Departs Toulouse on it's maiden flight in April 2014.
(Photo by Airbus)
Airbus has terminated an order for six A380s from Tokyo-based Skymark Airlines, scheduled for delivery between 2014 and 2015.
Skymark, which was due to be the first Japanese A380 operator, had planned to deploy the aircraft on international trunk routes, in particular linking Tokyo Narita Airport to destinations in the US.
However, in a brief statement issued Tuesday, Airbus said: “Following discussions with Skymark Airlines and in light of the airline’s expressed intentions [with] respect [to] the A380, Airbus has—in accordance with its contractual rights—notified Skymark Airlines that the purchase order for the six A380s signed in 2011 has been terminated. Airbus is reserving all its rights and remedies.”
Skymark had selected Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines, supported by a TotalCare maintenance package, to power the aircraft. Rolls-Royce confirmed the cancellation, which reduces its order book by £351 million ($596 million), or 0.5%.
In February, Airbus announced it had completed structural assembly of Skymark’s first A380, which flew for the first time in April.
“There were two [Skymark] aircraft where the production was quite advanced, but neither of them had the cabin installed yet,” an Airbus spokeswoman told ATW. “We decided to cancel the order, but why and how is between us and the airline—it is confidential. We have been talking for a few months now, for some time, but could not reach a satisfactory resolution so this is how it ended up.”
This is not the first time Airbus has initiated an order cancellation, she added. “It is actually part of our watchover principle, to actively manage our order book,” the spokeswoman said.
No comments:
Post a Comment