Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has pushed back against criticisms of his decision to cut the UK’s last remaining C-130J Hercules transport aircraft, which critics say would leave the country “dangerously exposed.” Wallace announced the decision in March 2021. He told the House of Commons at the time, “As the transport fleet improves availability, we will…

PARIS—A French court on Monday acquitted Airbus and Air France of manslaughter charges over the 2009 crash of Flight 447 from Rio to Paris, prompting an outpouring of anguish from people whose loved ones were killed in a disaster that led to lasting changes in aircraft safety measures. Some erupted in sobs, others listened in…

WASHINGTON—Boeing on Tuesday announced 130 airplane deliveries over the first quarter of 2023, inching past rival Airbus, which delivered 127 jets. Boeing’s deliveries were up almost 27 percent from a year earlier, when it delivered 95 jets. The U.S. planemaker delivered 64 aircraft in March, 36 percent more than the 41 jets transferred to customers…

Icelandair Group HF said on Friday it signed a provisional deal to purchase 13 of European planemaker Airbus SE’s latest A321XLR single-aisle jet, with deliveries slated to begin in 2029. As part of the deal, Icelandair has an option to purchase an additional 12 aircraft after buying 13 of Airbus’ newest and largest narrowbody airliner…

PARIS—Airbus is urging stepped-up European cooperation to ensure the continent’s security and future access to space after a year that saw the company suffer fallout from Russia’s war in Ukraine and the crash of a European satellite launcher. The France-based plane maker on Thursday reported a record overall 2022 profit of 4.25 billion euros ($4.55…

LONDON—Air India unveiled orders Tuesday for 470 Boeing and Airbus passenger jets as it races to tap surging demand for increasingly affordable air travel from the nation’s growing ranks of middle-class consumers. India’s largest international airline and second-largest domestic carrier is buying 220 Boeing aircraft valued at $34 billion. It marks the U.S. plane maker’s…

PARIS—Airbus and Qatar Airways have settled a dispute over grounded A350 jets, the companies said on Wednesday, averting a potentially damaging UK court trial after a blistering 18-month feud that tore the lid off the global jet market. The “amicable and mutually agreeable settlement” ends a $2 billion row over surface damage on the long-haul…

LONDON—Airbus has carried out design changes to A350 passenger jets amid a $2 billion dispute with Qatar Airways over surface damage, which spilled over to a debate on security on Thursday. The two companies have been fighting in court for months over the safety impact of flaking paint that exposed corrosion or gaps in a…

DUBLIN—The world’s two largest planemakers defended themselves on Tuesday following criticism over delivery delays, with a Boeing executive saying increasing production after COVID-19 lockdowns was “not as easy as an on/off switch.” Aircraft leasing firms have used a major industry conference to hammer manufacturers over delays. Air Lease executive chairman Steven Udvar-Hazy said they had…

Commentary The Defense Department’s current contract with Airbus, and any future contracts with Airbus, place U.S. taxpayers in the position of subsidizing Vladimir Putin’s war machine, as long as it pays for Russian titanium. The French aircraft manufacturer heavily relies on shipments of the Russian metal for its manufacturing. Airbus currently has a contract with…