DUBAI (Reuters) -Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways may scrap billions of {dollars} of plane orders positioned with Airbus and Boeing (NYSE:) its chief govt stated on Wednesday, although the airline had a while earlier than it wanted to make such a choice.

The state-owned provider is restructuring underneath new administration led by Tony Douglas after a failed bid final decade to compete with main Gulf carriers Emirates and Qatar Airways.

Requested about Airbus A320neo and Boeing 777X ordered by earlier administration, Douglas stated the airline was targeted on sustainable development and {that a} remaining determination had not been made.

Uncertainty over deliveries and when the business would recuperate from the pandemic had added to the complexity of constructing a choice on its future fleet plans, he stated.

“The manufactures cannot verify when they’re going to be delivered and you’ve got a market that you do not know when its going to recuperate.”

The airline had three years to determine on what it could do with the A320neo order, whereas a choice on the 777X jets was “manner down the street”.

Airbus declined to remark. Boeing didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

Boeing’s new model of its best-selling 777 twin aisle wide-body jet has been beset by delays, whereas provide chain points have hit each producers.

Etihad, which is within the midst of a 5 yr downsizing to turn out to be what it calls a “mid-sized provider”, has 26 A320neo jets and 25 777X on order, based on the planemakers.

It might proceed to take deliveries of Airbus A350-1000 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner liner jets, which Douglas stated would turn out to be the spine of the fleet that may trim to 65 plane.

Etihad has 93 plane, based on its web site. Douglas additionally stated the present 30-strong A320 fleet would probably be halved as operations scale back with a concentrate on worthwhile routes.

It already plans to part out its 5 777-300ER jets from the passenger fleet and has grounded its 10 Airbus A380s for the reason that begin of the pandemic.

“When the market comes again sustainability, then we’ll take a look at how we’ll scale up. We’re by no means going to get again into the insanity,” Douglas stated.