The World of Aviation

Qatar Airways has announced orders for three Boeing 777 Freighters and two 777-300ERs, in a deal worth US$1.4 billion at list prices. The airline’s 777 Freighter order, which was formally announced on April 6 at the Business & Investment in Qatar Forum in New York, was previously listed as ‘unidentified’ on Boeing’s Orders and Deliveries website

The F-35C carrier variant of the Joint Strike Fighter completed functional checks and a test catapult hookup on March 22, ahead of ship compatibility testing planned later this year. Test aircraft CF-1 conducted the trials at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, with test teams investigating an issue discovered during a preliminary fit check on the launch

Virgin Blue Group of Airlines has announced the appointment of Joshua Bayliss to the company’s board as a non‐executive director. Bayliss, who has worked as Virgin Group General Counsel in Geneva since 2005, will join fellow non-executive directors Mark Vaile, Rob Thomas and David Baxby and Sam Mostyn on Virgin Blue’s board, along with chairman

Airbus has announced the entry into service (EIS) of its re-engined A320neo (for New Engine Option) will be in October 2015, nearly 12 months earlier than planned. Speaking to media in Toulouse on April 5, Airbus’s COO – customers, John Leahy, said demand for the neo had been so strong that the company had decided

Defence Minister Stephen Smith and Defence Materiel Minister Jason Clare have announced that Australia’s bid to acquire a surplus Bay Class Landing Ship Dock (LSD), the RFA Largs Bay, from the UK has been successful. The 16,000 tonne displacement, 176m long Largs Bay will be acquired for £65 million (A$102 million), pending successful completion of

Boeing has advised operators of older 737 ‘classics’ to check them for signs of stress and fatigue, in light of the recent Southwest Airlines incident where a hole opened up in the upper fuselage of one of the airline’s 737-300s. The manufacturer said it was preparing a service bulletin for fuselage inspections, as the US