Emirates (Dubai) in a stunning development has cancelled its order for 70 new Airbus A350s (50 A350-900s and 20 A350-1000s) (above). Airbus issued this statement: “Airbus confirms that Emirates Airline has decided to cancel its order of 70 A350 XWB aircraft. The decision follows on-going discussions with the airline in light of their fleet requirement review, as demonstrated by their order of 50 additional A380 at the last Dubai Airshow and their continuous interest in the program. Airbus and Emirates Airline benefit from a long-standing relationship and the airline recently reiterated its confidence in Airbus products particularly by praising the A380 and the benefits the aircraft brings to their operations. The order of 50 A350-900 and 20 A350-1000 was originally placed by Emirates Airline in 2007 with first delivery slots scheduled from 2019. Airbus is very confident in its A350 XWB programme. Half a year before entry into service, the A350 XWB order book stands at a healthy 742 firm orders. The A350 flight test campaign is progressing well and is on track for Type Certification in the coming months. Interest in the game changing A350 has always been very high with customers. Airbus expects the A350 order book to continue growing in 2014.” In other news, Emirates from August 1, will switch from its Boeing 777-200 LR currently operating the route to Boston to a larger Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft, adding passenger and cargo capacity. Emirates launched its Boston service – its eighth US gateway – on March 10, 2014. The Boeing 777-300 ER will offer 88 additional Economy Class seats, representing a 40% increase in seating. This is in addition to offering customers a choice of eight First Class Suites and 42 Business Class seats. In additional other news, Emirates has decorated a Boeing 777-300 ER to feature the distinguishable signature of Emirates’ Global Ambassador and three times World Cup winner, Pelé. The airline issued this statement and photo: Just hours before the first World Cup match kicks off in Brazil, Emirates, an Official FIFA Worldwide Partner, is pleased to unveil the first Boeing 777-300 ER to feature the distinguishable signature of Emirates’ Global Ambassador and three times World Cup winner, Pelé (above). The first Emirates Pelé-ane will be connecting football fans with the action this summer on the Dubai to São Paulo route. Identifiable from the ground or the air, the 350 seater aircraft now has a creative design, specific to the FIFA World Cup™, emblazoned on the fuselage along with the recognisable signature of the legendary Brazilian football great. Two further Boeing 777 Pelé-ane’s will be unveiled on the day of the opening match and one Airbus A380 will launch shortly afterwards. 115 Boeing 777 from the Emirates fleet, which will fly football fans to Brazil, will also carry a large 2014 FIFA World Cup™ logo. Those passengers lucky enough to be travelling to Brazil, or any of the other 142 destinations served by Emirates, can also experience different facets of the tournament in a number of ways: At the airport: The world Cup buzz begins at the airport, especially at the airline’s hub in Dubai, where check-in desks now prominently feature the hero image from the Emirates #AllTimeGreats commercial featuring Pele and Cristiano Ronaldo. In the award-winning lounges both in Dubai and the many other locations around the world, passengers can relax with a bite to eat in front of the live streamed games. Ice TV Live will be featured on 16 Emirates Boeing 777 aircraft: From June 12 to July 13, passengers on board one of these 16 Emirates aircraft can watch all 64 matches ‘as live’ on the Sport 24 channel. This capability means not even a flight can get in the way of a football fan’s passions. Or if watching the whole match is too much, one of the seven rolling news channels can keep everyone up to date with the goals. If the flight doesn’t have ice TV Live: Passengers can still get goal-by-goal text updates on the ice Airshow moving map channels. On ice Digital Widescreen, the scores are shown in the news headlines under a dedicated FIFA Update section. Fun for young fliers: To keep the children on board entertained, Emirates will be providing colourful snack boxes with cardboard cut-outs and stylish wrist bands in support of participating teams. The Emirates World Cup initiatives will be on flights for the duration of the tournament starting from 10 June. The airline expects to fly over 18,000 passengers on its daily flights to Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo over the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ period. Emirates:  Bottom Copyright Photo: Rodrigo Cozzato. Boeing 777-31H ER A6-ECV (msn 35594) arrives on June 10 in an overcast Sao Paulo (Guarulhos) with the special Pelé signature and 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil markings.