Boeing boss to tell senators in 737 Max hearing: ‘We made mistakes’ October 29, 2019 Boeing chief executive Dennis Muilenburg will face a grilling from US senators this afternoon over how his company certified its 737 Max jet to fly, after two crashes in the last year killed 346 people. Muilenburg, who was last month stripped of the dual role of chief executive and chairman, has spent much of this [...]
Boeing ‘regrets’ leaked 737 Max Whatsapp messages October 21, 2019 Boeing has said it understands the clamour over leaked messages from a former test pilot over erratic software behavior on its 737 Max jet two years before recent crashes. US regulator the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Friday ordered Boeing chief executive Dennis Muilenburg to give an “immediate” explanation for the delay in turning over [...]
Airbus ‘warns employees on cash flow’ in defence and space business amid Saudi arms ban October 9, 2019 Airbus’ second-most profitable division, its defence and space business, is said to have warned employees it faces serious challenges meeting cashflow for 2019. It comes after the company also urged its 33,000 workers to save more cash in the final quarter of last year. The last quarter is usually a period of more challenging cash [...]
Space race: Boeing invests $20m in Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic as it prepares public listing October 8, 2019 Boeing is to invest $20m in Sir Richard Branson’s space-tourism venture Virgin Galactic, meaning it will have more money to take on rivals such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos in the commercial space race. Branson founded space venture Virgin Galactic in a bid to cash in on rising demand for space travel. He is [...]
Odey and Elliott ‘among City titans to invest in hypersonic jet firm’ October 6, 2019 City heavyweights including Crispin Odey are said to have thrown their financial might behind an Oxfordshire-based firm which hopes to one day transport passengers from London to New York in an hour. The hedge fund tycoon Odey and US activist investor Elliott Advisors are among firms which have poured £100m into Reaction Engines, signalling their [...]
Electric-powered regional flights ‘could be taking off by 2030’ September 24, 2019 The next decade will yield the launch of electric flying taxis and electric planes entering the market in both regional flights and private aviation, according to research. A paper by Citigroup researchers predicts electric technology will begin disrupting the so-called general aviation market, which includes flights carrying between two and 14 passengers, by 2022. Meanwhile, [...]
World will have twice as many planes in the skies in 20 years, says Airbus September 18, 2019 The world will have twice as many passenger jets in 2038 as are currently in the skies, Airbus forecast today, as the plane maker raised concerns over a potentially damaging tariff war between the EU and the US. The European plane maker has hiked its forecasts for jet plane demand to 47,680 aircraft by 2038, [...]
Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic faces first investor vote of confidence on stock market listing September 8, 2019 Sir Richard Branson’s space tourism venture Virgin Galactic faces its first test of investor confidence in a proposed stock market float tomorrow. Would-be shareholders will vote on whether to back the entry via investment vehicle Social Capital Hedosophia (SCH), or whether to withdraw their cash entirely. Read more: Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic plots public listing [...]
Boeing 737 Max: Europe ‘will not accept’ FAA’s safety decision on grounded jet September 5, 2019 Europe’s aviation safety regulator will insist on running its own tests on Boeing’s troubled 737 Max before allowing it to fly again, rather than accepting the verdict of its US counterpart. Read more: Boeing admits sensor malfunctioned on both fatal 737 Max crashes Such a decision from the European Aviation Safety Agency’s (Easa) could dash [...]
Norwegian Air no longer expects to fly Boeing 737 Max this year September 2, 2019 The interim boss of Norwegian Air, one of the major carriers of the grounded Boeing 737 Max jet operating out in the UK, has said the airline is unlikely to fly the aircraft this year. Read more: Norwegian Air boss tweets about ‘good meetings’ with Boeing after 737 Max ban Geir Karlsen, who is acting [...]