PARIS -(Dow Jones)- Air France said Thursday it hopes to take delivery of its first A380 superjumbo aircraft by the end of next year.

Airline Chairman Jean-Cyril Spinetta told a press conference that according to the current plan, Airbus, the A380's manufacturer, was supposed to take delivery of the first A380 next autumn.

"But the manufacturer is still fine-tuning its delivery schedule," Spinetta said.

The A380 has been plagued by manufacturing problems, with the wiring on the first batch of the aircraft, resulting in lengthy, expensive delivery delays for Airbus, a unit of European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co NV (5730.FR).

Faced with slow or no traffic growth in the coming year, Air France-KLM is trying to save EUR1.6 billion during the next three years, mainly by not exercising options it has on new aircraft, as well as postponing deliveries.

Chief Financial Officer Philippe Calavia said having the A380s in service would allow the airline to reduce operating costs substantially on some routes by reducing frequencies, as the aircraft can carry 550 passengers or more.

He said Air France-KLM wants to delay deliveries of "about a dozen" new aircraft, most of which are made by Boeing Co (BA).

By not taking delivery of Boeing 777s, he said, the airline loses the advantage of the better fuel economy of these aircraft. He said Air France-KLM is in talks with Boeing about postponing firm orders beyond 2011.

Most of the reduction in fleet investment will come from postponing pre- delivery payments, he said.