Airbus bags Garuda order
JAKARTA, 12 April 2012: European plane manufacturer Airbus and Indonesian carrier Garuda International signed a US$2.5 billion deal Wednesday, as British Prime Minister David Cameron visited Southeast Asia’s biggest economy.
Tom Williams, an executive vice president at Airbus, signed the deal with Garuda director Emirsyah Satar. Garuda said it would purchase 11 Airbus A330-300s under the US$2.5 billion deal.
Cameron, who was at the signing, said Indonesia and Britain would aim to double trade.
Airbus close to Garuda deal
LONDON, 11 April 2012: European aircraft manufacturer, Airbus, is close to signing a deal with Indonesian airline Garuda worth around US$2.5 billion, a source close to the matter said Tuesday.
“The negotiations between Airbus and Garuda are in the final phase and an announcement could come as early as Wednesday,” the source said.
“The agreement involves the purchase of around 10 A330-300 planes for an amount estimated at US$2.5 billion.”
SQ ends Jumbo era
SINGAPORE, 10 April 2012: The last Boeing 747 passenger service operated by Singapore Airlines took off last Friday for a commemorative farewell return trip to Hong Kong.
Flight SQ747, carried more than 350 passengers on the flight to its home-base Singapore
SIA was one of the world’s largest operators of 747s but is retiring its entire 747 fleet in favour of more modern aircraft such as the Boeing 777 and the “super jumbo” Airbus A380, now the world’s largest jetliner.
China: Makes sense to buy Boeing
PARIS, 13 March 12, 2012: A senior Chinese diplomat said it “makes sense” for Chinese airlines to shun aircraft made in Europe, owing to an EU tax on aircraft emisssions, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.
The newspaper reported that the new Chinese ambassador to the European Union in Brussels, Wu Hailong, told reporters that a decision by the European Union to make non-European airlines subject to the tax “contributed to the current dilemma.”
The EADS aerospace group which controls the European aircraft maker Airbus said last week that “Airbus is subjected to retaliation measures” and that “the Chinese government rejects (refuses) to approve airlines’ orders for long range airplanes.”
Jet crashes hit new low
MONTREAL, 8 March 2012 : The accident rate for Western-built jets was the lowest in aviation history last year, surpassing the previous mark set in 2010, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced Tuesday.
Aircraft crash fatalities also fell to 486 from 786 in 2010, the aviation group said in a statement.
The industry’s global accident rate in 2011 in which an aircraft is destroyed or substantially damaged was 0.37, or the equivalent of one accident every 2.7 million flights, compared to 0.61 the previous year. Read more
All A380s head for checks
FRANKFURT, 9 February 2012: The European Aviation Safety Agency ordered Wednesday that all Airbus A380 superjumbo planes be checked for wing cracks, even as the aircraft manufacturer insisted there was nothing to worry about.
The cracks had been found “following an unscheduled internal inspection of an A380 wing,” EASA said in a statement.
Further to the finding, inspections were carried out on a number of other aircraft during which a new form of cracking was identified which, “if not detected and corrected, may lead to reduction of the structural integrity of the plane,” the statement said. Read more
Norway’s low cost airline on offensive
OSLO, 26 January 2012: Low-cost airline Norwegian notched up its offensive against traditional carriers Wednesday by announcing “the largest ever aircraft acquisition in Europe” with an order for 222 Boeings and Airbus.
The order consists of 122 Boeing 737s, including 100 next-generation MAX8s, and 100 Airbus 320neos, for a list price of EU16.6 billion (US$21.6 billion dollars).
“The order is the largest ever in European aviation history and marks a major milestone in the company’s 10-year history,” said chief executive Bjoern Kjos. Read more
Saudi signs for triple 7s
WASHINGTON, 25 January 2012: Saudi Arabian Airlines will buy eight Boeing planes in a deal estimated at US$2.4 billion, the US manufacturer said.
The deal for the eight 777-300ERs (extended range) planes was listed in Boeing’s 2011 accounts but only announced late Monday.
“We are grateful for the confidence Saudi Arabian Airlines has placed in the 777 and in Boeing,” said Jim Albaugh, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, in a company statement. Read more
Transaero buys Dreamliners
MOSCOW, 28 December 2011: Russia’s number two airline Transaero said Tuesday it had agreed to purchase four 787 Dreamliners from Boeing to update a fleet that will soon also include four rival Airbus A380 jets.
The private carrier disclosed no price or delivery date for the jets, which will replace currently operated Boeing 767 aircraft.
“Boeing 787s will perform flights on both Transaero’s domestic and international routes,” the airline’s chief executive Olga Pleshakova said. Read more
Asia boom a boon for Boeing
SINGAPORE, 7 October 2011 – An aviation boom in Asia and the Middle East is cushioning Boeing from economic headwinds in the United States and Europe, the aircraft manufacturer said Thursday.
Orders for aircraft have been streaming in from airlines in the two regions even as US and European carriers wavered on their plane purchases, said Boeing vice president of flight services Sherry Carbary.
“The US economic conditions are a little uncertain, they’re not taking a lot of airplanes, they don’t have a lot of airplanes on order, same with Europe,” she stated in a press briefing in Singapore. Read more
