http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/comme...mentId=blogDest
QUOTE
In a briefing to analysts last week, Leahy said not all airlines are onboard for their scheduled 2009 deliveries, but that it is basically too late to do anything but finish building the aircraft and then putting it in storage.
Here's how Leahy explains it: "if someone is going to defer an airplane in 2009, and I don’t know if you are going to hear about that or not because we have the capability of building 18 airplanes now, we haven’t worked things out with all the airlines. But an airplane that you might hear being deferred in 2009, if you hear it, would be an airplane that is probably going to be built and put in storage and then the airline is just going to have to come to grips with that.”
If A380 customers want to defer later production that would be easier. Leahy notes since the airplanes aren’t built, there’s more flexibility in the system.
That’s true not just of the A380, he points out. Airbus is basically telling customers that if they want to defer orders, they have to focus on aircraft not yet built or in build – which effectively means 2010 or later delivery positions – and that they pretty much have to take 2009 slots.
Here's how Leahy explains it: "if someone is going to defer an airplane in 2009, and I don’t know if you are going to hear about that or not because we have the capability of building 18 airplanes now, we haven’t worked things out with all the airlines. But an airplane that you might hear being deferred in 2009, if you hear it, would be an airplane that is probably going to be built and put in storage and then the airline is just going to have to come to grips with that.”
If A380 customers want to defer later production that would be easier. Leahy notes since the airplanes aren’t built, there’s more flexibility in the system.
That’s true not just of the A380, he points out. Airbus is basically telling customers that if they want to defer orders, they have to focus on aircraft not yet built or in build – which effectively means 2010 or later delivery positions – and that they pretty much have to take 2009 slots.