Singapore Airlines confirmed yesterday that it is to receive undisclosed financial compensation from Airbus for the delay in the delivery of its superjumbo A380 aircraft which will now not arrive until the fourth quarter of

2007.
‘The delays are disappointing; all the more so because the flight test and certification programme is proceeding well, and the delays are down to production issues,’ said SIA in a statement.
The airline said that the amount it would be receiving was confidential, but it is likely to be sizable. SIA was due to be the launch customer for the new $300m double-decker jumbo aircraft, but will now have to wait until October 2007 for delivery.
This follows the announcement by Airbus parent EADS on Tuesday that all of its customers will now face delays to their orders for the new aircraft. The compensation being paid to SIA is likely to be only the first of many such payments.
At the same time, there will be many airports around the world who will not be too happy to have committed millions of dollars to configuring gates to accommodate the new aircraft a ear earlier than they needed to.