Airbus on Monday confirmed a German news report that it had modified part of the rear fuselage on the A380 superjumbo but said this would not lead to further production delays or cost overruns.

Citing internal Airbus documents, weekly Der Spiegel reported that section 19 of the fuselage, made in Spain from high-tech composites, had been modified following flight tests.

A decision to strengthen the section was taken in March, Spiegel said.

An Airbus spokesman confirmed some modifications had been carried out at an unspecified date, but said they would not entail further delays or costs on top of the wiring-related delays announced by parent EADS in June.

"It is not unusual at this stage of development," the spokesman said.