A350 Launch Pending: UPDATE

Flight International is reporting today that there is going to be a delay of entry into service of a year or more beyond what was announced thus far for the A350WXB-no sooner than mid 2013.

That's nearly seven years, assuming there are no delays. Seven years. If that's the best that can come out of The Maginot Line, there'll be a lot of others heading for the exits before this is over.

We previously noted that the method of construction that John Leahy says that Airbus is going to use tells us that they have no confidence in monolithic carbon fiber composite technology. They're also choosing to give up on learning the technology so as to come up with a new 737 beater.....sheesh.

Film at 11.

A tip of the hat to one of my correspondents, who suggested that Maginot seemed to be a more accurate portrayal of what's happening over there at Airbus...we'll see how it hangs together.