Airbus' stalling A400M military aircraft programme could cost the company billions and affect production at the Bristol plant which makes the carbon fibre material used in the wings.

The faltering project to build a state-of-the-art military transporter drew stinging criticism from a French parliamentary panel yesterday.

Full-scale production of the new Airbus military aircraft will not start until 2014, French newspaper Le Figaro reported yesterday.

The paper claims to have seen a confidential note the giant planemaker sent to European arms buying organisation OCCAR, in which it stated the plane would not be ready until 2014.

It also said the first full test flight of its A400M military transporter would take place in 2010, appearing to contradict chief executive Tom Enders' assertion last week that the first test would take place in the second-half of 2009.

A spokesman for Airbus' pan-European owner EADS said: "The delay between the first flight and the first delivery of the A400M Future European Military Transport Aircraft will be three years. But we cannot say when the test flight will be until we know when the engine will be ready from the consortium that makes it."

Experts have estimated the hold-up will cost Airbus' pan-European owner EADS around five billion euros. But EADS said it was sticking by earlier estimates of a 1.7bn euro hit.

The first A400M, whose wings were designed at the Airbus plant in Filton, Bristol was originally meant to be delivered this year but Airbus recently announced that it would not be ready until at least 2012.

A French parliamentary panel investigating the ever-receding delivery date launched a scathing attack on EADS and the governments for which it is building the aircraft.

The hold-up is also putting pressure on relations between Airbus and the engine-makers Rolls Royce who have both blamed each other for the delay.