Airbus touts its impact on the U.S. economy

WASHINGTON (AP) - The French-based company Airbus is pitching its value to the U.S. economy as it takes its struggle for dominance in the global airplane market onto rival Boeing's home turf. This week Airbus is holding its annual meeting with its suppliers from around the world in Washington instead of at home in Toulouse. It's the company's way of underscoring that 42 percent of its procurement spending - about $13 billion in 2012 - goes to U.S. companies. Earlier this year, Airbus broke ground on a $600 million assembly plant in Mobile, Ala., its first such U.S. facility. CEO Fabrice Bregier says Airbus currently claims less than 20 percent of the U.S. commercial airplane market, but is aiming for 50 percent - roughly the same as its market share worldwide.