EADS Further Delays Deliveries of some A380 Planes
13.05.2008 (13:35) | Internaitional Herald Tribune
EADS has pushed back its delivery schedule for the Airbus A380 superjumbo after a review found it would take more time and resources than first thought to ramp up production, the European aerospace group said Tuesday."As a result, Airbus plans now for 12 (instead of 13) deliveries in 2008 and 21 (instead of 25) in 2009. Details about the new plan and the further ramp-up and delivery slots in 2010 and the following years will be discussed with customers in the coming weeks," it said in a statement.
It gave no details on the financial impact of the latest delays for the world's biggest passenger airliner, which is already two years behind schedule.
"The extent of the additional costs will be influenced by the actual production and delivery scenario. This will follow discussions with the customers and a more precise evaluation of the implications of the new delivery schedule for 2010 deliveries and beyond," it said.
Airbus said last week that the chief executive, Tom Enders, had written to all A380 customers telling them production had reached a critical phase.
The biggest A380 customer, Emirates Airline, based in Dubai, and Etihad Airways, based in Abu Dhabi, have both said they had received warnings of delivery delays on the A380.
The A380, which went into service last year with Singapore Airlines, is heavily bankrolled by state-owned Emirates, which has ordered 58 A380s.
The biggest single European industrial project first faced upheaval in 2006, when A380 sections reached the French assembly plant with wiring flaws that caused production to halt. The news sliced a quarter off EADS stock and triggered management upheaval.
EADS said four A380 aircraft have been delivered as planned and 17 more were in various stages of production.
www.iht.com
Print version