EADS affirms A400M programme is on

Paris: European aerospace and defence giant EADS said Monday it remained committed to the A400M aircraft programme, trying to remove uncertainty after Tom Enders, the head of its Airbus unit, which is currently saddled with all EADS's military aviation related work, was quoted as saying his company would not be able to complete the military transport plane programme.

A400M"EADS confirms that it remains fully committed to the construction of the A400M," the company said in a statement.

Spiegel Online in an interview on Sunday with Airbus CEO Tom Enders quoted him as saying that the manufacturer could not build the A400M "under the current conditions," and that it would be better to make a painful break than stretch out the pain.

The CEO was also quoted as saying Enders was quoted as saying he would not make a "pilgrimage to Berlin or Paris to plead for a continuation of the program under conditions that are not acceptable to us."

The A400M programme is running 3-4 years late, according to the manufacturer, and 5 years according to at least one of the seven European NATO nations that are the customers for the aircraft.

The programme is intended to renew aging transport fleets.