Middle Eastern carrier Etihad Airways is ordering another three Boeing 777 twinjets, while an unidentified customer has cancelled an agreement for eight 787s.

Etihad's order is disclosed in an update to Boeing's order books and follows the Abu Dhabi-based airline's reduction of its own 787 backlog by four aircraft.

Boeing has not detailed the 777 variant being acquired by Etihad. But the airline had 15 777-300ERs on order from 2004 as well as a single 777 freighter from a later agreement.

Both types are powered by General Electric GE90 engines.

Eight 787s have been struck from the order book in Boeing's figures to 9 March although the airframer has not identified the cancelling customer.

Aeroflot, a 787 customer in its own right, has confirmed that it is ordering eight 777s this week. These had already been on Boeing's backlog, attributed to an unidentified customer.

Boeing's order update also includes 11 additional 737s and four US Air Force Boeing 767 tankers, as well as Cathay Pacific's and International Lease Finance's newly-disclosed deals for 10 777s and 33 737s respectively.

Source: Air Transport Intelligence news