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Empresas y finanzas

Airbus slows A380 output, keeps delivery target


    (Reuters) - Airbus said on Thursday it had slowed production of A380 aircraft as it addresses recent problems with wing cracks but it maintained a target of delivering 30 of the superjumbos in 2012.

    A spokesman for the European planemaker confirmed a report in France's La Tribune that it had slowed down production to 2.3 aircraft a month from 2.7 as it prepares to install fixes to prevent a repeat of cracks found earlier this year.

    "We decided to take a bit of steam out of production temporarily to install fixes and will ramp back up by the fourth quarter to the original plan," a spokesman said.

    "This has no impact on plans to deliver 30 aircraft this year, nor on the breakeven point which is still scheduled for early 2015."

    La Tribune said the slowdown had cast doubt on both the delivery and breakeven TARGET (TGT.NY).

    Cracks blamed on manufacturing flaws were discovered on some of the 2,000 brackets inside each wing earlier this year.

    Safety authorities have set a deadline for fleet-wide checks but have said the aircraft is safe to fly meanwhile.

    Airbus delivered four A380s in the first quarter, the same total as in the first three months of last year.

    (Reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by James Regan)