Emirates cancels Airbus A340-600 order.
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Emirates cancels Airbus A340-600 order
By James Cordahi
DUBAI, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Emirates, the largest Arab airline, has cancelled an order for as many as 20 long-range Airbus A340-600 aircraft, ending a delay in the delivery of the aircraft pending enhancements.
"We will not be taking delivery of these planes," Emirates spokesman Mike Simon said late on Monday, declining to explain why.
Dubai-based Emirates ordered 12 of the four-engine planes and options for eight more in 2003 for delivery in May.
Emirates delayed the delivery in March after Airbus proposed making an enhanced version of the high-gross-weight variant of the plane. Emirates President Tim Clark said at the time the airline did not want take delivery of an aircraft that would overtaken by a better model.
<...snip...>
Emirates leased five Boeing Co. 777 planes for as long as 15 years and might lease another two to plug the gap in delivery of the A380s, Simon said.
More trouble for Airbus. Although the BBC is reporting that "...an Airbus spokesman said it was not aware of any cancellation and its order book showed Emirates still earmarked to take delivery of 18 of the planes."
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Member of: AA Exec Plat; QF LTG; PC Plat; HHonors Gold
Posts: 10,055
Re: Emirates cancels Airbus A340-600 order
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yada Yada
...an Airbus spokesman said it was not aware of any cancellation and its order book showed Emirates still earmarked to take delivery of 18 of the planes."[/i]
Hmm, I thought their A380 order was for 45 aircraft plus options. If the EK order is only 18, that would now make QF the largest A380 customer with 20 orders.
Hmm, I thought their A380 order was for 45 aircraft plus options. If the EK order is only 18, that would now make QF the largest A380 customer with 20 orders.
"Dubai-based Emirates ordered 12 of the four-engine planes and options for eight more in 2003 for delivery in May."
I can't understand the article. May of what year? Surely the airframes must be built already. I guess someone will want them, perhaps DJ can get a sweet deal and snap them up for international ops.
Member of: AA Exec Plat; QF LTG; PC Plat; HHonors Gold
Posts: 10,055
Re: Emirates cancels Airbus A340-600 order
Quote:
Originally Posted by maninblack
"Dubai-based Emirates ordered 12 of the four-engine planes and options for eight more in 2003 for delivery in May."
I can't understand the article. May of what year? Surely the airframes must be built already. I guess someone will want them, perhaps DJ can get a sweet deal and snap them up for international ops.
I think the next sentence explains the situation:
Quote:
Emirates delayed the delivery in March after Airbus proposed making an enhanced version of the high-gross-weight variant of the plane.
So I read that as they were originally ordered in 2003 for delivery in May this year. But in March this year EK delayed the delivery for the reason stated.
Member of: Qantas, Thai, Air New Zealand, AA, Asiana
Posts: 499
Re: Emirates cancels Airbus A340-600 order
Quote:
Originally Posted by NM
So I read that as they were originally ordered in 2003 for delivery in May this year. But in March this year EK delayed the delivery for the reason stated.
Surely there are not 12 340-600 in various stages of construction laying around?
If Airbus was dynamic enough they would have been able to change some of the frames, the latter ones of course, from A340 to A330. I thought another one of the Mid-East airlines (Qatar?) were going to pick them, A340-600 up. Maybe VS could use them or DJ(int) will get a good lease rate on them.
Member of: AA Exec Plat; QF LTG; PC Plat; HHonors Gold
Posts: 10,055
Re: Emirates cancels Airbus A340-600 order
Quote:
Originally Posted by Altair
Surely there are not 12 340-600 in various stages of construction laying around?
If Airbus was dynamic enough they would have been able to change some of the frames, the latter ones of course, from A340 to A330. I thought another one of the Mid-East airlines (Qatar?) were going to pick them, A340-600 up. Maybe VS could use them or DJ(int) will get a good lease rate on them.
I assume all 12 were not due for delivery in the same year. But yes, you would expect that at least some of them were in various stages of completion. Perhaps there are other A340-600 customers who are glad of being bumped up the delivery book. I would think there is a significant penalty to be paid for such a cancellation. But these things are always more complex than they appear on the surface and perhaps it was all tied in with the A380 delay compensation package for EK?
But it does seem strange that on one hand EK would be complaining about the capacity problem the delayed A380 is causing them, and on the other hand they are cancelling orders for a significant number of large aircraft.
Member of: AA Exec Plat; QF LTG; PC Plat; HHonors Gold
Posts: 10,055
Re: Emirates cancels Airbus A340-600 order
Here is an interesting quote from Australian Aviation Magazine regarding this order cancellation:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Australian Aviation
The aircraft "didn't deliver what it set out to deliver in the blueprint," according to an Emirates spokesman quoted in AFX News. "It was far heavier than the original spec had been. That was part of it and other aircraft have come in its place that are far more economic."
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