The date for entry into service of Airbus’s new widebody A350 aircraft has been pushed back by three months to the second half of 2014.
The rival to Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner faces problems with the production of wings.
The boss of Airbus parent company EADS could not rule out further delays.
Chief executive Tom Enders said: “You cannot be absolutely confident at this stage of a programme.”
But he added that he was happy to bet the A350 would not face a similar, three-year delay to the 787.
EADS took a €124 million charge against its first-half earnings because of the delay on the A350.
It took a separate earnings charge of €181 million because of the costs of repairing wing cracks on A380s.
Despite this, the company reported revenue of €24.9 billion for the half year to June 30, up 14% on the same period last year, and net profit of €594 million, compared to €109 million in the first half of 2011.
EADS expects Airbus to deliver some 580 commercial aircraft this year. It also expects orders for between 600 and 650 aircraft.