Skymark Airlines has cancelled its order for six Airbus A380 superjumbos.
The low-cost Japanese carrier and Airbus are currently negotiating the cancellation terms, and possible compensation for the European manufacturer, according to Bloomberg.
The situation is complicated because Airbus has already built two A380s for the airline, one of which is partially-customised, as per Skymark's specifications.
Skymark first ordered four A380s in 2011 (see news, February 2011) before ordering a further two later that year (see news, June 2011).
However, Skymark currently no longer appears able to pay for these aircraft. Recent reports suggest the carrier made a net loss of 13.5 million euros in the last financial year.
With the company unwilling to go into debt, Skymark has decided to cut its losses and cancel its A380 order. Heavy penalties are, however, expected.
The news is a major setback for Airbus and the A380 aircraft line in particular. The superjumbo has failed to attract a new airline customer for two years now, although long-time supporter Emirates did buy 50 more A380s at last year's Dubai Air Show (see news, November 2013).
In addition, Airbus was already dealing with its largest order cancellation ever, when Emirates scrapped a deal for 70 A350s, valued at US$16 billion (see news, June 11).
More questions have also been raised over the future of the A350-800 variant model after Hawaiian Airlines cancelled its order for six of the aircraft last week.
Clement Huang
