Our top five stories on Routes Weekly: Brexit uncertainty; Qantas to accelerate 747 retirement; US-Brazil growth; Ghana's ambitions; and Bulletin board.
Australia’s flag carrier Qantas is looking to grow its international network with an order for six additional Dreamliners as it accelerates the retirement of its last six Boeing 747s.
Ryanair has finalised an order for 25 additional high-capacity Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft during the same week as the airline revealed plans to launch its first flights from Bosnia and Herzegovina and open a base at Düsseldorf Airport.
Bombardier will be able to start shipping its C Series jets to Delta Air Lines as scheduled after the US International Trade Commission ruled that the proposed imports will not unfairly damage rival Boeing.
European aircraft maker Airbus enjoyed record deliveries in 2017 while a spree of orders in the final few weeks of the year helped it to beat Boeing in the annual commercial jet sales race.
Airbus enjoyed a late flood of orders in 2017, including the finalisation of a record deal for 430 single-aisle aircraft. Southwest Airlines has also announced an increase to its Boeing order book.
Routesonline looks back at an eventful second half of 2017 which included the 23rd World Routes taking place in Barcelona, the failures of Monarch and Air Berlin, and Airbus' A380 celebrating a decade of commercial flight.
Airbus has sealed a record $50bn order at the Dubai Air Show, one of the largest commercial plane deals in history, but Boeing has hit back with a $27bn agreement of its own.
With China's aviation market poised to overtake the US as the world's largest by 2022, Boeing has secured an order to supply 300 aircraft to the country.
As the rapid growth of China's aviation market continues apace, fuelled by an expanding middle-class, US manufacturer Boeing has forecast that almost 20 percent of global aircraft demand over the next two decades will be from airlines based in the country.
China Eastern Airlines, the second-largest airline in China by passenger numbers, is preparing to significantly expand its fleet over the next five years.
Qantas has called on Airbus and Boeing to conquer the "last frontier in global aviation" by developing an aircraft that can fly non-stop from Sydney to London.
It has been a passenger favourite since its launch in 1970, but the Boeing 747’s days appear to be ever more numbered as airlines continue to modernise their fleets.
Indian airlines are expected to order 2,100 new planes worth $290bn over the next 20 years as the country’s aviation market growth shows no sign of slowing.
