Airbus To Deliver 300 Planes In 2002

Airbus has said that it still expects to deliver three hundred planes this year and may not need to cut employee costs as much as planned as the market outlook improves.

The European planemaker which is Boeing's only competitor in building large commercial jets, is ?optimistic? about producing three hundred planes this year, said Chief Executive Noel Forgeard at the Berlin air show. A final decision on production will be made in July, he said.

Airbus built a record three hundred and twenty five planes last year and anticipated building four hundred in 2002 before the September the 11th attacks on the US drove airlines worldwide to cut seating capacity and defer deliveries. Many also have been seeking help from the manufacturers to pay for their planes.

?They could deliver more than three hundred, as long as they pay for them,? said Richard Aboulafia, director of aviation at Teal Group, a Fairfax, Virginia based consultancy. ?Manufacturers are more involved than ever in financing transactions. They're taking a long-term view of the economy.?

Author: Neftegaz.ru