In mid-1977, a small European airliner company had been in business for about ten years, but had only one aircraft type on offer, that had sold less than thirty units to four airlines, without a single sale in the past 18 months. 

Here's the story of how a struggling U.S. airline headed by a former astronaut put together an unconventional deal that strengthened the airline, opened the giant U.S. market to the young airplane maker, and created a pathway for that company - Airbus - to become the world's largest airliner manufacturer. 
 

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