Airbus may be forced to delay the launch of the A350
European aircraft maker Airbus, which faces delays to production of the A380 super-jumbo, may also be forced to delay the launch of its long-haul A350 jet, London’s Times newspaper said Friday.
The new setback was because Christian Streiff, expected to be confirmed as the new Airbus chief executive, needed time to approve the venture, the
newspaper said citing sources close to EADS, which owns 80 percent of Airbus.
The group has been busy redesigning its A350 model, a new mid-sized airliner that has been poorly received by potential clients.
According to The Times, sources close to the European Aeronautics Defence and Space Company have warned that Streiff may not make a decision by the
company’s deadline of the Farnborough Air Show in England which runs from July 17-23.
Streiff, the former deputy chief executive of French construction materials giant Saint-Gobain, was nominated as Airbus boss last week after his predecessor Gustav Humbert was ousted because of delays to the flagship A380.
July 9th, 2006 at 1:41 pm
[...] First off, PlanetNation links to an article that reports that the launch of Airbus’ A350 - the main competition to Boeing’s 787 “Dreamliner” - may be delayed because their new chief executive needs time to approve the venture. If this happens, it could further anger and alienate Airbus customers around the world, giving Boeing further edge for their 787, provided Boeing does not encounter delays or problems. [...]