Etihad Airways has cancelled six Airbus A350-1000s, making it the first carrier to have cut its backlog for the type since the aircraft was redesigned last year.
While Etihad has not commented on the A350-1000 redesign, flightglobal quoted a source close to the carrier as saying it was not content with the changes made to the twinjet. Qatar Airways. and the UAE’s Emirates airline had similar misgivings.
The online news service said that Airbus chief Tom Enders has indicated there might be "short-term" issues regarding discussions with existing customers for the A350-1000.
Industry analyst Saj Ahmad said: “"Etihads decision to drop some of the A350-1000 orders means that the airline clearly cannot wait till beyond 2017 for Airbus to get their design right and with the recent extra 787-9s that the carrier has ordered to augment its planned growth, Etihad is more likely than ever to order more Boeing 777-300ER's.”
Airbus has pitched the A350-1000 against the 777-300ER, the latter family of jets sold 200 units last year, 25% of that backlog was Emirates' deal for 50 777-300ERs.
“The 777-300ER is the biggest twin engine, long haul airplane and has great performance as well as low fuel burn and its popularity means that while Airbus fumbles the A350-1000 design, which Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad are not at all pleased with, Boeing is capturing key orders from the GCC and Eithad Airways is guaranteed to buy more, Ahmad said. “The fear however, is that if Etihad, like other airlines remain unconvinced of the design fluidity and changes Airbus continues to make on the A350-1000, notwithstanding the furore over EU emissions trading, the carrier is likely to drop all of its orders for the type, leaving Airbus is a huge quagmire over whether it proceeds with the program or not, especially when 86% of the current A350-1000 backlog is at the mercy of the big three Arab carriers.”
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