Airbus is pushing back the entry into service for the A350 twinjet by three months to the second half of 2014.
It has shifted the schedule as a result of longer time being taken to implement an automated drilling process for the aircraft's wings.
Parent company EADS is booking a €124 million ($152 million) charge against the delay.
EADS has confirmed the three-month shift in the schedule in its first-half financial results, and adds that any further delay to the "challenging" A350 programme "would lead to higher rates of charges".
New chief executive Tom Enders says: "Our key programmes, particularly at Airbus, continue to command our utmost attention.
"On A350 especially, maturity of sections delivered to the final assembly is of key importance to us as we prepare for a robust production ramp-up."
EADS has accounted for the charge in Airbus's first-half commercial earnings which more than doubled to €548 million.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
