Virgin Atlantic rinvia la consegna dei 380

[marcogiov]

By Kevin Done, Aerospace Correspondent
Published: May 17 2004 142 | Last Updated: May 17 2004 15:40
Financial Times

Virgin Atlantic, the UK long-haul airline, is delaying taking delivery of its first Airbus A380 superjumbo for around 18 months due to concerns about the readiness of some airports, in particular Los Angeles, to handle the aircraft.

It said that some of its suppliers were also unable to deliver innovative equipment for fitting out the aircraft in time to meet its original schedule of taking the first of its six firm orders in July 2006.

Virgin said it would take its first aircraft around the end of 2007 with the remaining five to be delivered in 2008 and 2009.

British Airways indicated for the first time publicly yesterday that it could eventually become a customer for the A380, however..

Rod Eddington, BA chief executive, said, that the A380 would be "technically a very good aircraft," but the "jury is still out" on whether it would deliver the necessary standards of passenger service and operating economics because of the logistical problems of embarking and disembarking so many passengers.

"We are not going to make up our minds until we have seen one flying," he said.

The Virgin Atlantic delay is the first serious public setback suffered by Airbus in the $12bn programme to develop the 555-passenger superjumbo, which will become the world's biggest passenger jet, when it enters service with Singapore Airlines (SIA) in the first half of 2006.

SIA also holds a 49 per cent stake in Virgin Atlantic, which is controlled by Sir Richard Branson. A spokeswoman for SIA in London said she was not aware of any plan to delay Singapore Airlines' own delivery of 10 A380s.

Airbus, which is owned 80 per cent by European Aeronautic Defence and Space company (EADS) and 20 per cent by BAE Systems, insisted that no other airlines among its launch customers had requested any delay.

EADS has been briefing investors in recent weeks about the positive impact the A380 will have on it sales and profitability in the second half of the decade, and its share price fell sharply on Monday in reaction to the Virgin announcement dropping by 3.9 per cent or 75 cents to €18.62 in afternoon trading.

Airbus has 129 firm orders for the A380 from 11 customers led by Emirates, the fast-growing Dubai-based carrier, and including Lufthansa, Air France, Qantas, FedEx, Korean Air, Malaysian Airlines, Qatar Airways and ILFC, the US aircraft leasing group.

The A380 is the most ambitious civil aircraft development programme ever undertaken by the European aerospace industry and is key to Airbus's ambition to overtake Boeing, its US rival, as the leading commercial jet producer and to end its 35-year monopoly of very large aircraft with the Boeing 747 jumbo.

Virgin and Airbus first raised concerns last autumn about the ability of Los Angeles airport to handle the A380 amid fears that passengers would have to be bussed across a busy runway to the terminal buildings.

Virgin has planned to use the A380 first on services between London Heathrow and New York's JFK airport followed by Los Angeles and later by Hong Kong and Sydney, with Tokyo, Johannesburg and Washington also under consideration.

Airbus insists that work is well advanced at most of the world's main hubs that will handle the A380. London Heathrow, which is expected to be the world's most important hub for A380 operations, is investing £450m to prepare for the aircraft.

Virgin said it remained "absolutely committed" to the A380, but added "we still have real concerns especially about Los Angeles' ability to deliver the necessary service standards by the summer of 2006."

It said it would nor incur any financial penalty from Airbus by delaying its orders.

[Alitalia Fan]

Beh, speriamo almeno ke la Business non sia l'obrobrio dell'A 340-600!


OSCENA DAVVERO!!! Ma poi ke è, di spalle al finestrino, tutti appiccicati... BOOO

Io aspetteri a giudicare. l'Upper Class di Virgin era gia' fantastica prima, ora sara' meglio. Le compagnie private non fanno le cose tanto per farle, se la sono studiata bene, hanno chiesto ai loro passeggeri abituali cosa fossero le cose piu' importanti per loro. Il 90% dei business travel che viaggiano in Upper saranno felicissimi di non doversi guardare l'un altro. Sono inglesi, ricorda. Del finestrino non importa niente a nessuno, mentre del tavolo grande, e del letto invece si. Il massaggio a bordo c'e' gia', il ristorante pure...

[Alitalia Fan]

Sono d'accordo con te, insomma il tuo discorso è giustissimo! Ma l'aspetto estetico lascia molto a desiderare... Cioè non dico ke i sedili dovevano essere in pelle gialla limone e la moquette verde mela, ma un'altra tonalità di rosso per spezzare un pò... Poi i gusti so gusti