Due to the complicated process that goes into putting together a 555-seat superjumbo jet, deliveries of the Airbus A380 to at least four airlines will be delayed by as much as six months.
“There has been an industrial assessment and our plans have been updated to take into account the requests from airlines concerning the configuration of the aircraft,” said a spokeswoman for Airbus. “Delays of this nature are not rare or exceptional.”
The A380 has been made quieter than past Airbus models on requests from customers to do so. It is supposed to fly into 25 airports at first, but more over the next 20 years. According to Bloomberg News,
Singapore Airlines Ltd., scheduled to be the first carrier to fly the A380, may seek penalty payments, Chief Executive Chew Choon Seng said today in Kyoto, Japan. Qantas Airways Ltd., Australia’s biggest airline, said it will seek compensation. Air France-KLM Group and Emirates also said they expect delays, though they made no comment on penalties against Airbus.
“If there was an inexcusable delay, then that is a matter for compensation,” Airbus Chief Operating Officer John Leahy said in a telephone interview. Leahy refused to disclose the potential amount of the penalties.
“Airbus and its customers may do everything they can to find other solutions,” said Richelieu Finance fund manager Laurent Vallee. “This will certainly have an impact on EADS.” EADS is the parent company of Airbus.
EADS blew away analysts’ expectations earlier this month, posting a $425 million net profit. The company’s revenue rose 16% as well. Now EADS shares have dropped 52 cents, or 2.2%, to 23.51 euros, though they have gone up 11% so far this year.
Chris is a staff writer for murdok. Visit murdok for the latest ebusiness news.
