The World of Aviation

Airbus has won bragging rights for the most commercial airliner orders for 2013, announcing on Monday that it took net orders for 1,503 aircraft worth US$225 billion at list prices, which compares to Boeing’s earlier announced net order tally for 2013 of 1,355 aircraft worth US$198 billion. But Boeing delivered more aircraft, handing over 648

Jetstar is considering the sale and leaseback of some of the seven Airbus A320s it has in storage pending start-up approval for its Jetstar Hong Kong franchise. Seven A320s bound for Jetstar Hong Kong are parked at Airbus’s Toulouse, France plant while Jetstar Hong Kong awaits regulatory approval to begin operations. Jetstar Hong Kong lodged

Fiji Airways says it will add four additional aircraft, increase seat capacity by 35 per cent and staff numbers by nearly 30 per cent under a new five-year strategic plan. The renamed Air Pacific says it will lease or buy an additional A330-200, two 737-800s and two ATR 72-600s (one of which will replace an

Moody’s has joined Standard & Poor’s in downgrading Qantas’s credit rating from an investment grade to a ‘junk’ rating, potentially leading to increased borrowing costs for Australia’s largest airline. The Moody’s downgrade comes as little surprise, given it had announced it was reviewing its grading status for Qantas following the airline’s December revelations it is on

A350 test aircraft MSN3 has arrived in Cochabamba, Bolivia for high altitude testing. Airbus says the high altitude test flights, from Cochabamba (8,300ft) and La Paz (13,300ft), are designed to validate engine and systems, materials functionality and overall aircraft behaviour. “A number of takeoffs with all engines operating and with simulated engine failures are being

The Eurocopter name is no more with the world’s number one helicopter manufacturer rebranded as Airbus Helicopters from January 8 as part of parent company EADS’s rebranding as the Airbus Group. Under the rebranding helicopter names and designations “remain at present unchandged”, Airbus Helicopters says, but a new www.airbushelicopters.com website is now live. Any rebranding