Carry on: First A350 XWB, Virgin buys Tiger Australia, Grand Cru in business and more

Qatar's first A350 completes maiden flight
Airbus has successfully completed the maiden flight of the first customer A350-900, which will be delivered to Qatar Airways. The flight was the first time an A350 XWB configured for a customer has taken to the sky. Qatar’s A350 XWB will continue its production phase before delivery; this includes cabin completion as well as further ground and flight tests. Qatar expects to become the first operator of the A350 XWB – widely viewed as a competitor to the Boeing Dreamliner – later this year.

Dollar buys rests of Tiger Australia
Virgin Australia will spend just one dollar to buy the remaining 40% of shares in loss-making budget airline Tiger Australia from Singapore’s Tiger Airways Holdings. As part of the acquisition, Virgin Australia will gain brand rights to fly Tiger Australia to short-haul international destinations within Asia.

“Given the ongoing subdued consumer demand in the Australian domestic market, the growth of the Tigerair Australia domestic fleet is likely to be reduced,” Virgin CEO John Borghetti says. “Under this proposed transaction, we will benefit from the economies and achieve profitability ahead of schedule by the end of 2016 by leveraging the resources of the Virgin Australia Group.”

Virgin Atlantic gains first Dreamliner
Virgin Atlantic Airways has taken delivery of Europe’s first Boeing 787-9 and plans to operate it initially on its London Heathrow to Boston route. Based out of London's Gatwick and Heathrow airports, as well as Manchester and Glasgow airports, Virgin Atlantic Airways operates a fleet of approximately 40 airplanes. It also has a Boeing fleet of 12 747-400s operating on routes across North America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia.

Boeing reveals big Garuda order
Boeing has identified Garuda Indonesia as the previously undisclosed buyer order for 50 737 MAX 8s, valued at $US4.9 billion at list prices. Garuda operates 77 Boeing 737s. Four of the ordered aircraft are conversions of existing orders for four Next-Generation 737-800s.

Budget airline plans still live
Air France-KLM says it will pressing ahead with expansion of its low cost brand in France and has a back-up plan if a deadlock with pilots continues. Chairman and chief executive officer Alexandre de Juniac says: “Our proposals remain on the table.". Pilots ended the airline's longest strike since 1998 in late September despite continued deadlock with managers over the development of the firm's low-cost operations. The strike cost up to €500 million ($807.5 million), enough to wipe more than a fifth off its estimated full-year core profit.

Grand Cru Champagne in business class
Singapore Airlines had added to its in-flight business class Champagne offering with Taittinger Prelude Grands Crus. It is made from an equal portion of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes from the Taittinger family’s Grand Cru vineyards then cellar-aged for more than five years. The airline's wine panel now boasts legendary Australian critic Oz Clarke, as well as Michael Hill-Smith, the first Australian Master of Wine, and Jeannie Cho Lee, the first Asian Master of Wine Singapore Airlines serves round 194,000 bottles of champagne a year and is the only airline that serves the rare and highly coveted Grand Cru Red Burgundy and two prestige cuvées, Dom Perignon and Krug Grand Cuvée, in tandem.

Route news of the week
Ethiopian Airlines is planning to begin a service between Addis Ababa and Los Angeles via Dublin in June 2015. This will be the only direct service connecting Africa with Ireland and the West Coast of the US. Similarly, the flights will be the only non-stop service between Dublin and Los Angeles. The thrice-weekly service will use a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. Singapore’s Tigerair is closing its services to Bandung (Indonesia), Phnom Penh (Cambodia) and Perth. The last flight to Perth will be on February 7, 2015, with Bandung ending on October 25 and Phnom Penh on November 11.