Airbus denies further delays to A380

Toulouse (France), Oct 15: Airbus is on track to meet its target for A380 deliveries in 2008 and is not planning further delays, the planemaker's sales chief John Leahy said on Monday.

Le Journal du Dimanche newspaper reported on Sunday that the Airbus remained worried about deliveries and had launched a new set of measures last month to weed out any further delays.

''There are no delays, that is a misunderstanding,'' Leahy told to reporters at a ceremony to mark the first delivery of a completed A380 superjumbo to Singapore Airlines.

Asked if Airbus was reaffirming its 2008 delivery target of 13 aircraft, Leahy said, ''That is our plan and we are on target.

We have said it is a challenge, of course, but we are on track.'' Leahy said he did not rule out further sales of A380s this year after securing orders or commitments for around 30 in 2007.

''I think we probably could do more A380s this year,'' he said.

Airbus has 165 A380s on its firm order book but recent deals with British Airways and Grupo Marsans have brought commitments for the $300 million jet to 189 planes spread among 16 airlines.

Reuters>