Posted on 04/04/2006 3:03:35 PM PDT by Yo-Yo
Airbus denies report of Emirates A380 delay
Posted: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Paris
Airbus said it was on schedule to deliver its A380 superjumbo to its biggest customer for the aircraft, Emirates, denying a media report saying delivery would be delayed by engine tests.
French newspaper Le Figaro reported the first of 43 of the $280 million planes had been due to be delivered in March 2007 but this would slip by three months.
It said Airbus could not give a precise date for tests of the A380 powered by the Engine Alliance GP 7200 engines developed jointly by GE Aircraft Engines and Pratt & Whitney.
An Engine Alliance spokesman was not immediately available for comment.
The A380 began flights tests last year with the other engine being offered for the plane -- the Rolls-Royce Trent 900. The GP 7200 version has not yet flown.
'Airbus is planning to fly the Engine Alliance aircraft this summer and this is in line with Emirates deliveries in spring 2007,' a spokeswoman for the European planemaker said.
'We always said spring 2007 and it remains spring 2007,' she added.
An Emirates official confirmed that deliveries were expected in the second quarter of 2007.
Deliveries of the A380 have already been delayed by around 6 months because of wiring and cabin design problems last year.
Emirates had originally been due to receive aircraft in early 2006 when it became a launch a customer in late 2000, but all schedules have slipped somewhat since then in Europe's most ambitious aviation project since the supersonic Concorde.
The A380 will enter service in late 2006 with Singapore Airlines.
Airlines have stretched Airbus's resources more than it had expected with their ideas for special cabin frills designed to stamp their identity on the largest airliner ever built.
Airbus must compensate airlines for the delays and some, including Air France, have opted to delay taking delivery for a full year rather than interrupt an annual travel season.
Virgin Atlantic is still negotiating penalties on deliveries, owner Richard Branson said in Paris this week.
Emirates has meanwhile put on hold deliveries of another Airbus model, the slow-selling four-engine A340-600, while the airframe maker examines whether to enhance it.
'Emirates can confirm that it has deferred, but not cancelled, its Airbus A340(-600) order whilst Airbus develops an enhanced version of the aircraft,' the airline told Reuters.
'With $33 billion of aircraft on order from both Boeing and Airbus, we have sufficient flexibility in our fleet planning to take this prudent step, which will not impact on our plans for continued growth.'Reuters
The 777 has completely destroyed the A340.
ping
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