Aviation

  Moscow / Bloomberg Irkut Corp., the maker of Su-30 fighter jets, is rolling out Russia’s first new full-sized airliner since the Soviet Union collapsed 25 years ago, in the country’s most direct challenge to commercial-plane industry leaders Boeing Co. and Airbus Group SE. The single-aisle MC-21, designed for 163 to 211 seats, was introduced to the public on Wednesday ...

  Bangkok / Bloomberg Thai Airways International Pcl is seeking an alliance with as many as 10 other Asian carriers in order to add destinations and counter a similar move grouping together several of its low-cost rivals. A series of bilateral accords could unite airlines from across the region to boost connectivity in India and China and smaller markets such ...

  WASHINGTON / AFP PT Garuda Indonesia is in no hurry to finalize a multibillion-dollar order of as many as 250 aircraft, saying the sluggish global economy will give it more leeway in negotiations with Airbus Group SE and Boeing Co. Decisions by other airlines to push back purchases amid tough operating conditions give Garuda more breathing space, President Director ...

  Oakland / Tribune News Service Southwest Airlines has hit 100 daily departures from Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. The airline is the airport’s dominant carrier, with about half the market share, and has its own terminal. Its newest nonstop flights are to Oakland, Calif., Portland, Ore., and Cleveland. St. Louis passengers already could get to Cleveland and Portland directly on ...

  New York / Bloomberg Swiss pilot Andre Borschberg postponed a flight of his solar aircraft around the Statue of Liberty due to gusty winds. The Solar Impulse project, which is flying an ultralight one-man aircraft around the world, will announce a new flight date later, according to its website. Borschberg, 63, had planned to take off in the fuel-free ...

  Kuala Lumpur / Bloomberg Malaysia Airlines Bhd. Chief Executive Officer Christoph Mueller, midway through a six-month notice period following his surprise resignation in April, said the company should resist unwinding a turnaround strategy that’s cut 6,000 jobs and reduced capacity by almost a third. The Asian carrier is ahead of schedule with its restructuring, having reached break even recently, ...

  WASHINGTON / AFP Astronauts entered an inflatable add-on room at the International Space Station (ISS) on Monday for the first time since it was fully installed last month, NASA said. US astronaut Jeff Williams told the US space agency’s mission control that the flexible habitat — known as the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) — looked “pristine” and was ...

  Doha / Bloomberg Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker branded Delta Air Lines Inc. “wicked” over what he said was the US carrier’s part in ruining the Middle Eastern company’s first flight from Doha to Atlanta. Qatar’s Airbus A380 super-jumbo jet wasn’t allocated a gate when it arrived at the world’s busiest airport this week, forcing passengers ...

  Tribune News Service Airlines could help reduce lengthy security lines by suspending checked baggage fees this summer or diverting fee revenues to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), some aviation experts and congressional members contend. Long security lines at major airports have led to thousands of missed flights in recent weeks, and some say TSA’s screening problems stem, in part, ...

  Paris / Bloomberg Airbus Group SE is exploring ways of carving out extra space on its A380 superjumbos in order to boost capacity and enhance margins for operators, among them modifying the staircases that connect the double-decker jet’s two passenger floors. Feedback from existing A380 customers suggests that curved steps located toward the rear of the world’s biggest jetliner ...