(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-10-16 10:20

An Airbus A380 super jumbo jet is seen at Toulouse-Blagnac airport in this August 2006 file photo. Airbus head Thomas Enders acknowledged in an interview to be published Monday that the delay-plagued European plane maker would continue having difficulty meeting future delivery deadlines for its A380 jetliner. [Agencies]

The European planemaker has gone though five CEOs in two years and is now in the midst of a restructuring plan that foresees 10,000 job cuts over four years.

Morale at Airbus has also been hurt by accusations that senior managers took advantage of knowledge about the A380's problems to cash in on share options. A preliminary report by the French Financial Markets Authority pointed to "massive insider trading" at European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co, Airbus' parent company.

Enders said Airbus was moving past the problems that dogged the aircraft. "We underestimated the complexity of this plane. Since then we have taken efforts to recover."

Gesturing to the clear skies and unseasonably hot weather outside, he said that some things at least were working out in Airbus' favor.

Attended by around 500 guests, the handover ceremony was more low-key than the triumphal 2005 ceremony when the A380 was unveiled. Then, the 10,000-strong audience included French, German and British leaders who admired the plane's exterior but were not allowed inside, where problems lurked.

Government officials, some of whom have come under the spotlight in the insider trading probe, were absent from Monday's event.

Of all the glitzy new features of the Singapore Airlines superjumbo, the one that drew gasps from a VIP crowd of air industry executives was relatively low-tech: the double bed.

The sight of the petal-strewn mattress furnished with duvets and cushions by French fashion house Givenchy impressed Enders so much, he told The Associated Press, that he'd like to celebrate his 25th wedding anniversary on one — with his wife Friederike.

Singapore Airlines fitted its jet with 471 seats configured in three classes: 399 economy class seats on both decks, 60 business class seats on the upper deck and 12 luxury suites on the main deck.

A standard return fare for a suite, created by French luxury yacht designer Jean-Jacques Coste, will cost around 10,500 Singapore dollars ($7,160) on the inaugural Singapore-Sydney route, Chew told the AP. That's about 20-35 percent more than the current top-class fare.

Each suite comes with sliding doors and self-adjustable roller blinds for privacy -- with only a small fabric screen at the bottom to allow cabin crew to check on passengers.

Each plane will have two double beds, though Chew said he doesn't want the suites to give anyone racy ideas.

"I would not encourage it for use for anything other than resting and sleeping," he said.

For the business traveler the suite can be transformed into an office, and entertainment is provided on a 23-inch television screen.

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