Tag: quantas

Airbus Orders Decline as A380 Shutdown Questions Mount

February 11, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

Airbus acknowledged reports last Thursday that Quantas has cancelled an order for its 8 remaining A380 aircraft. The announcement comes on the heels of Emirates re-evaluating its decision to add on to its remaining Super Jumbo order book.

Qantas Airlines of Australia confirmed it would not take any more of the world’s largest airplane, operating a fleet of 12 aircraft, instead of the 20 it had originally ordered. This news comes on the heels of Airbus’ largest A380 customer Emirates beginning discussions with Airbus over the possibility of changing some, or all, of its remaining A380 orders to smaller A350 or A330neo models after failing to secure an engine contract from Rolls-Royce for the last A380 order it placed.

Airbus has declined to comment on the future of the A380 at this time, but reports indicate that an announcement could come as soon as this Thursday.

Airbus also reported the cancellation of an order for five of its smallest aircraft, the 110-seat A220-100. The identity of the A220 buyer was not disclosed, but is widely believed to be the Swiss-based business charter carrier PrivatAir, which filed for insolvency at the end of 2018. PrivatAir had placed an ordered for 5 of the type, the Canadian Bombardier CS100 at the time of the order, in early 2012.

Singapore Airlines To Launch World’s Longest Flight

May 30, 2018 / WIL BALDWIN

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore Airlines Ltd said it would launch the world’s longest commercial flight in October, a near-19 hour non-stop journey from Singapore to the New York area.

The 8,277 nautical mile (15,329 kilometre) flight from Singapore to Newark, New Jersey with 161 business class and premium economy seats will eclipse the 7,843 nautical mile Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Auckland as the world’s longest, according to airline data provider OAG.

Airlines including Singapore Airlines, Australia’s Qantas Airways Ltd and U.S.-based United Continental Holdings Inc are adding ultra-long haul flights that can capture an airfare premium of around 20 percent versus flights involving one or more stops.

The Singapore-Newark flight marks the return of a popular route for Singapore Airlines. The carrier had flown the marathon flights until 2013, when high fuel prices made the use of four-engine Airbus SE A340-500 jets uneconomic. It has since flown to New York’s JFK Airport via Frankfurt.

Singapore Airlines is Airbus’ first and to date only customer for the A350-900ULR, an ultra-long range version of the fuel-efficient twin-engine A350 jet.

Qantas has said it is considering the purchase of the A350-900ULR or Boeing Co’s 777X to allow it to fly non-stop from Sydney to London from 2022, an even longer 9,200 nautical mile journey.

Singapore Airlines said on Wednesday that it also plans to introduce non-stop flights from Singapore to Los Angeles with the A350-900ULR at a later date.

The airline expects to receive its first A350-900ULR in September, with all seven on order due by the end of the year.

(Reporting by Jamie Freed; Editing by Himani Sarkar)

Indigenous-painted Qantas 787 arrives in Alice Springs

March 6, 2018 / WIL BALDWIN

Clear skies and Australia’s rugged outback have greeted the arrival of Qantas’s fourth Boeing 787-9, which features a special indigenous livery inspired by the work of artist Emily Kame Kngwarreye.

The aircraft, VH-ZND, departed Boeing’s final assembly line at Everett a little after 2100 (local time) on Wednesday. Some 15 and a half hours and almost 7,000nm later, it touched down at Alice Springs Airport a little after 0600 on Friday, where it received an Airservices Aviation Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) monitor cross.

Click the link below for the full story!

Quantas Indigenous Dreamliner

First Airbus A350-900ULR aircraft rolls off assembly line

February 28, 2018 / WIL BALDWIN

The first of manufacturer Airbus’s A350-900 Ultra Long Range (ULR) aircraft rolled off the final assembly line at the company’s facility in Toulouse today, ahead of its delivery to launch customer Singapore Airlines later in 2018.

The A350-900ULR is a new variant of the manufacturer’s existing A350-900 aircraft that is able to fly greater distances than both its predecessor and, according to Airbus, any other commercial aircraft. Airbus claims the aircraft is capable of flying distances of up to of 9,700 nautical miles, or 17,964 kilometres, or for durations exceeding 20 hours.

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First Airbus A350-900ULR rolls

Delta Air Lines Rumored to Want Boeing 797

February 18, 2018 / WIL BALDWIN

Last year, Boeing (NYSE: BA) strained its relationship with U.S. airline giant Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) by attempting to have big tariffs imposed on Delta’s purchase of CSeries jets from Bombardier. Many pundits saw Boeing’s trade complaint as a risky move that could alienate a key customer — especially after Delta ordered the Airbus (NASDAQOTH: EADSY) A321neo last December instead of the Boeing 737 MAX 10.

However, these fears weren’t justified. Delta isn’t going to make bad business decisions just to punish Boeing. In fact, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian wants the carrier to be a launch customer for Boeing’s proposed “middle-of-the-market” jet, according to Bloomberg.

Click the link below for the full story!

delta wants Boeing 797

The Boeing 747SP

December 13, 2017 / WIL BALDWIN

I came across a great story about the Boeing 747SP earlier today. The Boeing 747SP was a modified version of the Boeing 747-200 jet airliner designed for ultra-long-range thin routes. The SP stands for “Special Performance”.

Click the link below to read the full story!

Boeing 747SP

Airbus Orders Decline as A380 Shutdown Questions Mount

Singapore Airlines To Launch World’s Longest Flight

Indigenous-painted Qantas 787 arrives in Alice Springs

First Airbus A350-900ULR aircraft rolls off assembly line

Delta Air Lines Rumored to Want Boeing 797

The Boeing 747SP

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