Airbus parent EADS confirmed fresh delays to its A380 superjumbo today.
Airbus's €12-billion A380 programme to produce a new class of mammoth plane is already up to a year overdue and sparked an EADS profit warning and management shake-up in June. EADS shares were down 2.4 per cent at €22.25 shortly after the opening today.
"The current status is that we have not finalised the schedule of deliveries nor the financial impact of any delays. All appropriate resources are focused on bringing the ongoing assessment to maturity," the company said.
Airbus chief executive Christian Streiff, who was appointed in July, has given himself 100 days to get a detailed overview of the A380 production programme, which is spread across four European countries.
The company said it would provide more details within four weeks.
It had previously said it would provide a firm A380 delivery schedule by end-September. The delays are the latest blow to Europe's flagship project to build a double-decker airliner capable of carrying 555 people in three classes or more than 800 in all-economy seating.
Airbus faces penalties to airlines which signed up to buy the $300 million passenger jet, the largest ever built. To salvage the plane maker's image, analysts expect the first plane to be delivered to Singapore Airlines on time by the end of the year, but doubts have been growing over the schedule for 2007 and beyond.
The embarrassing new delay comes as Airbus is reeling from British partner BAE Systems' decision to sell its 20 per cent stake back to EADS along with a public warning that the A380 programme is set to soak up more management time and cash.