ILFC, a major name in plane leasing, has cancelled an order to buy ten A380s.
The news was announced on the same day that it signed a memorandum of understanding to buy 100 smaller A320neo planes.
“With 104 wide bodies on order and fewer than a dozen single aisles it makes perfect sense to rebalance our order book and position ILFC strategically on the fuel-efficient neo,” explained Henri Courpron, chief executive officer, ILFC.
Based on February 2011 data, the cancellation would reduce the number of orders for the A380 to 234 planes.
Analysts believe Airbus needs to sell between 270 and 400 to cover the plane’s development costs.
By the end of February, 43 had been delivered to customers.
Emirates Airline is the largest buyer of the plane, having so far ordered 90.