PARIS (AP) -- EADS, the parent company of planemaker Airbus, said Thursday it has indefinitely postponed the first flight of its A400M military transport plane because its engines are not ready.
In a statement, the European aerospace company said that despite the delay, "the 2008 guidance of the group is not changed at this point."
The A400M, which EADS describes as Europe's most ambitious military procurement program ever, was to have made its first test flight in Seville, Spain before the end of this year.
The A400M's engines are being made by EPI Europrop International GmbH, a consortium made up of Industria de Turbo Propulsores, MTU Aeroengines, Rolls-Royce and Snecma Moteurs.
EADS said that the first flight depends on results of testing on the A400M's flying test bed, which it said should start in the coming weeks. The test bed is a C-130 aircraft mounted with the A400M's engine and propeller.
EADS said it would assess "the financial, technical and schedule implications" of the delay after the test bed flights and further discussions with customers.
