost Airbus more than $4B in the form of penalties, higher production costs and order cancellations. As a result of these delays Airbus is also significantly behind Boeing in terms of its current production cycle. It may be years before they can launch a new model that can effectively compete with Boeing's latest aircraft. In a positive development for EADS, the company beat 1Q08 sales and earnings forecasts on the strength of strong sales across all major divisions other than Airbus.

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