Qantas Airways has cancelled orders for 15 Boeing 787-9s and deferred the delivery of 15 787-8s to reduce capital expenditure amid a challenging operating environment.

This is the first major cancellation for the next generation medium-range widebody, and comes days after Boeing announced another delay to the first flight of the aircraft due to design issues.

Australia’s national carrier, the biggest customer for the aircraft, still has firm orders for 35 787-9s and 15 787-8s after the cancellation. It says that the delay was not a factor in its decision.

The “prudent” decision will reduce capital expenditure by $3 billion and still allow Qantas and its low-cost subsidiary Jetstar to “take advantage of growth opportunities and market demands, both domestically and internationally”, he adds.

This drops the order count to 851 down from 866 on June 6th 2009.

Quantus 787

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