Qatar Airways launched Tuesday its inaugural Boeing 777 flight equipped with Elon Musk’s Starlink internet, paving the way for a new era of in-flight connectivity across its entire fleet by next year. To demonstrate the milestone, Qatar Airways CEO Badr Al Meer held a video call with Starlink founder Musk while flying at 35,000 feet from Doha to London. “We’re literally just talking over Starlink right now - that’s super cool,” Musk said on the call from his home, which was filmed and released by the Qatari airline. “It’s Starlink across the laser links of the satellites all the way to your aircraft.” Qatar Airways’ move to introduce free high-speed internet across its fleet is a direct challenge to competitor airlines who typically offer lower-speed and often patchy paid services, or status-restricted wi-fi access to the flying public. “It’s going to get better. We launched new satellites and keep improving the software. Over time I think you’ll find it just gets better and better,” Musk said before Al Meer gave him a video tour of the cockpit. “Think of this as the minimum. It only gets better from here,” Musk said to Qatar Tourism Chairman Saad bin Ali Al-Kharji, who was sitting next to Badr Al Meer on board the flight. The Qatari state carrier plans to deliver 12 Boeing 777-300s equipped with the service by the end of 2024, with coverage for the entire Boeing 777 fleet in 2025 and its Airbus A350 fleet following in the summer of 2025.<br/>
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Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. labeled the delayed delivery of Boeing Co.’s flagship long-haul 777X jet a “disappointment,” in its strongest critique of the beleaguered plane manufacturer. “We want all our aircraft, and we’d like them to be delivered at the time that they’re promised,” Alex McGowan, Cathay’s Chief Operations and Service Delivery Officer, said in an interview in Hong Kong on Tuesday. “When they’re not, that’s a disappointment to us.” McGowan made the comments on the sidelines of an event celebrating the airline’s recent multi-billion dollar agreement with Boeing’s chief rival Airbus SE for up to 150 aircraft. The criticism builds on earlier comments from Emirates Airline president Tim Clark about needing “serious conversations” with Boeing about its contractual shortfalls. Boeing did not immediately respond to request for comment. Boeing said earlier this month the first delivery of its 777X widebody aircraft would take place in 2026 — instead of 2025 — but that’s now five years later than originally planned. The lengthy delay has forced customers around the world to reconsider their fleet plans, which often means using older planes for longer. <br/>
Shares of Qantas Airways hit an all-time high on Wednesday after Jefferies analysts hiked their price target on Australia's flag carrier, on the back of low fuel costs and expectations of a dividend payment. Qantas stock rose as much as 3.6% to a record high of A$7.830 by 0054 GMT. It was on track for its strongest session since late August and is among the top gainers on the benchmark index, which was up 0.2%. On Tuesday, Jefferies analysts raised their price target on the airline to A$10.53 from A$7.98, as strong domestic and international demand has raised expectations of a dividend payment along with its first-half earnings in February. A slowdown in oil prices amid higher U.S. crude inventories has also helped bolster expectations for stronger earnings for the carrier. [O/R] "We expect demand to have remained stable following the release of FY24 results, however the price of fuel has trended lower allowing for more discounting and investment into customer service," the analysts said.<br/>
Qantas engineers across Australia have walked off the job in a 24-hour strike starting Wednesday morning, following repeated industrial actions by workers across major airports this past month, after the airline refused to meet with workers to discuss the latest enterprise agreement. Engine components maintenance engineers in Melbourne will strike for 24 hours from 9 AM AEDT on Wednesday the 23rd of October with a large rally expected at Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport’s International Terminal from 10 AM AEDT. Brisbane Heavy Maintenance Engineers will also strike from 1:30 AM AEST for 24 hours, with a large rally planned at the Brisbane International Terminal from 9 AM AEST. The Qantas Engineers’ Alliance — a union alliance comprising the AMWU, the AWU, and the ETU — said further action was necessary after Qantas management refused to return to the bargaining table and increase its previous offer. The current enterprise agreement expired at the end of June, and the Alliance has put forward a wage claim of 5% per year, with a 15% first-year increase to compensate for 3.5 years of wage freezes and as an industry catch-up payment.<br/>