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British Airways’ new Club World Suites business class revealed!

British Airways

British Airways has unveiled its highly-anticipated new business class seat – ‘Club Suite’ – and confirmed it will arrive on the first of its A350 aircraft in July.

The airline’s sophisticated and newly-branded ‘Club Suite’ offers direct-aisle access, a suite door for greater privacy and luxurious flat-bed seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. Boasting 40 per cent more storage, including a vanity unit and mirror, WiFi, enviable 18.5-inch inflight entertainment screens*, high definition gate-to-gate programming, and PC / USB power; every aspect of British Airways’ Club Suite has been designed for today’s customer.

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The A350 aircraft itself will also promote a feeling of well-being, space and calm due to its reduced noise levels, high ceilings and ambient lighting which is intended to compliment the time of day and outside light. Customers will leave their flight feeling rested thanks to higher levels of humidity and refreshed air as the cabin pressure is equivalent to an altitude of just 6,000 feet. There are also environmental benefits to flying on the state-of the-art A350 as 25 per cent lower fuel burn significantly reduces CO2 emissions.

As well as a new 56-seat Club World cabin, the three-cabin A350 will feature the latest World Traveller Plus cabin (56 seats) with new furnishings including a plush new pillow and warm quilt, new amenity kits and an enhanced service and an improved dining experience. The World Traveller (economy) cabin offers 219 seats. Customers will also benefit from high-speed WiFi, allowing travellers to browse the internet on their personal electronic devices.

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The airline, which is marking its centenary this year, will roll out the new suites in a carefully managed programme designed to minimise disruption to customers.

During phase one, the first A350 aircraft will start some short-haul flying between London and Madrid to allow the airline’s teams to perfect their customer service delivery and familiarise cabin crew with the aircraft layout.

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In phase two, from October 1, 2019, the aircraft will begin long-haul flying. During this period another three A350 aircraft will join the British Airways fleet and two Boeing 777 aircraft will also be retrofitted with the new cabin.

At the start of 2020 phase three will begin which will see British Airways rolling out its Club Suite on further long-haul aircraft across the network.

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As part of British Airways’ £6.5 billion investment for its customers, the airline is also delivering changes to itsFirst, World Traveller Plus and World Traveller cabins, delivering exceptional new restaurant-style catering from Do&Co, rolling out industry-leading Wi-Fi on board and opening new lounges across the world. New routes being launched this year include Osaka, Pittsburgh and Charleston.

 

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Airlines

Emirates Launches world class wine list for 2024

Emirates Launches world class wine list for 2024

This month, Emirates is launching a new selection of outstanding wines on board its international flights. This year, the airline invested over AED 186 million in wine and champagne.

Emirates has the largest wine cellar of any airline as a result of ongoing and deliberate investments in the onboard experience. The wine is currently housed in specialised facilities in France and numbers about 6 million bottles, some of which won’t be served until 2037.

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New fine wines onboard Emirates

Emirates will launch a range of the best white Burgundy wines in the upcoming months, including the esteemed Premier and Grand Crus varieties. Several Bordeaux First Growths, including those from the esteemed estates of Château Mouton Rothschild, Château Margaux, Château Haut-Brion, Château Cheval Blanc, and Château d’Yquem, will also be released by Emirates in the upcoming years. Emirates currently serves 36 different Champagnes and French wines on board its aircraft.

World-class wines for every cabin class

In Economy Class, Emirates offers one red and one white wine, both of exceptionally high quality. Recent additions include ‘AOP’ and ‘Biodynamic’ wines from M. Chapoutier, Domaines Baron de Rothschild, a South African Sauvignon Blanc from sustainability champion, Gabb family and Antinori Santa Cristina red wine.

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Emirates offers sparkling vintage wine, premium red wine, and premium white wine in Premium Economy. Emirates divides its wine selections into six regions for Business and First Class passengers: the UK and USA, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Australasia, and Asia. With this strategy, Emirates is able to provide passengers from these regions with wines that closely match their tastes and give them the chance to taste exceptional wines from the area.

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Aerospace

Airbus and BMW Group launch Quantum Mobility Quest

Airbus and BMW Group launch Quantum Computing Competition

Airbus and BMW Group have joined forces to initiate a groundbreaking global Quantum Computing Challenge named “The Quantum Mobility Quest.” This unprecedented collaboration aims to address longstanding challenges in aviation and automotive industries that traditional computers have been unable to overcome.

Marking a historic milestone, this challenge represents the inaugural endeavor of its kind, uniting two major players in their respective industries to leverage quantum technologies for tangible industrial applications. The objective is to unlock possibilities that can lead to the development of more efficient, sustainable, and secure solutions, shaping the future of transportation.

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Even the most advanced computers available today cannot perform some of the most complex operations. However, quantum computing has the potential to greatly increase computational power. This cutting-edge technology may be especially important in modelling different industrial and operational processes for data-driven industries such as transportation, providing avenues to influence the development of future mobility goods and services.

Prospective challengers are requested to choose one or more of the following problem statements: enhanced corrosion inhibition with quantum simulation, future automated mobility with quantum machine learning, more sustainable supply chain with quantum optimisation, and improved aerodynamics design with quantum solvers. Besides, applicants may submit their own quantum technologies, which could be used to create native applications in the transportation industry that yet to be explored in the transportation sector.

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By the end of 2024, a jury made up of top quantum experts from around the world will review the submitted proposals in collaboration with experts from Airbus, BMW Group, and AWS. The winning team in each of the five challenges will receive a €30,000 prize.

Registration opens today, and submissions will be accepted from mid-January through April 30, 2024 here: www.thequantuminsider.com/quantum-challenge.

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Britain announces stricter visa norms to reduce migration

Britain announces stricter visa norms to reduce migration

Recently, the UK government unveiled a comprehensive five-point plan that fundamentally alters the nation’s immigration laws. An overview of the main ideas and their consequences is given below.

  1. 1.Minimum Skilled Work Visa Salary Increase:
    • Skilled workers applying for visas must now earn a minimum of £38,700, a 47.7% increase from the previous threshold of £26,200.
    • The government aims to encourage businesses to prioritize British talent and reduce reliance on migration.
    • Health and care workers, as well as those on national pay scales, will have exemptions.
  2. 2.Minimum Income for Family Visas Increase:
    • The minimum income requirement for bringing family members or partners from abroad has increased to £38,700, up from £18,700.
    • Family visas are restricted to British or Irish citizens, individuals with settled or pre-settled status, and refugees with protection status.
  3. 3.Ban on Care Workers Bringing Family Dependents:
    • Overseas care workers will no longer be allowed to bring family dependents (spouse, civil partner, unmarried partner, and children under 18) to the UK.
    • The change aims to address perceived abuse of the health and care visa, with care firms sponsoring visa applications required to be regulated by the Care Quality Commission.
  4. 4.End of Discount on Minimum Salary for Shortage Occupation List:
    • The lower salary requirements (20% less than the going rate) for jobs on the shortage occupation list, designed to attract skilled workers, will be discontinued.
    • The government intends to crack down on cut-price labor from overseas, with a review of the types of jobs on the list.
  5. 5.Review of Graduate Visa Route:
    • The graduate visa route, allowing individuals to stay in the UK for two years after completing a course, will be reviewed to prevent abuse and safeguard the quality of UK higher education.
    • This follows earlier measures to tighten rules on overseas students bringing family members to the UK.
  6. 6.Healthcare Surcharge and Visa Application Fee Increases:
    • The immigration health surcharge, the annual fee visa holders pay for NHS access, will rise by 66% from £624 to £1,035.
    • Visa application fees have already increased, affecting work and visit visas (15%), family visas, settlement, and citizenship (20%), and student visas (35%).

These changes, which are scheduled to take effect in the upcoming months, are intended to prioritise homegrown talent, reshape the immigration landscape of the UK, and address perceived problems with the current system. But they’ve also brought up issues and problems for those affected by the new rules, like families and students.

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Airlines

Air India Revamps Aircraft Plans: Alters Order for 250 Airbus Jets

Air India to take legal action and impose fine on unruly passengers, to charge Rs 5 lakh for 1 hour delay

According to sources, Air India, which earlier this year made an order with Airbus for 250 aircraft, has revised the agreement to include more A321neo aircraft.

 Air India revised its contract with Airbus and will now purchase 140 A321neo and 70 A320neo. The deal for 40 A350s has also been modified.

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The source further stated that Air India had modified the order from six A350-900 and 34 A350-1000 aircraft to twenty A350-900 and twenty A350-1000 aircraft. We frequently assess our orders depending on business needs and possibilities, and we make the necessary revisions to the contract, according to an Air India representative. “It is up to our customers to disclose this strategy.

While narrow-body aircraft are mostly used for domestic travel, they can also be utilised for short- and medium-haul international flights, wide-body planes are typically utilized for long-haul and ultra-long-haul flights. Compared to the A320neo, the A321neo can accommodate more people and has a greater range. In a similar vein, the A350-1000 can carry more passengers and go farther than the A350-900.

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Air India has placed a combined order for 470 aircraft, of which 250 are with Airbus and the rest 220 were with Boeing. The Boeing order profile for Air India has not changed thus far.

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Airlines

SpiceJet plane forced to divert, seized by lessors in Dubai

SpiceJet plane forced to divert, seized by lessors in Dubai

A SpiceJet flight from Ahmedabad to Dubai was diverted minutes before landing and was taken over by a lessor on November 30, culminating in a dramatic sequence of events.

SpiceJet’s SG 15 took off from Ahmedabad at 12:12 a.m. and flew for three hours before receiving the order to divert to Dubai World Central (DWC), the second and less crowded airport in Dubai, about ten minutes from its original destination, Dubai International Airport. Lessors met the aircraft upon landing, waited for passengers to disembark, and then took control of the aircraft.

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In December 2018, the Boeing 737 NG aircraft was leased from Carlyle Aviation Partners. Since then, the aircraft has been grounded, according to data from the flightradar24.com website.

No response was received when a message was sent to a representative of Carlyle Aviation Partners, which acquired a 7.5% share in SpiceJet in February after its $100 million in dues were converted to equity. Industry sources, however, claimed that an engine lessor had secured a court order to ground the aircraft so that the engines could be removed.

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In May, several lessors, including Aircastle, Celestial Aviation, Wilmington Trust, and Willis Lease Finance Corporation, filed applications with the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) to initiate insolvency resolution proceedings against SpiceJet due to outstanding debts. Willis Lease Finance’s argument was recently rejected by the NCLT because it was the administrative agent and servicer acting on behalf of real lessors rather than an actual lessor.

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Aviation

Etihad & Emirates keen on acquiring stake in SriLankan Airlines

Etihad & Emirates keen on acquiring stake in SriLankan Airlines

The CEO of Sri Lankan Airlines claims that the airline is ready for privatization and that it has turned a profit for the first time in fifteen years. Investors from a variety of industries, including the aviation and non-aviation sectors, are interested in purchasing a portion of Sri Lankan Airlines.

A request for qualification (RFQ) has been sent out to draw in possible investors. With almost 99% of the airline presently held by the Sri Lankan government, the sale is expected to be completed by June of next year.

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Businesses from many nations, including India, are thinking about making investments. In September, speculations were mentioning Tata Sons, the Adani Group, and Emirates as possible suitors. However, Campbell Wilson, the CEO of Air India, denied these reports.

Richard Nuttall also mentioned that Gulf operators would gain a great deal from the airline’s convenient access to its neighbour in Asia. “India is the big prize for everybody,” he declared. He hinted that airlines such as Emirates, which formerly held 40 percent of SriLankan, may be among those that comply with the Colombo government’s desire to privatise the airline.

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With 23 Airbus planes and flights to 39 international locations, SriLankan Airlines is a major carrier of passengers between Sri Lanka and India. Sri Lankan designated carriers have unlimited access to most Indian cities, including major metropolitan regions, based on a merely liberal air services agreement between Sri Lanka and India.

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