Airbus chief executive Tom Enders reiterated on Monday that the manufacturer will quickly work to fix the cracks that have been discovered on its Airbus A380s.
"We will fix it as quickly as possible and whatever it costs, that is something too early to say at this point," Enders told reporters at the sidelines of the Aviation Leadership Summit as part of the Singapore Airshow, adding that he hopes that the recent wing cracks issue will not affect the firm's credibility.
Enders added that Thai Airways and Malaysia Airlines will start flying A380s this year and he is positive that the aircraft's sales in the region will not be affected because of the manufacturing defects.
"I am quite sure that we will sell a lot of the A380s in future keeping in mind that it was a programme deliberately devised to last some 40 to 50 years," he said.
He added that with the uncertainty in the global economy, airlines also need to "reorientate" and look in new places for funding. The Chinese, Japanese and Scandinavian banks have also indicated interest in financing Airbus customers, he said.
"I'm very optimistic that we are not facing a general shortage of financing for airlines, but it's a period of reorientation as to where these finance comes from," said Enders.
Singapore Airlines' CEO Goh Choon Phong also told reporters that 10 of the airline's A380s have been inspected for cracks, repaired and returned to service, and that the firm's confidence in the aircraft has not been affected.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
