Airbus Defense Boss Sees Required A400M Orders To Keep Line Open

PARIS—Airbus will be able to secure the near-term orders it needs to keep production of the A400M military transport line humming, says Michael Schoelhorn, head of defense and space for the aircraft maker.

Airbus had previously warned that its A400M backlog is dwindling and that, absent additional orders, the production line could face a drawdown in the coming years. At the end of May, Airbus had delivered 131 of 178 A400Ms ordered to date.

But Schoelhorn, on the eve of the Paris Air Show, told reporters that talks with existing customers and for export deals are going well and should enable Airbus to secure the eight-10 orders it needs this year to keep the backlog stable. “There is renewed traction” in sales campaigns, he said June 13.

The eight-10 level of order intake should also be possible in each of the next three years, he added.