Air Austral has reportedly cancelled its order for two ultra economy Airbus A380 super jumbo jets, according to a ch-aviation.ch report.
The Reunion-based carrier made headlines in 2009 when it struck the $700 million deal. Air Austral pledged to fill the planes with 840 economy class seats, which would have given them the highest capacity of any commercial aircraft ever built.
It seems, however, that Air Austral may have been a bit too optimistic about demand for seats between Paris and their resort island home when they made the big purchase. Relying heavily on French tourists to fill their planes, Air Austral is struggling to stay afloat as the European economy falters.
In addition to the A380 cancellation, the second of two new Boeing 777-200LR’s ordered by Air Austral is languishing in Seattle as the airline does not have enough cash to take delivery.
