A400M, the other thorn in Airbus’ side

RAF 400M - ZurichAirportSpotter

Presenting the annual results of Airbus Group, CEO Tom Enders gave an update on the A400M program. He announced there would be exports of the military aircraft assembled in Seville, but warned "they would be in the hundreds", a way more pragmatic forecast compared to the 400 sales expected before.

To this day, 174 aircraft were already sold. 17 A400M were delivered in 2018, compared to the 19 of the previous year. But Airbus has yet to sell A400M to an external customer. If the company fails to enter the US market, potential clients could be found in Latin America. In this regard, the production still requires the clear support of the initial countries, as, in Enders’ words, “you can not get customers without the support of governments”.

Enders also announced that the program would cost an estimated additional €436 million, a forecast which is “the outcome of the negotiations [with the partner countries] and updated estimates on the export scenario, escalation and some cost increases”. The CEO showed confidence, stating that “all in all, we have achieved significant de-risking of the A400M in 2018”. But that latest addition put the total at €5.5 billion of provision from Airbus for the program.

From next year, the production of the A400M should go down to eight aircraft per year while Airbus is looking for new customers. So far, in addition to the partner countries, namely Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain and Turkey, that acquired 170 aircraft, only four A400Ms were sold and already delivered to Malaysia.

Source: www.aerotime.aero

Airbus confident of A400M exports but says numbers may be modest

Thanks to inflation, Airbus takes major financial hit, again, on largest military program

Airbus upbeat on prospect for A400M export contract this year

Airbus Delivers Two A400M Airlifters to Two Different Nations in One Day

Airbus cutting 3,700 jobs as A400M aircraft production slashed
Airbus hopes to mitigate fiscal harm in A400M program row
A400M NATO buyers to meet with Airbus over billions in fines
Airbus to Reduce A400M Production Rate
German Defence Ministry warned that technical challenges and contractual wrangling with Airbus could impair full operational use of A400M

A400M Military Transport: Details