NewsQatar Airways leases three A330-200Fs to replace A300Fs Qatar Airways is poised to replace its Airbus A300-600 freighters with new-build A330-200Fs after concluding a lease deal with BOC Aviation. The Doha-based carrier's cargo arm operates the three A300-600Fs alongside four Boeing 777Fs.
Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar Al Baker told Flightglobal that the airline has decided to acquire three new A330-200Fs to enable it to phase out its three A300-600Fs. "Delivery is imminent, the first is in the paint shop," he says, confirming that the lessor is BOC Aviation.
Link787s and 777s have great potential in India: BoeingBoeing does not expect a widebody order from India in 2013, but stands firm that its 777 and 787 aircraft have great potential in the country. The airframer has 37 widebody aircraft on order from India - 24 787s and three 777s from Air India and 10 787s from Jet Airways. "This is a fair amount of orders and some serious money," says Dinesh Keskar, Boeing Commercial Airplanes' senior vice-president for Asia-Pacific and India sales. "It's still a long backlog and I don't see any widebody order for next year for India."
LinkUnited Pilots Ratify New ContractPilots at United Airlines have ratified a contract with the carrier that will provide enhanced pay and retirement plan contributions, according to their union. The tentative agreement was approved by 67 percent of voting pilots, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) said in a statement. Some 98 percent of the eligible 10,193 pilots participated in the voting, which ran from December 1 until Saturday.
LinkFour Dead In Attack On Pakistan AirportAt least four people were killed when militants attacked the airport in the northwestern city of Peshawar on Saturday and traded gunfire with soldiers, military and health officials said. Pakistan's military rushed reinforcements to the scene of the attack, one of the most audacious raids by militants since an attack on an air base in August.
LinkPortugal Gets Four Binding Bids For ANAPortugal's state property agency Parpublica has received four binding bids for airport operator ANA after one bidder dropped out of a sales process that could earn the bailed-out government more than EUR€2.5 billion. Parpublica gave the number of bids in a statement but provided no further details. Sources familiar with the matter have said groups led by German airport operator Fraport, French construction firm Vinci, Zurich airport operator Flughafen Zurich and Argentinian infrastructure group Corporacion America would put in final bids.
Link787 Problems Not Unusual For New PlaneBoeing chief executive Jim McNerney said on Friday that the failure of electrical generators on two new Boeing 787s are normal problems for a jet that is just entering service. "We're having what we would consider the normal number of squawks on a new airplane, consistent with other new airplanes we've introduced," McNerney said in an interview on cable network CNBC.
LinkAir France adds €500 million in spending cuts Air France-KLM has added an extra €500 million ($654 million) to its savings target for 2013-14, in an effort to match the margins of its peers. The changes are part of the group’s Transform 2015 restructuring plan. Earlier this year, the Franco-Dutch airline group outlined plans for a €1.4 billion investment in 2013, followed by a further €1.6 billion in 2014.
LinkQatar considers CSA Czech Airlines privatization prospects Qatar Airways is considering taking part in the privatization of CSA Czech Airlines. Last week, the Czech government announced it was in the early stages of talks with both Qatar Airways and Korean Air over the national airline. "We have studied it but have not concluded anything," Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar Al Baker told Reuters at the Middle East Business Aviation show in Dubai when asked about his airline’s involvement with Czech Airlines’ privatization. "We are still looking at the proposal," he added. Qatar Airways declined to make any further comment on the matter.
LinkIndiGo posts operating loss in FY 2011-12India’s IndiGo Airlines posted a loss of $17 million in its 2011-2012 financial year, according to a report in Business Standard, quoting an Indian Parliament statement. The carrier’s operating expenses were $1.12 billion on operating revenues of $1.1 billion. From April 2011 to March 2012, IndiGo’s operating revenue rose 45%, while operating expenses rose 75% over 2010-11. The privately owned carrier does not give out its financial information publicly, but it is bound to provide financial data to the government.
LinkSchwab: Alliance model is ‘still working very well’Star Alliance CEO Mark Schwab said the alliance model is still working, even though many airlines are strengthening their positions through codesharing and partnerships. Speaking to ATW in Shenzhen, Schwab said he understands that all carriers are trying to maximize their opportunities due to the “tough economical conditions facing all airlines right now.” However, he said, “Star still believes the [alliance] model we laid out is still working very well today. The fact that other airlines have joined us is validation for the alliance.”
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