Boeing B747-8 Intercontinental takes flight; Qatar Airways questions A320neo
Boeing conducted a maiden test flight of the B747-8 Intercontinental on 20-Mar-2011. The aircraft conducted a four-hour 25-minute test flight from Paine Field in Everett, Washington, before landing at Boeing Field in Seattle. The flight test programme for the aircraft is expected to finish in 4Q2011 and will cover more than 600 hours of flying. Shares in Boeing were up 1.2% as aerospace shares finished higher last week.
Meanwhile, Qatar Airways CEO Akbar al Baker has criticised Airbus' decision to develop the A320neo as a short-sighted plan and said he would be more interested in an all-new narrowbody design from Boeing. He added that the Bombardier CSeries was a preferred option on short services with "far superior" operating costs to the A320neo. Shares in Airbus parent, EADS, were up 0.9%, while Bombardier shares were up 1.9%.
Selected Aerospace daily share price movements (% change): 18-Mar-2011
