Air Transport

The partial collapse of Sky Team's new €750 million ($920 million) terminal 2E at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport - which was to have included two boarding gates for Air France Airbus A380s - is not expected to delay deliveries of the ultra-large aircraft.

Air France marketing director Patrick Roux says that "this accident does not have an effect on deliveries of the A380", while Airbus says it does not expect Air France to delay deliveries "as they will not be receiving their first aircraft until 2007 and by that time there will be other dedicated boarding gates at the airport's other terminals for other airlines".

Meanwhile, Air France's 60 flights a day from terminal 2E, in which the airline invested €50 million, have been rescheduled to other terminals and some may be transferred to Paris Orly airport.

A 30 x 20m (98 x 66ft) section of the 650m-long boarding gate jetty running parallel to terminal 2E, dedicated to long and medium-haul flights, collapsed early on Sunday 23 May, killing four people and injuring three others.

CHRISTINA MACKENZIE / PARIS