Singapore Airlines has ordered five more Airbus A380s and 20 A350-900s, plus announced plans to transfer its 20 787s on order to low-cost subsidiary Scoot. The new Airbuses are valued at US$7.5 billion at list prices. It is the third A380 order by Singapore Airlines and brings its total commitments for the type to 24,
A Network Aviation Fokker 100 suffered a hard landing at Nifty Aerodrome in the East Pilbara region on October 19. According to the ATSB, the aircraft – VH-NQE – experienced windshear as it approached the airfield during a fly-in/fly-out charter flight from Perth. The Qantas-owned subsidiary has grounded the aircraft pending further investigation by the
Airbus’s new 74,000 square metre A350 final assembly line (FAL) has been inaugurated by French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault and Airbus president and chief executive officer Fabrice Brégier. Attendees at the official ceremony in Toulouse saw the first flyable aircraft, MSN1, taking shape on the line before its first flight scheduled for mid 2013. Fuselage
Boeing, Ethiopian Airlines and Seattle-based Anaesthesia Outreach have delivered nearly nine tonnes of medical supplies to Ethiopia’s largest hospital in what is the first flight under Boeing’s Humanitarian Flight Delivery program. The equipment included several anaesthesia machines, patient monitoring equipment and intensive care beds. The Humanitarian Flight Delivery program is a collaboration between Boeing and
Airbus has begun flight testing its first A321 fitted with fuel-saving ‘Sharklets’. The aircraft took to the air in Hamburg, joining the ongoing certification program for the new wingtip design. Jetstar Asia will be the first Singapore-based Airbus operator to begin using sharklets on its new A320s. Qantas claims the devices will save the airline
Boeing has begun building the first 777 at the increased rate of 8.3 per month, the highest production rate ever for a twin-aisle airliner. The production rate represents a 20 per cent increase over the previous seven per month rate, and has been made possible through the employment of additional staff and new equipment such
