Airbus to move A380 production to temporary home

Airline Industry Information, Nov 26, 2004

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2004 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

European aircraft manufacturer Airbus has been forced to temporarily move its planned production of its new A380 aircraft from Hamburg, Germany to its home base in Toulouse, France due to a dispute over land needed to extend a runway.

Airbus Germany's chief Gerhard Puttfarcken said that the decision on where the A380 would be built would now be left open until 2006 after the Hamburg authorities failed to acquire the land needed to extend the runway at Hamburg's airport from its owner the Pankratius Church Community.

Puttfarcken said that production of the A380 could take place in Toulouse until mid-2007 when the runway would be completed. Airbus extended the deadline for Hamburg to complete the project to maintain the balance within Airbus's parent company EADS which is owned jointly by France and Germany. Hamburg's mayor has said that the city would consider legal action to seize the land if needed, reports Reuters.

((Comments on this story may be sent to aii.feedback@m2.com))