Story ID: 
Airbus DS Chief Frustrated With A400M Delays
By: Chris Pocock
Caption: A revised delivery schedule is still awaited, because of the propeller gearbox problems.
Word Count: 331
The new chief executive officer at Airbus Defence & Space (DS) has voiced his frustration with the technical problems that have slowed deliveries of the A400M airlifter. Interviewed for the company’s internal newspaper, On Air, Hoke said, “It’s not solely down to us that output is not where it should be. Without the gearbox issues at our subcontractor GE/Avio, we would have had a solid delivery schedule for this year.” DS recorded an additional net charge of just over €1 billion in its half-year accounting this week.

Hoke said that Airbus DS is trying to stabilize the program “and give our customers a clear statement as to how many aircraft they can expect this year.” France, Germany and the UK have all received a few aircraft, and the first delivery to Spain is scheduled for September. Airbus warned that commercial negotiations with European procurement agency OCCAR and the partner nations are yet to take place with regard to the revised delivery schedule and its implications. The potential impacts on the financial statements could be significant, the company added. Before the latest gearbox problems became apparent, deliveries were slowed by last year’s fatal crash and production problems at the company’s Bremen factory, where the fuselage sections are built. But the gearbox problems first became apparent four years ago. 

Another senior Airbus DS official told journalists recently that “the situation at Bremen is now stable.” He emphasized that the current problem was confined to the propeller gearbox; “the engine turbomachinery is working perfectly” he said. The senior official also voiced his frustration about a program that still has “huge potential.” In a previous edition of On Air, Kurt Rossner, head of the A400M program, said that in addition to the 174 aircraft for the seven partner nations, Airbus DS could sell up to 300 more aircraft to customers outside Europe. Malaysia is the only such customer to date, with an order for four.