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Inside the entrance to Tangerine, a small design agency in Southwark, south London sits a historic object. It is an example of the first lie-flat business-class airline seat, introduced by British Airways 25 years ago, an innovation that was revolutionary at the time but is now commonplace. Aviation has moved on and BA, which once called itself “the world’s favourite airline” needs to regain its halo. The airline is hoping to improve service quality and restore prestige with a £7bn investment programme. Much rests on a tangible symbol of its commitment to luxury: a new seat for first-class passengers on some routes, which was also designed by Tangerine. The new BA suite has a wide seat that converts to a 2 metre-long bed, enclosed behind a curved wall with a recessed wardrobe to hang clothes and store a wheel-on suitcase. The suite, which will roll out on its Airbus A380 aircraft next year, was engineered and is being made by Collins Aerospace in Northern Ireland, with leather and fabrics from various UK suppliers. BA is not alone in investing more in first-class travel and joining the “seat-to-suite” offer to its wealthiest customers pioneered by Gulf airlines such as Emirates. Air France last week unveiled its new first-class suite called La Première, which extends for five windows, with an armchair and a chaise longue that converts to a bed. There will be only four of them per cabin.<br/>

Lawyers for the Australian women who experienced a “traumatising” ordeal at Doha Airport said the Federal Court should be “troubled” by the fact the original case was tossed based on Qatar Airways’ evidence. The Federal Court was told five Australian women left traumatised over strip-searches and physically invasive examinations at Doha in October 2020 have been “shut out of their trial despite having identified very serious questions” that should be tried at hearing. After a baby was found abandoned in an airport bin, the women were directed off the Qatar Airways flight to Sydney, led down to ambulances parked under the aircraft, and subjected to searches by a woman who their lawyers could not confidently confirm was a nurse. The women claimed men carrying guns met them in the terminal, barely anyone spoke English, and no one official told them what was happening. While what came next was referred to as an examination in court, their lawyer said this was a “lessening of more than it deserves”. In 2021, a claim for alleged unlawful physical contact and false imprisonment was filed against Qatar Airways, the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority, and airport operations company MATAR, but their case was tossed out by Justice John Halley before it reached trial. In his April 2024 decision, Justice Halley said Qatar Airways could not be held responsible under the Montreal Convention, which governs an airline’s liability in the event of a passenger’s death or injury. Appearing for the five women on Monday, 24 March, barrister Christopher Ward SC said were it not for Justice Halley’s false interpretation of the Montreal Convention, the court “would have found a duty of care was owed by Qatar Airways to the applicants”.<br/>

Hong Kong-based carrier Cathay Pacific Airways plans to hire more flight attendants and pilots from the Chinese mainland as the airline continues to increase the number of flights connecting the mainland and Hong Kong with overseas destinations. The airline is working to attract more Chinese mainland talent to support its future development plans. Currently, the group has more than 30,000 employees from some 70 countries and regions, including about 3,000 employees from the Chinese mainland. By the end of this year, it aims to raise the number of Chinese mainland employees to 4,000. With operating bases in Beijing and Shanghai, Cathay Pacific plans to mainly hire flight attendants in the Chinese mainland, as well as more pilots, aircraft maintenance engineers, ground crew members and information technology personnel. In Shenzhen and Guangzhou of Guangdong province, the company has two offices that focus on the technology side of the business and it hopes to soon expand these teams to about 200 people in total. “In the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, there are many excellent digital talent and research companies, providing a great platform for Cathay Pacific to attract more outstanding Chinese mainland talent,” said Cathay Group people director Patricia Hwang. “The total number of flights operated by Cathay Pacific has rebounded to the pre-pandemic level. This year, we aim to increase the number of destinations that we fly to 100 worldwide and continue to increase investments. We are confident in our growth potential.” Cathay Pacific announced last year that it would invest more than HK$100bil in the next seven years for its development strategy. This includes increasing investment in its fleet, cabin products, lounges, digital upgrades and sustainable development, the company said. Meanwhile, the group reported an attributable profit of HK$9.9b last year, higher than a profit of HK$9.8b in 2023, driven by stronger cargo demand, higher passenger volumes, lower fuel price and higher cost efficiencies, according to its annual report released in mid-March.<br/>

Cathay Pacific Airways has been forced to fall into line with its airline peers on rules governing portable power banks after the Hong Kong government banned the use of the devices in-flight. Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department said on March 24 it would not permit the use or charging of the battery packs mid-air. It also said passenger cannot store them in overhead lockers after several incidents of them causing fires on board aircraft. Hong Kong’s de-facto flag carrier acknowledged the latest ruling by the aviation regulator. “We recognise the importance of continuous improvement in aviation safety and support measures to reduce risks associated with the use of lithium battery-powered devices,” it said in a statement. “Cathay will fully comply with the regulations.” The move by the government brings Cathay and other local airlines into line with other regional carriers that made similar moves earlier, including Singapore Airlines. <br/>

Vanessa Hudson could hardly have taken the helm of Qantas Airways Ltd at a worse time. The brand was in tatters after a post-Covid spike in cancellations, delays and lost bags. Passenger frustration was at boiling point and the Sydney home of Hudson’s predecessor, Alan Joyce, had been pelted with eggs. As the crisis dragged into late 2023, lawmakers in Australia voiced the unthinkable – a possible breakup of the century-old carrier as punishment for market abuse. Eighteen months into the role, Hudson is pulling off what seemed like an improbable victory. The first-time CEO is simultaneously winning over disgruntled flyers, reporting super-sized profits and delivering knock-out returns for investors. A gauge of passenger satisfaction has almost doubled, shareholders are getting a dividend for the first time since 2019 and the stock is near a record. In a rare interview, Hudson, 55, says the numbers are no one-off. And she maintains relentless demand for flights, coupled with the biggest fleet overhaul in the airline’s history, is set to propel Qantas even further. At Australia’s largest airline, there’s no sign of the faltering consumer spending reported in recent weeks by major US carriers including Delta Air Lines Inc. According to Hudson, there’s appetite to travel at all price points, from the sub-A$100 (US$63) fares sold by budget brand Jetstar to the luxury berths on marathon Qantas services linking Perth on Australia’s west coast to London. Hudson’s confidence is premised on a multibillion-dollar order of next-generation Airbus jets that Qantas says are more reliable and efficient and far outstrip the financial returns from the older planes they’re replacing. “Earnings growth comes from investment and we are making the right investments,” Hudson last week said from Hong Kong, where she was meeting with investors after the carrier’s half-year results. “We’ll continue to see earnings grow.”<br/>

Qantas is poised to take delivery of its new narrow-body, long-range Airbus aircraft, a key step in its domestic fleet renewal and future international expansion. The first Qantas A321XLR is expected to roll off the assembly line within weeks and enter service by June. By mid-2026, Qantas plans to have seven A321XLRs in operation. “This is a generational investment in the Qantas domestic fleet,” CE Vanessa Hudson told journalists at Airbus’ Hamburg plant, where the first Qantas XLRs were in the final stages of production. The debut of the XLR comes as airlines adjust to the post-pandemic realities of air travel, with sustained demand from consumers for both premium and discount seats. The XLR features larger overhead bins and a wider cabin, creating more personal space for passengers. The new fleet of XLRs will ultimately have four toilets per plane, up from three in the current Boeing 737s. The first three XLR aircraft to arrive for Qantas will not have the extra toilet initially – they will need to be retrofitted in the planes’ first major maintenance cycle. “This will be the biggest fleet renewal in our history,” Hudson said, calling it a “step-change” in customer cabin experience. She made the remarks before touring the expansive Airbus facility in Hamburg, where XLRs painted in Qantas’ iconic red tail could be seen in factories.<br/>