Qantas to upgrade A330s
Qantas will upgrade its fleet of 30 Airbus A330s and order five additional Boeing 737-800s, the airline announced today as it released its financial results for the first half of the fiscal year. The A330 upgrades, slated to begin in late 2014, will see the installation of lie-flat seats in business class, a refreshed economy
Qantas profits tick up despite domestic slippage
Compensation from Boeing for delays in the 787 program has helped Qantas more than double its after-tax profits despite a fall in earnings from its core domestic operations. Qantas posted a statutory profit of $111 million for the six months ending in December, up from $42 million in the first half of the previous financial
Fatigue crack blamed for Qantas engine shutdown
A fractured turbine blade led to an engine shutdown on a Qantas 747 flight from Sydney to Singapore last year, the ATSB has found. The flight landed safely in Singapore following the May 9, 2011 incident, which occurred roughly 100 km east of Bali. The ATSB determined that a fatigue crack originating near the blade
Comment: F-35 decision paralysis
By Kristian Hollins The Minister for Defence — in some circles now known as the Minister for Disarmament — today announced…nothing. Worse, the government announced a potentially very expensive way of doing nothing. In an overly-wordy statement, the four paragraphs of substance said Defence will now submit a “Letter of Request (LOR) to the United
Delta buys share of Virgin Atlantic
Delta Airlines has bought a 49 per cent stake in Virgin Atlantic, creating a joint venture that will eye a larger share of the lucrative travel market between the US and UK. Delta reportedly paid US$360 million to buy the stake from Singapore Airlines, which had paid $965 million for the share in 1999 but
Deadline nears for Qantas-Emirates decision
Australia’s competition watchdog has affirmed plans to rule on the proposed Qantas-Emirates alliance before Christmas, saying it will release a draft decision by Dec. 20. ACCC Chairman Rod Sims told Fairfax that officials from the organisation were busy writing what would be a long draft decision and said an early release of the verdict was
