Airlifter, Year Behind Schedule, First Flew Last Month

A report in the German press suggests that Airbus may be on the verge of ditching the A400M airlifter project, which is several years behind schedule and billions over budget.

The international news service AFP indicates that a report in the Financial Times of Deutschland says Airbus President and CEO Thomas Enders told a group of Airbus executives last month that he "no longer believed in pursuing the program," and that he had taken steps to end it.

The A400M flew for the first time December 11th, amid questions about the potential customers for the aircraft. About 120 have been ordered, with a price tag of around $29 billion, but clients are being asked to pitch in additional billions to cover unexpected development costs. Airbus and its parent company EADS have been in discussions with seven of the countries who were set to buy the plane, but Enders estimated the chances of success in the talks at no better than 50-50. Still, the German Defense Ministry said it plans to continue with the program, and hopes talks can be wrapped up by the end of January.  "We ... will continue to clarify the necessary details for a continuation of the program with the industry until the end of the month," a ministry spokesman said

The Financial Times said a list of engineers currently working on the A400M who would be transferred to the A380 and A350 programs has already been compiled. Additionaly, Enders said he  "is not ready to threaten the civil aviation division, which is doing well, just for the A400M," according to a knowledgable source.

An aviation analyst at the private German Economy Institute, Klaus Heiner Roehl, said Enders' comments might be intended to step up pressure on governments invested in the program to beef up their support. "It would of course be complete nonsense, now that the maiden flight was a success, to back out," he told German channel N-TV.

FMI: www.airbus.com