Aviation

Bloomberg The Pentagon will request 78 F-35 jets built by Lockheed Martin Corp, six fewer than previously planned, in the budget expected to be sent to Congress next week, according to defense officials. The cutback from the 84 fighters projected a year ago for fiscal 2020 is a setback for Lockheed, the No. 1 defense contractor, even as interest in ...

Bloomberg South African Airways has laid fraud charges against a former pilot after finding out that he operated international flights with the wrong type of license. SAA is seeking to reclaim “millions of rand” paid to the aviator on the assumption that he held an Airline Transport Pilot License, it said in a statement. Following an incident involving a flight ...

DUBAI / Emirates Business Airline passengers are using automated technology for passport checks at double the rate recorded in 2017 and are more satisfied when doing so too. This is according to the SITA 2019 Passenger IT Insights, co-sponsored by Air Transport World, which shows that in 2018, 44% of passengers sailed through automated passport control, a jump from 21% ...

Bloomberg Boeing Co. ended a two-year sales drought for its 777X aircraft, as the owner of British Airways struck a deal for as many as 42 of the planes to replace an aging fleet of 747 jumbo jets. IAG SA will order 18 of the 777-9, the largest version of the wide-body jet, the planemaker said in a statement. British ...

Bloomberg The French and Dutch governments moved to calm a political maelstrom triggered by their power struggle over Air France- KLM, with finance ministers papering over differences and pledging to work together to review the carrier’s shareholding and operations. “Our goal is to make Air France-KLM the best-performing airline in the world,” French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said at ...

Bloomberg Airbus SE is looking at assembling its newest A330neo wide-body jet in China as part of a bid to win orders for the plane in one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Airbus may expand its existing plant in Tianjin to accommodate the model, but a decision hasn’t been made with ...

Bloomberg Vietnam’s Bamboo Airways and VietJet Aviation JSC signed deals to buy 110 aircraft from Boeing Co. during President Donald Trump’s visit to Hanoi for a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. Bamboo agreed to purchase 10 787-9 Dreamliners worth about $3 billion, while VietJet’s order is for 100 737 Max planes valued at $12.7 billion, Boeing said. VietJet’s ...

Bloomberg Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd., Asia’s biggest international carrier, is studying a bid for stakes in two smaller Hong Kong airlines backed by embattled Chinese conglomerate HNA Group Co., people with knowledge of the matter said. Cathay Pacific has held preliminary talks with HNA about acquiring minority stakes in Hong Kong Express Airways Ltd. and Hong Kong Airlines Ltd., according ...

Bloomberg Kenya may consider taking full ownership of its national carrier to effectively ward off competition from other state-owned airlines on the continent and from the Gulf, according to Transport Principal Secretary Esther Koimett. The East African state owns 48.9 percent of Kenya Airways Plc after it converted debt into equity in 2017. The agreement diluted major shareholder Air France-KLM’s ...

Bloomberg An unprecedented travel boom in Asia has spawned new budget carriers and millions of first-time fliers, but a shortage of pilots is threatening to choke that demand. Bamboo Airways Co. in Vietnam was the latest low-cost carrier to start services this year and more are expected to join the race. In Southeast Asia alone, low cost carriers have about ...