Bahrain’s Gulf Air has ordered 29 Airbus A320 aircraft, as the airline seeks to modernise its fleet to more fuel efficient aircraft.
The order, which was made at the Bahrain Air show on Thursday, included 17 A321neo and 12 A320neo — which comes in addition to 10 A320neo that were confirmed in 2012. The total value of the 29 aircraft is $3.4 billion. Aircraft delivery will start from 2018.
According to Airbus, the A320neo family has a 60 per cent market share of single aisle planes, as about 4,500 orders were received from 80 customers.
Separately, Gulf Air said it will secure 16 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners in a restructured order worth $4.2 billion. Delivery of the Dreamliners will start from the second quarter of 2018.
The 16 Dreamliners will replace a previous order of 16 Boeing 787-8 aircraft.
The Dreamliner aircraft is gaining popularity among Gulf airlines. In December, Etihad Airways said it will deploy the aircraft on five routes in 2016, as the Boeing 787 gradually becomes the Abu Dhabi carrier’s flagship long-haul aircraft.
Etihad expects to receive 66 of Boeing’s high-tech, fuel-efficient aircraft over the coming years. selgazzar@thenational.ae
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Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Notable cricketers and political careers
- India: Kirti Azad, Navjot Sidhu and Gautam Gambhir (rumoured)
- Pakistan: Imran Khan and Shahid Afridi (rumoured)
- Sri Lanka: Arjuna Ranatunga, Sanath Jayasuriya, Tillakaratne Dilshan (rumoured)
- Bangladesh (Mashrafe Mortaza)
The biog
Favourite food: Tabbouleh, greek salad and sushi
Favourite TV show: That 70s Show
Favourite animal: Ferrets, they are smart, sensitive, playful and loving
Favourite holiday destination: Seychelles, my resolution for 2020 is to visit as many spiritual retreats and animal shelters across the world as I can
Name of first pet: Eddy, a Persian cat that showed up at our home
Favourite dog breed: I love them all - if I had to pick Yorkshire terrier for small dogs and St Bernard's for big