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Dubai: The head of Airbus said there would be no further delays for Emirates' A80s and promised the first would arrive as scheduled in August 2008.
"We're absolutely on track and we will deliver as promised," said Thom Enders, Airbus president and chief executive, during a media briefing at the Dubai Airshow.
The double-decker A380 suffered a 22-month delay due to wiring problems that pushed back Emirates' deliveries schedule to begin in the third quarter of next year.
The delay cost Airbus billions and irked airlines which had invested in infrastructure and training programs in anticipation of an earlier delivery schedule.
Emirates is the largest customer for the A380 with 66 on order—including a deal for 11 announced on Sunday.
At Monday's media briefing, Airbus COO John Leahy also stressed the importance of the Middle East region for the European airframe manufacturer.
In 2007, Middle East customers will account for 30 per cent of Airbus orders and an even larger percentage in terms of value he said.
This week, for instance, Emirates airline, Qatar Airways and Dubai Aerospace Enterprise each announced plane orders of approximately 100 aircraft or more.
A major bottleneck exists in the airplane manufacturing industry, and Leahy said this was one explanation for the rash of major order logged this week by both Airbus and Boeing.
"It's a strong market and a lot of airlines are concerned they will not get a slot. Out backlog for single-aisle aircraft is 2012, and for wide-bodied planes it is 2011 with only a handful left for 2012," he said.
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