Aviation

  Bloomberg JetSmarter, which operates an Uber-like network that connects travelers to empty seats on chartered planes, raised $105 million in its latest funding round, indicating that the startup has managed to make the concept work where others have failed. The company, which currently offers about 50 routes between more than 30 cities around the world, plans to use the ...

  Bloomberg Qatar Airways said it’s seeking to renegotiate a $7.8 billion order for Airbus Group SE narrow-body jets and could switch to bigger planes powered by alternative engines as part of a revised agreement. The Gulf carrier wants to keep the deal for 80 A320neos after refusing to take the first four aircraft because of glitches with their Pratt ...

  Washington / AFP Aviation giant Boeing said it was cutting production of its 777 aircraft to five a month from seven due to slackening demand, in a move that will impact jobs. The announcement followed the manufacturer’s clinching of a $17 billion dollar deal on Sunday to sell 80 jetliners, including the 777, to Iran, the first such agreement ...

  Bloomberg ANA Holdings Inc. has invested in a new airline venture in Myanmar that aims to start international flights in 2018 as the Japanese carrier seeks to capture demand in Asia’s fastest-growing economy. ANA has a 49 percent stake and a local company holds the remainder, Shinya Katanozaka, chief executive officer of Japan’s largest airline, said in an interview ...

  Bloomberg Demand for plane tickets at Southwest Airlines Co. has climbed since Election Day, the carrier’s chief executive said, adding that he’s encouraged by President-elect Donald Trump’s stated plans to unwind regulations, cut corporate taxes and build infrastructure. “There’s definitely a lift in spirit,” Gary Kelly said in an interview at Bloomberg’s headquarters in New York, citing the stock ...

  Bloomberg The US Transportation Department proposed requiring airlines to tell consumers if passengers can use mobile phones for calls during their flight, and said it’s considering banning voice calls, rekindling a years-long debate centered on jabbering seatmates in close-quarter cabins. “Consumers deserve to have clear and accurate information about whether an airline permits voice calls before they purchase a ...

  Bloomberg The aviation industry is set to post record net earnings this year and is expected to remain profitable in 2017, despite rising oil prices and global political turbulence, its trade association said. “Airlines continue to deliver strong results. This year we expect a record net profit of $35.6 billion” (33 billion euros), said Alexandre de Juniac, the new ...

  Bloomberg Pilots of at least three Indian flights, including one operated by market leader IndiGo, lied to air traffic controllers about being short on fuel to get priority landing at an airport, according to an investigation by the country’s aviation safety regulator. The incident occurred on November 30, when pilots of an IndiGo plane radioed traffic controllers at Kolkata ...

  AFP / Reuters Iran Air said on Sunday it had finalised a contract to buy 80 planes from US firm Boeing, the official IRNA news agency reported. “Fifty of the planes are 737 and the other 30 are the long haul 777 that will be delivered to Iran Air in a period of 10 years,” said Farhad Parvaresh, chief executive ...

  Bloomberg Alaska Air Group Inc. won U.S. antitrust approval for its acquisition of Virgin America Inc., a takeover that extends years of consolidation in the industry and expands Alaska Air’s access to the lucrative cross-country market. Under an agreement with the Justice Department announced, Alaska Air must reduce the scope of a marketing accord that allows it to sell ...