Specialised Boeing 787 leasing company LCAL has cancelled 16 of the 21 aircraft it had on order, the second large-scale loss to the 787 backlog within a week.

LCAL, which is located in Dubai, established itself as a dedicated lessor of the type and had firm orders for 12 787-8s and nine 787-9s.

While LCAL could not immediately be reached for comment, sources familiar with the situation say that the economic situation has "forced it to reduce" its commitment.

The lessor has gradually increased its orders for the type since 2005, and had opted for both Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 and General Electric GEnx engines for the twin-jets.

LCAL has previously identified Royal Jordanian Airlines as a customer for some of its GEnx-powered 787s.

LCAL 787 
 © LCAL

Boeing has confirmed the cancellation and the LCAL change will be reflected in a revised order backlog today.

It says that LCAL is "still a valued customer" and says it will continue to work closely with the lessor regarding its five remaining aircraft.

There is no clarification over the delivery dates for the jets.

Boeing's 787 programme suffered its first major cancellation last week when Russian carrier S7 Airlines scrapped an order for 15 of the type.

Source: Air Transport Intelligence news