Qatar Airways is boosting cargo services to North America, days after its Gulf rival Emirates outlined plans for new U.S. passenger routes. Qatar Airways said Sunday it will begin flying Boeing 777 freighters twice weekly to Atlanta and Houston and once a week to Toronto early next month. The flights will originate in the Qatari capital, Doha, and stop in Luxembourg, where freight carrier Cargolux is based. Qatar Airways bought a 35 per cent stake in Cargolux in June. Qatar Airways already runs a cargo route to Chicago and has passenger services to Montreal, Houston, New York and Washington.
Late last month, Dubai-based Emirates said it was expanding its U.S. service by adding nonstop flights to Dallas and Seattle next year.
Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates Airline, yesterday celebrated the inaugural service on its new Far East and Australasia freighter route. The weekly air cargo service, operated by its new Boeing 777 freighter, will fly Dubai-Singapore-Sydney-Hong Kong-Dubai, providing the key trading points with additional connectivity to Emirates' Dubai hub, which can link businesses to the 114 destinations on the carrier's network.
The Boeing 777F - which touched down for the first time in Sydney on 12th September - has the capability to carry up to 103 tonnes of freight. "This new route not only bolsters capacity, it provides our customers with more options and increased trade opportunities," said Hiran Perera, Emirates' SVP Cargo Planning & Freighters. "We currently transport cargo in the belly-hold of 126 passenger flights a week between Dubai and Australia, as well 28 Hong Kong flights and 42 Singapore flights, and the freighter - with a wide main deck door - will increase our ability to carry oversized shipments," added Perera. "This takes our import capacity to Australia to 1370 tonnes per week and, in these uncertain economic conditions, is further testament of our commitment to facilitating international trade for businesses in the region."
The inaugural fligh - which carried 100 tonnes of cargo, including medical equipment, diagnostics, spare parts, textiles and clothing - was met by Greg Johnson, Emirates' Cargo Manager Australia, and Alex Barkway, Emirates' Cargo Manager New South Wales. "The addition of a dedicated freighter service is a major milestone in Emirates SkyCargo's growth in Australia, and offers new possibilities for expansion into other areas of air cargo transport," said Johnson. "With the high Australian dollar driving up imports, this new flight will also provide us with much needed additional capacity into the market."
EK9920 will depart Dubai every Sunday at 20:35 and touch down in Singapore at 07:55 the following day. The B777F will then depart at 09:00 and complete its outbound journey at 18:30 when it touches down at Sydney International Airport. The return service, EK 9921, will depart Sydney every Monday at 21:30 and land in Hong Kong at 04:35 on Tuesday. Departing Hong Kong at 07:35 as EK 9865, the service will then terminate in Dubai at 10:35. With a long-range flying capacity and technologically advanced General Electric (GE) engines, the Boeing 777F provides greater flexibility than any other freighter aircraft currently in operation. It maintains the lowest fuel burn of any comparable sized aircraft, consuming nearly 18 per cent less fuel than today's freighters.
Emirates SkyCargo introduced its first Boeing 777F in March 2009. In December 2010, it operated its longest ever non-stop flight on the Boeing 777F; 17.5 hours from Sydney to New York. Emirates is the largest operator of Boeing 777 aircraft in the world, with 91 in its fleet currently.
Emirates is hiring highly skilled and successful Flight Deck Crew from around the world. Currently recruiting experienced and technically proficient First Officers to fly the extensive international route network. The First Officer position offers an exceptional opportunity for ambitious pilots to develop their career on one of the youngest high-tech fleets, with one of the fastest growing and most profitable airlines in the world. Emirates now has 201 wide-body aircraft worth more than US$85 billion on order to add to it's current fleet of 151 aircraft including A330/A340/A380's and B777's.
Emirates will be conducting Pilot Information Sessions in the UK and Ireland at the end of January. These sessions will provide more information on Emirates Selection Programme, the benefits of living and working in Dubai and details of our remuneration package.
January 24th, 2011 -- 10:00am
Apex City Hotel
61 Grassmarket, Edinburgh
Scotland
January 25th, 2011 -- 10:00am
Dublin Radisson Blu Hotel
Dublin Airport, Ireland
January 26th, 2011 -- 10:00am
Belfast Radisson Blu Hotel
The Gasworks
3 Cromac Place
Ormeau Road
Belfast, Northern Ireland
The United Arab Emirates has gone into a princely snit over our refusal to grant it more landing rights in Canada for its airline, and has decided it can bully us into changing our minds. I suggest that we push back, firmly, because the UAE has not realized that Canada has options, too.
Why does the UAE so desperately want more landing rights? Because it has bought a lot of big fat aircraft as part of its decade-long, oil-fuelled spending spree, and needs to fill seats by moving North Americans through Dubai to the Middle East and Asia.
When the Canadian government refused, the UAE proceeded to: a) kick Canada out of our staging base for Afghanistan that was located on UAE soil; b) refuse our minister of national defence and our chief of the defence staff permission to fly through its airspace after they were in the air; and c) introduced the need for expensive visas for any Canadian wishing to visit their country.
Here's what I think we should consider in response: a) void the landing rights UAE airlines already have; b) forbid them to fly in Canadian air space; c) slow down the processing of visas for anyone from the UAE who wants to visit Canada; and d) tell them to convince us that nobody connected to any of the Emirates' royal families is supporting antiwestern terrorist activities.
Why would I want to drop the gloves in dealing with the UAE? Because I think they're essentially a bunch of pompous thugs behaving like Canadians need them. We don't, and somebody should show them they can't treat us like the second-class citizens they hire to do virtually all the work in their seven fiefdoms.
I am well aware that some critics argue that the Canadian government has been heavy handed in dealing with the UAE, as though we weren't properly versed in the delicate ways one must handle trumped up royals.
I say we should deal with them the same way we did when they got haughty about the Canadian Forces flight-training program for the UAE Air Force. That program was going fine until some member of a royal family flunked his flight test, and still wanted to be given qualifications to fly an aircraft. Our military wisely cancelled the training program when the UAE told us that members and friends of a royal family should not be allowed to fail.
Wait, you say. Weren't the seven families who so ruthlessly rule the UAE being jolly good chaps when they offered us a military base on their soil? Well it wasn't quite soil -- it was unoccupied sand. And let's keep in mind that our troops were using that stretch of sand to try to defuse terrorism in the region, with only the tiniest military contribution of about 200 "special forces" from the UAE.
Rich oil countries like the UAE should be doing a lot more to combat terrorism than they are. It isn't just democracies like Canada and the United States that need to fear al-Qaeda and the like. These outfits are also sworn enemies of the ruling classes in places like Saudi Arabia, and yes, the United Arab Emirates. The fact that the UAE was so quick to expel Canada from Camp Mirage for as small a matter as a disagreement over landing rights in Canada suggests a haughty and short-sighted indifference to whether the world succeeds in abating terrorism.
Maybe they're not indifferent. Maybe they like to play both sides of the street when it comes to terrorism. I have spoken to several intelligence sources who are adamant that leadership within the United Arab Emirates -- while posing as friends to NATO -- have been pouring money into terrorist movements throughout the Middle East. So we should reward that kind of duplicity with additional landing rights?
Canada is a civilized country trying to do two things on the international front: promote its own interests, and create a fairer, more civilized world. There is nothing fair or civilized about the UAE, nor are things improving. Foreign workers, mostly from Asia, outnumber privileged citizens by a ratio of about four to one, and are notoriously badly treated. This really is a country run by royal thugs, without democracy, free press, free assembly, or any semblance of human rights.
Even if we were just thinking selfishly about promoting the financial interests of Canadians, what does the UAE have to offer? We don't need their oil, and the economy of their show state of Dubai is a bubble just waiting to burst for the second time.
The UAE argues that denying its airlines more landing rights in Canada amounts to unfair protectionism of our own airlines, most notably, Air Canada. But why not protect against unfair competition? The UAE has two state-subsidized airlines that have bought themselves a bevy of huge aircraft that are eating a hole in the national treasury. They staff the airlines with underpriced help that can be fired at whim, and offer discounts on their visas if you fly on those airlines. Why kill off some Canadian jobs to the benefit of the high-spending UAE treasury.
Finally, it should be noted that five years ago the U.S. Congress decided that it wouldn't allow the UAE to manage American ports through a state-owned company called Dubai Ports World. Well, you know what? Dubai Ports World owns the company that runs container and break bulk terminals at the Port of Vancouver.
Note to the princes: "You want to keep that Vancouver contract and your current landing rights? Well then write us a letter within 30 days pledging that nobody connected to the royal families running your totalitarian governments is funding antiwestern terrorists, and we'll check that out with our intelligence people. And meanwhile, start showing us some respect."
Colin Kenny is former chair of the Senate Committee on National Security and Defence.
Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd., Qantas Airways Ltd. and Emirates Airline are awaiting deliveries of about 400 planes to capitalize on Asia’s rising prosperity. Finding pilots is the next job.
Boeing Co. expects the region’s carriers to be the biggest buyers of twin-aisle planes as travel grows in China and India, home to a combined 1.1 billion middle-class people. Asia-Pacific airlines will buy about 8,000 planes worth $1.2 trillion over the next 20 years, Airbus SAS said. Airlines worldwide need an average of 49,900 pilots a year from 2010 to 2030 as fleets expand, yet current training capacity is only 47,025, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization in Montreal. That is sparking bidding wars as Emirates offers tax-free salaries and four-bedroom villas for captains, and AirAsia Bhd., the region’s biggest budget airline, gives tuition-free training. “It’s a major issue and will be a big challenge to the industry’s growth,” said Binit Somaia, a Sydney-based analyst for the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. “Even if you can find the pilots, you have to pay top dollar for them because they are so scarce.”
China, the world’s fastest-growing major aviation market, likely will account for a third of the region’s orders, Airbus, the world’s biggest aircraft maker, said in February. Its economy will grow 10.5 percent this year, compared with world growth of 4.6 percent, according to International Monetary Fund estimates.
India, with estimated growth of 9.4 percent this year, may overtake China as the world’s fastest-growing major economy as early as 2013, according to Morgan Stanley.
This year, the region’s carriers ordered 133 commercial jets with more than 100 seats, or 23 percent of the global total, according to Ascend Worldwide Ltd., a London-based aviation forecaster and data provider.
“There will be a shortage of pilots, and this is going to last for a while because it takes time to produce a good pilot,” said Elmer Pena, president of the Airline Pilots Association of the Philippines.
Philippine Airlines Inc. canceled flights in July and August and rebooked passengers after losing 27 pilots to higher paying jobs abroad.
The demand in Asia contrasts with the 4,500 U.S. airline pilots on furlough, according to figures compiled by Kit Darby, a retired United Airlines pilot now running an Atlanta-based consulting firm.
That situation shouldn’t last long. The global fleet of cargo and large passenger planes will double to nearly 32,000 by 2028 from 15,750 last year, according to Airbus.
The major U.S. airlines are expected to hire more than 40,000 pilots in the next 12 years, said Louis Smith, president of FltOps.com, which provides career counseling services and sponsors job fairs.
World passenger traffic is expected to increase an average of 4.7 percent a year between 2009 and 2028, according to Airbus.
Emirates is the largest Arab airline with more than 200 planes on order. It aims to recruit 250 pilots this year and double that number in 2011, it said in a statement.
The company, which needs more than $28 billion through 2017 for expansion, sought to recruit in Houston, Madrid and Singapore.
Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong’s biggest carrier, will recruit 1,000 people, including crew, Chief Operating Officer John Slosar said. PT Garuda Indonesia placed a newspaper advertisement last month seeking pilots “fluent in English and of good character.” Jetstar, the budget arm of Qantas, plans to recruit 120 more pilots by next summer.
Singapore Airlines Ltd. and AirAsia, based near Kuala Lumpur, set up their own tuition-free training academies. Singapore Air’s flying college graduates about 150 cadet pilots a year, while AirAsia’s facility trains as many as 500 a year.
Graduates must stay with the budget carrier for five years, AirAsia Chief Executive Officer Tony Fernandes said.
New flight schools also are opening. CAPA is investing at least $125 million to build an aerospace university in India that can train about 300 pilots a year, Somaia said.
The shortage, and hiring by a new crop of budget carriers, also could push wages higher.
“There is a misconception that low-cost airlines pay lower salaries,” said Tony Davis, chief executive officer of budget carrier Tiger Airways Holdings Ltd., part-owned by Singapore Air “We couldn’t do that in a competitive market.”
Basic pay for Singapore Air captains flying twin-aisle Boeing 777s or the Airbus A330s begin at S$9,300 ($6,870) a month, excluding allowances, said P. James, president of the Air Line Pilots Association of Singapore. They also earn a productivity allowance of as much as S$3,800 for flying 70 hours a month.
Emirates offers a starting monthly salary of 34,410 dirhams ($9,370) for captains, according to its website. That excludes benefits such as hourly flying and productivity payments.
Its other perks include a tax-free basic salary, profit sharing, villas for captains and free dry cleaning of uniforms, its website said. Those incentives help attract candidates to an increasingly demanding job, said Barry Jackson, president of the Australian and International Pilots Association, who has been a pilot at Qantas since 1987.
“Young people these days prefer to become doctors or lawyers,” he said. “This sort of career path is becoming less desirable.”
GE Capital Aviation Services says it has ordered 40 Boeing 737-800 planes for $3 billion at list prices.
The deal announced at the Farnborough International Airshow on Monday follows orders for other Airbus and Boeing commercial aircraft from Emirates airline and newly created leasing company Air Lease Corp. — raising hopes the aviation market is improving after a two-year downturn.
Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker says his company has ordered three business jets from Canadian manufacturer Bombardier. In a press conference Monday, he announced an order for two Global 5000 aircraft and a last minute addition a Challenger 605. The deal is worth $122 million at list prices, although airlines often negotiate substantial discounts. Al Baker says Qatar Airways is still talking to Bombardier about buying its C-Series commercial jet, but was not able to conclude a deal at the airshow.
Boeing and Dubai-based Emirates Airlines today announced an order for 30 Boeing 777-300ERs (Extended Range) at the 2010 Farnborough International Airshow. Eighteen of these were previously attributed to an unidentified customer on Boeing's Orders and Deliveries website. Emirates is already the world's largest 777 operator with a fleet of 86 777s through direct purchase and lease, plus an additional 16 777-300ERs previously on order. It is also the only airline in the world to operate every model in the Boeing 777 family, including the 777 Freighter. "Since we took delivery of our first 777 14 years ago, the airplane's reliability, performance and operating economics have firmly established it as the backbone of our fleet," said His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and chief executive, Emirates Airline and Group.
"Our decision to further expand our 777 fleet reflects our plans to continue to build our fleet of the future and grow our expansive global network, which already spans six continents. It also demonstrates our commitment to operating a modern fleet that not only enhances the passenger experience but our operational efficiency as well." Emirates took delivery of its first Boeing 777, a 777-200, in 1996, and since then the airline has deployed the 777 on short-, medium- and long-haul routes.
"Emirates is today one of the world's leading airlines. Its growth over the years has established it as a truly global force in the aviation industry," said Jim Albaugh, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "Emirates has played an important role in the success of the 777 with its strong support and valuable feedback over the years. Today's order underscores the airline's confidence in the airplane which forms the backbone of its fleet. For that we are very grateful." The Boeing 777 is the world's most successful twin-engine, long-haul airplane. The 777-300ER extends the 777 family's span of capabilities, bringing twin-engine efficiency and reliability to the long-range market. The airplane carries 365 passengers up to 7,930 nautical miles (14,685 km). Boeing incorporated several performance enhancements for the 777-300ER, extending its range and payload capabilities. Excellent performance during flight testing, combined with engine efficiency improvements and design changes that reduce drag and airplane weight, contributed to the increased capability.
Emirates airline is set to place a $5 billion order for 20 Boeing B777 wide-body jets, aviation sources said on Saturday.The order could be a key feature of the opening day of the July 19-25 Farnborough air show on Monday, when the Dubai-based airline is expecteded to hold a news conference. Boeing declined to comment.
An order for 20 of the latest model of 777s, which seats 365 passengers, would be worth $5.4 billion at list prices. Emirates, the largest airline in the Arab world, placed an order for 32 Airbus A380s at the Berlin air show last month and said it was likely to order more aircraft soon.
Two largest airlines are gearing up for one of the biggest recruitment drives in aviation history, with plans to hire 80,000 pilots, cabin crew and other staff over the next decade.
The immense growth in hiring at Emirates airline and Etihad Airways comes at a tough time for the industry in many other parts of the world. The UAE carriers’ extra staff will be needed to operate hundreds of new aircraft that are on order. The number of aircraft being bought is expected to increase this month when representatives of the region’s big carriers gather at the Farnborough International Airshow to announce their latest orders, the report said. In Abu Dhabi, Etihad is already one of the largest employers, with about 8,000 staff. By 2020, when all of its planes have been delivered, it should have 27,000 employees.
Emirates Group has even greater staffing needs. The company, which includes the airline and a global network of ground handling, travel and ticketing agencies, will double in size by 2020 to a fleet of about 300 aircraft, from 149 today, “It took us 25 years to get to 40,000 employees, but in the next 10 years we will double that to 80,000,” said Rick Helliwell, the vice-president of recruitment at Emirates. Factoring in current employees who retire or move on, Emirates will require more than 60,000 new employees over the decade, including 2,500 pilots and 20,000 cabin crew, Mr Helliwell said.
Airbus has now bagged a fresh order from Emirates for 32 more A380 super jumbo jets. Emirates had its first A380 in 2008 and since then has taken deliveries of 9 more super jumbos, which takes the tally to 10 A380's with Emirates. It has further 58 deliveries of the super jumbo pending. Now Emirates has placed a fresh order of another 32 more of the super jumbos. All these aircrafts including the previous 58 are expected to be delivered within 2017. The list price of the 32 aircrafts is estimated to be around $11 billion.
Looks like TAM, Brazil's largest air carrier has placed order for 25 brand new Airbus aircraft's at the European air show. The orders include 20 A320 single aisle aircrafts and 5 A350 wide body aircrafts, this news is yet to be officially confirmed by the TAM officials and the Airbus officials denied to comment on this issue. If Airbus bags this order then the list price of these 25 aircrafts is almost $3 billion.Sources confirmed that Airbus has bagged an $11 billion deal from Emirates for A380 super jumbo jets.
Dubai based Emirates Airlines is all set to hire at least 700 pilots in the next 18 months. Thats suppose to be a very good news for all pilots across the globe who are job hunting. Emirates hopes that the increasing demand for air travel post recession has encouraged them to launch few more new destination's across the world. Emirates is all set to add 6 more new aircraft's to its existing fleet of 147 this year and more in the following years. After taking delivery of its 10th A380 its president said that Emirates has rapid expansion plans and the airline industry is scaling back to the heights in which it was 3 years ago. The rapid expansion plan of Emirates mean more to its right seat pilots where they can jump on to the left quickly.
The DGCA has found cracks inside the Emirates flight that took a plunge on sunday loosing almost 18,500 feet.
The flight which was carrying 350 passengers and 14 crew was hit by a Clear Air Turbulence (CAT). The incident had almost lasted for 15 seconds, the investigators in this incident think that the gravitational force and the oscillation the B777 experienced during the CAT might be the key reason for the cracks developed.
A major air disaster was on the cards on Sunday morning, thanks to the pilot. A B777 Emirates flight bound to Kochi from Dubai with 350 passengers and 14 crew on board was hit by an air pocket. Passengers and the crew on board suffered anxious moments, it is learnt that the plane hit an air pocket at 20,000 feet and it went into a free fall and lost 18,500 feet before the pilot could regain controls of the aircraft at 1500 feet AGL and landed the aircraft safely at Kochi Intl airport.
The DGCA has launched an inquiry into the incident and has also grounded the aircraft. All passengers where examined by doctors at the Kochi airport and it was reported that 23 passengers were injured.
