RUSSIAN AIRLINE Transaero has cancelled its order for four Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners after deciding to consolidate its mid-sized widebody fleet on the rival Airbus A330.
The Moscow/Domodedovo-based carrier signed a $744 million deal for four 787-8s in April 2012, the first of which was scheduled for delivery before the end of this year. The order was, however, believed to include at least three early-build airframes (known as the 'terrible teens' on account of their line numbers), which are significantly heavier than current production models.
Transaero's decision wasn’t unexpected after the Russian leisure carrier’s signature of a letter of intent with Airbus for eight A330ceos and 12 A330neos at the Farnborough Airshow last July. The new Airbus jets have been earmarked to replace the carrier’s fleet of 16 Boeing 767-300ERs, and provide four airframes for growth to replace the 787-8s it no longer requires.