Chief A380-program has to go

[Bottie]

Charles Champion, head of the A380-programme untill yesterday, is replaced by Mario Heinen, former A320-programmeleader. It seems Charles Champion is held responsible for the delays for the A380.



More info: Airbus Pressrelease

[Stepha380]

Charles Champion, head of the A380-programme untill yesterday, is replaced by Mario Heinen, former A320-programmeleader. It seems Charles Champion is held responsible for the delays for the A380.

You should have read the end of the article

Charles Champion (51) hands over the A380 programme to Mario Heinen as the A380 moves from development and certification to the ramp-up of the series production. He has been appointed special advisor to the CEO Christian Streiff

If he was held responsible he would have been fired and not appointed to the new manager.

[bits44]

In corporate speak a special advisor is an office in the basement with no windows, he has no responsibilities per se. What surprises most of the airline Industry is the noticable absence of John Leahy, what happened to him? not a peep!

The impressive four plane formation fly-by was a masteful PR event and should have been mentioned at least by their star salesman, but apparently he was not there????

Maybe he's been reappointed as well.

[Bottie]

Charles Champion, head of the A380-programme untill yesterday, is replaced by Mario Heinen, former A320-programmeleader. It seems Charles Champion is held responsible for the delays for the A380.

You should have read the end of the article

Charles Champion (51) hands over the A380 programme to Mario Heinen as the A380 moves from development and certification to the ramp-up of the series production. He has been appointed special advisor to the CEO Christian Streiff

If he was held responsible he would have been fired and not appointed to the new manager.

What did you expect Airbus to say ... Charles Champion is 'promoted' as our big chief his little helper?

[Stepha380]

What did you expect Airbus to say ... Charles Champion is 'promoted' as our big chief his little helper?

So why not fire him ??? Why change the person in charge of the A380 program three months after the big anouncement ?

[achace]

I think Champion did quite a good job.

His brief was to get the plane into the air, and despite teething problems, he certainly achieved that aim, and nearly all the probems have been design issues affecting the production programme. Hardly his fault.

The new man is a dedicated production expert, which is what the programme now requires, assuming the design issues are resolved.

The horizontal promotion for Champion may well be a transient position as Airbus still have to formally launch the A350XWB, and I would not be surprised to see him do the same job as he did on the A380 on the new project.

Cheers
Achace

[David747]

Champion did a good job with the program and I'm surprised that he was replaced(or promoted, whatever the heck you want to call it) for the delays in the program. In my opinion, Champion should have stayed as head of the program, I don't see why a shake up in the management at Airbus is necessary now a few months before the first A380 is delivered.
When it comes to the airplane, the A380 performed well today, besides some minor glitches the pilot reported, the airplane handled well during the flight and all its systems worked fined. Certification of the A380 in Europe, I believe is in October, which will be a great day in aviation .

[RC20]

Hmmm, as I recall, the purpose of the Titanic was to carry passengers across the Atlantic. Just getting it to leave Ireland was not only meaningless, it was traffic.

The purpose of the head of an aircraft division is to ensure the aircraft is successfully put into service, which not only means getting the first one out the door, but to ensure they all go into service as scheduled.

I would call his overall a miserable failure (note that there were and still are major production issues).

Now Allan Mulaly could lead a division.

[cageyjames]

Now Allan Mulaly could lead a division.

I'd agree with you until the 747-8. That is one aircraft that should have never seen the day. Boeing played it all very smart with the 787 and 777 and then got really dumb for some reason.

[David747]

Hmmm, as I recall, the purpose of the Titanic was to carry passengers across the Atlantic. Just getting it to leave Ireland was not only meaningless, it was traffic.

Very interesting.....what's your point?

The purpose of the head of an aircraft division is to ensure the aircraft is successfully put into service, which not only means getting the first one out the door, but to ensure they all go into service as scheduled.

Right, something Champion would have done had he not been sacked, the airplane as we all know is having delays due to some production and technical issues, but that happens with new planes that enter the market, and as it has been highlighted here before that happened with the 747, DC-10 etc, no need to repeat the argument. The fact that Champion was let go, in my humble opinion, is a mistake by Airbus and its leadership at the top.

I would call his overall a miserable failure (note that there were and still are major production issues).

How was Champion's leadership of the A380 a miserable failure? Six month delay in production is not a failure, the fact that there is such a plane as the A380 FLYING AROUND today, and not a paper simulation or a drawing means that Champion did his job to get that bird from the drawing board and computer screens into production where it will soon, even with expected delays, to enter service.

Now Allan Mulaly could lead a division.

Yeah, Mullaly is going to lead Ford, I wish Mullaly luck over there, after 37 years at Boeing, because, frankly, Ford needs all the luck it needs, but atleast Ford is not looking as bad as GM, that's another funnyerrr, I mean sad story :laugh:

[airazurxtror]

In "Le Soir" this morning :
Lufthansa originally was to receive the first of its 15 A380 at fall 2007. The delivery was then put back at the beginning of 2008.
The Lufthansa spokesman said last tuesday that they won't get it before the summer of 2008.

If the head of the program is not responsible for the failure, who is ?

[David747]

The head of the program should be responsible for any failure, but dude, where is the Failure with the A380???? if a 6 month delay is a failure, then the definition of failure for a lot of people is way too strict...

[airazurxtror]

The head of the program should be responsible for any failure, but dude, where is the Failure with the A380???? if a 6 month delay is a failure, then the definition of failure for a lot of people is way too strict...

He has been kicked out, hasn't he ? It rarely happens to someone who is a unqualified success.

[David747]

Yes he was kicked out, but I ask again, where is the failure in the A380 program he lead??

[airazurxtror]

Yes he was kicked out, but I ask again, where is the failure in the A380 program he lead??

I suppose the high management know where it is, and, naturally enough, doesn't want to publicize it.

[David747]

I suppose the high management know where it is, and, naturally enough, doesn't want to publicize it.

Fair enough, I disagree with your sentiment, in my opinion, the a380 program, even with the delays has been successful thus far, but it could be better in terms of sales, but for a big bird like the A380, I can't say its a failure.

[vc-10]

I don't think the 747 had many sales to start off with either. As said before, if he was better at getting the first planes flying and his replacement is better at production, then the swich makes sense. We all have our strengths and weaknesses.

[David747]

The 747 sold well when it was introduced actually, the problems with the plane was the engines, and several other issues that were sorted out in the years to come, but some how it received plenty of orders to justify production, after production and after the first flight. In the first 5 years of the program, the 747 got 198 firm orders, from 66 to 70. With the A380, Airbus has gotten, if I'm correct 160 firm orders, at the moment this is not enough to make Airbus a profit, but nontheless, it was enough orders to justify production of such a technologically advanced airliner, and big airliner that it is has gotten off the drawing board and into production. Now, if people want to call that a failure of leadership that is fine with me, but if you ask me, Champion did a good job at getting that plane from the great fancy animations we all saw, into production.

[Knight255]

the A380 performed well today, besides some minor glitches the pilot reported, the airplane handled well during the flight and all its systems worked fined.

If anyone knows, what were these so-called "glitches"?????

[DFW]

If I was a middle manager on the A380 program, I would be very demoralized by the replacement of Champion. It is difficult to have worked with someone on a very challenging project, be successful at it (even though it is late, that should not take away from the hard work and triumphs of overcoming challenges), and then see that person sacked by an outsider who knows nothing of what you both went through.

Forget the idea that someone must be punished. While that may or may not make sense, it will nonetheless demoralize the team. And that's not good for the company.