logo
DAE delivers Boeing 737-800 to Kenya Airways

DAE delivers Boeing 737-800 to Kenya Airways

Zawya20-02-2025

Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE), a leading global aviation services corporation, on Wednesday (Feb 19) announced the delivery of one Boeing 737-800 aircraft to Kenya Airways during a ceremony in Nairobi.
The event was attended by Kenya's Cabinet Secretary, Davis Chirchir, along with members of the Kenya Airways' Board of Directors and Leadership Team, and members of the DAE Capital team.
Firoz Tarapore, Chief Executive Officer of DAE, said: 'We are pleased to announce the delivery of this aircraft to Kenya Airways, marking a significant milestone in our 20-year partnership and reaffirming our long-standing relationship.
"The addition of this Boeing 737-800 to Kenya Airways' fleet will help meet the growing demand for regional travel and further expand their network. We congratulate the Kenya Airways team on their continued success and look forward to supporting this partnership for years to come.'
Allan Kilavuka, Group Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of Kenya Airways, commented: 'We are committed to building a robust and modern fleet that supports our vision for growth. This lease agreement with DAE is a clear signal to the aviation industry that Kenya Airways is a reliable and forward-thinking partner. We invite other lessors to join us on this journey as we continue to expand our operations and strengthen our position in the global aviation market.'
DAE currently owns, manages, and is committed to own over 500 aircraft, including 196 from the Boeing 737 Family, with plans to further expand its fleet to meet growing market demand. - TradeArabia News Service
Copyright 2024 Al Hilal Publishing and Marketing Group Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Air India's 787 crash is a 'stress test' for Boeing's turnaround push
Air India's 787 crash is a 'stress test' for Boeing's turnaround push

The National

time2 hours ago

  • The National

Air India's 787 crash is a 'stress test' for Boeing's turnaround push

The deadly crash of an Air India 787 Dreamliner on Thursday will be a "stress test" for Boeing, which had made progress in rebuilding trust after a series of safety and production quality lapses. More than 240 people were killed when the aircraft bound for London's Gatwick Airport crashed moments after taking off from Ahmedabad Airport, in western India, authorities said, in the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. The accident complicates the efforts of Boeing chief executive Kelly Ortberg in leading a complex turnaround of the company, after the US plane maker hit its production targets on the 737 Max in May and gained the approval of key airline customers in recent months. "It is a defining stress test for Boeing's leadership, values and long-term licence to lead in global aviation," Linus Bauer, founder and managing director of consultancy BAA & Partners, told The National. He said Mr Ortberg has made "admirable early progress: stabilising production, restoring FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] dialogue, and championing a cultural shift toward engineering integrity. But now, abstract strategy must meet operational accountability". Regulators, airline customers and the flying public will now all be watching closely how Boeing's leadership handles the latest incident. "His handling of this crisis – how he leads the investigation, communicates transparently, and embeds lessons into Boeing's systems – will either validate or undermine the credibility of the turnaround narrative," Mr Bauer added. No indication of a design flaw Boeing's stock retreated 4.8 per cent on Thursday at the market close. But aviation analysts said there are no indications of a 787 design flaw, given the plane was delivered to Air India in 2014 and had more than 41,000 hours of flying time. "We don't know much about this tragedy so far, but what we do know indicates that it's unlikely to be due to the aircraft itself," Richard Aboulafia, managing director of Washington-based AeroDynamic Advisory, told The National. "With around 1,200 [Dreamliner] aircraft flying, and 16 years of operational experience with no crashes, it's unlikely to be a design issue. This particular aircraft is old enough to say it's unlikely to be a manufacturing issue." Some non-design related explanations may include a bird strike, maintenance error or human error, he added. Recovering the plane's black boxes – the electronic recording devices that store vital flight information – will provide a clearer picture. The crash marks the first accident involving a 787 and little is known about the cause so far. The aircraft crashed in Ahmedabad shortly after take off. The accident comes just before Boeing's top executives head next week to the Paris Airshow, where aircraft manufacturers typically announce big plane orders and showcase their latest products. It will be a prominent topic of discussion at the biennial expo as Mr Ortberg completes nearly one year at Boeing's helm this August. The Boeing boss, who had moved to Seattle to be closer to key manufacturing operations, has navigated the company through a labour strike and joined US President Donald Trump's delegation to the Gulf last month. He left the region with a huge haul that included a record order from Qatar Airways for up to 210 wide-body aircraft and a deal with Etihad Airways for 28 twin-aisle jets. 'Encouraging performance' Before the crash, airline chiefs highlighted early signs of improvement in Boeing's production rates and ability to deliver quality aircraft, marking gains in rebuilding its reputation and customer confidence. During an annual gathering of airline bosses held in New Delhi last week, top industry executives struck a more optimistic tone about indicators of progress by the embattled US plane maker in tackling jet quality breakdowns at its factories. "I'm particularly pleased, and certainly, the feedback that I've received from all the [airline] CEOs, is that Boeing's performance is encouraging people," Willie Walsh, director general of International Air Transport Association, said at a Middle East press briefing. "Everyone I've spoken to has been much more positive about the performance they're seeing from Boeing than certainly last year." In May, Boeing's monthly orders surged to their highest levels in more than year, recording 303 plane deliveries, the most since December 2023. A large chunk of these were announced during Mr Trump's Middle East visit. It also delivered 45 aircraft last month. These early signs of recovery come after a near-catastrophic accident at the start of 2024 plunged the company into crisis when a panel blew off on an airborne 737 Max operated by Alaska Airlines. In May, Boeing rolled out 38 of its 737 narrow-bodies, hitting a key production target that signalled the manufacturing of its best-selling jet is back on track. More predictability in deliveries The company is focused on stabilising production based on its commitments to safety and quality standards, Omar Arekat, Boeing's vice president of commercial sales and marketing for Middle East and Africa, told The National last week. Production stability is based on getting to the right rate that maintains the quality and safety commitments Boeing has pledged, while also meeting the delivery promises to its customers, he said. "We've been increasing our production and we've been producing airplanes that have been meeting the quality standards that we and our customers are targeting," Mr Arekat said. Asked when Boeing would ask the FAA to remove the production cap on the 737, he said: "We want to make sure that we are comfortable maintaining this rate, that we don't get ahead of ourselves and make sure all the KPIs [key performance indicators] are met at that rate and then we will consider talking to the FAA about the next level of production." Boeing is promising its customers more predictable delivery schedules after hand-over delays have left airlines exasperated about the inability to plan ahead and seize growth opportunities. "Customers have appreciated that slowly but surely we're getting there and meeting our commitments more predictably," Mr Arekat said. Emirates airline president Tim Clark has recently been more vocal in his criticism of Boeing's shortcoming as he faces a six-year wait for the debut of the 777X aircraft. But last week, Mr Clark said he is getting "clearer messages" from Boeing's leadership about that programme. 'I'm quite impressed with the energy, the concern they have about getting that done … that's why I was cautiously optimistic because they weren't just talking the talk, they were walking the talk,' Mr Clark told reporters in the Indian capital. Mr Ortberg has vowed to address safety and quality concerns and rebuild trust with regulators, workers and customers. Regional customer Oman Air is taking delivery of two 787 aircraft this year and then more widebodies in 2027. It also has a handful of 737 Maxs to be delivered by the first quarter of 2026. "From what I heard of the statistics in terms deliveries and how many of them were on time this year versus last year, I believe there's an improvement but it's still coming off a horrible base, so it's still not good," Oman Air chief executive Con Korfiatis told The National last week. The 787 coming within weeks was originally scheduled for delivery in 2022, he said, adding that it is unfair for airlines to bear the implications of suppliers' failures. 'A long way to go' Airlines and analysts have acknowledged that Boeing has a long pathway to recovery, despite initial signs of improvement. "Turning Boeing around is going to take a very long time and twelve months is but a drop on that journey," John Grant, senior analyst at OAG, told The National. "It's making progress, but has a long way to go." This will take restoring market confidence, rebuilding credibility, working with customers and delivering aircraft according to the revised schedules, he added. "Kelly Ortberg is the best CEO they've had in 20 years. They're far from out of the woods, and they still have big challenges, but they're making strong progress," Mr Aboulafia said. These challenges include managing high debt levels and catching up with Airbus on the middle-of-the market jet like the A321 Neo but it will take designing a new jet to do that, he said. 'Precarious' timing The first deadly crash for the 787 since it entered service in 2011 comes as Boeing is trying to recover from two crashes in 2018 and 2019 involving its 737 Max model as well as the Alaska Airlines incident last year.

Boeing shares drop nearly 5% after Air India crash
Boeing shares drop nearly 5% after Air India crash

The National

time3 hours ago

  • The National

Boeing shares drop nearly 5% after Air India crash

Boeing's stock price fell by almost 5 per cent on Thursday, after an Air India flight crashed in the Indian city of Ahmedabad. The plane, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner that had 242 people on board and was bound for London's Gatwick Airport, crashed shortly after take-off. According to air traffic control at the airport in Ahmedabad, the plane took off at 1.39pm (12.09pm UAE) from runway 23. It gave a 'mayday' call, signalling an emergency but there was no response after that. Boeing president Kelly Ortberg said that he has spoken with Air India chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran to offer the company full support, adding that Boeing "stands ready" to support the investigation being led by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau. "Our deepest condolences go out to the loved ones of the passengers and crew on board Air India Flight 171, as well as everyone affected in Ahmedabad," Mr Ortberg said. Boeing said it would defer to the AAIB to provide information about Air India Flight 171. The company's shares closed 4.79 per cent lower at $203.75 on Thursday after falling as much as 8 per cent during pre-market trading. Thursday's crash comes as the US plane maker is already trying to regain the trust of its airline customers after a series of safety setbacks in recent years. While aviation authorities are still investigating the cause of the Air India crash, analysts believe this will be a test for Boeing, given recent accidents involving its aircraft. However, this is the first time a Boeing 787 Dreamliner has crashed. "Today's tragedy comes just as Boeing thought it had put its problems behind it," Chris Beauchamp, analyst at UK-based IG Group, told The National. "And to make matters worse, from an investment perspective, the 787 is its flagship airliner, in demand around the globe. It changes the entire narrative around the company, back to the introspective mood that prevailed after previous crashes." This is also perhaps the first real challenge for Mr Ortberg, as he is about to finish a year at the helm, Mr Beauchamp added. Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at StrategicAero Research, said it was "too premature to speculate" over the reason for the Air India crash. "But it would suffice to say, airlines have been steadily regaining faith and trust in Boeing under its new leadership with Kelly Ortberg," he told The National. "Goodwill is not going to go away on the back of this crash, particularly as airlines and customers will be seeking answers as to why this happened in the first place and what can be done to prevent such an event happening again." His views were echoed by Kapil Kaul, chief executive and director, Capa India, a specialist aviation advisory and research business. "The Indian aviation sector has maintained a strong safety record, and it is important to recognise that it is too early to ascertain the reasons for this crash since potential causes may range from technical to operational factors, including the impact of bird strikes," Mr Kaul told The National. Until Thursday's crash the Dreamliner had maintained a strong safety record. There had been 171 incidents involving technical issues and glitches for the 787, according to data compiled by Aviation Safety Network. Indian airlines account for 14 of those. Boeing's other aircraft, however, have figured in a number of accidents, the most recent of which were crashes in 2018 and 2019, involving Indonesia's Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines, respectively, resulting in the deaths of 346 people. With the Air India crash, a total of 107 crashes have involved Boeing jets, according to industry tracker Air India has ramped up its fleet expansion under Tata Group, the Indian conglomerate that acquired the airline in 2022. At the 2023 Paris Airshow, Air India placed an order for 220 Boeing jets, including 190 737-Max aircraft, 20 Dreamliners and 10 of its 777X jets, in addition to signing options for another 50 737-Max jets and 20 787s. That was part of a broader 470 aircraft order alongside a 250-jet purchase from Boeing's European rival Airbus, which was worth $70 billion at that time. "Since privatisation, Air India has invested significantly in structurally enhancing the airline's air safety regime and maintains a relatively younger fleet – underscoring the importance of a thorough investigation into this accident," Mr Kaul said. The Air India aircraft involved in Thursday's deadly crash made its first flight on December 14, 2023, according to aviation data company Cirium. The aircraft, which is 11.5 years old and was manufactured in Seattle, was delivered to the Indian carrier on January 28, 2014. It had more than 41,000 hours of flying time, and nearly 8,000 take-offs and landings, including some 700 cycles in the past 12 months, which is average for that aircraft build year/period, Cirium data showed.

Qatar Prints Landmark 3D‑Built Schools at Scale
Qatar Prints Landmark 3D‑Built Schools at Scale

Arabian Post

time5 hours ago

  • Arabian Post

Qatar Prints Landmark 3D‑Built Schools at Scale

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Qatar has embarked on the printing stage of an ambitious architectural endeavour, deploying what are now the world's largest 3D construction printers to build two public schools. Spearheaded by UCC Holding alongside the Public Works Authority, Ashghal, the project forms part of a broader plan to erect 14 new educational facilities under a public–private partnership, but these two structures alone span 40,000 m²—roughly 40 times larger than any previous 3D‑printed building worldwide. Two custom-built BODXL printers supplied by Denmark's COBOD each measure 50 m in length, 30 m in width and 15 m in height—dimensions comparable to a Boeing 737 hangar—making them the largest construction printers ever deployed. The twin schools, each covering 20,000 m² on 100 × 100 m plots, are two-storey edifices designed to showcase scalable, next-gen educational infrastructure. ADVERTISEMENT Extensive preparatory work preceded the launch, including site development, printer assembly and more than 100 full‑scale test prints at a Doha-based trial site using a BOD2 printer. These trials refined concrete mix formulations suited to Qatar's hot climate and developed bespoke nozzles to enhance precision. In May 2025, UCC engineers trained with COBOD specialists in print sequencing, structural layering and on‑site quality management, cementing Qatar's local expertise in advanced construction technology. The project offers clear environmental and operational benefits over conventional construction. By reducing raw material waste, lowering concrete consumption and cutting carbon emissions, 3D printing aligns with sustainable development goals. On‑site production cuts transport requirements and supply chain risk, while round‑the‑clock printing—including overnight operations—helps avoid thermal stress, minimises dust and noise and accelerates timelines. Architectural design draws inspiration from Qatar's landscape: sweeping, dune‑inspired curves are possible only through 3D printing's geometric flexibility—a feat difficult and costly via traditional means. Scheduled to be completed by December 2025, the initiative is expected to redefine sustainable infrastructure while fortifying Qatar's position as a global innovation hub. Co‑founder of COBOD, Henrik Lund‑Nielsen, remarked that this marks both a technological milestone and an environmental turning point in building methodology. A spokesperson at UCC Holding said the venture 'sets a global benchmark' in construction, as Qatar continues to drive pioneering engineering projects across the Gulf.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store