Latest news with #Rolls‑Royce
Arabian Post
5 days ago
- Business
- Arabian Post
Gulf Air Expands Fleet with 18 Boeing 787s Powered by GE Engines
Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa has secured a deal for Gulf Air to acquire 18 Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft fitted with General Electric engines, marking a departure from the carrier's previous reliance on Rolls‑Royce engines. At a meeting held in Washington with U. S. President Donald Trump, the agreement was signed alongside a broader $17 billion suite of investments from Bahrain in the United States. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick estimated the aviation component alone at around $7 billion, with support for some 30,000 American jobs. The state-run Bahrain News Agency confirmed that all 18 aircraft will be supplied under the deal. Under terms agreed with Boeing and GE Aerospace, 12 of the 787s will be delivered as firm orders, with options to add a further six jets. Additionally, the arrangement includes up to 40 GE engines. Based on precedents, analysts estimate the aircraft element to be worth approximately $2.8 billion. ADVERTISEMENT This marks Gulf Air's first significant pivot away from Rolls‑Royce, which currently powers its fleet of 10 Dreamliners. Gulf Air CEO Jeffrey Goh has previously expressed concerns about the Rolls‑Royce Trent 1000's reliability issues, indicating this switch may enhance operational stability and reduce maintenance overheads. Industry observers note such engine shifts are not uncommon. The Boeing 787 was designed with interchangeable engine interfaces to accommodate either GE's GEnx or Rolls‑Royce's Trent 1000, simplifying transitions between manufacturers. The deal coincides with Gulf Air's strategic expansion, including resuming direct flights to New York's JFK from October, operated by the new 787‑9 aircraft. With plans to grow its network by 25 percent over five years, the carrier aims to boost connectivity to major financial and leisure hubs. U. S. Commerce Secretary Lutnick celebrated the sale, calling it a testament to American industrial and technological strength. Meanwhile, Crown Prince Salman stressed the authenticity of the deal, stating, 'These aren't fake deals,' and describing Gulf Air's move as both a fleet modernisation and a strategic step for Bahrain's aviation ambitions. Beyond aviation, Bahrain pledged further investments in U. S. energy, technology, manufacturing, and security sectors. These include initiatives to enhance domestic aluminium production, LNG output, AI chip partnerships, and server infrastructure supported by firms like Oracle and Cisco. A memorandum of understanding on commercial nuclear power development was also signed. The announcement follows a wave of Gulf deals brokered during Trump's Middle East diplomacy. In May, Qatar placed Boeing orders valued at $96 billion across wide-body fleets, Saudi Arabia committed $600 billion in U. S. investment pledges, while the UAE agreed to a $14.5 billion order for Boeing 787 and 777X jets. Gulf Air's move to GE engines aligns with efforts to enhance reliability and streamline maintenance—a shift driven by enduring technical issues with the Trent 1000 that had led to flight cancellations and frequency reductions. GE's GEnx engines are noted for improved fuel efficiency, lower parts count, extended on-wing time, and reduced maintenance needs—reportedly 15 percent more fuel-efficient than their CF6 predecessors. As part of the larger economic package, Bahrain's king is scheduled to visit Washington later this year to finalise the agreements and reinforce the partnership with the United States.
Daily Mirror
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Noel Gallagher's brutal split with Meg Mathews as she reaches out before tour
Meg Mathews and Noel Gallagher were the ultimate 90s It couple - here we look back on what went wrong for the now friendly exes Meg Mathews claimed she suffered from PTSD after her brutal split from Noel Gallagher 25 years ago when he allegedly cheated on her. But it looks like the exes - who share 25-year-old daughter Anais - are on good terms these days. As the countdown to the Oasis reunion tour begins this week - with their first comeback gig kicking off in Cardiff on Friday, July 4 - Meg has been posting throwback snaps with her former husband, who she was married to from 1997 to 2001. Sharing a snap of her and Noel kissing, the 59-year-old wrote: "Throwback to the 90s when gigs were everything and my hair was questionable. After 100's of DM's asking for old photos I decided to do a count down from my favourite oasis Gigs. This is main road 1996." Another showed the pair larking around on the bonnet of a Rolls-Royce, which Meg later bought. She wrote: "Sitting on my Rolls‑Royce thinking I was Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock, and nearly having a panic attack 'cos I'd been up all night drinking, and going, 'Yeah! I'll take it. Where do I sign?'" One candid snap of the pair on holiday together shows Noel blowing up an inflatable football round the pool, which later ended up being a prop at one of their gigs. Meg explained: "Noel here getting ready for the first Gig … A week tomorrow Oasis are back,In 1996 During their legendary Knebworth performances August 10–11, they launched huge inflatable footballs into the audience as part of their upbeat intro before launching into songs like Columbia, Acquiesce, and Supersonic #2025Tour." Her latest throwback post was a montage of pics of her and Noel, 58, which she simply captioned: "Oasis count Down MAD FOR IT …" The posts promoted fans to ask: "Please tell us you are back together again." Another wrote: "You and Noel Gallagher are so beautiful." A third said: "So nice to see you still love and support your ex. So healthy to have that bond. Especially when you have a beautiful daughter together." But the exes weren't always so friendly. They reportedly met when Meg was living in London with MTV presenter Rebecca de Ruvo back in 1994. Though Noel was dating Rebecca at the time, he eventually left her for Meg. Meg and Noel married in Las Vegas in June 1997 and welcomed their only child, daughter Anais in January 2000. But by 2001 they were divorced after Noel apparently cheated on her with second wife Sara MacDonald, who he met in Ibiza nightclub Space in 2000. The news came just eight months after the birth of their daughter. Noel later claimed he made up the cheating claims to help speed up his divorce. Meg got a reported £4 million divorce settlement but claimed the split left her with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Hard partying Meg, who was part of the infamous Primrose Hill set with Kate Moss and Sadie Frost, is said to have suffered a meltdown. During a 2020 interview with the Irish Mirror, Meg said: "I came through the marriage. Everything was public. At the end of the day I did not have the cog or the PR world that that person (Noel) had. "I was just the ex-wife. I had nobody. I didn't know what to do. I didn't have a press agent, wasn't famous, I just had a daughter. "I used to get terrible PTSD. In 1997 I was the third most written about woman. It was Lady Diana, The Spice Girls and me." Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder include flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety and difficulty sleeping. Meg revealed her boozing had spiralled out of control and in 2007 she checked herself into rehab. It was then she decided to stop partying - but rehab also helped her finally come to terms with her divorce. She told The Sun: "I was in my early 40s when I realised that partying wasn't for me any more and I had to get myself into a better situation. 'You can't go on living like that forever, staying up all night, not eating properly, drinking. I had some really great times and I don't regret any of it, but there comes a time when enough is enough. I don't want to be a 55-year-old staggering about." She added: "I hadn't dealt with my divorce. I was heartbroken about me and Noel, but I couldn't let anyone see how badly it hurt me. So for five years I pretended that it didn't matter. I had to learn to let all that go, all the anger and bitterness and emotion." These days Meg still has famous mates like Kate Moss, though she lives a quieter life in Cornwall and has carved out a new career for herself as a menopause campaigner. And she's thought to be single these days, so could a Meg and Noel reunion be on the cards? The fans are mad for it.
