Airbus parent EADS posted a 6 percent rise in first-half operating profit on Thursday, but warned design and manufacturing problems could spill over to hit 2006 earnings.

The company said it expected full-year profit to come in at the bottom end of its previous forecast as it grapples with problems with the A380 superjumbo, a costly redesign of another model and losses on the sale of its Sogerma maintenance business.

Earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) before goodwill and exceptional items rose to EUR1.6 billion euros (USD$2 billion) from EUR1.5 billion (USD$1.9 billion) a year ago.

Sales rose 18 percent to EUR19 billion (USD$24.2 billion), underpinned by strong Airbus deliveries, while net profit increased 5 percent to EUR1.043 billion (USD$1.33 billion).

EADS confirmed it saw a record 430 Airbus aircraft deliveries this year and full-year sales of well over EUR37 billion (USD$47 billion).

The group is trying to repair its reputation after it was hit by problems at Airbus that wiped a quarter off EADS' share price and led to the resignations of its French co-chief executive and the head of Airbus.

EADS co-CEO Tom Enders said the crisis over A380 superjumbo delays had been triggered by mistakes in the way the huge project had been defined as well as faults in manufacturing.

The planemaker has previously blamed the delays on bottlenecks in the installation of complex wiring systems needed to customize the double-decker jet for airlines.

Enders said a comprehensive review over the summer under new Airbus CEO Christian Streiff would analyze what went wrong and provide a detailed revised schedule of deliveries.

He also pledged there would be no repeat of industrial problems when Airbus starts building a revamped version of its long-haul A350 twinjet, unveiled at this month's Farnborough air show following airline complaints about an earlier design.

EADS has already said it expects the A380 delivery delays announced in June to cost EUR500 million (USD$635.8 million) a year between 2007 and 2010, including penalties for late delivery.

Enders told analysts that putting the delayed project to build and deliver the world's largest passenger aircraft back on track was the biggest EADS priority following senior management changes earlier this month.

But the company said on Thursday that further unquantified A380 expenses could be recognized in its 2006 accounts as Airbus reviews its industrial plans and any impact on other programs.

It also raised the prospect for the first time of one-off charges linked to previously signed contracts for the A350.

Airbus has said most of the 10 firm customers for a total of 100 A350 models are expected to roll their orders into the new model. But some airlines at last week's Farnborough air show hinted they would only sign up for new jets at the same price.

The new A350 series contains three models instead of two but the comparable models are on average 12 percent more expensive at list prices, according to Airbus data.

Furthermore, whereas most previous orders were for the smaller A350-800 passenger model, originally seating 253 people and now 270, it is the larger A350-900 model (now capable of seating 314 people and a competitor to the Boeing 777) that will be delivered first. Delivery schedules have slipped one to three years.

Enders said the A350 should cost "significantly less" than the EUR12 billion (USD$15.26 billion) spent on the four-engine 555-seat A380, but that final numbers would be released in September or October.

Airbus has indicated a provisional A350 development price tag of EUR8 billion (USD$10.17 billion), twice the original budget.

EADS is determined to make its dual management structure work, Enders said, speaking in the first quarterly results briefing since Louis Gallois replaced Noel Forgeard as his French counterpart in the shared CEO role.

EADS said its first-half order intake fell to EUR14.2 billion (USD$18 billion) from EUR25.4 billion (USD$32.3 billion) a year ago as the number of orders for new planes from airline customers dropped. It has been outsold roughly 2.5 times to 1 by rival Boeing this year.