Virgin sponsors Supercars
Virgin Australia is set to become the official domestic airline of V8 Supercars. As part of a partnership announced Monday, Virgin will transport V8 Supercar staff and the majority of teams to the 15 Australian supercar events as well as the one event in New Zealand. The airline said it would offer fans a range
Union blasts “bizarre and worrying” comments by Joyce
The union representing Qantas pilots has attacked as “bizarre and worrying” claims by CEO Alan Joyce that grounding the airline’s fleet during last year’s labour dispute was “positive for the brand.” The decision to ground the fleet without warning for three days in late October left tens of thousands of passengers stranded and cost the
Bell launches 525 ‘Relentless’
Bell Helicopter has unveiled what it bills as the world’s first “super-medium” helicopter with the launch of the Bell 525 ‘Relentless’. Aimed at the offshore oil and gas industry, the 16 passenger twin features a range of more than 400nm and a top speed near 150kt. Bell pitches the aircraft as offering the economics of
Qantas A380 hit by steering problem
Steering problems forced a Qantas A380 to twice abandon takeoff from London Heathrow Airport this weekend. Flight QF10 was scheduled to depart London at 9:30 pm local time on Saturday but had to return to a maintenance bay twice after pilots identified a problem while taxiing. Accounts posted by passengers on Twitter said the superjumbo
Rolls profits up sharply amid strong engine demand
Rising demand for more fuel efficient jet engines pushed Rolls-Royce profits up 21 per cent last year amid expectations for continued strong growth. The British enginemaker reported 2011 pretax profits of £1.16bn (AS$1.7bn) on revenues of £11.3bn. The result slightly exceeded forecasted profits of £1.15bn. The world’s second largest maker of aircraft engines, Rolls finished
Etihad posts first ever profit
Etihad Airways ended 2011 in the black for the first time in its eight year history, posting profits of US$14 million on the back of a 36 per cent increase in revenues to US$4.1 billion, the Abu Dhabi based carrier reported. The results exceeded a break-even forecast for the year. In 2007, Etihad set a
