oneworld

Qatar Airways is to swap its order for up to 80 Airbus A320neos for the larger, longer-range A321 version, the airline’s CE said Thursday. The carrier has refused to take delivery of A320neos since Dec 2015 over performance issues with the aircraft’s engines. The airline is also deciding whether to switch the engine order for the narrow-body jets from Pratt & Whitney to CFM. Qatar Airways has refused to accept A320neos powered by Pratt & Whitney engines because they require additional time to start under certain conditions. The airline said in May it was cutting frequencies on more than a dozen routes from its Doha hub because of delays in acquiring new aircraft from Airbus. Airbus’s delivery schedule saw delays through 2016, in part because of problems with engine and cabin parts suppliers. <br/>

Finnair has extended the lease on an Iberia Airbus A330 until May 31 because of A350 crew training delays. The A330 had been scheduled to leave the fleet Jan 31. The carrier had planned to use the A330 on its 3X-weekly Miami route only from Jan 10-31, but this 21-day lease has now been extended to just under 4 months. Over the period Jan 10-31, the A330 will operate on wet-lease, manned by Iberia pilots and cabin crew with 2 Finnair crew members supervising service delivery. From Feb 1, it will transition to a damp lease, staffed with cockpit crew from Iberia and cabin crew from Finnair. “The lease is to accommodate pilot trainings that are necessary to secure the airline’s growing operations for the summer 2017 season and beyond,” Finnair said. <br/>