Airbus not flying so high

Throughout history the aviation industry has tended to punish those who suffer from excessive ambition.

From the Concorde to Howard Hughes and his wooden planes, to Freddie Laker's low-cost carrier Skytrain, trailblazing rarely gets rewarded long-term in this most fickle of industries. In 2006 this was illustrated once again, this time in a European context.

In 2005 the whole aviation industry was in awe of the new Airbus A380 or "superjumbo". When this behemoth of the sky first flew out of Toulouse, France, in April 2005, most of the media coverage of the aircraft surrounded its massive dimensions - room for up to 850 passengers and a wingspan of about 65½m (215ft).

However, in 2006 the excitable copy filed by aviation writers started to dry up. While the A380 is undoubtedly a complex project - manufacturers are drawn from Germany, Spain, France and Britain - this multi-national approach to aircraft construction has proven its great undoing.

The literal cast of thousands involved in the A380's construction has been identified as the key factor in the massive cost overruns and delivery delays that have afflicted the aircraft and its ultimate owner, the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company.

Put simply, problems making the German and French parts of the manufacturing process compatible have been at the root of the aircraft's problems.

Software used to manage the design and manufacture of the A380 at a facility in Hamburg was not fully compatible with that used at the aircraft's headquarters in Toulouse. This led to hundreds of changes to the electrical wiring and this led to major delays.

Most worryingly has been a clutch of cancelled or postponed orders from leading airlines and logistics firms who appear to be fed up waiting for the aircraft to roll off the production line. Yes, the first commercial versions of the aircraft are due to be delivered to Singapore Airlines in October, but there must be nervousness among Airbus executives.

Most galling of all, German carrier Lufthansa, which was expected to increase its A380 orders, told the market in early December it was opting for Boeing 747s, the aircraft the A380 was meant to replace.