Airbus notified customers Tuesday that delivery of its A380 superjumbo aircraft would be pushed back another six to seven months due to a manufacturing problem, the second such delay of that length for the program.
Only nine of the double-deck jets would be delivered in 2007, far below the original target of 20 to 25. Parent company EADS projected that operating profit would fall by roughly 500 million euros (625 million dollars) annually from 2007 through 2010, while still expecting overall operating profit of 3.2 to 3.4 billion euros in the current year.
Airbus commercial director John Leahy identified the source of the trouble as the wiring connections linking sections of the fuselage, acknowledging that penalty fees would be paid to affected customers.
Singapore Airlines, originally expecting two aircraft by year's end, would now receive just one. Sixteen airlines have collectively ordered 159 of the planes, which can seat between 555 and 840 passengers, roughly 35 percent more than a Boeing 747.
The news compounds existing difficulties at Airbus, which is also working to redesign its A350 long-haul model following complaints from airline customers.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in June 2006, in its own words.