Fri, Nov 11, 2011
Airbus Ends A340 Program
It hasn't been the best news cycle for Airbus, which said
Thursday that while pre-Final Assembly Line (FAL) activities for
the A350 XWB composite airliner have started, production of the
airplane will be delayed due to the late availability of some key
composite and detailed parts. The start of the FAL is now scheduled
for the first quarter of 2012. Entry into service is now
rescheduled to first half of 2014 to "ensure smooth
production ramp-up capability."
Eventual A350 XWB Assembly Line
“It is our top priority to reach the highest levels of
part-readiness before aircraft sections enter our Final Assembly
Line in Toulouse. In this context the maturity of components will
be further enhanced to ensure smooth ramp up capability,”
said Didier Evrard, Head of the A350 XWB Program.
This is the second time Airbus has pushed back the delivery of
its composite airliner designed to compete with Boeing's 787, which
entered service last month after three years of delays. The
Financial Times reports that the XWB is now a full year behind
schedule. Boeing, for its part, may be able to work the XWB delay
to its advantage. With the Dreamliner flying, albeit not without at
least one technical glitch already reported on a scheduled flight,
aviation analyst Scott Hamilton told Reuters that the U.S. company
may gain a little breathing room in getting the 787 out to
customers.
Meanwhile, multiple media sources are reporting that Airbus has
announced the end of its A340 program. In its earnings statement
released Thursday, EADS said ending the program will lead to
savings of $261 million.
While EADS did not say why it was cancelling the program,
analysts told Bloomberg that the four-engine A340 was not able to
compete with a similar-sized but more fuel-efficient twin-engine
B777, and the order book simply dried up. Changes in ETOPS rules
allowed twin-engine aircraft to fly routes that had previously been
the exclusive domain of four-engine airplanes.
The A340 is now the shortest-lived airliner program in
Airbus history, having entered service in 1993. Airbus said in
Thursday's earnings report that it sold no A340s in the past two
years. Boeing, meanwhile, is boosting production of the B777.
More News
Airbus Racer Demonstrator Makes Inaugural Flight Airbus Helicopters' ambitious Racer demonstrator has achieved its inaugural flight as part of the Clean Sky 2 initiative, a corners>[...]
A little Bit Quieter, Said Testers, But in the End it's Still a DA40 Diamond Aircraft recently completed a little pilot project with Lufthansa Aviation Training, putting a pair of >[...]
Line Up And Wait (LUAW) Used by ATC to inform a pilot to taxi onto the departure runway to line up and wait. It is not authorization for takeoff. It is used when takeoff clearance >[...]
Contributing To The Accident Was The Pilot’s Use Of Methamphetamine... Analysis: The pilot departed on a local flight to perform low-altitude maneuvers in a nearby desert val>[...]
From 2015 (YouTube Version): Overcoming Obstacles To Achieve Their Dreams… At EAA AirVenture 2015, FedEx arrived with one of their Airbus freight-hauling aircraft and placed>[...]
Airbus Racer Helicopter Demonstrator First Flight Part of Clean Sky 2 Initiative
See All