Qatar Airways pulls out of Spanair talks - report

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 09:40:25 +0200

Qatar Airways has pulled out of talks to buy a stake in loss-making Spanish airline Spanair, Reuters has reported. "Qatar Airways has left the negotiations," a spokeswoman from the Catalan regional government said. The Doha-based carrier was believed to have been interested in a stake in Spanair, about whom Scandinavian partner SAS has been in talks to find a possible industrial partner since November.

Gulf Air calls for state funding, shrinks operations

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:15:49 +0200

Samer Majali, the chief executive of Bahrain's Gulf Air has said the carrier plans to shrink operations and seek cash from government funds, Reuters has reported. “The downsizing will affect the network and affect the fleet,' Majali said. However, he said staff numbers would not be affected. The airline could tap Bahrain's sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat, which has a stake in the carrier. “This is currently being debated,” he said when asked if the airline expects to get any assistance from the government or Mumtalakat.

Etihad eyes Air Seychelles acquisition

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:15:12 +0200

Etihad Airways is set to make its second airline acquisition in the last five weeks, as the rapidly growing Abu Dhabi-based carrier embarks on an ambitious expansion plan, Reuters has reported. The Abu Dhabi-based carrier is to acquire a 40% share in Air Seychelles under an agreement that will see the airline and the Seychelles government each invest $20m in the state-owned airline. The agreement also includes a five-year management contract for Etihad Airways to encourage Air Seychelles' long-term growth, Etihad said. Last month, state-owned Etihad acquired a stake of around 30% in Germany's Air Berlin.

Design, manufacturing defects blamed for superjumbo cracks

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:13:37 +0200

Airbus has acknowledged a combination of manufacturing and design flaws as it confirmed the discovery of more examples of cracks inside the wings of A380 superjumbo jets, while insisting the world's largest airliner is safe to fly, Reuters has reported. The cracks were caused by a combination of the choice of aluminium alloy for certain wing brackets as well as stresses imposed at two stages of the manufacturing process, said Tom Williams, executive vice president of programmes at Airbus. "The A380 is safe to fly," he said.

New committee to plot Bahrain airline's future

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:15:47 +0200

Chairman of the Bahraini Parliament, Khalifa Al Dhahrani has formed a committee to prepare a study on the future of the kingdom’s national carrier, Gulf Daily News has reported. The temporary joint committee, which is to include members of the National Assembly, aims to help Gulf Air stand on its feet again and assume its role as a reputed airline, said Al Dhahrani. It would look into the circumstances surrounding the airline's strategies regionally and internationally, as well as evaluate the airline’s general performance and major developmental plans, he said.