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Airbus hopes new plane on schedule

By Lu Haoting (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-06-23 09:00

"Obviously it is not easy to spare one for China, but we hope to see some special arrangements given the importance of this market," Gu said.

Airbus last week announced a delay of up to seven months for delivery of the A380.
The company expects a delivery shortfall of five to nine aircraft in  2008 and about five in 2009. It had planned to deliver 35 in 2008 and 45 in 2009.

The firm said the delay was caused by a "pure industrial issue" relating to the definition, manufacturing and installation of electrical wiring systems that appeared during the production of the A380.

By the end of April 2006, 16 customers had announced firm orders for a total of 159 A380s.

Gu said no carrier had cancelled A380 orders.

Airbus declined to reveal the possible total penalty it would have to pay to compensate the airlines, saying "this will be discussed on a case- by-case basis."

EADS, which controls 80 per cent of Airbus, said EBIT (earnings before interest and tax) from the A380 programme would drop 500 million euros (US$630 million) from 2007 to 2010 due to excess costs tied to the recovery action and the late delivery charges which will be negotiated with customers.

Airbus said Singapore Airlines, the first carrier to fly the new plane, will still get its first one on schedule by the end of this year.

China Southern ordered five A380s last year. The Guangzhou-based airline was expected to receive the first one at the end of 2007 and the second at the beginning of 2008, in time for the Beijing Olympic Games.

Airbus' rival Boeing announced recently that its latest model, the B787, met a problem during development; one test fuselage barrel was found to be too porous.

But the firm said the B787 would begin service on schedule. Its first flight is due in 2007 and it should enter service the following year.