Madrid’s unresolved orders for the Airbus A400M airlifter, the biggest defense project in Europe, are in turmoil and may have a significant impact on aviation investment in one of Airbus’s co-founding nations. Sources in the defense sector have disclosed that Spain is becoming increasingly hesitant about delivering the remaining 13 planes from their initial order of 27, indicating that the Spanish Air Force may not require them. This implies that only 14 A400M cargo planes will be in service with the Spanish Air Force.
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Ejército del Aire Ministerio de Defensa España, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Designed to boost the strategic autonomy of seven European NATO nations, the A400M project has been hit by cost overruns and delays. As a result, any decision over the future of the A400M is expected to trigger intense negotiations over alternative defense orders and Airbus’s ongoing investment in Spain.
Spain and Airbus are already discussing how to lessen the impact of a partial A400M order cancelation while Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s office has issued a detailed breakdown of the advantages that Spain has given to Airbus. In a statement following a meeting, the prime minister’s office urged Airbus to increase its footprint in Spain, alongside France, Germany, and Britain.
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