China Eastern cancelled its order of 24 Boeing B787 Dreamliner aircraft due to further delivery delays.
A statement released by Boeing said that the decision was due to "operational considerations" and instead the carrier has reached an agreement with the aircraft manufacturer to substitute the order with 45 smaller B737-800s. Meanwhile, China Eastern also placed an order for 15 Airbus A330s.
Boeing also stated: “The other committed Chinese airlines remain committed to the 787." Moving forward, the company plans to reach a Dreamliner production rate of 10 per month in 2013, from the current two planes per month, in order to meet future delivery dates.
China Eastern could not be reached for comment.
The first Dreamliner in the world was delivered to All Nippon Airways at the end of last month (view story here), three and a half years behind schedule. The inaugural flight will be on October 26. Business Traveller Asia-Pacific editor Reggie Ho will be on the flight; stay tuned for the exclusive report.
Alisha Haridasani
