Udvar-Hazy: Wiring Problems Worse Than Feared
This is NOT the kind of news Singapore Airlines, Qantas, and
Emirates -- all awaiting delivery of their first Airbus A380s --
want to hear right now. Two individuals -- each with separate
interests -- hinted in the past week that Airbus may be forced to
announce yet another delay in the beleagured superjumbo
program.
BAE Systems president Mike Turner said this week he would "not
be surprised" if Airbus were forced to once again delay deliveries
of the mammoth plane... adding "all the ingredients are there" for
further problems. Turner did not elaborate on what those problems
might be.
Commenting on Turner's remarks, EADS spokesman Michael Hauger
told Bloomberg "I don’t know where he would know that from,
because the audit of the A380 is still under way, and as long as
that’s ongoing, we have no result."
As Aero-News reported, last
week BAE Systems agreed to sell its 20 percent interest in Airbus
for far less than the British aerospace manufacturer originally
wanted. Shakeups at parent company EADS -- directly related to the
last delay in the A380 program, announced in June -- drove Airbus'
value down.
With that in mind, it's
tough to say if Turner's comments are an example of insider
knowledge... or sour grapes. The second person to cast doubt on the
A380 program, however, cannot be accused of wishing ill on
Airbus... as he's one of the planemaker's largest customers.
Nevertheless, Steven Udvar-Hazy -- head of aircraft leasing
company ILFC -- told an audience in Seattle last week a third A380
delay is likely.
According to Udvar-Hazy (right), the problems with wiring
required for airline customization -- the primary cause of the June
delay -- are worse than expected... and yet another delay may be
announced soon. That's bad news for many A380 buyers... including
launch customer Singapore Airlines, which had hoped to be flying
its first A380 by the end of this year.
We still don't know for certain if Airbus will need to delay the
A380 -- Airbus management is reportedly set to review the situation
next week -- but in the past, Udvar-Hazy has shown a high level of
insight into the situation at Airbus. His comments earlier this
year on the original design of the A350 midsized airliner started a
groundswell... that led Airbus to completely rethink its competitor
for Boeing's 787.