Qatar Airways reports massive losses.

Doha based Qatar Airways has just endured the most challenging year in its 20-year history and blames a mega loss of 252 million riyals on the diplomatic and physical blockade by four of its Arabic neighbours. 

The mega airline has been banned from flying to Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain since 2017, halting 18 of its popular high revenue routes as well as the four nations closing their airspace to Qatar Airways flights.  

To counterbalance the loss of those routes, Qatar Airways has opened 14 new routes during the last fiscal year, (24 in total since the start of the blockade) which come with launch costs and the necessity to establish market presence, which resulted in an overall net loss of 252 million as detailed in the airlines' recent annual report, issued earlier this week. 

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive,  Akbar Al Baker, said: “This turbulent year has inevitably had an impact on our financial results, which reflect the negative effect the illegal blockade has had on our airline. However, I am pleased to say that thanks to our robust business planning, swift actions in the face of the crisis, our passenger-focused solutions and dedicated staff, the impact has been minimised – and has certainly not been as negative as our neighbouring countries may have hoped for.”

New cargo aircraft...

Delta to expand trans-Atlantic flights next year and launch a Tampa - Amsterdam route

The US carrier Delta Air Lines confirmed it will be expanding its trans-Atlantic network for summer next year with some new routes plus additional frequencies on others. 

In a welcome move for Floridian inhabitants, the Trump supporting airline is going to launch the first nonstop direct flight from Tampa Bay to Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. This year-round service is scheduled to start on 23rd May.  The flight will leave Tampa at 2225 to land in Amsterdam at 1245 the next day. The return leaves Schipol at 1445 landing back in Tampa at 1913.  This new route will be Delta's 11th route to Amsterdam and second from Florida, the first launched earlier this year from Orlando.     

Meanwhile, Delta is also expanding its hub-to-hub flying between the United States and Europe with services from Los Angeles International Airport to both Amsterdam and Paris Charles de Gaulle increasing to daily operations beginning 16th June 2019.

“Delta is putting great focus on our international expansion and Europe is an important part of this,” said Roberto Ioriatti, Delta’s Vice President — Trans-Atlantic. “Our new Tampa Bay flight and extra capacity on other key routes from our LAX and JFK hubs offer our customers more choice and convenient connections throughout the United States and Europe in connection with our partners.”

Boeing sell 5 747-8 Freighters to the Russians -

A big freighter deal between Boeing and Russian cargo specialists Volga-Dnepr Group and CargoLogicHolding was signed at the 2018 Farnborough International Airshow on the intention to buy 29 Boeing 777 Freighters and confirmed an order for five Boeing 747-8 Freighters along with an agreement to work together on future freighter projects.

A rush of orders for Boeing on the first day of Farnborough International Air Show - but are they new?

The US giant manufacturer Boeing proudly announced a huge rush of orders on the first day of the Farnborough International Air Show 2018, with orders coming from various customers including DHL, Jackson Square Aviation, United Airlines, GOL, Goshawk Aviation, TAROM and Qatar. Yet, new orders, they seem not to be.

The freight and package delivery experts DHL order 14 777  Freighter aircraft with an option for 7 further aircraft. Although the order was announced at FIA 2018, it had been made in previous months, Boeing listed the customer as 'Unidentified' on Boeing's Orders & Deliveries website. Once the new aircraft are delivered, they will double DHL's fleet of 777 freighter aircraft. 

Qatar Airways operates a fleet of 13 777 Freighters and two 747-8 Freighters and finalised a deal to buy a further five 777 freighters at FIA 2018, with the list price value of $1.7 billion. Again this is deal that had previously been agreed and was announced as a commitment back in April, so is not a new order. "I am delighted to be further enhancing our cargo fleet and adding five Boeing 777 Freighter aircraft," said Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker. "In the past 15 years, Qatar Airways Cargo has grown steadily and globally, becoming the third largest in the world. We could not have achieved this success without our resilient relationship with Boeing."

Boeing said that United Airlines has ordered four more 787-9 aeroplanes. The deal, valued at about $1.1 billion per current list prices, was finalized this year and was previously listed as unidentified on the manufacturer's Orders & Deliveries website again, so should not be seen as a new order.

"These new 787 aircraft are another step in our wide-body replacement strategy, and we will continue to roll out new announcements in the future as we implement our comprehensive fleet plan," said Gerry Laderman, United's senior vice president of finance and acting chief financial officer. "The 787 allows us to provide our customers with an industry-leading onboard experience and continues to be a vital part of our fleet."  With this latest purchase, United Airlines has now ordered 55 787 Dreamliners. Nearly half of all 787 customers have placed repeat orders for the aeroplane.

DHL order 14 777 Freighters

The US planemaker Boeing announced its first order from Farnborough International Air Show this morning and that was from freight handling and package delivery specialists DHL.

DHL have placed an order for 14 Boeing 777 Freighters and optional purchase rights for a further 7 additional freighters. Whilst the order was announced at the opening of this years FIA, the deal had been agreed some time ago and had even been listed on Boeing's website as an 'unidentified' purchaser.

"We are delighted to announce the acquisition of 14 new 777 Freighters as we renew part of our long-haul fleet,"  said Charlie Dobbie, Executive President of Global Network Operations & Aviation.

DHL was the first carrier of its type to introduce the 777 in 2009 and this new order will double its global fleet  of 777's allowing more markets and customers to benefit from the uniquely capable aircraft.

WTO confirmed: no prohibited subsidies at Airbus

On Tuesday, the WTO (World Trade Organisation) Appellate Body published the first of two rulings expected this year on subsidies in the large commercial aircraft dispute between the US and the EU.

The first ruling is the Appellate Body’s final report on the EU’s compliance with previous World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) findings in the case against Airbus (DS316). The second ruling – dealing with Boeing’s case – is expected later this year.

94 percent of all US / Boeing’s 

original claims now dismissed by WTO

The Appellate Body confirmed in its report the legality of the loan partnership approach between Airbus and European governments. The WTO Panel agrees further with earlier findings that the European repayable launch investment (RLI) loans for civil aerospace development projects do not constitute a prohibited subsidy and only a few modifications are needed to achieve full compliance. The WTO has now dismissed in their entirety 94 percent of Boeing’s original claims. 

The WTO confirmed that all aspects of the A320 and A330 programs are now in full compliance and that only minor action remains on the A380.

On A350, minor elements of the RLI remain to be addressed. Airbus is currently implementing changes to respond to these findings. This means that any potential US sanctions, now likely to be minor compared to what had been expected, on the case against Boeing’s subsidies, could result to be counter-productive and ill-timed.

Lufthansa Group Complete Order for Four 777

Lufthansa Group completed an order for four more 777 aircraft at 37.5% off list prices as part of the group's plans to modernise its fleet with newer widebody aircraft.   

"The order for the new long-haul aircraft highlights the strategy of Lufthansa Group to predominantly allocate the growth within its multi-hub system where cost and quality offer the best conditions for profitable investments," said the Lufthansa Group in a company statement.

The order provides two more Boeing 777-300ER (Extended Range) aeroplanes International Air Lines (SWISS), the national carrier of Switzerland and a member of the Lufthansa Group.

British Airways Gatwick - Toronto flight launches next week.

British Airways’ direct flight from Gatwick to Toronto will launch next week, with the service beginning on May 1. The new flight, which will operate three times a week, will be British Airways’ first flight to Canada from Gatwick.

 

It is estimated that around 724,000 British nationals visit Canada each year.* The flight timings are perfect for those looking to explore the city and maximise their time in Canada. The outbound BA2271 flight will depart at 11.35am from Gatwick, arriving into Toronto at 2.25pm, giving customers time to explore the city or attend business meetings. The return flight operates overnight, leaving travellers with a full day before heading for the airport. It departs Toronto at 7.50pm and landing into Gatwick at 7.55am the next day.

 

Boeing, All Nippon Airways Finalize Order for Two 777 Freighters

Boeing and All Nippon Airways (ANA) announced the Japanese carrier has placed a new order for two 777 Freighters valued at $678 million according to list prices.

While ANA is a major operator of the 777 passenger jet, it has grown its cargo operation with the medium-sized 767 Freighter. In adding the 777 Freighter – the world's largest and longest range twin-engine cargo jet – ANA is expanding its cargo capabilities just as the air freight market keeps growing at historically high rates.

Emirates to launch non-stop Dubai-Newark service with a second daily flight from 1 June

Emirates will introduce a new non-stop service between Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and Dubai from 1st June 2018, adding to its existing daily flight which operates with a stop in Athens, Greece.

The new non-stop service will be operated with an Emirates Boeing 777-300ER, offering 8 suites in First Class, 42 seats in Business, 306 in Economy Class, and 19 tonnes of belly-hold cargo capacity. Flight EK223 will depart Dubai at 0300am and arrive in Newark at 0900am. The return flight EK224 departs Newark at 1150am, arriving in Dubai at 0820am the next day.  This new timing complements the existing Emirates service, as it provides travellers with a new option of a morning arrival in Newark, and a morning departure. 

The morning arrival in Dubai also means east-bound travellers can conveniently explore one of the world’s most dynamic cities on a stopover day tour, before taking an evening connection to another destination on Emirates’ global network.

Boeing 777

Enhanced connectivity

Emirates’ non-stop service to Newark will offer travellers in northern New Jersey enhanced global connectivity, particularly those heading to Africa, the Far East, and the Indian sub-continent. This is a boon for ethnic communities such as the nearly 700,000 Indian Americans residing in the greater New York area, who will have one-stop access to nine Indian cities on Emirates’ global network. 

Boeing, Turkish Airlines Announce Order for Three 777 Freighters

Boeing and Turkish Airlines announced that the carrier ordered three more 777 Freighters in December 2017. The new order came weeks after the carrier took delivery of two of the large cargo jets as part of its plan to further expand its freight business.

"These freighter orders will surely contribute to our significant target for establishing a young and efficient cargo fleet," said M. İlker Aycı, Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee of Turkish Airlines. "The new aircraft will be delivered this year and will provide us with additional flexibility to serve more destinations while we continue to develop our global freight service."

Emirates to start London Stansted - Dubai service next year

 Emirates announced on Wednesday that it is to launch a new daily route from Dubai (DXB) to London Stansted (STN) on 8 June, 2018. With its strategic position close to the tech and pharma hubs of Cambridge and Peterborough, Emirates will be the first Middle Eastern airline to operate out of the popular North East London airport.

The daily route will be operated by the airline’s new three-class Boeing 777-300ER offering customers 6 seats in First Class, 42 in Business Class and 306 in Economy Class. The aircraft is fitted with its game changing, fully enclosed private suites in First Class, as well as refreshed Business and Economy Class cabins.

Outbound, flight EK33 will depart Dubai at 09:30hrs, and will arrive in London Stansted at 14:10hrs. On its return, flight EK34 will depart London Stansted at 21:10hrs and arrive in Dubai at 07:05 the following day.

Opening the London Stansted gateway was a strategic decision by Emirates to serve the thriving business community in London’s north east and the wider 7.5 million population that fall within its catchment area. Hong Kong, Dubai, Shanghai, Singapore and Mumbai are the most popular business destinations from the East of England, which Emirates serves daily through its Dubai hub. Leisure travellers can enjoy direct, daily services to Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Bali and the Indian Ocean islands.

More than 25 of the world’s largest corporations have established operations in the wider Cambridge and Peterborough area, with Airbus, Astra Zeneca and GSK amongst the multi-national companies based there. Such businesses have helped establish the London Stansted Cambridge Corridor as one of the top five global knowledge regions, alongside world-leading San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Boston.

With the introduction of the London Stansted daily service, there will be 10 Emirates flights daily, connecting Dubai and London. Passengers can also fly to London Heathrow and Gatwick. London Stansted Airport is one of the capital’s major airport serving London, as well as the wider regions of England’s South East and the Midlands. The airport is connected to London via the Stansted Express which operates a regular daily service to London Liverpool Street Station. The train takes only 47 minutes and passengers arrive in the heart of the City of London, from where they can then connect to regional trains and the London Underground.

Read on to find out what Emirates President Sir Tim Clark says...

Turkish Airlines Welcomes 777 Freighter

Boeing and Turkish Airlines celebrated the delivery today of the airline's first 777 Freighter, the world's longest-range twin-engine freighter. The aircraft will help the airline expand its cargo business.

"The delivery of our first 777 Freighter is a milestone event in our cargo business," said Mr. İlker Aycı, Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee, Turkish Airlines. "As a prominent sub-brand of Turkish Airlines, Turkish Cargo increased its freighter destinations served from 55 to 73 from the beginning of this year, reaching approximately one million tons of cargo with a 29 percent increase. It is surely beyond doubt that this is a remarkable success. We're sure that this significant delivery, which will bring great value to our rapidly growing cargo operations, will also enable our leading sub-brand to further compete, expand and reach new short and long-range destinations from our hub in Istanbul."

"We are honored to deliver the 777 Freighter to Turkish Airlines," said Marty Bentrott, Senior Vice President of Sales, Middle East, Turkey, Russia, Central Asia and Africa, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "This aircraft's range capability, combined with its enhanced cargo capacity, makes it a perfect airplane for Turkish Airlines to continue to profitably grow its global cargo service."

Ethiopian Airlines orders two 777 cargo planes.

 Ethiopian Airlines announced an order for two Boeing 777 Freighters – the world's largest and longest-range twin-engine cargo jet – in a deal valued at more than $1.3 billion at list prices' although the actual price is said to be half that amount. 

The deal was announced at the Dubai Air Show and is a new order for two freighters. The airline also confirmed the order for two aircraft it had previously announced 'commitments' for in June. 

 "This aeroplane order will provide Ethiopian's Cargo & Logistics business with enhanced cargo capacity and better operating economics as we continue to build one of the largest cargo terminals in the world," said Tewolde GebreMariam, Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, who signed for the new aeroplanes at the 2017 Dubai Airshow. "Operating high-performance aeroplanes such as the 777 Freighter is a reflection of our commitment to expand and support the growing imports and exports of our country and the African continent."

Big order for Boeing from Singapore Airlines

Boeing and Singapore Airlines formally announced a deal for 20 777-9s and 19 787-10s, during a ceremony at the White House yesterday.

The deal, worth $13.8 billion at current list prices, but thanks to discounts, tax breaks and dodgy deals for presidential access, the true value of the order is just under $6 billion. While the American manufacturer is happy to accept tax breaks, government support and allegedly fabricated military deals that only seem to exist on paper and in Boeing account, they don't like t when other manufacturers get support from governments. The on-going battle with Bombardier has raised up a notch with the American manufacturer actively lobbying US Senators on the issue. So Far this year Boeing has spent over $7 million on lobbying and 'hospitality' for senators and government officials this year alone. 

The signing ceremony was witnessed by US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong, included CEO Goh Choon Phong Singapore Airlines'  and Boeing Commercial Airplanes' President & CEO, Kevin McAllister. Peter Seah, Singapore Airlines' Chairman, and Dinesh Keskar, senior vice president, Asia Pacific & India Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes and other members of the airline and Boeing also were in attendance.  Boeing are now strong supporters of President Trump, despite some turbulence at the start of his tenure in The White House.  Boeing is even taking a lead out of Trump's playbook and conducting important communications to attack rivals over Twitter.  

At the deal signing, Donald Trump said it would create 70,000 jobs in the US, then warned the Singapore delegation, “Otherwise we’ll cancel the order,”  Although, no-one is quite sure where those 'new' jobs would be created or if that total includes jobs that already exist.  

Final 777 For Kuwait Airways

The 10th and final Boeing 777 for Kuwait Airways arrived yesterday, the aircraft is called Garouh and the flight number for its first flight to its home base was KU1954 - the year the airline was founded.  

The flight number was carefully chosen to demonstrate the airline's commitment for continuous development, both of its services and the modernization of its fleet. While this was the last Boeing 777 for the airline, their expansion and modernisation programme continues at a pace with no less than 25 new Airbus aircraft on order. 

"Kuwait will continue to do everything in its power to serve Kuwait, its community, citizens, residents and all its customers. " The airline posted on instagram to mark the arrival of the tripple 7. 

Philippine Airlines To Fly 777's To London

Philippine Airlines confirmed this week that it will boost their service into London from Manila with the introduction of between a state-of-the-art Boeing 777-300s on the route. The 370 passenger carrying aircraft will make its debut on the route on 19th September this year and will enhance the customer experience. 

Philippine want to be a 5 star airline....

MH370 - Black box battery out of date - not a major issue?

A year on and we are still no nearer finding out exactly where and what happened to Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

 

However at the anniversary the media focused on one detail of the interim report, the fact that the black box battery was out of date.   The embittered airline claimed on Monday that an expired battery in the underwater locator beacon of the flight data recorder, otherwise known as the 'black box' on the missing aircraft wouldn't have made any difference in the search.

 

Lawyers acting for some of the families of passengers announced that the fact the battery had not been replaced could be key in any legal action against Malaysian. 

 

The Boeing 777-200er vanished not long after it began its flight from Kuala Lumpur heading to Beijing on 8th March last year. Its disappearance has become one of the greatest aviation mysteries of all tine, at least so far.

 

The airline released a special interim report into the disappearance on Sunday, advised the beacon battery for the flight data recorder had expired in December 2012 and had not replaced. From a statement the airline released on Monday that the solid state cockpit voice recorder was fitted with a similar battery that was still within its normal life parameters.  "The SSCVR battery would have been transmitting for 30 days upon activation when immersed in water," they said. 

 

 

Malaysian Airlines MH17 - 777 Shot Down

BREAKING NEWS

The aviation industry is in shock tonight after the news breaks of a Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 crashing in Eastern Ukraine. The flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was carrying 296 passengers and crew and is believed to have been shot down by a ground to air missile – however this has yet to be confirmed.

Official information is extremely limited and most of the information available coming from unconfirmed sources and social media.  Flight MH17 was approximately 50 kilometres from entering Russian airspace when it came down with what appears to be the loss of all souls on-board.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, said the aircraft would have been shot down, "We do not exclude that the plane was shot down and confirm that the Ukraine armed forces did not fire at any targets in the sky," he said in a statement. Later he said this was not an accident but “An act of terrorism.”

Dozens and dozens of bodies were scattered around the smouldering wreckage of the plane, close to  the village of Grabovo, some  25 miles from the Russian border, according to reporters at the scene. Grabovo is in an area controlled by the Russian separatists who have been known to shoot down Ukrainian military aircraft. Unconfirmed reports advise that moments after the incident a tweet from a twitter account previously used to publicize Russian Separatists shooting down Ukrainian military aircraft, claimed it had shot down another military transporter.

It's believed that there were 8 Britons on the downed aircraft, however this has yet to be confirmed as the passenger manifest has not been publically released at this time. Other unconfirmed reports state as many as 20 could you US citizens with the majority of the rest mixed between Malaysian and Dutch.

Emergency workers at the scene of the incident commented that at least 100 bodies had been found so far, with wreckage scattered across a wide area,  "I was working in the field on my tractor when I heard the sound of a plane and then a bang and shots. Then I saw the plane hit the ground and break in two. There was thick black smoke," a witness, named only as Vladimir, told a Reuters reporter close the area.

On a tweet and in a statement, Malaysia Airlines confirmed that Ukraine's air traffic control lost contact with flight MH17 at 2.15pm GMT, approximately 30 miles from the Russia-Ukraine border. Flight MH17 codeshare flight with Dutch carrier KLM was operated on a Malaysian Boeing 777 and departed Amsterdam at 12.15pm [local] and was estimated to arrive at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 6.10am the next day. The flight was carrying 280 passengers and 15 crew onboard."

Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine's interior minister commented on social media that the plane had crashed in Ukrainian territory after being hit by a missile fired from a Buk launcher.  News agency Associated Press advised one of its journalists had seen a similar launcher near the town of Snizhne earlier on Thursday.

So far the leaders of the self-declared Donetsk people's republic denied any involvement and according to a Russian news agency Russian Separatists may also have retrieved and are holding the black boxes of the aircraft. Emergency workers have been reported as saying that armed separatists are hampering and interfering with any rescue attempts.

"This is the third tragic incident in recent days after Ukrainian military An-26 and Su-25 jets were shot down from Russian territory. We don't rule out that this plane was also shot down, and we stress that the Ukrainian military didn't take any actions to destroy targets in the air," said Ukrainian President.

Speaking in Delaware USA, President Barack Obama said his administration was seeking "to determine whether there were American citizens onboard.  That is our priority. And I've directed my national security team to stay in close contact with the Ukrainian government. The United States will offer any assistance we can to help determine what happened and why. As a country our thoughts and prayers are with all the families of the passengers, wherever they call home."

Earlier, Obama and Russian leader Putin spoke on the phone regarding new US sanctions imposed on Moscow over its alleged failure to halt the flow of weapons and fighters to separatist forces in eastern Ukraine. Diplomatic relations between the two nations are ‘tense’ at the moment and if it process that MH17 was shot down by Russian made and supplied missiles relations will be pushed to breaking point.

Several airlines, including British Airways, Virgin, Aeroflot, Turkish Airlines and Russia's Transaereo airlines have all announced they would avoid Ukrainian airspace with immediate effect. German airline Lufthansa confirmed it would steer clear of airspace over eastern Ukraine.

The Malaysian prime minister, Najib Razak, said via Twitter: "I am shocked by reports that an MH plane crashed. We are launching an immediate investigation."  The country's defence minister tweeted that he was "monitoring closely" claims that MH17 had crashed, saying: "No comfirmation [sic] it was shot down! Our military have been instructed 2 get on it!"

J Shaw

United Flight Diverts to Midway

A United Airlines flight carrying 348 people from Honolulu to Guam was forced to divert to the tiny Pacific island of Midway because of a  “mechanical issue,”  the airline confirmed yesterday.

An electrical odor filled the Boeing 777 aircraft and the airline was reviewing the mechanical problem that caused the diversion that occurred Thursday night local time.

Midway Island — a remote, 2.4-square-mile atoll — is located about 1,300 miles northwest of Hawaii and was the site of an important U.S. military base during World War II. It is now home to a national wildlife refuge and has roughly 60 residents.

The airline told the Los Angeles Times on Saturday that it flew the 335 passengers and 13 crew members aboard Flight 201 back to Honolulu and scheduled a new flight for them to Guam.

The stricken flight arrived in Guam at 6 p.m. local time Saturday.

Passenger Teresita Smith of Maryland told ABC News that the airplane had smelled as if it were burning.

“In the back section of the plane alarms were going off,” Smith said.

After the pilot announced the plane would be landing in Midway, Smith said the power seemed to go out and the plane suddenly dropped.

“It was very scary,” she said. “It shook a lot of people up.”