Airbus suffered its biggest-ever order cancellation after Dubai based Emirates Airline canceled its order for 70 Airbus A350 XWB aircraft in...
The order for 50 A350-900 and 20 A350-1000 worth $16 billion was originally placed by Emirates in 2007 with first delivery scheduled from 2019.
Airbus said it is very confident in its A350 XWB program with order book still standing at a healthy 742 firm orders.
A350's exclusive engine maker Rolls Royce said its order book for Trend XWB engine reduced by around 3.5% or £2.6 billion following the cancelation.
The move suggest, Emirates is increasingly focusing on larger wide body aircraft and rationalizing it fleet around A380s and Boeing 777s. Emirates has placed an order for 150 Boeing 777Xs in addition to 50 more A380s at 2013 Dubai Airshow. Currently Emirates operates the largest A380 fleet of 48 aircraft and also the largest Boeing 777 fleet, at more than 130.
Meanwhile A350 flight test program is progressing well and is on track for Type Certification in the coming months.
