Aviation

Bloomberg Qatar Airways could switch its order for Airbus Group SE A320neo jetliners to Boeing Co.’s 737 model if issues with the European aircraft’s Pratt & Whitney engines aren’t resolved by the middle of the year. Moving from the Pratt-powered variant of the revamped A320 to a version that uses engines from CFM International isn’t an option as those planes ...

  Bloomberg Saudi Arabia’s new state-owned discount carrier plans to build a fleet of as many as 50 aircraft by 2020 and will choose within weeks between narrow-body models made by Airbus Group SE and Boeing Co. Flyadeal will select either Airbus A320s or Boeing 737s that it will lease or obtain through a transfer of orders from parent company ...

  Dallas / Bloomberg Southwest Airlines Co. reported first-quarter profit that beat analysts’ estimates and said it would speed retirement of its oldest Boeing 737s to better manage pilot training for a new model of the plane. Earnings excluding some items climbed 88 cents a share, beating the 84-cent average of analyst estimates that were recently compiled. Sales rose 9.3 ...

  Bloomberg Boeing Co. is pitching some of the largest US airlines on a potential upgrade of its smallest 737 Max as it battles Airbus Group SE and Bombardier Inc. for lucrative single-aisle jet orders, people familiar with the matter said. The US planemaker is studying a potential redesign that would lengthen the frame and range for the 737 Max ...

  Bloomberg United Continental Holdings Inc.’s first-quarter profit exceeded analysts’ estimates as tumbling oil prices handed the carrier a break on fuel costs. Adjusted earnings fell to $1.23 a share, the airline said in a statement. That topped the $1.18 average of 15 estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Sales declined 4.8 percent to $8.2 billion, matching analysts’ expectations. The Chicago-based carrier ...

  NEW YORK / Reuters The US aviation regulator has ordered an urgent fix for General Electric engines on upto 150 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, a step to avoid engine failure in icy conditions. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it was requiring modifications to prevent fan blades from rubbing against the engine casing, which can cause “damage and a possible ...

  Bloomberg Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA is seeking US backing for an expansion of its UK-based long-haul operations that would allow the discount carrier to offer services such as South Africa to New York via London. A successful outcome following an application to the US Department of Transportation could lead Norwegian Air to exercise an option to buy 10 more ...

  Shanghai / AFP China’s homegrown regional jet should have made its first commercial flight weeks ago, but the ARJ21 has still not flown any fare-paying passengers, dealing yet another setback to the country’s ambitious plans for domestically produced planes. Chengdu Airlines received the aircraft from manufacturer the Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (COMAC) in November, already years behind schedule, ...

  Bloomberg Malaysia Airlines Bhd. said Chief Executive Officer Christoph Mueller will leave the company before his term ends, posing a new challenge to turn around the carrier after two plane crashes in 2014 dented its sales and reputation. Mueller requested to step down before the end of his three-year contract for personal reasons, the carrier said in a statement. ...

  Paris / REUTERS A growing backlog of undelivered Airbus passenger jets, stranded outside their factories due to supplier problems, is putting pressure on the planemaker’s cash generation for the start of the year, industry sources and analysts said. After a slow first quarter in deliveries, parking space at Toulouse airport in France, and at Hamburg in Germany, is increasingly ...