Qatar Airways : QR : QTR

• Concours très serré ;
  
• impossible de choisir de manière purement objective ;
  
• presqu'une question d'un "toss of a coin" / 'pile ou face' ;
  
• Qatar semble reconnaître l'aspect "one trick pony" du GP 7200 de l'EA, ..... mais 'hausse les épaules' ("on verra ; pour aujourd'hui, ça va") ;
  
• l'incident du RR Trent 900 sur l'A380 de Qantas n'aurait pas pesé dans la balance ;
  
• l'aspect de l'influence régionale aurait 'joué' ; Qatar reconnaît ne pas aimer avoir à s'aligner sur les décisions / options d'Emirates ;
  
• mais, tout comme Etihad, Qatar semble avoir reconnu les besoins stratégiques des personnels, ateliers et hangars etc. de l'activité MRO, à Dubai, .... et la nécessité d'alimenter cet ensemble très important, et de développer l'expertise dans la région .
  

Possible, ... voire, probable.

Qatar Airways is confident it will be able to launch services with its new fleet of Boeing 787-8s in mid-2012, and hopes to have five in service by the end of the year. Meanwhile the Doha-based airline expects to introduce the first of 10 517-seat Airbus A380s in 2013, to coincide with the first year of operation of the city's new international airport.

In a video interview with Flightglobal at the opening of Qatar Airways new premium lounge at London Heathrow's Terminal 4, the airline's chief executive Akbar Al Baker outlined his near-term fleet development plans, which centre on the introduction of the two new types over the next two years.

Production has already started and we hope to receive our first 787 in June. We will take a total of five in the current year," he said, adding that Qatar plans to display the aircraft at this year's Farnborough air show in July.

Al Baker said the Dreamliners will be configured with around 240 seats, including 22 in business and "nearly 220" in economy. "We'll unveil the two seats at the ITB Berlin [travel trade exhibition] - both were specially built for Qatar Airways."

Qatar Airways will initially deploy its 787s on intra-Gulf routes to build up operational experience and then start longer flights to Europe. "Our first (European) flight will be to Heathrow," said Al Baker.

Qatar Airways currently operates a mix of Airbus A330s, A340-600s and Boeing 777-300ERs on its Doha-Heathrow route. It is about to add a fifth daily frequency.

Meanwhile the airline's first A380 is due to arrive in the second half of next year, said Al Baker, and will be the only aircraft in Qatar's fleet equipped with a first class cabin. "It will also have 42 business-class seats out of a total of 517 seats," he said.

Al Baker said that the final decision on the A380's route network has not been made. "It will be operating to routes that have slot restrictions where we need larger capacity due to the constraints on the number of flights we can operate," he added.

Two major Gulf Arab carriers said they have no interest in taking a stake in struggling Indian carrier Kingfisher Airlines, which is grappling with a pile of debt and on the hunt for fresh equity.

Abu Dhabi's state-owned Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways said on Thursday they were not inclined to invest in Kingfisher.

Sources in India familiar with the matter told said that Kingfisher was in early talks with Qatar Airways about a possible stake in the company. The Indian carrier is also known to have met officials at Etihad, one source said.

"We have no interest in Kingfisher," a spokesman for Qatar Airways said.

Etihad's chief executive James Hogan said they too had no interest in the Indian carrier. He declined to elaborate.

Kingfisher, controlled by drinks baron Vijay Mallya, has said it is in talks with potential investors. Kingfisher officials did not respond to a request seeking comment.

The carrier has failed in its long-running efforts to bring in fresh equity. Its banks are stuck with a quarter of Kingfisher's shares after a debt recast and lead lender, State Bank of India, refuses to lend more in the absence of an equity injection.

The cash-strapped carrier said last month that it had began talks with SC Lowy Financial, a Hong Kong distressed debt firm, in a sign it may be running out of more attractive traditional funding options.

One of the sources said Kingfisher was also talking with US private equity firm WL Ross.

Backed by sovereign wealth from oil-producing states, Gulf carriers have been on an aggressive acquisition drive in Europe, picking up stakes in debt-ridden airline companies.

Etihad, which is owned by Abu Dhabi, increased its stake in Air Berlin to nearly 30 percent in December and bought a 40-percent stake in Air Seychelles last month.

Qatar Airways bought a 35 percent stake in freight carrier Cargolux last year.

These fast-growing carriers are seen as key potential investors in Indian carriers, which are struggling amid fierce competition. The Indian government is expected soon to allow foreign carriers to own up to 49 percent in local airlines.

(Reuters)

Qatar Airways pas satisfait des performances de l'A350-1000 d'Airbus

Le directeur général de Qatar Airways a déclaré mercredi n'être pas satisfait des performances, du poids et de la capacité du futur Airbus A350-1000, tout en faisant part de son intérêt pour la conversion de 20 de ses appareils A330 en cargo.

Akbar Al Baker, qui avait menacé d'acheter des Boeing convertis en cargos après avoir critiqué la stratégie d'Airbus sur ce segment, a salué la décision de la filiale d'EADS de lancer une option de conversion "passager-vers-cargo" lors du salon aérien de Singapour, le mois dernier.

Le directeur général de la compagnie qatarie, principale cliente de l'A350, a précisé être en discussions avec Airbus concernant une possible commande.

En novembre, Qatar Airways a placé une commande auprès d'Airbus représentant sur le papier 6,5 milliards de dollars, ultime rebondissement d'une série d'épisodes qui a notamment vu la compagnie suspendre la signature du contrat au motif que l'avionneur européen ne maîtrisait pas encore l'art de fabriquer des avions. (voir )

Cette commande portait sur cinq A380 et 50 A320neo, plus des options. A la même période, Qatar a aussi commandé auprès de Boeing deux 777 cargo pour 560 millions de dollars.

Vers midi, le titre EADS, maison mère d'Airbus, prenait 1,36% à 26,78 euros, soit un peu plus que l'indice CAC 40 (+0,75%).

Jeannot a écrit:Qatar Airways pas satisfait des performances de l'A350-1000 d'Airbus

Qatar Airways pas satisfait des performances de l'A350-1000 d'Airbus

Le directeur général de Qatar Airways a déclaré mercredi n'être pas satisfait des performances, du poids et de la capacité du futur Airbus A350-1000, tout en faisant part de son intérêt pour la conversion de 20 de ses appareils A330 en cargo.

• perçue comme une des forces motrices de la nouvelle, et, le cas échéant, derrière les commandes annoncées à Farnborough, par d'autres clients,
  
• qui, comme un seul homme, diront publiquement, qu'ils sont très heureux devant ce petit détail 'qui vaut son pesant de moutarde',....
  
• et la visible 'écoute active et constructive d'Airbus',
  
• prêtant toute son attention à son client de lancement, Qatar Airways, qui a joué pleinement, et avec brio, son rôle de client de lancement, ... et ce dernier, .... en la personne d'Akbar Al BAKER montrera son énorme satisfaction, et totale bonne foi, en commandant 12 x A350-XWB-900 & 8 x A350-XWB-1000, ....
  
• pour faire suer Boeing, Tim CLARK & Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, qui ont passé la grande fête récente à SEATTLE, sans même laisser de la place visible à Qatar, qui lui, a fini par choisir le moteur GP7200, de l'EA, en jouant la carte de la loyauté pour sa région et ses voisins, alors qu'il aurait très bien pu choisir le RR Trent 900.
  

Al Baker, qui avait menacé d'acheter des Boeing convertis en cargos après avoir critiqué la stratégie d'Airbus sur ce segment, a salué la décision de la filiale d'EADS de lancer une option de conversion "passager-vers-cargo" lors du salon aérien de Singapour, le mois dernier.

Le directeur général de la compagnie qatarie, principale cliente de l'A350, a précisé être en discussions avec Airbus concernant une possible commande.

En novembre, Qatar Airways a placé une commande auprès d'Airbus représentant sur le papier 6,5 milliards de dollars, ultime rebondissement d'une série d'épisodes qui a notamment vu la compagnie suspendre la signature du contrat au motif que l'avionneur européen ne maîtrisait pas encore l'art de fabriquer des avions. (voir )

Cette commande portait sur cinq A380 et 50 A320neo, plus des options. A la même période, Qatar a aussi commandé auprès de Boeing deux 777 cargo pour 560 millions de dollars.

Vers midi, le titre EADS, maison mère d'Airbus, prenait 1,36% à 26,78 euros, soit un peu plus que l'indice CAC 40 (+0,75%).

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Sur le fond il y a quelque chose que je ne comprends pas très bien. Le poids, et l'autonomie de cet appareil ont été augmentés pour répondre aux demandes de cette compagnie (et d'une autre aussi !) Alors où est le souci ?

J'ai essayé de vous répondre, "tongue in cheek", ... parce que c'est tout ce que souhaite et cherche "U Turn Ali" : faire parler de sa Cie. et de lui !

Qatar Airways will defer delivery of its A380 superjumbos until it gets more details about wing cracks on the Airbus aircraft, its chief executive said on Monday.

European air safety regulators ordered checks in February for Airbus A380 wing cracks for the entire superjumbo fleet after safety engineers found cracks in almost all the planes inspected.

We'll have to defer delivery of the A380 until more details are clear," chief executive Akbar al Baker said at a Dubai travel show.

Il donne l'impression d'avoir un besoin de se sentir comme le pivot du monde ! Ce faisant, il se donne trop souvent en spectacle ! Mais cela est, à la fois, son carburant, et son adrénaline !

Qatar has an order for five A380 aircraft pending.

The Gulf Arab carrier's chief executive also said the airline pulled out of talks with Spanair after Spanish regulators said state aid given to the loss-making carrier had to be repaid. Spanair halted operations in January.

(Reuters)

The first Boeing 787 to be delivered to Qatar Airways will feature at this year's Farnborough Air Show in July, chief executive Akbar Al Baker has confirmed.

The airline's 787 will be on static display during the show and will fly every day during the air display, says Al Baker.

Following the show the aircraft will return to the factory to get its connectivity features installed before entering service in August, adds Al Baker.

Alphajet a écrit:Merci, Bonjour

D'une certaine façon, ce sera l'occasion d'inspecter de près ( les jumelles ) la différence avec le meccano pourri que certains d'entre nous avaient pu voir lors du roll out très officiel en juillet 2007 ( déjà !! )
......................
Tous le 787 jusqu'aux LN 50 / 60 sont déjà frappés je dirais d'une certaine obsolescence.

Les motorisations sont encore un peu accessoires, car comment faire un bilan avec aussi peu d'heures de vols "revenue flights" ?

SEVRIEN a écrit:Bonsoir, chers tous !

RR renforce l'auto-promotion !
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Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 powers into service with record reliability
Wednesday, 21 March 2012

Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines powering the Boeing 787 Dreamliners operated by Japan’s largest airline All Nippon Airways (ANA) have now completed 4000 flying hours in just five months of revenue service with a record 99.9% despatch reliability. This means less than one in 1000 flights has experienced a delayed departure due to an engine issue.

Attention ! Les marchands de "gloom & doom" guettent ! Anti-RR, ils vont être furieux ! Bien agités, ils auraient tellement voulu le contraire !

“These are the best ever reliability figures for a Rolls-Royce Trent family engine on entering airline service,” said Peter Price, Rolls-Royce, Director Engineering & Technology – Civil Aerospace. “This achievement underlines the maturity we sought to build into the Trent 1000’s operational performance right from the start of the programme and which was proven in the testing and certification programme we completed last year.”

Oui ! Et : "..... best ever reliability figures for a Rolls-Royce Trent family engine on entering airline service,” signifie, aussi, "..... best ever reliability figures for any modern civil jet engine" !

The Trent 1000 powered the Boeing 787 Dreamliner’s first flight in December 2009 and entered service with ANA on October 26, 2011.

Et le moteur n'était nullement responsable d'une minute de retard dans les livraisons des B787-8 du programme B787. Boeing le reconnaîtra un jour !

“Our Trent 1000 engines have enjoyed an excellent operational performance since their entry into service with ANA in October last year,” said Mitsuo Morimoto, ANA’s Senior Executive Vice-President – Flight Operations. “During the following months, the joint ANA and Rolls-Royce teams have worked seamlessly together. The commitment Rolls-Royce has shown in the development and support of the Trent 1000 Engine gives us great confidence in the long-term success of our 787 Dreamliner operation.”

Merci, ANA ! Boeing devrait être heureux !

The Trent 1000, which ran for the first time in 2006, was granted Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) certification in August 2007. Rolls-Royce gained Extended Twin Engine Operations (ETOPS) approval from the FAA for the engine in May 2011. The Trent 1000 was granted 330 minutes ETOPS approval which allows more direct routings, shorter flight times and reduces fuel consumption and emissions.

Oui ! GEnx suit le même chemin. C'est bien. Mais, c'est le GEnx qui suit.

The engine, the quietest and most efficient available on the 787 Dreamliner, has been selected in 8 of the last 9 787 Dreamliner engine decisions and now has a total of 24 customers.

Oui ! Et RR ne jouit pas de 'l'avantage de distorsion' qu'est le 'facteur GECAS' !

SEVRIEN a écrit:Bonjour.

Intéressant, .... ce petit extrait des "blogs" de Flight International.

Source ? RR lui-même (surprenant) !
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Trent 1000 reliability tops 99.9%

Five months after its introduction with All Nippon Airways, the Trent 1000 engine has topped a dispatch reliability of 99.9%, says Rolls-Royce. The engine-maker notes it is the best introduction of a new RR engine, which has flown more than 4,000h since its late October service entry.

Le recul n'est toujours pâs énorme.
Mais RR sait quelle valeur attacher à ses statistiques.
Ceci situe la "despatch availability / reliability" à un niveau entre 99.9% et 100% ("topped a dispatch reliability of 99.9%")!

Voilà !

Airbus has promised that a permanent fix to the wing crack problem affecting current in-service A380s will enable Qatar Airways to take its first unit in October 2013 as scheduled, says Akbar Al Baker, chief executive of the Doha-based carrier.

"I want to stress very clearly that Airbus has given us guarantees that the issues concerning the wings will be resolved," says Al Baker today in Geneva.

He emphasises that Qatar Airways will not accept any A380s with temporary fixes to the cracking problem, insisting: "We need a fully certified, permanent fix to the wing.

"We don't want the aircraft to be delivered with an interim solution," Al Baker says, adding that an interim solution would require the aircraft to enter service and then go back to Airbus for remedial work at a later date. "We don't want people going in and out of our wings," he notes.

Al Baker says that if Airbus only presents it with an interim solution for its A380s will it defer delivery of the aircraft. However, the chief executive is confident Airbus will deliver, adding: "There will be a permanent fix (for our aircraft)."

Qatar Airways hopes to re-open negotiations with Bombardier about an order for its new CSeries twinjet within the next 6-12 months, says Akbar Al Baker, chief executive of the Doha-based carrier.

Speaking today in Geneva, he says: "We are still in talks with Bombardier for the CSeries but we are very busy at the moment and have delayed furthering our negotiations with them for the CSeries."