Qatar Airways has finalised an order for 25 Boeing 737 Max 10s, filling a gap left by Airbus's cancellation of the Middle Eastern carrier's A321neo order. The deal for the Max's largest variant follows a memorandum of understanding signed by the US airframer and Qatar's flag carrier in January in Washington DC. "We are honoured that Qatar Airways has decided to add Boeing's single-aisle family to its fleet, deepening our relationship with this world-class airline," states Boeing Commercial Airplanes chief executive Stan Deal. "The 737-10 is ideally suited for Qatar Airways' regional network and will provide the carrier with the most capable, most fuel-efficient airplane in its class." Airbus's decision in January to terminate a Qatar Airways order for 50 A321neos came amid a dispute over premature surface degradation on some A350s. In April, the UK's High Court dismissed the airline's request that Airbus be compelled to continue delivery of the aircraft, enabling the European airframer to offer them to other customers. The Max 10 has seating capacity for 230 passengers and a range of 3,300 miles.

Ryanair has disclosed agreements on "post-Covid pay restoration" with unions representing pilots in France and Spain.
The deals with France's SNPL and Spain's SEPLA will go some way toward allaying fears of disruption in two of Ryanair's key markets, as many European airlines face strike action this summer. Unions representing some Ryanair cabin crew in Spain have said they will strike across 12 days this summer, Euronews has reported, although previous action by these organisations appear to have had minimal impact. Meanwhile, pilots in France and Belgium have announced strike dates for 23 and 24 July, according to Reuters. "While the recovery from the impact of the pandemic is still ongoing and our industry faces significant challenges, this long-term agreement delivers stability, accelerated pay restoration, future pay increases and other benefit improvements for pilots," states Ryanair’s people director Darrell Hughes. "While all of our pilots across our European network are covered by 2020 Emergency Agreements, we continue to work with our pilots and their unions on new deals, similar to those concluded with SEPLA and SNPL, and have now successfully renegotiated accelerated pay restoration and improved long-term agreements with over 85% of our pilots." Ryanair plans to reach 115% of its pre-Covid capacity this year and is therefore seeking to seal renegotiated agreements as a firm foundation for growth. The new accelerated deals also provide for pay enhancements and other benefits beyond full restoration of pay.

Boeing has recruited Virgin Atlantic, Corendon Dutch Airlines and Albawings as new customers for its Jeppesen FliteDeck Advisor digital solution. The airlines will use the software to optimise operational efficiency and reduce fuel consumption across their fleets of Boeing aircraft, the US airframer says. FliteDeck Advisor enables flightcrew to make small, real-time adjustments to their course, altitude and speed to optimise fuel use and thereby reduce emissions, adds Boeing. Virgin Atlantic selected the software after conducting a three-month trial on 787s. Boeing says the UK airline found that the solution delivered cruise fuel savings of 1.7%, reducing per-flight CO2 emissions by 1,900kg. Corendon and Albawings have signed for additional digital solutions beyond FliteDeck Advisor. The Dutch carrier will use the airframer's Fuel Dashboard application, offering a fleet view of operational fuel consumption, while Albanian low-cost carrier Albawings is to expand its use of Boeing Maintenance Performance Toolbox. "We know that our customers are committed to achieving sustainability targets for their aircraft, and our suite of digital solutions are ready to deliver fuel reductions and track emissions," states Boeing Global Services' vice-president of digital aviation solutions Duane Wehking. "Together, our partnership will make a difference in meeting our industry’s shared commitment to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050."