European planemaker Airbus said the development of its A380 superjumbo remained on track and denied problems had been encountered during stress tests on the aircraft ahead of its first flight. "The preliminary findings indicate we are moving in the right direction," said spokesman David Voskuhl on Monday. "No serious problems have been encountered." Voskuhl added that Airbus was still aiming for the A380 to have its first flight towards the end of March, although he repeated previous guidance that the date could slip into April.

Germany's Der Spiegel magazine reported this weekend that engineers at Airbus, which is 80 percent owned by EADS, encountered "unexpected and significant difficulties" with the rear end of the plane when tests were carried out on it.

The landing gear was also causing engineers concern, the magazine reported, adding that the A380's first flight could be delayed by weeks.

"We are not aware of the problems that the Spiegel is claiming," Voskuhl said.

The A380, which is the world's biggest civil aircraft and was inaugurated in Toulouse, in France, last month, can seat between 555 and 850 passengers and has a listed tag price of between $200 million and $250 million.

Copyright Reuters, 2005