Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic said on Thursday it was pushing back delivery of its first Airbus A380 superjumbo by four years, giving the planemaker time to sort out problems encountered in wiring the mammoth planes.

Virgin said it still intended to take delivery of all six of the USD$300 million planes it has on order, but now would not see its first one until 2013.

"Virgin Atlantic has reached agreement in principle with Airbus to defer deliveries of its Airbus A380 aircraft until 2013," the airline said.

"By then, we believe the A380 will have proven its innovative design over several years in commercial service. The deferral will also enable Airbus to prioritize production and deliveries for its launch customers, such as Singapore Airlines," it said.

Virgin Atlantic is 49 percent owned by Singapore Airlines, which is set to be the first airline to fly the A380.

An Airbus spokesman confirmed that the agreement would help the planemaker focus on deliveries to its core, launch customers.

Airbus is running two years behind schedule in producing the A380 because of problems encountered in wiring the 555-seat double-deckers.

Some airlines, forced to lease planes to fill planned routes until the A380 is ready, have asked Airbus for compensation.

"We have extended the leases of several of our Boeing 747-400 aircraft in order to meet our fleet needs and future growth plans," Virgin said.

A spokeswoman declined to comment on whether Virgin had sought financial compensation for delays to A380 deliveries.

Thursday's deferral is the second from Virgin, which said in 2004 it would push back an expected 2006 delivery start until 2007. The plane's wiring woes had since pushed that date back to the end of 2009.