Airbus delayed the A380 program for the fourth time, but this one appears not as troublesome as previous slow-downs that were related to the wiring of the aircraft. Nevertheless, the manufacturer will likely once again be required to fork over millions of dollars in penalty payments to customers.
"This is unfortunately not the first delay and as CEO of Airbus I have to say I regret this very much," CEO Tom Enders was quoted as saying.
The ramp-up in production for later this year will take longer than expected, said Enders. Time and resources for individual production were higher than expected, creating delay in the changeover to full serial manufacturing. Airbus plans for 12 instead of 13 deliveries in 2008; 21 instead of 25 in 2009 and 2010 deliveries could drop from 42 to 30, although a firm delivery number has yet to be given.
Following the previous wiring-related delays, Airbus initiated a recovery program for summer 2008. Since then, the manufacturer delivered four aircraft and has 17 in various stages of production.
Launch customer Singapore Airlines is expected to receive its 5th A380 this summer and Qantas will get its first in August. Emirates, which ordered 47 aircraft, will get its first sometime in the third quarter.
The continued delays of the passenger-configured A380 make the building of an all-cargo version doubtful. |
