NewsGulf's fast-growing carriers have troubles at homeOver recent years it has been the big Gulf carriers that have caused headaches for rival network carriers in virtually all corners of the globe. The rapid expansion of Qatar Airways and the UAE pair of Emirates and Etihad, allied with their investment in a raft of new long-haul aircraft and high-end product, has created stiff competition for established network carriers as they develop new transit hubs in the Gulf.
LinkSIA focuses on space efficiency with A380 revampSingapore Airlines says it is able to add more seats on its Airbus A380s through the better use of space, to help it better match supply and demand across the various classes. While unveiling new cabin products for its A380 fleet today, the airline disclosed that its five new incoming A380s will be fitted with 471 seats. This comprises six suites, 78 business, 44 premium economy and 343 economy seats.
LinkSIA invests $850m to revamp A380 cabinSingapore Airlines will invest about $850 million to roll out new cabin products for its fleet of Airbus A380 aircraft. The new products, unveiled at a media launch in Singapore, will enter service next month on the first of five new A380s joining its fleet. Retrofit work will also take place on its 14 existing aircraft, for product consistency across the type.
LinkSIA unveils new cabin products on A380sSingapore Airlines has unveiled new cabin products for its Airbus A380 fleet, the first major revamp since it became the launch customer of the type in 2007. At a media launch in Singapore, the carrier showcased a new first-class suite product, exclusive to its A380s. Each suite features a standalone full-flat bed measuring 27in by 76 in, which can be stowed when not in use. There is also a 21in wide leather chair that can swivel up to 270 degrees, and recline up to 45 degrees.
LinkNok raises Bt1.7 billion through fully subscribed share offerThailand low-cost carrier Nok Air has successfully raised Bt1.7 billion ($51 million) through a share offering. The company issued 1.1 million shares at a subscription price of Bt1.50, according to a stock exchange filing.
LinkA350-1000 nears certification after finishing reliability testsAirbus has wrapped up functional and reliability testing for its A350-1000, and is expecting to achieve certification for the twinjet this month. The testing involved operating one of the test aircraft, MSN65, on a range of routes over Europe and South America during the last two weeks.
LinkLufthansa Technik eyes Asia-Pacific narrowbody growthLufthansa Technik is exploring the possibility of another base maintenance facility in the Asia-Pacific, to take advantage of growing narrowbody MRO demand. Speaking to FlightGlobal at the MRO Asia-Pacific conference in Singapore, Gerald Steinhoff, senior vice president of corporate sales in Asia-Pacific, says that LHT's Philippines unit "is very full" and that the company needs more capacity "especially on the narrowbody side."
LinkBombardier to miss 2017 CSeries delivery target, but wins new orderBombardier will miss its 2017 delivery target for the CSeries by 8-10 aircraft, but the manufacturer has signed the first sales agreement for the CSeries—with an unidentified European customer—since April 2016. The mixed news on the CSeries comes just over two weeks after Airbus agreed to take a majority stake in the CSeries program. Bombardier said an unidentified European customer has signed an LOI for 31 firm CSeries aircraft plus 30 options; the firm order is valued at $2.4 billion.
LinkEtihad to suspend Dallas/Fort Worth serviceEtihad Airways will suspend its Abu Dhabi-Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) route from March 25, 2018. The UAE carrier said Nov. 2 the route would become commercially unsustainable following American Airlines’ decision to terminate the codeshare agreement between them. The Abu Dhabi-based carrier hinted that further action could be taken to adjust its US services.
LinkRoyal Jordanian 3Q profits leap following new commercial directionA change in pricing strategy to stimulate the market, plus tight capacity control, were two of the factors behind a considerably improved 3Q financial performance by Royal Jordanian, the airline has said.
LinkJazeera 3Q net profit rise driven by new routes, cost managementKuwaiti hybrid carrier Jazeera Airways reported a third-quarter net profit of KD8.2 million ($27.1 million), up 35.6% on the year-ago period, despite a 25% increase in fuel costs during the year.
LinkAerCap 3Q profit up 18% to $266 million on aircraft salesDublin-based lessor AerCap Holdings posted $265.8 million in third-quarter 2017 net profit, up 17.8% from $225.5 million net income in the year-ago quarter. AerCap said the result was primarily attributable to a $63.7 million net gain on the sale of 27 aircraft and reclassification of eight aircraft to finance leases during the quarter.
LinkRussia to invest in State Transport Leasing for L-410sThe Russian government will add RUB1 billion ($17.3 million) to the State Transport Leasing Co. (STLC) this year. The capital increase will allow the lessor to acquire five Let L-410 manufactured by Russia’s Ural Works of Civil Aviation.
LinkSwedish cargo carrier West Atlantic seeks new fundingSweden-based cargo airline West Atlantic is considering looking for additional shareholders to recapitalize operations, in the light of costly delays in bringing in new freighters to its fleet. West Atlantic Group is a holding company for two cargo airlines, West Air Sweden and Atlantic Airlines of the UK. The Gothenburg-based carrier acts as an outsourced air freight provider for organizations such as national postal services and express package integrators.
LinkBoeing HorizonX to explore advanced materials, invests in Gamma AlloysBoeing’s HorizonX innovation unit made its first foray into advanced materials production and applications Nov. 1 with its investment in Gamma Alloys, a Valencia, California-based aluminum alloy developer of advanced metal-matrix composites. Boeing Horizon X launched in April as an internal innovation cell focused on transformative technologies, innovative technologies and new business models. The unit has already invested in several technology companies, exploring virtual reality software, wearable enabled technologies, alternative hybrid-electronic propulsion aircraft, artificial intelligence and autonomous systems technology.
LinkNew long-range missile project emerges in US budgetThe existence of a two-year-old project to develop a new air-to-air missile capable of intercepting targets at great distances has emerged in US budget documents. The Office of the Secretary Defense (OSD) launched a two-year engineering assessment of a new long-range engagement weapon (LREW) designed with the goal of “maintaining air dominance”, according to budget documents released last March.
LinkRAAF to assist in development of next generation jammerThe Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the US Navy to jointly develop the of the Raytheon AN/ALQ-249 next generation jammer mid-band capability (NGJ-MB). The MOU defines the scope of communication, coordination, and cooperation during the engineering and manufacturing of NGJ-MB, says Australia's department of defence in a statement.
Link Delayed Saudi AH-6is spark new lawsuits between MDHI, BoeingA batch of helicopters delivered years late and allegedly with parts missing and broken has led to a second legal dispute between MD Helicopters (MDHI) and Boeing, two acrimonious neighbours and former corporate partners in Mesa, Arizona. MDHI says in the new lawsuit that it supplied airframes for AH-6i helicopters ordered by the Saudi Arabian National Guard to Boeing, but Boeing refuses to pay several outstanding invoices. MDHI has an agreement to supply Boeing with AH-6i airframes, which are derived originally from the MD-530F.
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