Filed under: Airplanes

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American to park 10% of MD-80s as it cuts U.S. capacity

American Airlines plans to park about 10 percent of its MD-80 fleet this year and trim domestic capacity to stem losses from sky-high fuel prices. Get the full story »

Delta jet back in air after rodent droppings found

Bloomberg News | U.S. health inspectors found rodent droppings “too numerous to count” in the galley area of a Delta Air Lines jet where food and drink are stored. The airline said the plane used on international flights had been cleaned and returned to service.

Boeing wins NASA funds to build space taxis

NASA divided up more than $269 million on Monday among several companies vying to build commercial spaceships to carry astronauts to the International Space Station, the space agency said. Get the full story »

Boeing readies flight training for Dreamliner

A 787 Dreamliner passenger jet lands during testing at the Boeing factory at Paine Field in Everett, Washington, March 20, 2011. (Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)

Boeing Co. said on Monday that it had gotten approval from regulators in several countries for flight training campuses for its 787 Dreamliner, which is due for first delivery this year.

The world’s second-largest plane-maker after EADS unit Airbus said its Dreamliner training devices — including flight simulators — were ready to be used with training courses. The company has training courses in Seattle, Singapore, Tokyo, London and Shanghai. Get the full story »

United to operate charter flights for Giants

United Airlines said Thursday it has agreed to fly the San Francisco Giants baseball team to road games and work with the defending World Series champions on customer and fan promotions.

The Chicago-based airline will also get its name on more signs inside the Giants’ stadium, AT&T Park, and on the schedule page of the baseball club’s website under a letter of agreement signed by the team and the air carrier. Financial terms were not disclosed. Get the full story »

U.S. to ‘protect interests’ in WTO Boeing ruling

By Julie Johnsson and Kathy Bergen | The Obama Administration is open to negotiating a settlement to a long, costly trade dispute with the European Union over illegal government subsidies to planemakers Boeing Co. and Airbus SAS, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk told reporters Thursday.

But Kirk said the Americans won’t return to the table unless the Europeans agree to stop providing launch aid to Airbus’s aircraft development programs, such as the Airbus A350-XWB, Airbus’s response to Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner. Get the full story »

Air Pacific cancels orders for 8 Boeing 787s

Boeing says that Fiji airline Air Pacific has canceled orders for eight 787s, a jetliner whose debut has been delayed by about three years. Get the full story »

Kenya Airways picks Boeing for new planes

Kenya Airways has chosen Boeing Co. for the supply of new aircraft, the airline’s publicity agent said on Wednesday. Get the full story »

U.S. likely to appeal WTO ruling on Boeing subsidies

The Obama administration is almost certain to appeal a World Trade Organization ruling that Boeing received illegal subsidies as a long-running spat moves into its next stage, lawyers and analysts said. Get the full story »

Boeing appears conflicted on 737 decision

A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-7H4 passenger jet prepares to land at Midway Airport on April 5, 2011. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Boeing Co. may be leaning toward building a new version of its best-selling 737 narrowbody jet, but industry experts said Tuesday the company seems to be conflicted on the matter and appears increasingly less likely to make a decision in the next few months.

Boeing is deciding whether to redesign the 737 or simply put a more fuel-efficient engine in the existing design as its top rival Airbus intends to do with its competing A320. Get the full story »

Southwest CEO: All but two planes back in service

A week after a hole ripped open on the fuselage of one of his planes, Southwest Airlines Chief Executive Gary C. Kelly said Friday that all but two inspected planes will be back in the air by Saturday.

During a panel discussion at a gathering of financial journalists in Dallas, Kelly said Southwest has inspected and returned to service 78 planes but is still making repairs on two Boeing 737s, including the plane with the damaged fuselage.

United Continental traffic declines in March

United Continental Holdings Inc. said traffic at United and Continental airlines fell at a faster pace in March. Get the full story »

Boeing 1Q aircraft deliveries down 3.7%

Boeing Co.’s first-quarter commercial aircraft deliveries declined 3.7 percent from a year earlier and were also down from the previous period. The aerospace giant said it delivered 104 commercial airplanes in the latest period, compared with the 108 it had reported for the year-earlier period and 116 in the fourth quarter. Get the full story »

Airbus moves up launch date of revamped A320

Airbus plans to bring forward by six months the entry into service of its revamped A320 jetliner, seen as key to battling Boeing and fending off emerging rivals in the largest aircraft segment. Get the full story »

Scandinavian airline SAS to inspect Boeing jets

Scandinavian airline group SAS AB will perform inspections on four of its Boeing jets after a similar plane belonging to Southwest Airlines Co. sprung a hole in the roof during a flight. Get the full story »