Harry Stonecipher, the president and chief executive of Boeing, today said that the US aircraft manufacturer had no desire to see its current subsidies row with Airbus descend into a full-blown trade war.

"No one is looking to start a trade war here. We're just looking to get both parties to the table and negotiate in good faith," Mr Stonecipher said.

The US government filed a World Trade Organization compliant last Wednesday, claiming that Airbus, its European rival, had benefitted from illegal state aid worth billions of dollars.

The European Union almost immediately filed a counter claim, pointing out that Boeing had received large tax break from the Washington state.

Mr Stonecipher added that he had spent most of September in Europe, discussing with European industry representatives a 1992 agreement between the US and EU, which regulated launch aid for Airbus.

"We're interested in levelling the playing field going forward," said Mr Stonecipher.

Boeing has spent two years researching the issue of launch aid and feels it now has a strong enough case against Airbus being granted an unfair advantage by continuing to receive launch aid, he added.

Speaking last week, Robert Zoellick, the US trade representative said: "Since its creation 35 years ago, some have justified subsidies to Airbus as necessary to support an 'infant' industry.

"If that rationalisation were ever valid, its time has long passed. Airbus now sells more large civil aircraft than Boeing."

The European Commission responded by describing America's "massive subsidies" to Boeing as being "in serious violation" of WTO agreements.

Pascal Lamy, Mr Zoellick's opposite number said that America's complaint was directly linked to Boeing's lacklustre sales.

"The US move ... is obviously an attempt to divert attention from Boeing's self-inflicted decline," he said.

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