Aircraft
U.S. Seeks To Strike Balance as Industry Pleads for Bailouts
U.S. airlines expect to be “first in line” for government support of the aerospace industry.
A Delta Air Lines MD-88 lands at Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport on April 24, 2013. The airline plans to retire all of its MD-80-family jets as it institutes a 80-percent systemwide capacity cut. (Photo: Flickr: Creative Commons (BY-SA) by redlegsfan21)
A Delta Air Lines MD-88 lands at Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport on April 24, 2013. The airline plans to retire all of its MD-80-family jets as it institutes a 80-percent systemwide capacity cut. (Photo: Flickr: Creative Commons (BY-SA) by redlegsfan21)

Varying priorities among U.S lawmakers in Washington, D.C. threaten to delay a bailout package promised by the federal government for airlines and aerospace companies, most notably Boeing and its suppliers. At press time, Congress still hadn’t passed legislation to address the need for financial help due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, as one after another airlines either announced a complete withdrawal of service or severe cuts. Boeing, meanwhile, continued to burn through cash reserves as it watched its stock price decline by some 70 percent.