Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways said it had agreed with Airbus to defer the delivery of four Airbus A380s it ordered in 2004.

'We have agreed to defer the A380 delivery date with Airbus to 2013 when our business model and global route network will be better suited to competitive commercial opportunities offered by this aircraft,' chief executive James Hogan said in a statement.

The first delivery was expected in 2009 under the initial agreement. The statement did not give further details.

Etihad Airways said earlier it had ordered 12 Airbus wide-bodied aircraft in a deal worth $2.4 billion. The contract includes five A330-200s, four A340-600s and three A330-200F freighters. Reuters