Emirates threatens to cancel some A380 orders
Emirates May Cancel Some A380 Orders
Friday October 13, 6:17 am ET
Dubai-Based Airline Emirates Says It May Cancel Some A380 Orders if Further Delays Arise
SINGAPORE (AP) -- The president of Dubai-based airline Emirates said Friday the carrier could cancel some of its Airbus A380 orders if there were more delays beyond those already announced by the European aircraft maker.
"If there is a further delay -- our first delivery is now set for August 2008 -- there may be cancellations down the line," Tim Clark told Dow Jones Newswires in an interview Friday.
"We cannot wait forever but at this point there is nothing that comes close to the A380 as far as seat capacity" is concerned, Clark said.
Clark said Emirates, which with an order for 43 of the aircraft is the biggest customer for the superjumbo, is "angry" with the Toulouse, France-based Airbus but is sticking with the plane for now.
"I hope Airbus puts their house in order," he said. "We have invested a lot in ground facilities so we have to stick with the order for now."
Airbus earlier this month said the highly anticipated launch of the A380 would be delayed for another year.
The latest production holdups, which leave the A380 program two years behind schedule, were caused by problems with the installation of the 300 miles of wiring aboard each plane. Airbus has received 159 orders for the world's largest passenger jet from 16 customers.
Clark said Emirates may order five to seven of the 777-300s made by Boeing Co. to make up the capacity shortfall caused by the A380 delay. He said the airline hasn't discussed compensation with Airbus yet.