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The business minister Richard Harrington has dared the prime minister to sack him after he praised Airbus for branding the government’s handling of Brexit a “disgrace”. Speaking at a German Industry UK gathering in London, Harrington said: “I was delighted to read Airbus’s comments this morning because it is telling it like it is,” adding that a no-deal Brexit would be “a total disaster for the economy”. The Airbus chief executive, Tom Enders, said on Thursday morning: “Please don’t listen to the Brexiteers’ madness which asserts that ‘because we have huge plants here we will not move and we will always be here’. They are wrong.” The company manufactures aircraft wings in the UK and employs 14,000 people in the country. Enders added: “It is a disgrace that, more than two years after the result of the 2016 referendum, businesses are still unable to plan properly for the future.” Harrington … [Read more...] about Minister backs Airbus Brexit remarks and dares May to sack him

The Franco-German aerospace group EADS is renaming itself Airbus, after its dominant commercial planes business that makes the A380 superjumbo. The rebranded Airbus group will be split into three divisions, the company announced on Wednesday: commercial planes; defence and space; and military and civilian helicopters. It is the most significant corporate shakeup for the business since the German government blocked a €35bn (£30.6bn) merger between EADS and British defence group BAE Systems last year. "The renaming simply gathers the entire company under the best brand we have, one that stands for internationalisation, innovation and integration – and also for some two-thirds of our revenues," said the chief executive, Tom Enders. "It reinforces the message that 'we make things fly'." The change in branding underscores the importance of the commercial planes business and its rapidly growing order book. In the first six months of 2013, Airbus Commercial netted 722 orders … [Read more...] about EADS renamed Airbus in company shakeup

International Airlines Group (IAG) - the parent company of airlines such as British Airways , Iberia and Aer Lingus - has revealed it plans to add 200 Boeing aircraft to its fleets. The group has announced it signed a letter of intent with Boeing for 200 B737 aircraft, opting for a mixture 737-8 and 737-10 planes, powered by CFM Leap engines. Currently Boeing 737 MAX planes have been grounded after the model was involved in two crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia. The letter of intent is still subject to a formal agreement between the two companies. If the order - estimated at $24billion (approx £19billion) - does go ahead then the aircraft would be delivered between 2023 and 2027. Willie Walsh, IAG chief executive, said in a statement: "We’re very pleased to sign this letter of intent with Boeing and are certain that these aircraft will be a great addition to IAG’s shorthaul fleet. "We have every confidence in Boeing and expect that the aircraft will make a … [Read more...] about British Airways’ parent company intends to buy 200 Boeing 737 MAX jets

Jetstar pilots forgot to lower an Airbus A320's wheels as they came into land after a 'series of distractions', a new report has found. The near-disaster happened in May last year when flight VH-VQ from Sydney attempted to land at the Ballina/Byron Gateway airport in northern New South Wales. The landing gear was left in the wrong position when the flight crew 'conducted a go-around' - an aborted landing of an aircraft - while first coming into Ballina.  According to an Australian Transport Safety Bureau report, this was because the plane's flight path didn't meet Jetstar's 'stabilised approach criteria'. The pilots then attempted a second approach into the domestic airport. Jetstar pilots forgot to lower an Airbus A320's wheels as it came into land in May last year The report found that because the flight crew didn't initially follow standard procedure during the first attempt, the plane's wheels couldn't come down properly.  'During the downwind leg following the … [Read more...] about Jetstar pilots forgot to lower the WHEELS as they came into land – narrowly avoiding a major disaster

Newly released data and photos show how shockingly low an Air Canada jet was when it pulled up to avoid crashing into planes waiting on a San Francisco international airport taxiway last month. The Air Canada pilots mistook the taxiway for the runway next to it and flew their jet to just 59ft (18m) above ground before pulling up to attempt another landing, according to National Transportation Safety Board information released on Wednesday. That’s barely taller than the four planes that were on the taxiway when the incident occurred late at night on 7 July. Pilots in a United plane alerted air traffic controllers about the off-course jet, while the crew of a Philippine Airlines jet behind it switched on their plane’s landing lights in an apparent last-ditch danger signal to Air Canada. NTSB investigators said they have not determined probable cause for the incident that came within a few feet of becoming one of the worst disasters in aviation history. “It was close, … [Read more...] about Air Canada near miss: picture shows how close planes came to crashing