Superjumbo Intro Delayed Nearly Two Years

ANN REALTIME REPORTING 10.03.06 1130 EDT: More news regarding the latest delay to strike the A380 superjumbo program was revealed Tuesday, when Emirates president Tim Clark announced Airbus told the carrier to expect another long wait for its planes.

"Emirates has been advised by Airbus of a further 10 months delay to its A380 program, which means that our first aircraft will now arrive in August 2008," Clark said in an email to CNN. "This is a very serious issue for Emirates and the company is now reviewing all its options."

Emirates is the largest single buyer of the A380, with 45 planes on order.

With this latest delay -- the third to strike the program, and the second this year -- deliveries of the A380 are running nearly two years behind the original schedule... news that will likely be met with an uproar from airlines waiting to launch the planes on scheduled routes.

A spokesman with Virgin Atlantic said Monday the carrier had been told to expect delays for its A380s, although the airline did not elaborate on the length of the delays.

Airbus has yet to make a formal announcement regarding the A380, nor is the reason for the latest delay known at this time. Past delays have centered on the A380's elaborate wiring system, which is designed to allow airlines to customize inflight entertainment and other offerings on its planes.

The board of parent company EADS is scheduled to meet Wednesday to further review a proposed restructuring plan submitted by Airbus CEO Christian Streiff last Friday. The plan is rumored to include job cuts, and perhaps even a plant closing, or reshuffling.

Reteurs reports the French financial daily Les Echos said Streiff's proposal was seen by EADS shareholders as too drastic -- and that Streiff had threatened to resign if the plan was rejected. EADS declined to comment on those statements.

FMI: www.airbus.com, www.emirates.com