Airbus A380 Customers Put in Holding Pattern

European aircraft manufacturer Airbus said production of its superjumbo A380 would take longer than planned, meaning it could produce 12 instead of 13 jets this year and 21 instead of 25 in 2009.

Airbus made the announcement Tuesday, May 13, after reviewing its production progress and determining that the current schedule was not one they could meet.

The company said it was unable to boost production as quickly as it had hoped following two years of delays caused by problems installing the wiring on the world's largest passenger plane. It added that it would discuss details of its production plan and deliveries schedule with its customers in the coming weeks.

Airbus said that no conclusions about financial effects could be drawn from the results of its production review.

"The extent of the additional costs will be influenced by the actual production and delivery scenario," the company statement said. The announcement sent shares in Airbus parent EADS down 0.6 percent to 15.65 euros ($24.22).

Emirates worried about "serious damage"

Last week, one of Airbus' biggest customers, Emirates, confirmed that the aircraft manufacturer had told them to expect new delays to the delivery of the A380. It was the fourth time delays had been announced. The head of Emirates, which has 58 planes on order, has warned the airline would face "serious damage" from any further delays.

The aviation giant's announcement confirms a report in the German business magazine Wirtschafts-Woche. The business weekly said quality problems on components, and airline interior design requirements -- which make production more complex -- were causing difficulties.

Confirmation of the latest delays came just days after Airbus was forced to scrap plans to sell some of its factories to attract investment in the A350, a future mid-sized jet which the company hopes will help it catch up with US competitor, Boeing.