Singapore - Singapore Airlines (SIA) is increasing its A380 services on the Singapore-London route to "double daily" starting September 20, the carrier said on Wednesday.

The second flight of the superjumbo will depart Singapore as SQ318, and return from London as SQ321.

A third daily flight will continue to be operated by a Boeing 747-400 "for the time being," SIA's statement said.

The twice-a-day A380 service is currently flying four times weekly. Following the delivery of a sixth A380 to SIA from manufacturer Airbus in September, the second daily flight will also be added on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, every day of the week.

Vancouver - A Cathay Pacific Boeing 747 aircraft was damaged in mid-air when it descended towards Vancouver airport in western Canada, news reports said Tuesday.

According to initial reports, an external air-conditioning vent on the underside of the plane broke and damaged other parts of the aircraft, the Canadian TV station CBC said.

The plane, however, landed without problems, its 363 passengers were unharmed.

The plane was en route from New York to Hong Kong via Vancouver, reports said.

London  - British Airways (BA) and Spanish airline Iberia said Tuesday they were in talks about a possible merger that would help both companies in the "current economic environment."

The firms said the British Airways and Iberia brands would be retained as part of a combined group.

However, it would take several months to reach an agreement on the terms of a possible merger.

BA chief executive Willie Walsh said the proposed merger would help the airlines in the current economic environment.

BA's share price rose by 8 per cent in London on the news.

Vienna  - Austrian Airlines should seek a strategic partner through privatization, the carrier's supervisory board chairman said Monday, as the company reported losses of 48.7 million Euros (76.5 million dollars) in the first half of 2008.

Austrian Airline's supervisory board took note of a study by Boston Consulting on Monday, which said that long-term financial stability could only be achieved by joining a strategic partner.

Singapore - Soaring jet fuel costs and reduced demand for air travel left Singapore Airlines (SIA) with a 15 per cent fall in quarterly profits, the carrier said on Monday.

Net profit for April through June was 358.6 million Singapore dollars (263 million US dollars,) compared with 424 million Singapore dollars (316.4 million US dollars) a year ago.

"The price of jet fuel has risen more than 75 per cent year-on- year, and the strains on financial markets have not abated," SIA said in a statement. Trends are being tracked closely "and are in a good position to react nimbly," the carrier added.

Hamburg - European aircraft manufacturer Airbus delivered the first A380 from its Hamburg plant Monday, handing over the superjumbo jet to Dubai's Emirates airline at a colourful ceremony attended by the chief executives of the two companies and hundreds of staff.

The aircraft is the first of 58 ordered by Emirates, which is to date the largest customer for the flagship of the Airbus fleet.

Emirates chief Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum said the American continent was one of the company's key markets and that the airline was pleased to be the first to enter the US market with the new A380.