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?[/.quote]
Hmmm there are not too many A340-600 orders that are outstanding. LH & VS are the bigger ones, and you would think that with delays to the A380 that they would want at least some extra capacity, but EK are going down the 777-300ER route which is a direct competitor to the A340-600.
Oh Airbus have not posted their October orders yet, but they are notorious for not putting concellations in, check out Iraqi Air 5 A310 order that is outstanding even though the aircraft, along with its bigger sister A300 are no longer produced.
http://www.airbus.com/odxml/orders_and_deliveries.xls
freqbugsmasher said:
Boeing 777, 777LR/ER or would they go for the 787-8/9?
I thought that the 777 was pitched at the 340, with the mooted 350XWB to be the answer to the 787 dominace on forward orders for aircraft in the 250-330 class? The 787-3 looks like it won't have the range that the 340 does, however the 787-8/9 does.
EK have repeatedly stated that they want a 787 bigger than the -9. Hence Boeing has been looking at the -10. The -3 is for domestic operations and gets a higher seat count because Boeing uses a different class mix. I seriously doubt that the -3 will be a big seller, like the SR and D series of the 747. 787 is pitched around as a 767, A300 size replacement. A350 is a bigger aircraft aimed at 777-200 replacements that Airbus needed to do as the technology to be used cannot compete against the 787 CASM, so more bums on seats (BOS) is the solution, like the A380.