Airbus is confident that it will have signed up more than 150 orders for the A380 by the time of June's Paris air show. Firm orders currently stand at 129, with a further 10 commitments which Airbus chief commercial officer John Leahy says he expects will be finalised soon. He adds that talks are under way with an undisclosed customer for a 10-aircraft deal, in addition to the widely reported commitment from an Asian carrier for five aircraft. Meanwhile Airbus's 80% shareholder EADS has admitted that research and development costs on the $10.7 billion A380 programme have overrun by €1.45 billion ($1.9 billion).
Source: Flight International
