European aircraft maker Airbus is facing further delays - for as much as six months - in the delivery of its A380 superjumbo airliner.

A spokeswoman for French airline Air France, an Airbus customer, said Wednesday that the carrier "has been informed, as have other companies," "about a new delivery program" for the A380 and was awaiting details.

An Airbus executive committee had met Monday to finalize the delivery schedule, which would lead to an additional six-month delay and a reduction in the number of planned deliveries next year, according to France's Les Echos.

The first A380 could be delivered as expected to Singapore Airlines in December, but it might not be put into service until April, according to the newspaper. The first A380 for Air France is not expected to be in service until April 2009.

An Airbus spokeswoman called talk of a six-month delay "speculation at this stage." Referring to a statement in July by Airbus chief executive Christian Streiff, she said "an internal review and an exhaustive analysis of the situation is under way and is not finished."

She added that a meeting of the board of parent company European Aeronautic Defence and Space is set for September 29 and "any decisions will be taken that day."

And Arnaud Lagardere, co-chairman of EADS, said last week the status of A380 delays would be known "by September 29."

The firm had announced in June that deliveries of the A380 to commercial customers would be delayed by at least a year because of production setbacks.

That revelation, coupled with a warning that EADS could suffer a 2 billion euro (HK$19.74 billion) decline in operational earnings by 2010, caused a crisis for the company.

This prompted a management shake-up and raised questions among stock market analysts about the way the company communicated internally and with investors and customers.

On September 13, the chief executive of British aerospace group BAE Systems, a shareholder in Airbus for which it makes the wings, said Airbus might have to announce further delays for the A380 airliner and seek a fresh cash injection from shareholders.

Turner had said that "I would be surprised if there were not more delays" to the A380 program.

At the time, a spokesman for EADS, said of Turner's remark: "I don't know where it comes from."