Finality due soon on new Airbus carrier

AIRBUS aims to strike a new sales deal for its A400M military aircraft this year and hopes it will bolster interest in the delay-plagued transporter, a senior executive from its defence division said.

Several buyers, including Turkey and Germany, have expressed frustration at repeated delays in deliveries of the heavy cargo and troop carrier, Europe’s largest defence project.

“We are targeting a sales announcement for the A400M this year,” Antonio Rodriguez-Barberan, an executive at Airbus Defence and Space, said on the sidelines of a conference in Istanbul late on Tuesday. “We hope this will drive a domino effect.”

Airbus acknowledged last year it faced more delays in delivering the aircraft.

Ankara has said it would force Airbus to pay a penalty or offer services in compensation for late deliveries.

Other European buyers include Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Luxembourg and Spain. Malaysia has also agreed to buy the plane, which fits between the smaller Lockheed Martin C-130 and larger Boeing C-17. – Reuters