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Cathay Pacific Airways will soon start using Airbus Group’s most fuel-efficient plane as it tries to trim costs in the face of mounting competition. Cathay will receive 12 new A350 aircraft this year, with the first one due in May, CEO Ivan Chu said after a briefing Wednesday afternoon. Airbus says the A350 is 25% more efficient than comparable planes from its competitors, which will help Cathay trim expenses as it modernizes its fleet. Chu is trying to cut costs and increase productivity after Cathay’s passenger yields slid 11% last year amid heightened competition from mainland Chinese airlines. The Hong Kong-based carrier reported Wednesday that 2015 profit nearly doubled as crude oil’s decline to its lowest levels in more than a decade reduced costs and cheaper fares encouraged people to travel.<br/>“If you want to lower cost and be more efficient, new airplanes are what you want,” Cathay Chairman John Slosar said Wednesday. Cathay said Wednesday its net income rose 90.5% in 2015, primarily due to cheaper fuel -- though a loss of HK$8.74b on fuel hedges reduced those savings. The airline has hedged some of its fuel purchases into 2019 and will continue to hedge as a risk-management tool, Chu said. Its mainland Chinese competitors have stopped fuel hedging, allowing them to benefit fully from cheaper fuel.<br/>

Qatar Airways stepped up its criticism of US engine maker Pratt & Whitney over delays and technical problems on Wednesday, saying that engines for its Airbus A320neo aircraft had not been adequately tested. Qatar Airways has refused to take the jets because of engine glitches. Last month it threatened to switch to alternative engine supplier CFM International. "I don't think this engine was tested adequately, especially for the temperatures in which Qatar Airways will operate," CE Akbar Al Baker said. "We will only accept it when we are fully satisfied that it can operate efficiently and safely at Qatar operations (and) ... once we get sufficient performance guarantees and undertakings from both Airbus and Pratt & Whitney," he told a news conference at the ITB tourism exhibition in Berlin. "We are at the threshold of the walk-away clause in our contract, but I hope we will not have to exercise this."<br/>

Qatar Airways has confirmed it will begin a non-stop, more than 18 hour service between Doha and Auckland - set to become the world's longest flight - on December 3. The airline will operate the daily flights with a Boeing 777, the same aircraft rival Middle Eastern carrier Emirates uses for its new direct service to New Zealand, which launched last week and is currently the longest commercial flight available. New Zealand travellers will be able to use the service to reach European destinations such as London via Doha, Qatar's capital. At 14,534 km, the Doha to Auckland route is slightly longer than the roughly 14,200 km Dubai-Auckland journey. The Qatar Airways service is expected to take up to 18 hours and 30 minutes, compared with up to 17 hours and 15 minutes for the non-stop Emirates flight.<br/>