Aviation

  Washington / AFP A hot air balloon that went down in a fiery crash in a Texas pasture, killing all 16 people on board, likely struck a power line, an investigator said on Sunday. “There’s physical evidence to indicate the balloon or some component of the balloon hit the wires themselves,” US National Transportation Safety Board official Robert Sumwalt ...

  Bloomberg As many airlines across Asia join a rush to expand their fleets by ordering hundreds of jets, China’s top budget carrier is putting a pause to its new plane orders and said it will instead focus on operations. After signing an agreement in December with Airbus Group SE for 60 A320 aircraft, Spring Airlines Co. said it has ...

  AP Warning about potential high-fatality accidents, safety investigators recommended two years ago that the Federal Aviation Administration impose greater oversight on commercial hot air balloon operators, government documents show. The FAA rejected those recommendations. A hot air balloon carrying at least 16 people crashed Saturday in Central Texas. Authorities say it’s unlikely anyone survived. In a letter to FAA ...

  Relaxnews It could be the end of an era for one of aviation’s most iconic airplanes, with Boeing hinting at the end of the production line for its double-decker 747 aircraft. Weak sales and encroaching competition are forcing the planemaker to re-evaluate the production of its legendary 747 aircraft, the original Jumbo Jet which changed the face of the ...

  Bloomberg German carrier Lufthansa has posted a seat on a plane as an Airbnb listing, in a new, interesting sales tactic aimed at filling seats. Posted under the heading, “Luxury Awaits Above the Clouds,” the listing is for a return flight from Frankfurt to New York in a premium economy seat for €699 ($775 USD). “Our cabin isn’t in ...

  The Diplomat On July 27, India’s Ministry of Defense signed a $1 billion deal with U.S. aircraft maker Boeing for the purchase of four additional Poseidon 8I Neptune advanced maritime patrol/anti-submarine warfare aircraft, according to Indian media reports. The contract was inked during an official visit to New Delhi by U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and ...

  Bloomberg Singapore Airlines Ltd. reported first-quarter profit almost tripled as lower oil prices reduced costs and the company benefited from the sale of a stake by its subsidiary. Net income rose to S$256.6 million ($190 million) in the three months ended in June from S$91.2 million a year earlier, the carrier said in a Singapore stock exchange statement Thursday. ...

  Bloomberg Allegiant Airlines will buy new aircraft for the first time, in a purchase valued at $1.2 billion, as the discount carrier speeds its shift to a fleet of all Airbus Group SE planes by mid-2019. Buying the 12 A320 jets with currently available engines allows the airline to add planes “opportunistically” as Airbus switches its focus to pricier ...

  Bloomberg British Airways parent IAG SA will cut capacity and put spending under review in the wake of the U.K.’s decision last month to quit the European Union, with the uncertainty depressing profit growth this year. Operating profit excluding one-time items is now expected to grow by a low double-digit percentage, the London-based IAG said Friday. Prior to the ...

  Bloomberg Qatar Airways Ltd. will further raise its stake in British Airways owner IAG SA, adding to its holding after the shares plunged in the wake of the Brexit vote, according to people familiar with the matter. The state-owned carrier, already IAG’s largest investor, will boost its holding to about 20 percent from 15.7 percent, said the people, who ...