An EADS bid to overturn the lease of four Boeing 737s by the US Air Force as C-40 VIP transports has been rebuffed by the US General Accounting Office (GAO). The protest was viewed by US lawmakers as an attempt to open the planned USAF lease of 100 Boeing 767-based tankers to competition from Airbus. Dismissing the protest, the GAO says Congress specifically approved the lease of four 737s, "leaving no room for consideration of Airbus aircraft".
Source: Flight International