Airbus wary of Alcan-Alcoa deal

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Plane maker Airbus said on Monday it is "wary" of an acquisition of Alcan Inc. AL.TO AL.N by Alcoa Inc. (AA.N) in one of the first signs of customer resistance to the hostile deal.

"Large-scale consolidation among existing metal businesses is something to be wary of since it could alter negatively the way materials are developed, priced and supplied," Airbus spokeswoman Mary Anne Greczyn said in an e-mail statement. "Airbus will watch very closely any developments in the Alcoa situation."

Airbus, a unit of EADS (EAD.PA), vies with Boeing Co. (BA.N) as the world's largest plane maker.

Airplane manufacturers are heavily reliant on the light-weight metal, though newer designs are shifting to carbon composite materials.

Boeing's new, mid-sized 787 Dreamliner, and Airbus' rival A350 XWB, have been designed to use a much higher percentage of carbon composites, heralding a broad shift in the plane-making business from metal to man-made materials.

Alcoa on Monday said it would make a nearly $27 billion bid for Alcan. A deal would create the world's largest aluminum producer, which would control about 25 percent of the alumina raw material and primary aluminum markets. The aluminum giant's production capacity would exceed that of Russian rival RUSAL.

Other customers also expressed concern about the impact of the deal on the aluminum market.

Bill Ferko, chief financial officer of Genlyte Group Inc. GLYT.O, a maker of lighting fixtures, which uses aluminum in reflectors and outdoor lighting systems because of its resistance to rust, said: "If they would be consolidating facilities or reducing supply, and if others are not there to replace them, that would be a concern."

(Additional reporting by Nick Zieminski)