Airline Delays First Airbus Delivery Until 2007

The problem with the Airbus A380 is that it's so big, airports the world over have to retrofit to accommodate it. In case you haven't noticed, now's not a great time for airports to be spending money.

That, in part, is why Virgin Atlantic Monday announced it's going to delay delivery of the first Airbus A380 for about a year, from 2006 until 2007.

"We're still absolutely committed to the A380," a Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said. "We want to do a number of innovative things on board...but unfortunately the supplier sector are not able to help us deliver our ambitions within a timeframe of a 2006 delivery."

The spokesperson refused to say just what that means.

One big hitch in plans to land Virgin A380s in the US appears to have developed at LAX. Airbus now says it's talking with the Los Angeles airport and others, hoping to make the required infrastructure changes as soon as possible. "LAX is certainly an issue, but it can be resolved. They could be ready," said an Airbus executive. "It's true that with a new aircraft [type] you need to make decisions on the cabin layout early." But, she said, other carriers that have ordered the A380 are proceeding without delay.

FMI: www.virgin-atlantic.com