WASHINGTON is expected to protest those loans separately.

The United States broadly won its case against European Union research and development funding for Airbus, as well as infrastructure projects that Washington regards as a covert boost for the European planemaker, two of the sources said.

R&D spending and infrastructure projects in the United States are also at the centre of an EU counter-claim against the United States. The process is about six months behind the US case against Airbus, though the two are not officially linked.

The United States lost its case against loans by the European Investment Bank awarded to Airbus, the sources said.

None of the sources agreed to be identified because no one is authorised to speak publicly about the WTO findings ahead of their publication in several months.

The United States and European Union said on Friday they would not comment on the findings in the 1,000-plus page report, which was passed to them for comments ahead of a final ruling.

Airbus and Boeing declined comment. The European Investment Bank was unavailable for comment. -- REUTERS