By IANS,
Amsterdam : Citing time and resource constraints, European aircraft-maker Airbus has revised the delivery schedule of its A-380 super jumbo aircraft, reducing the number to 12 during the current year and 21 in 2009.
The company had earlier planned to deliver 13 aircraft this year and 25 in 2009.
“Airbus has completed the A-380 programme review and is now informing customers about changes to its delivery schedule,” a company statement Tuesday said.
The review assessed the programme status at the critical juncture of transitioning from low rate “individual” production, also called Wave 1, to the full serial design and manufacturing process, called Wave 2.
“Overall, the recovery programme initiated in summer 2006 is progressing well,” the statement said.
Four aircraft were delivered “as planned” and are “performing very well” in airline operations on long-range routes, the statement added.
Seventeen aircraft are in various stages of production, mainly in the wiring installation and system testing phases. Most aircraft earmarked for delivery in 2008 are already flying.
“However, the review has also shown that the steep ramp-up planned in 2006 is not fully achievable. Time and resources needed for Wave 1 production aircraft are higher than expected, and this has created some delay in the changeover to Wave 2 with its new design and manufacturing process,” the statement said.
“As a result, Airbus now plans for 12 instead of 13 deliveries in 2008 and 21 instead of 25 in 2009,” the statement said.
Details about the new plan and the further ramp up and delivery slots in 2010 and the following years will be discussed with customers in the coming weeks, the statement added.
“The results of this review do not, at this stage, cover the financial impact. The extent of the additional costs will be influenced by the actual production and delivery scenario.
“This will follow discussions with the customers and a more precise evaluation of the implications of the new delivery schedule for 2010 deliveries and beyond. This will, therefore, take some more time to determine,” the statement said.
Airbus is an arm of EADS (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company), a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2007, EADS generated revenues of 39.1 billion euros and employed a workforce of about 116,000.
The group also includes Eurocopter, the world’s largest helicopter supplier, and EADS Astrium, the European leader in space programmes from Ariane to Galileo.
Its Defence and Security Division is a provider of comprehensive systems solutions and the major partner in the Eurofighter consortium as well as a stakeholder in the missile systems provider MBDA.
The Eurofighter is one of the six contenders in the race for a $10 billion Indian Air Force (IAF) order for 126 combat jets.