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Tom Enders stared at the phone on his desk as it began to ring. The Airbus boss had been expecting a call to his office in Toulouse. It was Tim Clark, chief executive of Dubai-based airline Emirates, the biggest buyer of the planemaker’s A380 “superjumbo”. Clark was angry. He wanted to know why Airbus finance director Harald Wilhelm had just raised the prospect of the death of the A380. The aircraft cost $25 billion (£16 billion) to develop, but it has struggled to chalk up the large orders Airbus had envisioned, at $440 million each. So far, it has just...

TOULOUSE, France – Nearly two years late, Airbus finally delivered its first A380 superjumbo on Monday, a revolutionary behemoth that includes luxury suites equipped with comfy double beds. Customer Singapore Airlines says the passenger jet, the world's largest, was worth the wait, and the delivery marks a badly needed morale-boosting milestone for Airbus. Singapore Airlines Chief Executive Chew Choon Seng said his airline was inconvenienced by the late delivery, but added, “We are glad that Airbus took the time to make sure that the plane is fully tested and developed before it enters commercial service.” For Airbus, big challenges with...

PARIS - The Airbus A380 may have overcome its weight problem, but the full cost of beating the bulge looked set to mount Wednesday as the European plane maker confirmed delivery delays of up to six months. "We've now spoken to A380 customers and told them how they will be affected," Airbus spokesman David Velupillai said. "The delays range from two to six months depending on the customer." Airbus, which is betting on the A380 to maintain the lead it took over U.S. rival Boeing Co. in 2003, had warned launch customer Singapore Airlines Ltd. in April that it would...

France: first take-off for the A380 Airbus Toulouse-blagnac - the Airbus A380, the giant plane of the European manufacturer, should take its first take-off of Toulouse-Blagnac this morning. Larger apparatus of line of the world, it is able to transport between 555 and 800 passengers according to the versions. The flight will not take place, towards 10h30, only if the visibility is perfect and that if the wind is not violent. The takeoff of A380, the most critical phase of the flight, is in addition interdict in direction of the town of Toulouse. The Toulouse factories of Airbus and...

TSUNAMI-struck Thailand has been told by the European Commission that it must buy six A380 Airbus aircraft if it wants to escape the tariffs against its fishing industry. While millions of Europeans are sending aid to Thailand to help its recovery, trade authorities in Brussels are demanding that Thai Airlines, its national carrier, pays £1.3 billion to buy its double-decker aircraft. The demand will come as a deep embarrassment to Peter Mandelson, the trade commissioner, whose officials started the negotiation before the disaster struck Thailand - killing tens of thousands of people and damaging its economy. While aid workers from...

Airbus unveiled the world's biggest passenger jet in a glitzy ceremony in which the leaders of France, Britain, Germany and Spain hailed Europe's victory over the United States as the new king of the commercial skies.The huge A380 superjumbo, which can carry up to 840 people on its two full decks, supersedes the ageing 747 by US rival Boeing as the biggest civilian aircraft ever made.When it is put into service early next year, it will become the flagship of many airline fleets and offer unprecedented amenities on long-haul services, including, in some cases, gyms, bedrooms and bars.For the countries...

Japan refuses to fly Airbus superjumbo Andrew Clark in Tokyo Monday December 8, 2003 The Guardian (UK) Japan's two international airlines, which are the world's biggest carriers outside America, have snubbed the new A380 superjumbo in a crushing blow to the European manufacturer Airbus. All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL) are the leading users of the Boeing 747 jumbo jet, which the A380 is intended to replace, and are regarded as a make-or-break market for the new aircraft.As recently as last week, senior Airbus executives were saying they expected to sell the A380 to Japan, claiming that the...