The German government on Wednesday urgently pressed European airplane manufacturer Airbus to come up with a precise plan for resolving the problems that have repeatedly set back delivery of its new military transporter, the A400M.

"We urge the manufacturer to come up with a feasible and workable plan," a spokesman for the defence ministry, Jens Flosdorff, told a regular news briefing.

After new faults were discovered in the aircraft's engines and cracks in its fuselage, "what is important (for the German government) is that the manufacturer present a plan with which it will be able to resolve these issues in the coming months," Flosdorff said.

It was not yet fully clear how serious the problems were, he added.

The German army, the main customer for Airbus' military aircraft, has ordered around 50 A400M to replace its ageing fleet of Transall planes.

It has only taken delivery of three so far, which have revealed a number of faults.

"Naturally, we're examining all options" in case the A400M transporters are not delivered in time, the ministry spokesman continued. These included the possibility of seeking compensation from Airbus.

The Airbus A400M military transporter was briefly grounded last year after one of the airlifters crashed during a test flight near the Spanish city of Seville, killing four people.

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