Aviation

Xiaomi to plan first drone at $610

  Shanghai / Bloomberg Xiaomi Corp., the Chinese smartphone maker that challenged Apple Inc. with sleek designs and low prices, is planning to introduce its first drone at a price more than 20 percent below a comparable product from market leader SZ DJI Technology Co., according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter. The drone, made by FIMI ...

Read More »

‘Mishap’ delays Solar Impulse plane’s Ohio departure

  Washington / AFP A solar-powered plane set to fly from Ohio to Pennsylvania on Tuesday delayed its departure to inspect possible damage due to a mishap, organizers said. The Solar Impulse 2, set to be piloted by Swiss national Bertrand Piccard, was scheduled to fly out of Dayton International Airport and head to Lehigh Valley International Airport near the city ...

Read More »

VietJet to buy 100 Boeing planes for $11.3 billion

  Hanoi / Bloomberg Boeing Co. won an order for 100 jets from VietJet Aviation Joint Stock Co. valued at $11.3 billion in list prices as Vietnam’s only private airline expands fleet amid a surge in travel. VietJet signed the agreement on Monday in Hanoi during President Barack Obama’s visit to Vietnam. Delivery of the Boeing 737 Max 200 planes ...

Read More »

Ryanair posts €1.24 billion profit

  Dublin / AP European budget carrier Ryanair posted record full-year profits and passenger figures, and expects both to hit new highs this summer amid rapid growth and declining fares. Monday’s results for the year ending March 31 showed the Dublin-based airline strengthening on every front. Net profit before exceptional gains rose 43 percent to 1.24 billion euros ($1.4 billion) and ...

Read More »

Embraer sells $260mn in private jets

  Brasilia / Bloomberg Brazilian planemaker Embraer SA said it sold 23 business jets with a list value of $260 million to an expanding Mexican charter operator, which has an option to double the order. Servicios Aereos Across SA has begun to take deliveries for the first aircraft in its firm order, which includes eight Legacy 500, eight Phenom 300 ...

Read More »

SpiceJet to revive jet fuel hedging

  Mumbai / Bloomberg SpiceJet Ltd. is considering hedging jet fuel for the first time since 2009-10 as the Indian budget carrier expects crude oil prices to rise further, people with direct knowledge of the plans said. Oil has surged more than 70 percent from a 12-year low reached in January on signs the global surplus will ease as US ...

Read More »

India’s budget mini space shuttle blasts off

  Sriharikota / Bloomberg India successfully launched a scale model of a reusable spacecraft on Monday, a project that in time could pit the nation against billionaires Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk in the race to make access to space cheaper and easier. The winged vessel — one-fifth of full size — blasted off on a rocket from Sriharikota base ...

Read More »

Bombardier cuts Republic C Series order

  Bloomberg Bombardier Inc. has removed from its production schedule an order for C Series aircraft placed six years ago by bankrupt Republic Airways Holdings Inc. Republic agreed in February 2010 to 40 firm orders and 40 options for the CS300 model, with deliveries initially scheduled to start in 2015. While the firm orders remain in the planemaker’s backlog, removal ...

Read More »

High-flying drone makes debut flight to test farmland photos

  Hillsboro / AP A high-flying drone that will be used to test precision agriculture methods made its inaugural flight in North Dakota amid handshakes and smiles from aircraft operators and farm officials. The Israeli-manufactured Elbit Systems Hermes 450 aircraft took off from the Hillsboro airport to start a summer-long project that will take pictures of farmland in the fertile Red ...

Read More »

Terror wave hits aviation in African nations

  Paris / Bloomberg If the sudden disappearance of an EgyptAir flight turns out to be the work of terrorists, it will be the fourth such attack in the past year on air travelers in North African countries battling militant groups. Even as airports in Europe and North America have strengthened security, experts say that gaps in screening of employees ...

Read More »
Send this to a friend