=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SF Gate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/news/archive/2002/04/04/f= inancial1228EST0121.DTL ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday, April 4, 2002 (AP) Airbus, Japanese suppliers in jet-construction deals worth $650 mllion (04-04) 09:28 PST (AP) -- TOKYO (Dow Jones/AP) -- European aircraft maker Airbus S.A.S. said Thursday it has signed $650 million worth of contracts with Japanese suppliers for the construction of its A380 super jumbo jet. "The A380 plays the role of a bridge between the aerospace industries of Japan and Europe," Airbus president and chief executive Noel Forgeard said in a statement. Airbus said four main Japanese suppliers have signed contracts "which amount to over $650 million in the years to come." The move is seen as a bid by Airbus to influence Japanese air carriers to buy the jet. Japanese airlines have traditionally favored Boeing aircraft for their fleets. The Japanese suppliers include Jamco Corp., Toray Corp. and Toho Tenax Corp. which will be providing carbon-fiber materials. Jamco and Toho Tenax have worked with Airbus in the past. Sumitomo Metal Industries will supply titanium sheets for the A380 and other Airbus aircraft, Airbus said. Forgeard said he is confident Airbus will recruit other Japanese compani= es to the A380 program, with talks under way with other suppliers. Airbus has so far secured 97 firm orders for the A380 whose first flight is due in 2004, with its commercial launch scheduled for 2006. Airbus, based in France, is 80 percent-owned by the Europe Air Defense a= nd Space Co. and Britain's BAE Systems. =20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2002 AP