More A380 delays

AIRBUS has announced further delays to its flagship A380 superjumbo but Qantas remains confident that its first plane will arrive in Australia in August, with two more following by December.

The Australian carrier also remains on track for the October launch of its first service between Melbourne and Los Angeles.

But a fourth aircraft due early next year is likely to experience some delays and the latest announcement casts doubt over the timing of 16 subsequent Qantas planes.

The giant plane is already two years late after a Franco-German software debacle meant the first batch had to be rewired by hand.

Airbus announced yesterday that it would cut the number of deliveries this year from 13 to 12 and next year from 25 to 21. It said it would talk to customers about deliveries in 2010, when it had hoped to ramp up production to 45 aircraft a year.

The European manufacturer admitted yesterday that a review of the switch between the program to hand-wire the planes, known as “Wave 1”, and its “Wave 2” ramp-up to industrial production, had revealed problems.

Arguing that its overall recovery program was “progressing well”, the manufacturer said four aircraft had been delivered as planned and 17 were in production.

“However, the review has also shown that the steep ramp-up planned in 2006 is not fully achievable,” the manufacturer said. “Time and resources 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.”

Rumours of possible delays in the build-up of the aircraft’s industrial program have been swirling around for several weeks. They come as rival Boeing has also been plagued with delays on its 787 Dreamliner program.

Qantas executive general manager John Borghetti was reportedly given a guarantee during an inspection of the airline’s first plane in Hamburg last week that the first three aircraft would be delivered by December.

Qantas’s first plane. A380-01, is due to enter the paint shop this week after installation of its seats, galleys and entertainment systems.

Singapore Airlines, the only carrier to be currently flying the plane, expects a delay with its sixth aircraft and said it was waiting to see how further deliveries would be affected.

“We have received our first four aircraft, and they are operating well,” spokesman Stephen Forshaw said. “The fifth aircraft is well advanced and is expected to be delivered by early July.

“Beyond these aircraft, the changes in production schedules will potentially have some impact; the details of which we will need to understand from Airbus.”