Airbus in A380 talks with two ME carriers
Airbus says it is in negotiations to sell its A380 superjumbo jet to a pair of new airline customers in the Middle East, with a company official telling Bloomberg the delivery schedule of the aircraft will likely determine whether the deals go ahead. The Middle East has already emerged as the prime sales market for
ADF charter makes hard landing in Darwin
An A340 operating a charter flight carrying 115 Australian troops to the Middle East made a hard landing in Darwin on February 28. No one was hurt in the incident, which was blamed on bad weather and heavy winds. The aircraft remains in Darwin awaiting a technical assessment and the ATSB will investigate the incident,
Qantas-SAA deal nixed as ‘duopoly’
A Qantas plea to extend its code-sharing alliance with South African Airways has been rejected, with Australia’s International Air Services Commission saying the partnership discourages competition and amounts to an “effective duopoly.” Qantas had appealed an earlier decision by the IASC against the agreement but the commission stood by the decision. The IASC did however
Quickstep lands C-130J work
Sydney based Quickstep Holdings Limited has secured a contract to manufacture carbon fibre wing flaps for Lockheed Martin’s C-130J airlifter. Quickstep said the deal would be worth an estimated $75 to $100 million over five years and could create more than 60 new jobs at the company’s Bankstown Airport facility. The wing flaps were previously
Boeing shows off 1000th 777
Boeing has unveiled its 1000th 777 jetliner, a -300ER that will be delivered to Emirates later this month. The US planemaker says the 777 reached the 1000 milestone faster than any other twin-aisle aircraft. Boeing has recorded 1361 orders for the jet, including 200 last year. Emirates is the largest operator of the aircraft, with
Urgent need for second Sydney Airport, report says
A long awaited report on Sydney’s airport needs has warned that the city faces ‘aircraft deadlock’ within a decade and will need a second airport by 2030. But the study’s key recommendations – raising the cap on hourly aircraft movements at the current airport and building a second airport at Badgery’s Creek in the city’s
