The World of Aviation

Dubai based Emirates Airline has placed a record order for 50 Boeing 777-300ERs, in a deal worth US$18 billion at list prices, making it the largest in Boeing history by dollar value. Announced Sunday at the Dubai Airshow, it includes options for 20 additional 777s valued at US$8 billion. Fast growing Emirates is already the

V Australia Boeing 777-300ER VH-VPE arrived in Sydney this morning wearing Virgin Australia titles but otherwise retaining its V Australia livery. The hyrbid livery is the first sign of V Australia’s adoption of the Virgin Australia name, as part of the airline’s strategy to rename all former Virgin Blue operations (bar Polynesian Blue) as Virgin

Hong Kong will be the next destination for Qantas’s Airbus A380 fleet, with the airline announcing plans to operate the double decker four times a week between Sydney and the key Asian financial hub. The airline says QF127 Sydney-Hong Kong will be operated by A380s on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, with same days returns as

The parent company of US budget carrier Frontier Airlines has confirmed plans to buy 80 Airbus A320neo-family jets even as it pursues plans to spin off the money-losing airline. The final contract for 60 Airbus A320neos and 20 A319neos sees Frontier become a launch customer of the next generation aircraft, which is scheduled to begin

Fast-growing China Southern Airways has continued its aggressive push into Australia, this week launching direct flights between Guangzhou and Perth. Already the world’s sixth largest airline, China Southern says it plans to increase weekly flights to Australia to 110 by 2015. The push is part of a larger strategy to develop Guangzhou as a major

India has received its first batch of Russian-made Mi-17V-5 helicopters under a 2008 deal that will see it receive 80 of the updated aircraft. Featuring a revamped avionics suite and a streamlined cockpit, the Mi-17V-5 is the latest incarnation of the ubiquitous military helicopter known by NATO as the “Hip.” Primarily a transport aircraft, it