FedEx became the first company to cancel an order placed with Airbus for the A380 super-jumbo jet on Tuesday, due in part to two-year production delays by the aircraft manufacturer.

The courier company canceled an order for 10 A380 planes and ordered 15 new Boeing 777 Freighter aircraft which have a list price of $3.5 billion. FedEx plans to take delivery on four aircraft in 2009, eight in 2010, and the remainder in 2011.

"We made the decision to purchase the new Boeing freighters after Airbus notified us that there were going to be significant delays,' FedEx spokesman Maury Lane said in a statement.

"Global demand for air cargo and express continues to grow, and we needed the aircraft to fill our customers' needs,' Lane added.

The aircraft manufacturer said last week it would delay production of its A380 passenger aircraft to adjust electrical problems experienced by the new design. Airbus has announced several production delays over the past month, which have caused several customers to re-evaluate their existing contracts with the company.

Fedex