Earlier this month, Air Algérie placed an order to purchase seven planes from Airbus. At the ongoing Paris Air Show, Algeria’s national carrier has confirmed that it will buy ten aircraft from Boeing. Out of the lot, eight would be the 737-9 jets and two 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighters, catering to the increasing cargo demand in the region. Air Algérie already operates over 30 737-600 and 737-800 jets. The 737-9 will help the airline carry more passengers, which should help increase profitability. The newly ordered aircraft can accommodate 193 passengers in a two-class configuration with a range of 3,300 nautical miles (6,111 km/3,798 miles).

At the ongoing Paris Air Show, Airbus has been super busying gulping orders from around the world. Besides bagging deals from India’s Indigo, Air Mauritius and Saudi Arabia’s flynas, the European aircraft manufacturer has also inked an agreement with Qantas. It’s an incremental order to supply nine A220-300 units to the Australian carrier, bringing the total order count for the single-aisle aircraft to 29. Qantas will take delivery of the first A220 by the end of the year, which will serve the airliner’s domestic routes. Qantas initially shortlisted the said planes as part of its fleet refreshment drive announcement last May, including orders for the A321XLR and A350-1000.

India’s largest carrier by fleet count and market share, Indigo, has shattered the records for a single aircraft purchase order. The airline has ordered 500 planes from the Airbus A320 family, the biggest ever in commercial aviation history. The latest order takes the total number of Airbus aircraft on order by the Indian airline to 1,330, making it the world’s biggest A320 family operator. The first A320neo plane was delivered to Indigo in March 2016, with the first order placed with the European aeroplane maker in 2005 for 100 A320 units. The pocket-friendly carrier’s second order came in 2011 for an additional 180 A320 planes, including the NEO, followed by the third in 2014 (250neo family) and the fourth in 2019 (300 A320neo family). Indigo currently has 264 aircraft operational – 162 A320neos, 79 A321neos, 21 A320ceos and 2 A321 freighters.

One of the Middle East’s low-cost airlines, flynas, has extended its business with Airbus. The Saudi Arabia-based carrier has ordered 30 new A320neo aircraft, taking the total order with Airbus to 120 A320neo planes, 10 of which are A321XLRs. The new agreement was inked at the ongoing Paris Air Show. flynas’ entire fleet consists of Airbus aeroplanes, and it was the first carrier in Saudi Arabia to acquire the A320neo. Presently, it operates 32 A320neos, 12 A320ceos and 4 A330-300s.

Boeing and CAE have inked an agreement which makes the latter a Boeing Authorised Training Provider and the first to offer the aircraft maker’s Competency-Based Training and Assessment (CBTA) curriculum. The program focuses on developing and evaluating skills, knowledge and behaviours vital for pilots to fly aircraft safely and efficiently in the commercial sector. The training includes using digital tools and flight operations data to customise training for each individual. The first CAE locations to implement Boeing’s curriculum will be in India, with expansion expected into other markets worldwide. The American company will provide the CBTA course through its global training campuses in Seattle, Miami, London (Gatwick), Shanghai and Singapore, and customer locations.

To expand its reach into Europe and South Asia, Air Mauritius has placed an order to purchase three Airbus A350 aircraft. The new aeroplanes will take the count of the A350 fleet up to seven for the East-African airline. Besides those, the carrier also operates four Airbus A330 planes. The aircraft maker claims the A350 is the long-range leader in the 350-410 seater category, offering a non-stop flying range of up to 9,700 nautical miles, equating to 17,964km or 11,163 miles.