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Airbus confirms 'superjumbo' delay
Associated Press
PARIS — Airbus said Wednesday that deliveries to early customers of the A380 "superjumbo'' will be delayed by up to six months, as Australia's Qantas said it will seek compensation for the lag.
"We've now spoken to A380 customers and told them how they will be affected,'' Airbus spokesman David Velupillai said. "The delays range from two to six months depending on the customer.''
Velupillai was speaking after Air France confirmed it will be forced to postpone the planned April 2007 launch of A380 services.
"Airbus has advised us that there will be a delivery delay,'' said a Paris-based spokesman for Air France-KLM, which groups the merged French and Dutch carriers Air France and KLM. He declined to say how long the delay would be or whether Air France will seek compensation.
On April 27, the day of the A380's first test flight, Airbus had announced that deliveries to launch customer Singapore Airlines Ltd. would take place in the "second half of 2006'' instead of March, as originally planned.
Now, however, a string of customers including Australia's Qantas Airways Ltd. say they will also be affected as the delays have a domino effect on Airbus production schedules.
Qantas said Wednesday that its first of its 12 new A380s will arrive six months late because of "manufacturing issues,'' and confirmed it will be seeking compensation.
"This is disappointing, given that we have met all of Airbus' deadlines for Qantas specifications,'' said CEO Geoff Dixon. All airlines with early A380 orders are going to have to wait, he added.
Singapore Airlines CEO Chew Choon Seng has also said the carrier plans to demand compensation.
Airbus declined to comment on its exposure to claims, insisting the terms of its contracts with customers remain confidential. But it played down their potential impact on the program's profitability.
In any aircraft program, Velupillai said, "deliveries begin slowly in the early years and pick up pace later on so the effects will be limited.''