Aircraft News - Africa / Middle East

Airguide Online, June 25, 2007

Jun 25, 2007

BAE Systems, Mubadala Development

BAE Systems said in February it was in talks with Mubadala to develop an aerospace business in the UAE, but said details of the partnership had not yet been established. Mubadala, which owns stakes in companies including luxury car-maker Ferrari, led a USD$1.3 billion takeover of a Swiss aircraft maintenance firm, SR Technics, in September. Jun 19, 2007

Boeing, Mubadala Development

Abu Dhabi government-owned Mubadala Development said on Monday it signed an agreement with Boeing to develop aerospace manufacturing and research in the Gulf Arab emirate. Boeing would help Abu Dhabi, the capital of the Unite Arab Emirates, plan projects including the production of aerospace components and raw materials, Waleed al-Mokarrab al-Muhairi, chief operating officer of Mubadala, said in a statement. Mubadala did not give further details of the agreement, which was signed at the Paris air show. Jun 19, 2007

Bombardier

Libyan Airlines ordered three firm Bombardier CRJ900s plus two options, Bombardier announced. Firm aircraft are worth an estimated $108 million at list prices. "This purchase represents the launching of our fleet renewal program. The CRJ900 aircraft was selected because we believe it is the type of regional jet that can meet the requirement of domestic and regional routes in our network," Libyan Chairman Tarek Arebi said. The carrier currently serves 27 destinations. Jun 18, 2007

Emirates, Airbus

Emirates said it would decide on an order worth up to USD$20 billion for mid-sized planes by October and that the design of the Airbus A350 XWB was closing in on Boeing's 787 Dreamliner. Emirates President Tim Clark told reporters on Monday he was ruling out ruling out splitting the order for as many as 100 planes between the two manufacturers. Boeing has accused Airbus of touting an incomplete design to airlines in its bid to draw attention from the hot-selling 787. Airbus, which revamped and relaunched the A350 last year with a wider fuselage after airlines rejected an earlier design, said it had locked in the plane's main design features. Jun 18, 2007

Etihad Airways, Airbus

Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways said it has agreed with Airbus to defer the delivery of four Airbus A380s it ordered in 2004. Jun 20, 2007

Etihad Airways, Airbus

Etihad Airways said it had ordered 12 Airbus wide-bodied aircraft in a deal worth USD$2.4 billion. The firm contract includes five A330-200s, four A340-600s and three A330-200F freighters, the airline and Airbus said at a news conference at the Paris air show. Jun 20, 2007

Onur Air

Woman Delays Turkish Plane With Fake Bomb Warning. A woman falsely claimed there was a bomb on board a Turkish airliner on Wednesday to try to delay the flight so her husband could catch it, Turkey's Onur Air said on Wednesday. Both of them were arrested. Airline staff found out the bomb warning was a hoax in time to stop the plane from making an emergency landing in Ankara and it was able to continue to Istanbul as planned from the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, the airline said. Ankara is about halfway between Diyarbakir and Istanbul. Bomb warnings and plane hijackings are far from unknown in Turkey, where a number of radical groups ranging from Kurdish separatists to far-left militants operate. Jun 20, 2007

Qatar Airways, Airbus

Airbus landed USD$17 billion in orders from Qatar Airways at the start of the Paris air show on Monday including a new order for three A380 superjumbos. The deals include confirmation of a previously announced order for 80 new Airbus A350 XWB models due from 2013, worth USD$16 billion at list prices, and three additional A380s worth almost USD$1 billion in total. Qatar had already ordered 3 of the A380 superjumbo aircraft with options for another two. Qatar will be the first airline to get the revamped A350 in 2013, Airbus President Louis Gallois told a news conference, as Airbus seeks to make up ground on sales by US rival Boeing. The order includes 20 A350-800s, 40 A350-900s and 20 A350-1000s. Jun 18, 2007

Qatar Airways, Airbus, Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce said the Qatar Airways deal represents its largest ever firm civil engine order. Rolls rival General Electric has been in talks with Airbus about providing an alternative engine for the mid-sized long-range aircraft but has not yet committed to the plane. The order is worth USD$5.6 billion at list prices for Rolls-Royce, currently the only engine maker offering an engine for the Airbus A350 XWB model. Jun 18, 2007

ZZ

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