Malaysia Airlines said Friday the aircraft maker Airbus had pushed back the delivery of its first A380 superjumbos for the second time.

The carrier had placed an order for six of the double-decker planes which were initially to be delivered from January 2007 but that was put back to late 2011.

Now it has been told it will have to wait even longer for the order.

"We have recently been informed that there will be a delay in the delivery of the A380s," the national carrier managing director and chief executive Azmil Zahruddin said in a statement.

"The first A380 is now expected to be delivered in the first half of 2012," he added. Airbus has previously said the Malaysian carrier will be compensated for the delay.

A Singapore-based Airbus spokesman confirmed the delivery will be delayed "for a few months". "Right now we are finalising the details of the new delivery schedule," he told AFP .

The spokesman declined to give reasons for the delay and whether it will affect the deliveries of the subsequent A380s by 2012.

Malaysian Airlines announced in December last year that it will buy up to 25 A330-300s wide-body aircraft worth five billion dollars in a bid to serve its growing markets. The aircraft have been slated for delivery from 2011 to 2016.

Malaysia Airlines returned to the black in the fourth quarter of 2009, with net profits of 610 million ringgit (179 million dollars) due to lower operation and fuel costs, as well as a rebound in its cargo business.

- AFP