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Dubai’s Emirates launched a double challenge to European airlines yesterday, setting out ambitions to own a fleet of more than 100 Airbus A380 superjumbos and stepping up a war of words over rivals’ subsidy claims.

Emirates, which surprised the aviation world by lifting its orders of the world’s largest airliner by a third to 90 aircraft in June, is only constrained by a shortage of space to park them, airline president Tim Clark said.

“‘120 was the baseline figure that the planners worked to get where we needed to be, but we couldn’t order that amount because it was too many for here, so 90 was a compromise.'” he added.

source: smh.com.au

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) said it reached a “‘historic agreement'” last week on aviation safety, security and aircraft emissions.

The deal reached by the 190 members of the Montreal-based United Nations organization at its 37th general assembly “‘builds on achievements since the last ICAO Assembly in 2007,'” the communication said, “‘which included a global goal of 2 per cent annual fuel efficiency improvement up to the year 2050, a global framework for the development and deployment of sustainable alternative fuels for aviation, and a target of 2013 for a CO2 standard for aircraft engines.'”

It also states that “‘ICAO will coordinate the collection, analysis and exchange of aviation safety information among exchange members and disseminate to the global aviation community.'”

source: montrealgazette.com

The race to be the world’s biggest passenger jet maker has taken a new turn as Ryanair, one of Boeing’s biggest customers, hints at switching to Airbus, the US group’s European rival.

The Irish no-frills carrier, which said it was looking at ordering up to 300 jets, said it would be foolish to disregard Airbus as the manufacturer weighs plans to upgrade its best-selling A320 aircraft with new engines, a move Airbus said could cut fuel bills by as much as 15 per cent.

No formal talks are under way, and the prospect of such will seem distant to some, given the chilly relations since Ryanair abandoned talks with Airbus for a lucrative aircraft order it eventually placed with Boeing nearly five years ago.

source: FT.com

British Airways, American Airlines and Iberia have launched their long-awaited transatlantic tie-up by adding four new routes to their combined network and pledging to create jobs and cut fares.

The revenue-sharing deal, dismissed as a “‘monster monopoly'” by Virgin Atlantic founder Sir Richard Branson, will give passengers access to a joint network serving 433 destinations in 105 countries.

source: telegraph.co.uk

French visitors to the United Kingdom have been urged to employ “‘extreme vigilance’” amid growing fears of a terrorist attack in the country.

Offering new travel advice to its citizens, the French government warned an attack on British public transport was now “‘highly likely’”.

The latest developments follow news a UK terror suspect killed in Pakistan was being groomed to lead a new group in raids on the UK, France and Germany.

The new advice on the French defence ministry website said: “‘The British authorities consider the terror threat level is very high in the United Kingdom and the risk of an attack is highly likely.'”

The United States also believes a cell of Germans and Britons are at the heart of a terror plot against European cities, a plan they link to al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.

Germany, meanwhile, says it remains watchful but that there is no reason to be “‘alarmist’”.

source: breakingtravelnews.com