Airbus is considering shifting deliveries of all higher-gross-weight variants of the A380 ultra-large airliner to Toulouse as it reviews the impact of a court ruling blocking a runway extension at its Hamburg Finkenwerder facility.
Airbus Deutschland failed in its bid to apply compulsory purchase orders on 10 of around 30 properties in the nearby village of Neuenfelde (Flight International, 17-23 August). The company says it will challenge the ruling, mainly on the grounds of flawed logic.
The 590m (1,950ft) runway extension is required only for heavier-gross-weight variants of the aircraft, of which the A380-800F is the first to be launched. Hamburg will be the delivery base for A380s destined for European and Middle Eastern customers and Airbus says the court took into account only the two freighters ordered by Middle East airline Emirates.
"The judge argues the destruction of 10 houses is not worth the value of only two aircraft," it says. This fails to take into account future orders for the freighter as well as potential stretch and heavier -800 passenger aircraft, which will also require the extra tarmac.
Airbus Deutschland says it is in "ongoing talks" with its suppliers, the Hamburg state government and labour groups to thrash out a solution, in parallel with the legal challenge. "One point of speculation is moving all the delivery of heavier A380s to Toulouse," it adds.
Any shift would require re-working of the workshare agreement between the two sites.
JUSTIN WASTNAGE / LONDON
Source: Flight International
