Airbus Delays A350-900, Terminates A340

Airbus Delays A350-900, Terminates A340 The Airbus A350-900’s entry into service (EIS) has been delayed again, this time because of late arriving center fuselage panels. In its third quarter 2011 earnings release, Airbus parent EADS confirmed that EIS of the aircraft now is scheduled for the first half of 2014.

Airbus booked a €200 million ($273 million) charge for the program in the third quarter. According to Didier Evrard, head of the A350 program, the pacing item causing the delay is the late arrival of center fuselage panels at the final assembly line. Those panels are produced by Spirit Aerosystems in its Saint Nazaire plant. “The center fuselage panels will arrive by the end of the month, the spread between (the first items arriving) and this has been wider than planned,” he said. But Evrard also pointed out that the center fuselage is one of the most complex pieces and also requires the longest lead time in the pre-final assembly process. “This is not only about suppliers, but it is also about complexity,” he said.

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