AWST (Ares):
Live or Let Die: the A400M Debate Continues
The future of Europe’s military airlifter, the Airbus Military A400M, has been up in the air for so long, it may be surprising anybody still gets exercised over the issue.
However, with another meeting of government officials pending to discuss the way forward, and Airbus boss Tom Enders signaling he is starting to think about how to wind down the program if there is no future, Europe is stirring once again about what should be done. But, little surprise, there’s no consensus from the commentator circle.
For instance, the Financial Times’s Paul Betters, in his well respected European View column, today argues
Airbus should ground “its military albatross.” Betts has an interesting argument: the A400M has been a drag on Airbus’s commercial business and getting rid of the program would allow the company “to do what it does best – building civil aircraft.”
But the German Sueddeutsche Zeitung,
in its A400M commentary today, argues that alternative procurements would likely not be cheaper and that the job losses would be considerable.
Government officials will meet mid-January to address the issue once more.
Although previous rounds have failed to bring about a resolution, Airbus is making clear it needs a decision either way, now. That, at least, is a fair position. The financial burn-rate on the program is considerable. And in the unlikely event governments would terminate the A400M, they do owe companies involved the courtesy of doing so promptly to minimize the considerable financial pain.