Aircraft News-Dec. 15, 2014

Airbus has confirmed Qatar Airways will take delivery of its first A350-900 XWB on Dec. 22, which was postponed from this weekend. Qatar is the launch customer for the all-new widebody.

Singapore-based long-haul, low-cost carrier (LCC) Scoot will push back its first Boeing 787-9 services a second time from the original planned inauguration last month.

Republic Airways Holdings has reached an amendment to its capacity purchase agreement with Delta Air Lines to operate nine additional 69-seat Embraer E-170 aircraft.

Airbus CFO Harald Wilhelm surprised the aviation world the day before the Airbus Global Investor Forum by raising the possibility of either re-engining the A380 with more efficient engines or discontinuing A380 production in 2018.

China will require more than 5,300 new passenger aircraft and freighters worth some $820 billion from 2014 to 2033, Airbus predicted in its latest Global Market Forecast.

Qatar Airways announced Wednesday that delivery of its first Airbus A350-900 XWB, originally planned for this weekend, has been postponed. No new date for the delivery or reasons for the delay were given; Qatar is the launch customer for the all-new widebody.

The Aircraft Tracking Task Force (ATTF) set up in the wake of the disappearance of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200 in March has issued a report with recommendations to improve continuous tracking of airliners.