EADS head sees 3-4 month A380 delivery delay-paper
PARIS, May 23 (Reuters) - The head of EADS (EAD.PA), parent of aircraft maker Airbus, told a French newspaper there could be a three- to four-month delay on A380 aircraft deliveries, extending a previous forecast of two to three months.
"We have had to slow down the production of the A380," Louis Gallois told the regional daily La Depeche du Midi in an interview published on Friday.
"This is a real bother for our clients, we will have to pay penalties. But it is not a catastrophe...The delay is limited to three to four months. Of course, we are committing ourselves to a new firm calendar."
Airline Air France-KLM (AIRF.PA), which ordered 12 A380 aircraft, said on Thursday it was planning to demand compensation for the delay. Deliveries to the Franco-Dutch carrier were initially due to start in April 2009.
Gallois told the paper the aircraft maker still aimed the maiden flight of its military aircraft A400M to take place this summer but added this target was "tight". (Reporting by Nicolas Fichot and Astrid Wendlandt; editing by Sue Thomas)
