Qatar Airways is reducing flight frequency on more than a dozen routes from Doha because of hold-ups in the delivery of new aircraft from Airbus. The 15 affected routes include the carrier's recently launched service to Adelaide in Australia, flights to Boston, Houston and Miami in the US, and services to Copenhagen, Jakarta and Manchester. "We are making selective flight cancellations in several markets… due to a delay in Airbus aircraft deliveries," a spokesperson said. "We are minimising the impact on our passengers as much as possible, and accommodating them on other flights that suit their travel needs. The flight cancellations are taking the form of one flight per week in most of the affected markets through the summer." CE Akbar Al Baker said last month that Qatar Airways was speaking to Boeing about securing aircraft to replace an order of Airbus A320neos because of problems affecting hydraulics and software. Qatar Airways was due to receive the first of 50 A320s in December but refused to take delivery after saying the Pratt & Whitney engines supplied were inadequately tested for the Gulf region's high temperatures.<br/>
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Experts have been stunned by a photograph showing a square-shaped tyre on a BA A380 which touched down at Heathrow. The deflated wheel was part of the landing gear on the flight arriving from Hong Kong on Friday, according to The Sun. Officials from the Civil Aviation Authority described the phenomenon as “curious” and a serving pilot admitted he wasn’t sure how it could have occurred. A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority said: “It is a curious one. Not seen anything like it before.” One serving airline captain said the tire probably detached from the wheel on landing when the brakes were applied, but stressed that the aircraft was never in danger. He added: “The tyres are pressurised to around seven times that of a car tire. Once depressurised the tyre will have ‘flatted’ while the (aircraft) was braking and once it did so it would then rotate through 90 degrees to another part of the tyre and then do it again — hence the four flats you see. “Is it dangerous? No. To lose one is no big deal.” The Royal Aeronautical Society has not yet found anyone within its ranks who can explain the picture fully.<br/>
IAG has selected Gogo’s 2Ku broadband connectivity for four Aer Lingus Boeing 757s, 118 British Airways aircraft and up to 15 Iberia long-haul aircraft. “This state of the art technology will provide greater bandwidth, faster speed and broader coverage to our airlines’ customers. Global connectivity is something they demand and we are providing high-quality connections with innovative technology solutions to improve the travel experience,” IAG CEO Willie Walsh said. IAG’s first 2Ku-equipped aircraft, a BA Boeing 747-400, will enter service early next year and Iberia and Aer Lingus will see their first A330-300 and 757 aircraft fitted with 2Ku later in 2017. The bulk of the installations are expected to be completed by 2019. By this time, 90% of IAG’s long-haul fleet will be fitted with connectivity. BA will equip 12 Airbus A380-800s, 18 Boeing 747-400s, 12 777-300s, 46 777-200s and 30 787-8/9s. Meanwhile, Iberia will introduce connectivity on seven A340-600s—although this is still to be confirmed—and eight A330-300s. Four Aer Lingus 757-200s will also be connected. This is in addition to the existing Iberia and Aer Lingus’ A330 fleets which have Panasonic GCS connectivity.<br/>