Airbus and Emirates Airline agree to cancel A350 XWB order

Toulouse, France – Airbus confirms that Emirates Airline has decided to cancel its order of 70 A350 XWB aircraft. The decision follows on-going discussions with the airline in light of its fleet requirement review, as demonstrated by the order of 50 additional A380 aircraft at the last Dubai Airshow and the airline’s 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 the airline's operations.

 

The order of 50 A350-900 and 20 A350-1000 was originally placed by Emirates Airline in 2007 with first delivery slots scheduled from 2019.

 

Airbus is very confident in its A350 XWB program. Half a year before entry into service, the A350 XWB order book stands at 742 firm orders. The A350 flight test campaign is progressing and is on track for type certification in the coming months.

 

A Rolls-Royce statement regarding the Emirates order noted: “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. Demand for the Airbus A350 remains strong, with more than 700 aircraft and 1,400 Trent XWB engines already sold.”

 

As a result of the announcement, the Rolls-Royce order book will reduce by around 3.5% or £2.6 billion. The order for 70 A350 aircraft was confirmed in 2007 as part of a larger $8.4 billion announcement relating to a total of 120 aircraft, all with TotalCare maintenance services. 

 

The jet engine company continues to support Emirates' 38 Rolls-Royce powered wide-body aircraft currently in service.