EADS is expecting a fall in Airbus A380 deliveries next year as a result of the efforts to correct the cracking problem affecting internal wing components on the type.
Chief executive Tom Enders says the company expects an "exceptional dip in deliveries" as Airbus addresses the repair of in-service wing-rib brackets and integrates a permanent fix into the production line.
Airbus is still aiming to deliver 30 A380s this year. Over the first half it delivered 10, comprising three for Singapore Airlines, two each for Air France and Lufthansa, and one apiece to Emirates, Malaysia Airlines and China Southern Airlines.
Enders says deliveries in 2013 will fall "below 30" but adds that they should recover to "well into the 30s" in 2014 and 2015.
He says that the publicity surrounding the wing issue might "convince some customers to delay orders" and that he has "every understanding" for customers taking a wait-and-see approach.
Airbus expects to put the modified wing into production in November this year, for deliveries in 2014, while testing is still being conducted on the fix for the in-service wings.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
