Air Berlin cancels Boeing 787 order

Air Berlin names it "fleet harmonization", but it is simply the cancellation of an order for 15 Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. First delivery of an Air Berlin 787 was planned for late 2015. The German airline has also cancelled orders for 18 Boeing 737 narrowbodies.

Air Berlin and Boeing have agreed that the airline doesn't have to pay any compensation to the aircraft manufacturer for the cancellation. Ulf Hüttmeyer, Chief Financial Officer at Air Berlin, says: "Not taking on the 33 aircraft ordered will significantly reduce future capital expenditure for Air Berlin and improve our balance sheet."

The airline will purchase and lease future fleet additions on a smaller scale than originally planned. The widebody fleet currently consists of Airbus A330-200 and -300 aircraft. Furthermore Air Berlin still has 45 Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft in its fleet and these remain in service on European short and medium-haul routes.

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