Malaysia Airways (MAS) could become the first passenger airline to cancel an order for Airbus A380s, with Bloomberg reporting that the airline has grown frustrated over the delays to its order for six of the type.
According to the report, the airline’s CEO Tengku Azmil Zahruddin told reporters that MAS “cannot tolerate” an additional holdup for its order. “We will not rule anything out at this stage,” he said. “We are not happy.”
MAS was originally set to receive its first A380 in 2007, but delivery has most recently been pushed back to the second quarter of 2012 as a result of the various developmental issues experienced, as well as difficulties in the production ramp-up of the aircraft. The airline has already received compensation for two previous delays, and is expected to push for further compensation while in talks with Airbus.
If MAS does cancel its order, it will be the first passenger airline to do so. Freight carriers UPS and FedEx cancelled their orders for the since postponed A380 Freighter in favour of Boeing freighters.
