MOBILE / AP A European aircraft maker Airbus conducted the inaugural test flight on its first US-made jetliner, calling the exercise a success after the plane flew for hours over the Gulf of Mexico. The A321 passenger jet took off and landed at Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley, site of the company’s new plant near downtown Mobile, Alabama. The three-hour flight …

BEIJING / Bloomberg Haier Electronics Group Co.’s earnings grew last year at the slowest pace since 2008 as sales fell at the China-based maker of washing machines and water heaters, and it predicted industry growth will be restored this year despite a tough 2016. Net income rose 10 percent to 2.7 billion yuan ($416 million) in the year, in line with …

Bloomberg Lining up Continental former Chief Executive Officer Gordon Bethune as part of a board slate for United Airlines is merely a ruse by two hedge funds to “smash and grab from United’s coffers,” according to the carrier’s pilot union. The funds enlisted Bethune “to play on employees’ good will and feelings of nostalgia,” leaders of United’s chapter of the …