Airbus won't bid for Air Force One

The parent of European aircraft maker Airbus said Wednesday that it would not enter the competition to build a replacement for Air Force One, a move that all but leaves Boeing as the only potential bidder for the contract to build the president's plane.

The decision figures to quell criticisms that began to mount in recent days, particularly from "buy American" proponents in Congress who have derided the possibility that a U.S. president could fly in a European-designed airplane.

"Outsourcing Air Force One is not an option. It's un-American," Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, said as he proposed legislation Monday prohibiting the awarding of the contract to a foreign company. "Are we going to replace the American apple pie with crêpes?"

The Pentagon this month took the first steps in replacing the world's most photographed aircraft by requesting information from potential providers, including Airbus. Boeing and Airbus are the only two companies capable of building an aircraft as large and sophisticated as that required by the U.S. president.

The Air Force, which operates and maintains the president's aircraft fleet, is looking to buy three planes to replace two Boeing-built 747 jumbo jets built nearly two decades ago. Boeing has built presidential jets since the 1960s. The first new plane is scheduled to enter service as early as 2016.

The prospects of an Airbus Air Force One, however, prompted heated debates over what really is made in America, given that Boeing planes also have a significant number of parts made overseas.

A spokesman for the U.S. unit of Airbus parent European Aeronautic Defense and Space said the decision was based not on political considerations but on a business case that didn't make sense.

The company said it would remain focused on winning back a multibillion-dollar contract to build refueling tankers for the Air Force it won with Northrop Grumman last year. The contract, which would have involved assembling the planes in Alabama, was overturned after a protest from Boeing on procedural grounds.