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Airbus versus Boeing Revisited: International Competition in the Aircraft Market

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  • Irwin, Douglas
  • Pavcnik, Nina

Abstract

This Paper examines international competition in the commercial aircraft industry. We estimate a discrete choice, differentiated products demand system for wide-body aircraft and examine the Airbus-Boeing rivalry under various assumptions on firm conduct. We then use this structure to evaluate two trade disputes between the United States and European Union. Our results suggest that aircraft prices increased by about 3.7% after the 1992 US – EU agreement on trade in civil aircraft that limits subsidies. This price hike is consistent with a 5% increase in firms’ marginal costs after the subsidy cuts. We also simulate the impact of the future entry of the Airbus A-380 super-jumbo aircraft on the demand for other wide-bodied aircraft, notably the Boeing 747. We find that the A-380 could reduce the market share of the 747 by up to 14.8 percentage points in the long range wide-body market segment (depending upon the discounts offered on the A-380), but would reduce the market for Airbus’s existing wide-bodies by an even greater margin.

Suggested Citation

  • Irwin, Douglas & Pavcnik, Nina, 2003. "Airbus versus Boeing Revisited: International Competition in the Aircraft Market," CEPR Discussion Papers 3876, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:3876
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    Cited by:

    1. Agnès Bénassy‐Quéré & Lionel Fontagné & Horst Raff, 2011. "Exchange‐rate Misalignments in Duopoly: The Case of Airbus and Boeing," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(4), pages 623-641, April.
    2. Ohashi, Hiroshi, 2005. "Learning by doing, export subsidies, and industry growth: Japanese steel in the 1950s and 1960s," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(2), pages 297-323, July.
    3. Amit Khandelwal, 2010. "The Long and Short (of) Quality Ladders," Review of Economic Studies, Oxford University Press, vol. 77(4), pages 1450-1476.
    4. Laixun Zhao & Makoto Okamura, 2010. "Competing to Outsource in the South," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(3), pages 427-442, August.
    5. Wu, Xin-wang & Zhu, Quan-tao & Sun, Laixiang, 2012. "On equivalence between Cournot competition and the Kreps–Scheinkman game," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 116-125.
    6. Victor Fernandez-Blanco & Luis Orea & Juan Prieto-Rodriguez, 2013. "Endogeneity and measurement errors when estimating demand functions with average prices: an example from the movie market," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 44(3), pages 1477-1496, June.
    7. repec:aea:aejmic:v:10:y:2018:i:1:p:67-101 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Gianmaria Martini & Davide Scotti, 2009. "Potere di mercato e distribuzione dei profitti nella filiera del trasporto aereo," Working Papers 0906, Department of Economics and Technology Management, University of Bergamo.
    9. Tombak, Mihkel M., 2006. "Strategic asymmetry," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 61(3), pages 339-350, November.
    10. Stephen Martin, 2012. "Market Structure and Market Performance," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 40(2), pages 87-108, March.
    11. Jan De Loecker & Johannes Van Biesebroeck, 2016. "Effect of International Competition on Firm Productivity and Market Power," NBER Working Papers 21994, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    12. T.Huw Edwards, 2009. "Regulatory Protection When Firms Move First," Discussion Paper Series 2009_19, Department of Economics, Loughborough University, revised Nov 2009.
    13. Koichi Kagitani, 2009. "Political Economy Of Strategic Export Policy In A Differentiated Duopoly," The Japanese Economic Review, Japanese Economic Association, vol. 60(2), pages 236-252.
    14. Bown, Chad P. & Crowley, Meredith A, 2016. "The Empirical Landscape of Trade Policy," CEPR Discussion Papers 11216, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    15. T. Huw Edwards, 2012. "Mutual Recognition versus National Treatment of Standards in a Classical Monopoly or Oligopoly," Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics (JITE), Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 168(3), pages 455-487, September.
    16. Garcia Pires, Armando José, 2006. "Losers, Winners and Prisoner's Dilemma in International Subsidy Wars," CEPR Discussion Papers 5979, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    17. Huw Edwards & Joanna Poyago-Theotoky, 2013. "Regulatory Protection When Firms Decide First on Technical Collaboration and R&D," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(4), pages 750-764, September.
    18. Mackay, Daniel, 2011. "Estimating the impact of investment tax credits on aircraft demand," MPRA Paper 32767, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    19. Berrittella, Maria & Franca, Luigi La & Mandina, Vito & Zito, Pietro, 2007. "Modelling strategic alliances in the wide-body long-range aircraft market," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 13(3), pages 139-148.
    20. Friberg, Richard & Ganslandt, Mattias, 2006. "An empirical assessment of the welfare effects of reciprocal dumping," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(1), pages 1-24, September.
    21. Orea, Luis, 2007. "Estimating Firm-Specific Market Power: A Composed Error Term Approach," Efficiency Series Papers 2007/02, University of Oviedo, Department of Economics, Oviedo Efficiency Group (OEG).
    22. Anders, Christoph, 2010. "Auswirkungen des Leasings auf Transaktionskosten," Leasing - Wissenschaft & Praxis, Universität zu Köln, Forschungsinstitut für Leasing, vol. 8(2), pages 71-88.
    23. Varshavsky, Leonid, 2010. "Methodological basis of modeling evolution of markets of products with long life cycle: a study of the civil aircrafts’ market," Applied Econometrics, Publishing House "SINERGIA PRESS", vol. 20(4), pages 53-74.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    aircraft industry; trade policy;

    JEL classification:

    • F12 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Models of Trade with Imperfect Competition and Scale Economies; Fragmentation
    • F13 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade Policy; International Trade Organizations
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets

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