WTO says Boeing receive subsidies: senator

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A World Trade Organization dispute settlement panel ruled on Wednesday that Boeing had received U.S. government subsidies to develop aircraft, a U.S. senator said.

"Today's preliminary ruling clearly states that Boeing was involved in practices prohibited by the World Trade Organization," Republican Senator Richard Shelby said in a statement.

Shelby's home state of Alabama stands to benefit if Boeing's European rival Airbus wins a hotly contested U.S. government contract to build a fleet of refueling tankers for the U.S. Air Force.

(Reporting by Doug Palmer; Editing by Jackie Frank)