First A400M delivered to French Air Force, finally

09/30/2013  Defence IQ Press

The first A400M was officially handed over to the French Air Force on Monday at the Airbus assembly line in Seville. It is the first of 50 ordered by France and of the total of 174 on order globally.

It’s been a torrid time for EADS getting the A400M from the design room to assembly line spanning 30 years, but the unveiling of the first aircraft today gives a much needed boost to the European aerospace sector as other programmes faces lengthy delays and cuts.

While EADS CEO Tom Enders no doubt sees the A400M delivery as a triumph, he is not hopeful of increasing workloads in the future. In a recent a speech on transatlantic security Enders said, "I do not assume in my strategic planning that in the next 10 to 15 years there will be any new major European projects in our sphere of activity. I see governments are even trying to cut or reduce projects that previously been agreed.”