European planemaker Airbus delayed the introduction of its newest passenger jet, the carbon-composite A350, as parent EADS unveiled better-than-expected second-quarter earnings lifted by resilient demand for its existing range of jetliners.

The three-month delay follows a glitch in wing production and pushes first delivery of the all-new A350 - Europe’s answer to the Boeing 787 - into the second half of 2014.

Delivering his first results since stepping up from the Airbus unit to become head of Europe’s largest aerospace company in June, EADS Chief Executive Tom Enders said improving profits by delivering on major projects would be a top priority.

“Another focus of our efforts is to further integrate and globalise EADS,” he said in a statement, weeks after Airbus unveiled plans to build an assembly plant in the United States.

The A350 was already a year behind its original schedule but new Airbus Chief Executive Fabrice Bregier has stressed he would rather take time to iron out problems before the start of final assembly. A backlog of unresolved problems were blamed in part for three-year delays on the A380 superjumbo and Boeing’s 787.

The delay will result in a charge of 124 million euros ($152.5 million), EADS said.

Airbus and Boeing are ramping up production to meet a surge in demand for fuel-saving jets as airlines seek to cut costs while preparing for transport growth in emerging markets. But both have run into persistent problems with their newest projects.

EADS raised its forecast for Airbus deliveries this year to 580 aircraft from 570 and formalised a goal to sell 600 to 650 Airbus airplanes in 2012. However, a resurgent Boeing is expected to reclaim the number one spot in sales and deliveries this year as it reduces a bottleneck of undelivered 787s.