Aviation

Bloomberg Boeing Co. won’t deliver its first KC-46 aerial refueling tanker by month’s end as it had agreed, according to US Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson, the latest in a procession of missed deadlines since the company won the contract in 2011. Air Force officials are meeting with planemaker “to try to lay down path forward for delivery and to ...

Bloomberg Boeing Co. received an endorsement from an unlikely source: John Leahy, Airbus SE’s retired sales supremo who rang up over $1 trillion in aircraft deals over a long career, largely at the expense of the US aerospace giant. Leahy is famous for ribbing his long-time rival. But after being put on the spot by a fellow aviation luminary at ...

Bloomberg Air France-KLM Chief Executive Officer Ben Smith marked an early victory just weeks after taking the top job by reaching a pay deal with French unions that had eluded his predecessor. The accord at the Air France arm includes a wage increase of 2 percent retroactive January 1 and another 2 percent to take effect in 2019, according to ...

Bloomberg Boeing Co. is stepping up efforts to bolster its ties with China as President Donald Trump’s trade fight threatens to give rival Airbus SE an edge in the world’s second-biggest aviation market. In one sign of potential trouble, a Chinese airline that’s been an exclusive operator of Boeing jets for more than 30 years is said to be in ...

Bloomberg Airbus SE won a contract from Kuwait Airways for its A330-800 aircraft model, securing a vital deal for the struggling program at the expense of a reduced order for the jet’s bigger sibling. Kuwait Air agreed to buy eight A330neos while paring a commitment for the larger A350 from 10 planes to five, according to a statement. The order ...

Bloomberg Korean Air Lines Co. Chairman Cho Yang-ho is set to stand trial in an embezzlement case, adding to troubles faced by a family that’s been at the center of rage-driven scandals. Indicting Cho, prosecutors said he pocketed 19.6 billion won ($17 million) in fees meant for the carrier from maintenance and duty-free operations in the five years through 2018, ...

Bloomberg United Continental Holdings Inc. boosted its 2018 profit outlook for the third time this year, overcoming higher oil prices as strong travel demand buoys a financial turnaround at the No. 3 US airline. Earnings will climb to at least $8 a share this year, United said in a statement, having previously predicted as little as $7.25. The carrier improved ...

Bloomberg Rising oil prices that have already wiped out two European airlines since September have claimed another victim: Britain’s biggest carrier on domestic routes lost more than one-third of its value on Wednesday as an escalating fuel bill coincides with weaker demand. Shares of Flybe Group Plc dropped as much as 38 percent as the Exeter, England-based company said “softening” ...

Bloomberg Timely delivery of Lockheed Martin Corp’s $29 billion CH-53K King Stallion helicopter for the US Marine Corps may be jeopardised by a potential shortage of specialised metal components two years after the bankruptcy of a key supplier. In an illustration of how even the biggest defense contractor depends on its supply chain, the Navy’s aircraft development and acquisition command ...

Bloomberg General Electric Co. has completed its initial design for the first commercial supersonic aircraft engine in decades, a major hurdle for developing private planes and, perhaps eventually, jetliners that fly faster than the speed of sound. The twin-shaft, twin-fan design will slash travel times by hours after 50 years in which the average speed of private jets has increased ...