The Airbus A380 - The largest, most advanced and efficient airliner ever conceived.

Delivery of six A380s to Malaysia Airlines to be delayed by 6 months

September 11, 2005 - Malaysia Airlines (MAS) have been told by Airbus that the delivery of the six A380-800 planes will be delayed by six months.

The planes will be delivered in July 2007 instead of January 2007.

Executive Director of Malaysia Airlines, Tengku Azmil Zahruddin, said, “…we are naturally disappointed with this delay.”

MAS will discuss with Airbus on the compensation for the delay.

MAS signed a deal on December 2003 with Airbus for the supply of six A380-800s.

Source: AFX/Business Times - Malaysia

Singapore Airlines criticises Airbus for delay

August 08, 2005 - The head of Singapore Airlines (SIA), Chew Choon Seng, told a German magazine (Focus) that he wished he had known sooner about delays in the delivery of the first batch of A380 planes and also that the airliner was pressing for compensation.

"Airbus took quite a long time to admit that the A380 programme was behind schedule," said Mr Chew, adding that the delay had caused serious disruption to his airline's planning.

But a spokeswoman for Airbus, Claudia Mueller, said, "Airbus prefers to deliver a little later with a very good product than to rush through with a delivery…"

The good news is that, "After us (SIA), about half a year later, Emirates and Qantas will get them. The interval remains the same, because the delay affects each airline equally," Chew said, so SIA will still remain the first airliners to fly the A380.

Pilots, cabin crew and technicians had already completed their training for the new plane, Chew said, but the airline now has to keep ageing Boeing 747s in service longer.

Under the contract, SIA was entitled to compensation, he added.

"It's like a taxi ride. The longer the ride, the dearer it is. It will cost Airbus more for every month of delay," said Chew.

Boeing pitches the 777-200LRLR to airliners

July 22, 2005 - Boeing's latest plane, the 777-200LR Worldliner (Longer Range), is currently on a world tour which includes stopovers in 20 cities to push the sale of the plane.

The 777-200LR is the world's longest-range airplane that can fly 9,170 nautical miles: roughly equivalent to ‘London to Sydney' or ‘New York to Sydney' carrying between 300 to 360 passengers, depending on class configuration.

Lars Anderson, Boeing VP, said the Sydney to London route would require a stopover because of a headwind, but the 777-200LR could do the trip non-stop and added that as fuel prices continued to rise, airlines would be looking at more efficient non-stop flight options.

The plane is undergoing a seven-month trail before commercial service with Pakistan International Airlines in January 2006.

An airline expert told AirbusA380.com that for long-haul flights the 777-200LR is a more fuel economic than the A380 because you cannot always expect to have a full 555-passenger load even on popular long-haul flights. Under extreme long-haul flights, the A380 will need to stop whereas the 777-200LR can make non-stop flights.

Source: AAP/Airbus/AP/Boeing

British Airways consider fleet upgrade

July 20, 2005 - British Airways chairman, Martin Broughton, said the company will decide within nine months on how to upgrade its aging long-haul planes.

Possible options include Airbus A380, Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 747Advanced.

On the A380, AFX reported Broughton as saying, “The jury is still out. None has been delivered yet. We don't have to make a decision just yet. We want to see them fly first. But they are very much on our radar screen. They are one of the options.”

Source: Airbus/AFX/Boeing/Reuters/Telegraph

Air France said 6 months delay for A380 deliveries

July 12, 2007- Air France CEO, Jean-Cyrill Spinetta said there will be a six month delay to its first A380 delivery from the original due date of April 2007.

He said, “In principle it was to be April 1, 2007. That will be delayed by six months compared to the expected timetables.”

Source: AFX

BAA to spend £450 million on getting Heathrow ready for A380

July 05, 2004 - BAA will spend £450 to upgrade facilities at Heathrow's Terminal 3 (London) in preparation for the arrival of the A380.

Of that amount, £100 million will go towards four aircraft stands to accommodate the A380's huge wingspan.

Other facilities airports will need to update for the A380:

Source: Times Online/Khaleej Times

A380 weight problem resolved says Airbus CEO

July 01, 2005 - Gustav Humbert, Head of Airbus, in an interview with the newspaper La Depeche du Midis said China remains a major target for the A380, along with Japan, the US and India.

Humbert confirmed the A380 would be delivered between two and six months later than planned due to weight problems, which have now been resolved, and airline demands for special cabin layouts. Deliveries are due to start in late 2006.

“We were submerged by requests from our customers. All of them without exception came along with completely new ideas because they want to make the A380 the flagship of their fleet”

Source: Reuters

South African Airways looking to buy A380s

June 28, 2005 - Airbus yesterday confirmed that it was in talks with South African Airways (SAA) on buying six or seven A380s, reported Business Day.

SAA CEO Khaya Nqgula recently said the company was looking at buying the A380s to meet heavy demand on the London route that could solve the company's limited slots at London Heathrow airport.

Source: Business Day

Airbus increases A380 price

June 20, 2005 - Airbus has raised the list price of the A380 by US$10 million to $US295 million.

The earlier price was US$285 million, roughly a 3.5% increased.

Typically customers are given a discount to as much as 30% of the list price depending on order numbers and how the plane is equipped.

Source: AFP/Reuters

Airbus talks with Chinese airlines on buying A380 planes

June 17, 2005 - Airbus said it is talking with three Chinese airlines about ordering the A380 planes and aims to deliver them in time for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Airbus said no concrete details could currently be disclosed about the discussion with Air China, China Eastern Airlines and Hainan Airlines.

Chinese airlines are renewing and expanding their fleets in preparation for the 70 million visitors expected during the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.

Source: AP/chinadaily.com.cn

Kingfisher orders five A380 planes

June 16, 2005 - Kingfisher Airlines become the first Indian carrier to sign a contract with Airbus to buy five A380 planes worth $1.5 billion at list prices.

Deliveries of the five planes are scheduled in 2010. Engine selections have yet to be announced.

Source: Airbus

Airbus says it need a few years to meet A380 delivery schedule

June 15, 2005 - Airbus chief operating officer, Gustav Humbert, said the company will take several years to meet the delivery schedule it originally laid out for the A380 after delays resulting from wiring and weight issues.

“The delays will run over a couple of years,” he said at the Paris Air show.

He said the three main causes were problems with wiring for passenger entertainment systems, complexities in designing different cabin interiors for each airlines and weight issues.

The delay has angered Airbus customers. The chief executive of Qantas Airlines is threatening to extract severe financial penalties from Airbus. Other carriers say they expect compensation too.

Source: Chicago Tribune/Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Airbus A380 takes off at the Paris Air show

June 13, 2005 - The Airbus A380 took off for its inaugural display flight on Monday at the Paris Air show.

There are flights planned for every day of the weeklong show.

The plane had less than 100 hours of flight time when it arrived at the show.

Source: Airbus/ABS News