VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Deutsche Lufthansa AG invested €3 billion to support its new premium service in the Middle East as it sees potential growth in the region.

Dubai's Emirates Airline [EMIRA.UL] expects lower oil prices to translate into fuel savings in the financial year ending this month but is braced for foreign exchange hits in markets such as Europe, India and Russia, its chief operating officer said.

Emirates Airline [EMIRA.UL] President Tim Clark plans talks with officials in Washington in two weeks' time to help formulate its response to allegations by U.S. airlines of unfair subsidies awarded to Gulf airlines, he said on Thursday.

Qatar Airways would like to raise its stake in the owner of British Airways and Iberia at some point and may invest in other well-run airlines, its chief executive said on Wednesday.

Chief executives of the three largest U.S. airlines said they want the U.S. government to modify or terminate air treaties with two Persian Gulf nations, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Qatar Airways has bought a 9.99 percent stake in International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG) worth around 1.15 billion pounds ($1.7 billion), building closer ties with the owner of its partners British Airways and Iberia in the oneworld alliance.

When the Airbus (AIR.PA) A350 jet made its commercial debut with Qatar Airways this week, the event marked a milestone for engine supplier Rolls-Royce (RR.L), but slipping unnoticed under the radar with financing was its arch-rival General Electric (GE.N).

Complicated bureaucracy is delaying the launch of Qatar Airways' domestic operations in Saudi Arabia, and they are now expected to start in six to 18 months, the airline's chief executive was quoted as saying.

Ten years ago, the boss of Qatar Airways, who takes his first new A350 jet this week, warned Airbus it was flying off course. Boeing was knocking on his door with a "super-efficient" jet boasting 30 percent fuel savings thanks to a carbon-composite design.

European planemaker Airbus (AIR.PA) still plans to deliver its first A350 wide-body plane to launch customer Qatar Airways this year, but is aware that it is working for a "demanding" customer, its chief executive said on Friday.

Airbus (AIR.PA) looks set to win European safety certification for its newest airliner, the A350, on Tuesday, people familiar with the plans said.

In an announcement, Qatar Airways CEO formalized an exchange programme between Qatar Airways and British Airways.