A400M schedule slippage confirmed.(BUSINESS BRIEFING)(Brief article)

EADS has informed its A400M customers, including OCCAR, of its revised estimate for the first aircraft deliveries schedule. This will affect A4OOM deliveries to both European and other customer nations. The company says that A400M deliveries are now expected to start six months later than initially planned with a risk of a further slippage of up to a half year. EADS subsequently announced a group-wide A400M charge of 1.37 billion [euro] (including 1.1 billion [euro] at Airbus), and CEO Louis Gallois said the company would continue to "fight for proper support from partners and customers alike".

The re-scheduling of the programme, according to EADS, is driven by the slow progress in engine development, which stands on the critical path to achieving first flight; schedule overruns in the systems development; and a flight test programme that differs significantly from that of commercial Airbus aircraft.

The first A400M is in production in the new final assembly line in Seville, Spain and is due to make its first flight in summer 2008. Sections of subsequent aircraft, which will join the flight test aircraft fleet, are in production. To date, the first nine contractual milestones have been completed including the inauguration of the Aircraft Test Facility. The A400M Systems Simulator, designated "Aircraft Zero", was presented to the customers by means of a fully functional demonstration at the end of July 2007.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Print Get the Mag Weekly Updates