Air Algerie Cancels Airbus A350-1000 Order

As part of the revisions to the new order book, Air Algerie confirmed cancelling a pre-existing order for the high-capacity A350-1000 from Airbus.

In the middle of 2023, Air Algerie announced it would purchase new Airbus widebody planes to rebuild its fleet and achieve growth plans. Included in this deal were the A350-1000 and A330neo.

Specifically, the airline had selected seven new firm aircraft with the order, including five A330-900s and two A350-1000s. This combination was deemed the perfect mix to aid their future objectives.

At the time, the carrier stated that the planes would lower the fuel burned per seat by some 25% and that there would be further operational benefits by moving towards the next-generation aircraft.

However, some 18 months after this initial contract was placed, Air Algerie is making changes thanks to confirmation following Airbus publishing their orders and deliveries for December 2024 and, thus, the entire 2024 calendar year.

The spreadsheet reveals that the company cancelled its commitment to the A350-1000 and thus removed the two orders for the high-capacity jet it had placed. The Aerotelegraph first caught wind of the change.

In response to this specific order cancellation, the airline has purchased three more of the A330-900s, part of the A330neo and subsequently part of the initial deal signed at the beginning of June 2023.

To combat the capacity loss that’ll occur by removing A350s from the order book, the airline is streamlining its future planes by sticking to just one Airbus widebody type, and that’ll be the A330neo.

As part of the latest revision, the airline has committed to three additional A330-900s, the high-capacity member of the A330neo and building upon the existing five purchases that resulted in eight planes on the order book.

This order revision is listed as occurring on 26 December 2024, where the three units were added to the planemaker’s backlog from the airline, and the revisions were noted down. In total, 4 A350-1000s were cancelled throughout the most recent calendar year.

While a loss to the A350-1000, it isn’t uncommon for airlines to continue to analyse their order book after purchase and determine if a better fleet composition can be achieved.

In this case, while not publicly stated by the airline, the A350-1000 was deemed surplus to the requirements, with the A330neo presenting itself as a more optimal solution moving forward.