Aviation

Top 6 Airlines With the Best Wine Lists by One world Alliance

In the wine-tasting awards, Oneworld delivers yet another significant victory. On 15 February 2024, Thursday: The oneworld® Alliance won the title of World’s Best Airline Alliance for the thirteenth consecutive year in an annual international tasting competition about wines served on board by member airlines.

Business Traveller’s Cellars won the Gold award in the Best Alliance category of the 38th annual Sky Awards in 2023.

Roger Blackburn, Vice President of Oneworld Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, accepted the award this week at a ceremony in London after judges blind-tasted more than 280 wines that 30 airlines had submitted for evaluation.

1. Best Business Class White, Best Business Class Red, Best Business Class Cellar, Best First Class Sparkling, Best First Class White, Best First Class Red, Best First Class Fortified / Dessert Wine, Best First Class Cellar, and Best Overall Cellar were among the nine categories in which oneworld member Qantas took home a record thirteen medals in 2024.

A number of airlines associated with Oneworld were also granted medals in the Cellars in the Sky Awards: 2. American Airlines was awarded a Silver Rosé in the First Class category.

3. Silver in First Class Sparkling, Bronze in First Class Rosé, and Silver in First Class Red awards were won by British Airways.

4. Japan Airlines received bronze medals in the First Class Best Wine List and First Class White categories.

5. Malaysia Airlines took home three awards: Silver in the First Class Cellar category, Bronze in the First Class Sparkling category, and Gold in the First Class White category.

6.Qatar Airways won a Bronze in First Class Fortified/Dessert Wine, a Silver in Business Class Cellar, a Bronze in Business Class White, a Silver in Business Class Cellar, and an Overall Cellar award.

Airlines are eligible to compete for awards in any category as long as they can enter two red and white wines, a rosé, a sparkling wine, a fortified or dessert wine, and serve wine in business or first class on mid- or long-haul routes.

Aviation

Airbus Alters Production Schedule Due to Engine Supply Difficulties

In a significant development for Airbus, the aerospace giant has announced adjustments to its 2024 delivery targets and production timelines, citing severe disruptions in engine supplies as a primary cause.

Airbus lowered its 2024 delivery target

Originally aiming to deliver approximately 800 airplanes in 2024, Airbus has revised this figure downwards to around 770 aircraft. This reduction follows ongoing challenges in its supply chain, exacerbated by lingering pandemic impacts and heightened parts shortages.

Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury acknowledged the headwinds faced by the company, stressing the necessity to address these issues directly. “We are facing headwinds right now; we have to bite the bullet,” Faury remarked during a briefing with analysts.

The revised projections also include a delay in achieving a production rate of 75 narrow-body A320-family jets per month, now pushed back to 2027 from the initially planned 2026. The root of these setbacks lies partly in critical engine shortages affecting Airbus’s popular A320neo family, a direct competitor to Boeing’s 737 MAX.

Faces increased parts shortages and output delays.

Faury highlighted that engine supplies for wide-bodied jets, particularly the A330neo, have also experienced delays, albeit without impacting the A350 production timeline.

To mitigate these challenges, Airbus is reportedly in discussions with Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc. to potentially acquire portions of its aerospace business, aiming to bolster its supply chain resilience. Despite these strategic adjustments, Airbus remains steadfast in fulfilling its long-term order commitments, boasting a sold-out production schedule through the end of the decade.

The industry-wide struggle to stabilize supply chains post-pandemic has further compounded Airbus’s operational hurdles. Issues ranging from labor shortages to financial instability among suppliers continue to strain production capacities across the aviation sector.