Emirates Airline has cancelled an order for 70 Airbus A350 twinjets it had placed in 2007.
The cancellation, for 50 A350-900s and 20 A350-1000s due to start being delivered from 2019, is a blow to Airbus’s ambitions for the aircraft as it nears service entry with Qatar Airways later this year.
In a statement, Airbus said: “The decision follows on-going discussions with the airline in light of their fleet requirement review, as demonstrated by their order of 50 additional A380 at the last Dubai Airshow and their continuous interest in the program. Airbus and Emirates Airline benefit from a long-standing relationship and the airline recently reiterated its confidence in Airbus products particularly by praising the A380 and the benefits the aircraft brings to their operations.”
Added engine supplier Rolls-Royce: “While disappointed with this decision, we are confident that the delivery slots which start towards the end of this decade vacated by Emirates will be taken up by other airlines. We retain a close working relationship with Emirates and continue to support their 38 Rolls-Royce powered wide body aircraft currently in service.”
Emirates last year placed a large order for 150 Boeing 777Xs to replace some of its 777-200s and -300s in service from 2018. The A350 backlog stands at 742 firm orders following the cancellation.
