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Airbus
has confirmed that production of its new flagship aircraft, the A380,
has been hit by more delays.
The
mammoth, double-deck, A380 which can seat over 800 passengers started
test flights on 27 April 2005. A few months later, Airbus announced a
delay of up to six months. On Thursday, Airbus confirmed that new delays
were expected but were not able to quantify how long these new delays
may be. Airbus
has said that the delays are caused by underestimating the varying demands from
airlines for special cabin features, such as wireless internet access and complex entertainment systems.
Singapore
Airlines is the launch customer for the A380, and plans to initially
use the plane on routes such as Singapore - Sydney or Singapore - London
where the A380, in SIA's configuration, will be able to hold roughly 100
more passengers per flight than the 747 it currently uses, and at
greater fuel savings per passenger.
The
new delay will come as a massive blow to airlines but it is unlikely to
result in many, if any, cancellations, simply because there is currently
nothing that can compete with the size of the A380.
Singapore Airlines
was expected to take
delivery of the first aircraft in November of this year but it is now
unclear whether this will be possible. More details on the A380 delivery schedule is expected from
EADS in around four weeks.
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EADS,
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