Virgin Delays A380 Service

Virgin Atlantic Airways said Monday that it was delaying by 18 months its plans to start flying the new Airbus A380 super jumbo jet, mainly because it was running behind designing a customized interior. The airline also said Los Angeles International Airport might not be ready to handle the 555-passenger airplane.

Production of the world’s largest aircraft began in Toulouse, France, last month, and Virgin Atlantic is the first to postpone delivery of the jet. The airline, based in Britain, was one of the first to order the mammoth planes and hoped to begin flying the aircraft from London to Los Angeles, one of its key markets, by summer 2006.

But Virgin Atlantic spokeswoman Wendy Buck said the carrier would postpone taking delivery of the aircraft to late 2007 because it appeared that “one or two key airports” would not be “up and ready to provide the kind of service we like to give our passengers.”

Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa and Air France said Monday that they did not expect to postpone the start of their A380 service but suggested that they could fly to other airports such as San Francisco if LAX was slow to make the terminal improvements.

Buck of Virgin Atlantic said the airline also was expecting delays in coming up with the kind of cabin interiors it wanted for the aircraft. The carrier, founded by flamboyant billionaire Richard Branson, has tried to distinguish itself from other airlines by having unusual services and features, including bars.

The decision to delay the service could escalate concerns among other airlines that have placed orders for the A380 and that have for months been pushing LAX to make improvements to accommodate the aircraft. LAX is expected to have the most A380 flights of any airport in the first few years of use.

Last fall, Branson described as “unacceptable” the possibility that Virgin Atlantic passengers on an A380 might have to be shuttled to the terminals on buses because the gates might not be ready to handle such a large aircraft. The A380 will carry 150 more passengers than the Boeing 747, currently the world’s largest commercial jet.

But LAX officials said Monday that the airport would be ready to accommodate the A380, including having by 2006 four gates with double ramps that could directly load and unload passengers from the double-decked aircraft.

“I’m not sure why they’re naming us. We’re well on our way in planning for the A380,” said Paul Haney, a spokesman for the Los Angeles World Airports, the operator of LAX.