Airbus says Emirates cancels order for 70 A350 planes

PARIS - Dubai's Emirates Airline has cancelled an order for 70 Airbus Group NV A350 wide-body aircraft following "on-going discussions with the airline in light of their fleet requirement review", the European planemaker said on Wednesday.

Emirates placed the order for 50 A350-900 and 20 A350-1000 jets in 2007, with first deliveries scheduled from 2019, Airbus said in a statement.

Airbus said it was "very confident" in the A350 programme, which rivals Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, and that it expected the A350 order book to grow in 2014.