Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES
THE McDONNELL Douglas (MDC) MD-11 programme has received another blow, with the long-anticipated cancellation of 13 firm orders placed by leasing company GPA.
The cancellations were revealed in MDC's quarterly financial report, which says that "...existing orders for 13 tri-jets from a leasing company were excluded from firm orders and reported backlog during the 1995 second quarter".
MDC will not confirm GPA as the lessor, but the leasing company has held orders for 13 General Electric CF6-80C2-powered tri-jets since the early days of the MD-11 programme. International Lease Finance, the only other leasing company known to be ordering the aircraft, has out-standing orders, for two MD-11 freighters.
The loss of the GPA order reduces the MD-11 firm order book to 22, although this would return to 26 if the Saudi Arabian Airlines deal, is financially settled. Military versions, are expected to be ordered for, the Saudi air force.
Some 140 MD-11s have been delivered, and the company holds options and reserves on a further 71. The move confirms long-held speculation that GPA would negotiate its way out of the MD-11 commitment following a bitter legal dispute between the two companies in early 1993.
The dispute followed legal wrangles over MD-11s, most of which were settled with the delivery of aircraft to Indonesian carrier Garuda. These centred around GPA's accusations that, the first MD-11s were overweight.
Source: Flight International