Will new deal to rescue A400M airlifter fly?
A deal to rescue the troubled Airbus A400M airlifter has been put together.

A deal to rescue the troubled Airbus A400M airlifter has been put together. Defense ministers from the European partner nations will meet on Wednesday to approve a reduction in their orders, originally set at 180 aircraft. No more money will be made available to EADS-Airbus, beyond the €20 billion that was agreed to in 2003 to cover the development and production.

A senior British officer involved in the negotiations told AIN yesterday that, as part of the deal, the nations will require Airbus Military to commit to a price for supporting the aircraft in service for the first five years. “Airbus has to do that for their airline customers, so why not for us too?” he said.

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