U.S. lawmaker says WTO ruling faults Airbus subsidies

An Airbus A380 takes part in a flying display three days before the opening of the 48th Paris Air Show at the Le Bourget airport near Paris, June 12, 2009.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A World Trade Organization panel ruling "definitively" confirms a U.S. contention that Airbus received illegal subsidies, a U.S. lawmaker said on Friday.

"Today's interim ruling from the WTO panel definitively confirms that contention, which was the basis for the WTO complaint filed by the U.S. Trade Representative filed in October 2004," Rep. Norm Dicks, Democrat of Washington, said in a statement.

Airbus' rival, Boeing, has manufacturing facilities in Washington State.

(Reporting by Jim Wolf; editing by Leslie Gevirtz)