China Eastern cancels order for 24 Dreamliners

China Eastern Airlines has become the first Chinese airline to cancel B787 orders, opting instead for A330s and smaller B737s. China Eastern Airlines executive director Luo Zhuping said in late-October that the global economic slowdown had made it more difficult for Chinese carriers to operate long-haul international routes.

With the B737/B787 announcement China Eastern also disclosed it was ordering 12 A330-200s and three A330-300s for delivery between 2013 and 2015. By dropping its order of 24 B787s (15 for China Eastern and nine for Shanghai Airlines, a subsidiary of China Eastern) for 45 B737NGs China Eastern retains the value of its order, with concessions.