Not just Airbus that has problems

[dZeus]

Boeing too with their dreamliner

[Brian Ellis]

I don't think I remember ANY new aircraft of any make that was delivered on schedule. This is normal in the industry. I chaired a technical committee which had both Airbus and Boeing guys on it, and it was a standing joke between them as to whether the new aircraft were going to be 18, 24 or 36 months late.

[rylan]

Yeah, poor decesion by these aircraft manfuacturers to use outsourced locations to build large pieces of the plane and then ship in for assembly. It makes them too dependent on too many exeternal locations. Airbus had problems because if it, and now Boeing is.

[Elie]

"Outsourcing", now that's a swear word in my books!

[Umfriend]

With Airbus it wasn't as much that they outsourced manufacturing of parts but that they chose, I guess for political reasons, to distribute manufacturing over various countries (I *think* just Germany and France). That may have caused problems but that did not deter Boeing from outsource as well apparantly. Guess it must have advantages that exceed the disadvantages.

[Brian Ellis]

Of course both companies outsource major items, like engines, actuators, seats, avionics, communication and navigational equipment, "fly-by-wire" computers, even wheels, hydraulic pumps etc. In reality, the assembly is almost like a Meccano set.

Boeing even outsource the Dreamliner wings from Italy.

Airbus wings are made in the UK and the tailplanes in Spain (not just France and Germany for in-house manufacture)