Airbus A400M deliveries to Turkey seen delayed in 2016

Deliveries of two A400M military transport planes to Turkey in 2016 are expected to be delayed and talks are ongoing on delivery of a replacement for one that crashed on its maiden flight last year.
Ankara signed a deal for 10 of the Airbus heavy cargo and troop carriers in 2003.
Turkey received two of the aircraft in 2014 and was due to receive two more last year, but only one was delivered. The second plane crashed in Spain on May 9, killing four test crew.
According to the A400M agreement, two aircraft should be delivered to the Turkish Air Force in 2016, in April and June. But it is anticipated that there will be delays in these deliveries," he added.
The delivery calendar had to be updated after last year's crash and a subsequent halt in testing, the official said.
The planes, costing just over 100 million euros each, are assembled in Spain, which has long sought to emerge from France and Germany's shadow within Europe's largest aerospace company.
After the May crash, flights of the two aircraft previously delivered to the Turkish Air Force were suspended for safety reasons.
reuters