Aviation

  Berlin / AFP Dwarfed by huge jets all around, the mini-plane Thor was nonetheless an eye-catcher at the Berlin air show this week — the small Airbus marvel is the world’s first 3D-printed aircraft. Windowless, weighing in at just 21 kilos (46 pounds) and less than four metres (13 feet) long, the drone Thor — short for “Test of ...

San Francisco / AFP Avianca Holdings SA jumped the most on record amid reports that Delta Air Lines Inc. and United Continental Holdings Inc. are weighing bids for the Latin American airline. Avianca is exploring strategic options including a full or partial sale, according to people familiar with the matter. Avianca has recently begun working with a financial adviser to ...

  Paris / Bloomberg Airbus Group SE will continue building the older variant of its single-aisle A320 aircraft until at least 2019, two years later than intended, as glitches with the re-engined Neo version curb handovers of the new plane. Customers due to take the New Engine Option jets next year will be invited to swap to the less expensive ...

  Dubai / Bloomberg Emirates, the largest operator of Airbus Group SE’s A380 superjumbo, has all but given up on getting an upgrade of the double-decker with new engines and is instead making a more modest pitch to the planemaker: please don’t drop the program altogether. “I can’t force Toulouse to do anything,” Emirates President Tim Clark told reporters on ...

  Sofia / Bloomberg The Bulgarian government started a tender for a 35-year concession to operate Sofia Airport, the country’s biggest, demanding at least 660 million lev ($382 million) in initial payment. The concessionaire will be required to invest at least 307 million lev in the airport, which includes building a new terminal with an annual capacity of 3 million ...

  DOHA / Tribune News Service Qatar Airways’ bumpy trip to Atlanta continued on Wednesday when its first flight had to settle for a parking place on the tarmac instead of a regular gate. The Middle Eastern carrier launched its Atlanta-Doha service with a double-decker Airbus A380, the world’s largest airliner. The inaugural flight landed about 4 pm, but the ...

  Shanghai / Bloomberg The Chinese are spending more time at airports and on aircraft as flight delays worsen. The average delay for flights last year was 21 minutes, 2 minutes worse than in 2014, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said in a report dated May 30 on its website. Air traffic control issues was the biggest reason for ...

  London / Bloomberg Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. said it’s talking with Airbus Group SE about the planemaker’s proposal for a bigger version of the newest A350 wide-body, a model which needs to attract a strong set of initial customers to get the go ahead. Cathay, which already has 48 A350s on order, is keen on a so-called stretched variant ...

  New Delhi / Tribune News Service Air India will offer discounted tickets for students travelling for educational purposes on all its domestic flights during the lean season of July and August. Students can fly for Rs.3,500 for distances up to 1,000 km and at Rs.5,500 for over 1,000 km. Tickets must be booked between June 1 and August 31 ...

  San Jose / Tribune News Service Two weeks before Air China would start whisking Bay Area travellers from Mineta San Jose International Airport to Shanghai, the airline unexpectedly pulled its plans to launch new service here. “We know at this time that Air China will not meet their proposed launch date of mid-June 2016,” said airport spokeswoman Rosemary Barnes. ...