Qatar Airways has retired its remaining Airbus A330 passenger aircraft and temporarily assigned more than a dozen pilots to Rwanda’s national carrier, as the prolonged Iran war and soaring jet-fuel prices accelerate the retirement of older aircraft across the aviation industry.

According to two people familiar with the matter and data reviewed by Reuters, the move reflects the growing pressure on Gulf airlines from higher operating costs and reduced capacity amid continued regional disruption.

Qatar Airways had leased four Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft from Oman Air last year, with plans to operate them through 2026. However, the aircraft never entered service, and the airline has now completed the retirement of its A330 passenger fleet.

One of those aircraft was acquired earlier this year by RwandAir, Rwanda’s flag carrier. Qatar Airways has longstanding links with RwandAir, and a group of Qatar Airways pilots has been seconded to the African airline. Some of the pilots had not operated commercial flights since the war began.

The secondments, along with details of Qatar Airways’ A330 retirements, had not previously been reported.

A Qatar Airways spokesperson said regular fleet reviews were part of the airline’s normal operations, involving the retirement of older aircraft and the introduction of newer, more fuel-efficient jets. The airline expects to receive 138 new aircraft over the next five years.

Qatar Airways currently operates 239 passenger aircraft and 30 freighters across Airbus and Boeing fleets. Its A330s accounted for around 7% of its passenger fleet as of March.

The airline said a group of A330 pilots had been offered voluntary, short-term secondments with RwandAir. The arrangement allows the pilots to maintain their flying experience while helping meet the operational needs of both carriers. Qatar Airways did not specify the duration of the assignments.

Fuel costs rise as regional disruption continues

The aviation sector has faced widespread disruption since the conflict involving Iran began, with Gulf hubs including Doha and Dubai particularly affected following US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. Although flight activity has recovered to levels close to those seen before the war, airlines continue to face higher operating costs.

The sharp increase in fuel prices has made older, less-efficient aircraft increasingly expensive to operate. Analysts say Qatar Airways can reduce costs by keeping its A330s parked rather than flying them while oil prices remain elevated.

Flight-tracking data shows the remaining A330s leased by Qatar Airways from Oman Air have been parked in Teruel, Spain, or Doha for several months. Two A330s based in Doha and leased from aircraft lessor Jetran are scheduled to be returned to the lessor in October.

Older aircraft face renewed pressure

Aircraft such as the Airbus A330, which is no longer in production, had been expected to leave many airline fleets earlier. However, aircraft manufacturing delays and strong demand following the COVID-19 pandemic extended their operational lives.

The latest rise in fuel prices has changed that calculation. Global operations of the A330-200 and A330-300 have fallen by about 12% compared with September 2025, based on seven-day averages calculated by Cirium Ascend.

Gulf airlines have also faced restrictions on airspace use and changes in passenger flows since the war began.

“Middle East carriers are not flying the aircraft as much because of restrictions on the use of airspace there,” IBA head of consulting Dan Taylor said earlier this month.

Cirium Ascend data shows Qatar Airways’ seven-day average available seat kilometres, a standard measure of passenger capacity, was 10% below the level recorded a year earlier in September. Emirates also recorded a 10% decline, while global industry capacity remained broadly unchanged.

Qatar Airways was operating 12% fewer flights than a year earlier and using 4% fewer aircraft on average, according to Cirium. The company remains on course to resume capacity and network expansion by 2027.

Qatar continues to invest in newer aircraft

Despite weaker short-term demand, Qatar Airways expects growth to return as regional disruptions ease. The airline also plans to begin recruiting pilots for its newer aircraft.

More than a dozen employees are being seconded to RwandAir, allowing pilots qualified on the A330 to continue flying. Such arrangements are sometimes used by airlines with international partnerships.

RwandAir, which has a codeshare partnership with Qatar Airways, did not respond to a request for comment. In August, the airline said on X that it had received the first of five A330 aircraft it expects to receive.

Qatar Airways continues to take delivery of new aircraft despite the current challenges. Company data shows it has received two large wide-body aircraft from Airbus and two from Boeing this year.

The airline plans six aircraft exits and 19 new aircraft deliveries between September 2026 and the end of 2027.

Looking further ahead, Qatar Airways has 410 aircraft on order from Airbus and Boeing as part of its long-term expansion plans into the 2030s. The order book includes 160 aircraft announced during US President Donald Trump’s visit to Qatar in May last year.

Source: Reuters News

A powerful nor’easter brought heavy rain and strong winds to the northeastern United States on Saturday, disrupting air travel and leaving tens of thousands of people without electricity.

New York, Boston and Philadelphia were among the areas affected by the storm, which developed with strong northeasterly winds. Authorities warned residents in coastal and low-lying areas to prepare for flooding as the storm coincided with high tide.

The National Weather Service warned that the system could produce major coastal flooding along the Mid-Atlantic coast across several high-tide cycles over the weekend. It urged residents in vulnerable areas to prepare for significant flooding, including submerged roads and possible impacts on homes and businesses.

What is a nor’easter?

A nor’easter is a large-scale cyclone that forms over the western North Atlantic Ocean, typically along or near the US East Coast. While these storms can occur at any time of year, they are most common from autumn through early spring.

Nor’easters are generally associated with heavy rain or snow and powerful winds.

Thousands face power outages

About 95,000 customers across New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania were without electricity as of 3 p.m. Saturday, according to PowerOutage.com.

Hundreds of flights cancelled

The storm also caused widespread disruption at US airports. Boston Logan International Airport recorded 253 cancellations, according to FlightAware.

Airlines including JetBlue, United Airlines and American Airlines issued travel alerts, allowing affected passengers to change flights without paying a change fee.

By 6:13 p.m. local time (2213 GMT), FlightAware reported 439 cancelled flights involving US airports and another 2,459 delays.

Source: DW

Travellers from Kuwait are increasingly opting for shorter regional and international breaks as the peak summer holiday period comes to an end, according to travel platform Wego.

Wego’s latest data shows that the number of September departures involving trips of four nights or fewer rose 40% compared with August, pointing to stronger demand for compact holidays as travellers return to their regular routines.

Dubai, Cairo, Istanbul, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi were the most searched destinations for September. The cities offer a combination of cultural attractions, entertainment, dining, shopping and leisure activities suited to shorter stays.

Bahrain recorded the largest increase among the leading destinations, with searches for September departures rising 38% from August. Return fares to the most searched destinations started at KWD55 ($178) per passenger, based on searches conducted around one month before departure.

Mamoun Hmidan, Chief Business Officer at Wego, said September typically brings a change in travel patterns after the summer peak, with shorter breaks allowing travellers to fit trips around their regular schedules.

Demand for domestic travel also remained strong. Wego recorded a 53% year-on-year increase in hotel searches within Kuwait during July and August, suggesting continued interest in local staycations during the summer.

Kuwait City accounted for the largest share of domestic hotel searches, followed by Salmiya and Al Khiran. Average nightly rates started at KWD63.

The data indicates that travellers from Kuwait are increasingly looking for flexible trips that can be incorporated into shorter periods of free time, with nearby international destinations and domestic stays offering convenient options after the summer travel peak.

Source: TradeArabia

The Public Authority for Civil Aviation has rejected reports that transit flight operations at Kuwait International Airport will begin on October 1, describing the claims as inaccurate.

Authority spokesperson Abdullah Al-Rajhi said Tuesday that no airline operating at Kuwait International Airport had been notified of, or informed about, any decision to launch transit flights from the date cited in the reports.

Speaking to KUNA, Al-Rajhi urged airlines to confirm regulatory decisions and operational information with the relevant authorities before publishing announcements concerning air services or airport arrangements.

He stressed that carriers should consult the Public Authority for Civil Aviation before announcing new procedures or operational changes to ensure that information provided to passengers and the public is accurate and officially approved.

Al-Rajhi also criticised the publication of unverified announcements, warning that inaccurate information could create confusion among passengers and the wider public.

He reaffirmed the authority’s commitment to providing the aviation sector and passengers with timely information on approved developments. Any decision concerning the launch of transit flight operations will be announced officially through the authority’s approved communication channels.

Source: Kuna

The Norwegian Group carried 2.9 million passengers in August 2026, including 2.5 million passengers on Norwegian and 359,000 on Widerøe.

Norwegian increased its capacity by 3% year on year, while passenger traffic climbed 4%. Its load factor improved by 0.4 percentage points to 86.3%. The airline operated an average of 94 aircraft during the month.

Regularity stood at 98.9%, rising to 99.6% when cancellations related to the Avinor air traffic controllers’ strike are excluded. The industrial action disrupted travel for more than 20,000 passengers. Norwegian’s punctuality rate, measured by departures within 15 minutes of schedule, was 80.8%.

Widerøe increased capacity by 2%, while traffic remained unchanged. Its load factor consequently declined by 1.8 percentage points to 75.8%. The regional airline recorded punctuality of 93.3%, an improvement of 1.5 percentage points, while regularity reached 97.4%.

Norwegian said booking activity for the autumn remained strong, particularly around the school holidays. Meanwhile, its Norwegian Reward loyalty programme has surpassed 10 million members and is introducing five new membership tiers.

Source: QCAA

African airlines recorded a 6.4% year-on-year increase in passenger demand in July 2026, according to the latest data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Capacity across African carriers increased by 9.0% compared with July 2025, while the passenger load factor stood at 74.1%. Domestic revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) in the region rose 0.6% during the month.

Globally, total passenger demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometres, increased just 0.2% from July 2025. Excluding the Middle East, demand grew 1.2%, while available seat kilometres, the industry measure of capacity, increased 0.3%.

The global load factor was 85.2%. International demand declined 0.1% year on year. When the Middle East was excluded, international demand increased 1.5%, with capacity also rising 0.3% and the load factor reaching 85.2%.

Domestic passenger demand worldwide grew 0.6% compared with July 2025, while domestic capacity increased 0.2%. The domestic load factor stood at 85.3%.

Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA’s Senior Vice President Sustainability and Chief Economist, said the peak Northern Hemisphere summer travel season had produced a largely positive result despite weaker performance by carriers in North America and the Middle East.

She also noted that traffic through Gulf aviation hubs was continuing to recover.

Thomsen said airlines remained confident about demand for the final months of the year despite elevated fuel costs, economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions. Carriers are planning to increase seat capacity by almost 3% in September, she added.

Source: Nigerian Tribune