Examination of Witnesses (Questions 60
- 61)
TUESDAY 27 MARCH 2007
AIRBUS UK
Q60 Chairman: Finally, Mr Gray, I
think you need to sell about 400 A380s to break even on the programme,
you have got 166 orders in place at present and the companies
are threatening to withdraw those offers because of the delays
to the programme. It is a fantastic aircraft, we all know that,
I have seen it fly, it is very exciting, it is a great piece of
kit, it is a shame about the electrical equipment, but never mind.
Is there a risk that this could be another fantastic achievement
like Concorde: brilliant aeroplane, commercial disaster?
Mr Gray: I have seen it fly, I
saw it land at Filton yesterday which was a really magnificent
sight as well. In terms of the A380 programme, the industrial
delays are clearly regrettable and building up the confidence
and trust in our customer base is of paramount importance to us.
Just to reinforce, the aircraft achieved its type certification,
a very important milestone, in December last year, it is due to
enter into service with Singapore in October this year. I believe
that the future of the aeroplane is extremely strong. I think
we have had some disappointing news, I believe you are referring
probably to the freight decisions, UPS and FedEx, but on the other
side of the coin we have seen a reconfirmation of orders, we have
seen some additional orders come in from Singapore themselves
and Qantas and I am optimistic that once that aircraft enters
into service then the market will be there. I am hugely confident
about the programme, I believe it is the right programme and I
am very proud to have been part of it.
Q61 Chairman: You are right it is
a great aeroplane, 400 sales then.
Mr Gray: At least.
Chairman: Excellent. Mr Gray, thank you
very much indeed for answering what quite often can be very difficult
questions, we are really grateful for your time. Thank you very
much.
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