Emirates, the leading launch customer for the Airbus A380 super jumbo, is demanding £150m in compensation for delays to the crisis-hit programme.Tim Clark, president of Dubai-based airline Emirates, which has ordered 45 A380s, made the claim in talks with Airbus management last week following the announcement of a third postponement of deliveries of the world's largest passenger jet. It is also understood that Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic is claiming more than £20m in compensation for delays in its order of six A380s, while Australian carrier Qantas has announced it wants £40m.
The Virgin board meets on Thursday to discuss its options for dealing with the hold-ups, which have pushed deliveries back by two years. The alternatives under consideration are: cancelling all or some of the orders; deferring them; or switching A380s for other Airbus planes. Last week, Airbus parent EADS announced that technical problems with the wiring would now leave airlines waiting two years longer than they had planned before receiving their aircraft, adding that the problems with the programme would hit profits over the coming years by £3.25bn.