Aviation

  Sydney / Bloomberg Air New Zealand Ltd.’s stake in Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd. has attracted several potential buyers and talks are under way about a possible deal, said Richard Branson, the billionaire founder of Virgin Group Ltd. It’s not yet clear whether Virgin Group itself, which owns about 10 percent of Virgin Australia, will increase its stake in Australia’s ...

  Kuala Lumpur / Bloomberg AirAsia Bhd., Southeast Asia’s biggest budget carrier, reported an almost sixfold jump in quarterly profit amid plans to expand its fleet in a region projected to surpass the US as the world’s biggest air-travel market in two decades, led by China. The Sepang, Malaysia-based company said net income in the quarter through March climbed to ...

  Washington / AFP The sun-powered Solar Impulse 2 aircraft landed in the US state of Pennsylvania, completing the latest leg of a record-breaking flight around the world to promote renewable energy. After taking off from Dayton, Ohio early Wednesday, the plane piloted by Swiss explorer Bertrand Piccard arrived at 8:49 pm (0049 GMT Thursday) at Lehigh Valley International Airport after ...

  Maryland / Bloomberg Lockheed Martin Corp. is leaning toward the Tata Group as a potential partner to build its flagship F-16 as India looks to modernize an aging fleet of fighter jets. “Naturally we would gravitate to Tata,” George Standridge, Lockheed Martin’s vice president for Aeronautics Strategy and Business Development, said in an interview in New Delhi when asked ...

  New York / Bloomberg US airlines and airports are spending millions on added workers to avoid a repeat of long security lines, as the coming Memorial Day weekend kicks off what’s expected to be a record year for summer travel. “We are concerned for this weekend, where we’ll see higher than normal flight loads,” said Ross Feinstein, a spokesman ...

  Bloomberg Deutsche Lufthansa AG is struggling to hire cabin crews for new routes, putting growth plans at risk as low wages and years of labour conflict complicate the airline’s recruiting amid a tight German job market. Through mid-May, Lufthansa has brought on about 500 flight attendants for its namesake carrier, the company said in response to questions from Bloomberg. ...

  Washington / AFP The Solar Impulse 2, a solar-powered airplane piloted by Swiss national Bertrand Piccard, successfully flew out of Dayton, Ohio in the dark early on Wednesday en route to Pennsylvania, according to a live online feed of the departure. The single-seat plane with the wingspan of a Boeing 747 is covered in solar cells that power its propellers ...

  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 ...

  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 ...

  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 ...