As Emirates gives up on Airbus’ future version of the A380 aircraft, or the A380neo as it’s known as, Airbus chief says its biggest superjumbo customer continues to challenge it for an upgrade of the double-decker. “We have studied the possible evolution of the A380neo aircraft and we came to the conclusion that the time was not yet there to launch it. To do that we would need, of course, to inject some development cost and we would need to have a better environment from the market perspective, and also clear return on investment. Having pinned hopes on it for long, Emirates has slowly come to accept that planemaker is quietly going to kill the A380neo project. The world’s largest operator of the superjumbo, however, was until recently appealing for Airbus to continue making the aircraft. <br/>
unaligned
Why would a nation seek to sabotage its only local airline in favour of 2 foreign carriers that are ranked among the "least safe" airlines in the world? It sounds incomprehensible. But East Timor's govt stands accused of actively trying to "destroy" the country's only carrier, Air Timor, effectively giving Indonesian airline Sriwijaya and its budget subsidiary, NAM Airlines, a monopoly on routes to Indonesia. Air Timor this week axed its once-lucrative flights between Dili and Bali, and is preparing to sack most of its local staff in Dili. The future of its other international route, between Dili and Singapore, is uncertain. The airline blames govt policy and suspected corruption for its woes. "In one year, govt policy has destroyed us," former Air Timor COO Ed Turner said. <br/>
All Tigerair flights in and out of Bali Thursday have been cancelled as the airline’s dispute with the Indonesian government drags into a second day. However, Virgin plans to operate 2 flights from Bali Thursday in order to bring as many affected customers back to Australia as possible. Flights in the early hours of Friday have also been cancelled, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded. The remaining 5 flights to and from Bali Friday are currently under review. All other Tigerair flights remain unaffected. The decision was made after the Indonesian government imposed new conditions on Tigerair over its access to Denpasar airport. “Tigerair was and is in compliance with all original conditions imposed by the Indonesian government on the operation of its Bali services,” the airline said. <br/>
GoAir has finalised an order for 72 A320neos, firming up a memorandum of understanding that was signed during the 2016 Farnborough Airshow. “The agreement, reached Dec 30, 2016, doubles GoAir’s firm order book for the aircraft type to 144,” Airbus said, announcing the firm order Jan 11. GoAir received its first A320neo in June 2016 and now operates a fleet of 23 aircraft. The airline plans to use the additional capacity to expand its network. “This new order will further strengthen our network by adding more domestic and international routes in the years to come,” GoAir MD and CE Wolfgang Prock-Schauer said. GoAir was the first airline to use A320neo in the Spaceflex configuration with 186 seats. To date, 9 A320neo aircraft have been delivered to 3 customers. <br/>