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 [...]
Pie in the sky? London urged to plan for flying taxi future September 2, 2019 Airbus will tomorrow urge London authorities to plan for a future in which electric air taxis roam the skies and drones carry cargo a few thousand feet above the city. The aviation juggernaut has already built a prototype air taxi, as have arch rivals Boeing, Uber and several other manufacturers. Airbus will urge city planners [...]
Eco-warriors still threaten Heathrow drone chaos despite ‘positive’ talks with airport August 30, 2019 Climate change activists are still planning on flying drones over Heathrow in protest next month, despite a “positive” meeting with representatives from the airport this morning. Heathrow Pause, a splinter group of the Extinction Rebellion movement, says it will fly toy drones in the airport’s restricted zone from 13 September, in a move that threatens [...]
Near-miss: Passenger jet ‘narrowly avoided’ hitting drone at Gatwick airport in April August 28, 2019 An Airbus passenger jet carrying as many as 186 passengers was forced to take evasive action to avoid a drone as it approached Gatwick airport, it has emerged. The airliner was flying at 518 metres towards the West Sussex airport on 28 April when the pilot saw a dark-coloured drone and made a banking turn [...]