Airbus warned on Thursday it could shift future wing-building out of Britain in the absence of a smooth exit from the European Union, predicting "potentially very harmful decisions" for its British operations in the event of a 'no-deal' Brexit.

In a direct appeal to Britain's divided parliament to avoid such an outcome, Chief Executive Tom Enders acknowledged there would be no immediate change in its industrial presence, but issued his sharpest warning yet that future jobs are at risk.

"The UK's aerospace sector now stands at the precipice," Enders said in a video released on Airbus' website.

"If there is a no-deal Brexit, we at Airbus will have to make potentially very harmful decisions for the UK."

The world's second-largest aerospace group employs 14,000 people in Britain, including 6,000 at its main wings factory at Broughton, Wales, and 3,000 in Filton, western England, where wings are designed and supported.

Critics of previous warnings by Airbus have cast doubt on whether the France-based group would move significant operations out of Britain, arguing Broughton is an efficient factory and that the case for staying is buoyed by a weak sterling.

German-born Enders insisted Airbus was not bluffing, adopting a more partisan tone than in previous statements.

"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," he said.

"Of course, it is not possible to pick up and move our large UK factories to other parts of the world immediately. However, aerospace is a long-term business and we could be forced to re-direct future investments in the event of a no-deal Brexit. And make no mistake there are plenty of countries out there who would love to build the wings for Airbus aircraft."

Airbus warned on Thursday it could shift future wing-building out of Britain in the absence of a smooth exit from the European Union, predicting "potentially very harmful decisions" for its British operations in the event of a 'no-deal' Brexit.

Airbus warned on Thursday it could shift future wing-building out of Britain in the absence of a smooth exit from the European Union, predicting "potentially very harmful decisions" for its British operations in the event of a 'no-deal' Brexit. In a direct appeal to Britain's divided parliament to avoid such an outcome, Chief Executive Tom Enders acknowledged there would be no immediate change in its industrial presence, but issued his sharpest warning yet that future jobs are at risk. "The UK's aerospace sector now stands at the precipice," Enders said in a video released on Airbus' website. "If there is a no-deal Brexit, we at Airbus will have to make potentially very harmful decisions for the UK." The world's second-largest aerospace group employs 14,000 people in Britain, including 6,000 at its main wings factory at Broughton, Wales, and 3,000 in Filton, western England, where wings are designed and supported. Critics of previous warnings by Airbus have cast doubt on whether the France-based group would move significant operations out of Britain, arguing Broughton is an efficient factory and that the case for staying is buoyed by a weak sterling. German-born Enders insisted Airbus was not bluffing, adopting a more partisan tone than in previous statements. "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," he said. "Of course, it is not possible to pick up and move our large UK factories to other parts of the world immediately. However, aerospace is a long-term business and we could be forced to re-direct future investments in the event of a no-deal Brexit. And make no mistake there are plenty of countries out there who would love to build the wings for Airbus aircraft."

Airbus CEO warns of 'harmful decisions' for UK jobs in a no-deal Brexit

Nepal's USD 209.6-million Airbus deal, the largest ever in the country's aviation history, is turning out to be one of the biggest corruption scandals in the country as a parliamentary committee indicted a top minister and some senior bureaucrats of graft in the deal.

Nepal's Civil Aviation Minister Rabindra Adhikari and top-level bureaucrats have been accused by the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament of misappropriating at least Rs 435 crore while procuring the two Airbus A-330 jets for national flag carrier Nepal Airlines Corporation.

The sub-committee led by Nepali Congress lawmaker Rajan KC submitted a 58-page probe report to Public Accounts Committee on Wednesday, implicating officials at the highest levels who were in charge at the Civil Aviation Ministry during the procurement process.

The report, prepared after a three-week long investigation, has charged Civil Aviation Minister Adhikari and former ministers -- Jivan Bahadur Shahi and Jitendra Dev -- with shying away with their responsibilities to stop the deal.

The report has categorically termed NAC Managing Director Sugat Ratna Kansakar as the main accused of the scandal and recommended for his immediate suspension along with two sitting secretaries, Prem Kumar Rai and Krishna Prasad Devkota and former secretary Shankar Prasad Adhikari who had acted as NAC chairman during their tenure as tourism secretary.

Shahi has been accused of sending the commitment fee to purchase the jet through a ministerial-level decision.

In his statement to the investigation panel, he had denied having direct involvement in the NAC jet procurement process.

Former minister Dev has been accused of making the first payment to HiFly X Ireland, the supplier of the jets, during his tenure.

Minister Adhikari has been charged with negligence as he was found to have sent the final instalment of a payment to Portuguese leasing company HiFly.

Contrary to his earlier promise of a detailed investigation into the case, he had carried out only a minor in-house investigation.

"The NAC has not given us the bill of sale of the two jets. We suspect that the 'irregularities' amount could go further up if the bill of sale is calculated," Rajan told the lawmakers.

"It needs a further investigation on the amount released to HiFly X by NAC and the amount paid by HiFly to the aircraft manufacturer Airbus.

"There were no details on the discount received by the NAC during the purchase of the jets, he said, adding, 'We have asked PAC to get the payment details from the Airbus through the Foreign Ministry.

"The sub-committee has questioned the motive of the NAC and HiFly Portugal for forming a special purpose vehicle--Hi Fly X Ireland--to specifically look into the procurement process.

The committee has termed Hi Fly X as a 'fictitious' company and has suspected 'massive financial irregularities' in the deal.

While advance payment was released to the Portugal-based HiFly Transporte Aeroes, rest of the payment was released to Ireland based company, the report said.

It has also pointed out the mismatch in manufacturer's serial numbers assigned to NAC jets.

Initially, the numbers '1840' and '1842' were issued to NAC.

Airbus later assigned '1845' and '1854' after receiving the commitment fee.

However, at the Airbus' manufacturing plant in Toulouse, France, the aircraft serial numbers were '1872' and '1878'.

The '1845' and '1854' that NAC had claimed to be its own actually belong to Tibet Airlines and Spain's Iberia Airline respectively, the report explained.

As per Clause 236(1) of NAC financial bylaw, the national carrier is required to invite proposals only from the aircraft manufacturers to purchase brand new aircraft.

However, it went with Clause 236 (2) of the bylaw which allows the NAC to procure an old plane from a leasing agency, banker or airline operator besides manufacturers.

The sub-committee report states that NAC had signed a USD 209.6-million contract for two A330-200 jets with the United States-based AAR Corp in April 2017, ignoring the rate suggested by its sub-committee.

The report said that the sub-committee had suggested that each jet would cost USD 93,047,434 (after adjusting 2.76 per cent of price escalation rate) based on the 2016 sales price list.

This ignorance has incurred USD 23.6 million losses in the deal involving two jets, it said.

Specifications like maximum takeoff weight was revised downward to 230 tonnes from proposed 242 tonnes as specified in the bid documents, the report pointed out.

Nepal's USD 209.6-million Airbus deal, the largest ever in the country's aviation history, is turning out to be one of the biggest corruption scandals in the country as a parliamentary committee indicted a top minister and some senior bureaucrats of graft in the deal.

Nepal's USD 209.6-million Airbus deal, the largest ever in the country's aviation history, is turning out to be one of the biggest corruption scandals in the country as a parliamentary committee indicted a top minister and some senior bureaucrats of graft in the deal. Nepal's Civil Aviation Minister Rabindra Adhikari and top-level bureaucrats have been accused by the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament of misappropriating at least Rs 435 crore while procuring the two Airbus A-330 jets for national flag carrier Nepal Airlines Corporation. The sub-committee led by Nepali Congress lawmaker Rajan KC submitted a 58-page probe report to Public Accounts Committee on Wednesday, implicating officials at the highest levels who were in charge at the Civil Aviation Ministry during the procurement process. The report, prepared after a three-week long investigation, has charged Civil Aviation Minister Adhikari and former ministers -- Jivan Bahadur Shahi and Jitendra Dev -- with shying away with their responsibilities to stop the deal. The report has categorically termed NAC Managing Director Sugat Ratna Kansakar as the main accused of the scandal and recommended for his immediate suspension along with two sitting secretaries, Prem Kumar Rai and Krishna Prasad Devkota and former secretary Shankar Prasad Adhikari who had acted as NAC chairman during their tenure as tourism secretary. Shahi has been accused of sending the commitment fee to purchase the jet through a ministerial-level decision. In his statement to the investigation panel, he had denied having direct involvement in the NAC jet procurement process. Former minister Dev has been accused of making the first payment to HiFly X Ireland, the supplier of the jets, during his tenure. Minister Adhikari has been charged with negligence as he was found to have sent the final instalment of a payment to Portuguese leasing company HiFly. Contrary to his earlier promise of a detailed investigation into the case, he had carried out only a minor in-house investigation. "The NAC has not given us the bill of sale of the two jets. We suspect that the 'irregularities' amount could go further up if the bill of sale is calculated," Rajan told the lawmakers. "It needs a further investigation on the amount released to HiFly X by NAC and the amount paid by HiFly to the aircraft manufacturer Airbus. "There were no details on the discount received by the NAC during the purchase of the jets, he said, adding, 'We have asked PAC to get the payment details from the Airbus through the Foreign Ministry. "The sub-committee has questioned the motive of the NAC and HiFly Portugal for forming a special purpose vehicle--Hi Fly X Ireland--to specifically look into the procurement process. The committee has termed Hi Fly X as a 'fictitious' company and has suspected 'massive financial irregularities' in the deal. While advance payment was released to the Portugal-based HiFly Transporte Aeroes, rest of the payment was released to Ireland based company, the report said. It has also pointed out the mismatch in manufacturer's serial numbers assigned to NAC jets. Initially, the numbers '1840' and '1842' were issued to NAC. Airbus later assigned '1845' and '1854' after receiving the commitment fee. However, at the Airbus' manufacturing plant in Toulouse, France, the aircraft serial numbers were '1872' and '1878'. The '1845' and '1854' that NAC had claimed to be its own actually belong to Tibet Airlines and Spain's Iberia Airline respectively, the report explained. As per Clause 236(1) of NAC financial bylaw, the national carrier is required to invite proposals only from the aircraft manufacturers to purchase brand new aircraft. However, it went with Clause 236 (2) of the bylaw which allows the NAC to procure an old plane from a leasing agency, banker or airline operator besides manufacturers. The sub-committee report states that NAC had signed a USD 209.6-million contract for two A330-200 jets with the United States-based AAR Corp in April 2017, ignoring the rate suggested by its sub-committee. The report said that the sub-committee had suggested that each jet would cost USD 93,047,434 (after adjusting 2.76 per cent of price escalation rate) based on the 2016 sales price list. This ignorance has incurred USD 23.6 million losses in the deal involving two jets, it said. Specifications like maximum takeoff weight was revised downward to 230 tonnes from proposed 242 tonnes as specified in the bid documents, the report pointed out.

Nepal's biggest corruption scandal: Minister, bureaucrats indicted in Rs 435 crore Airbus deal

European aircraft manufacturer<a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-%26-economy/airasia-announces-30billion-deal-for-100-airbus-planes-152962"> Airbus said Thursday it had finalised</a> the sale of 120 A220-300 single-aisle jets worth $11 billion.&nbsp;

Sixty of the aircraft would go to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/airbus-dassault-to-jointly-produce-fighter-jets-uavs-132781">low-cost US carrier JetBlue</a> and another 60 to a start-up codenamed Moxy that is to begin operations in 2021, Airbus said.

Airbus acquired in 2017 the A220-300 aircraft line, which Canadian firm Bombardier developed as its CSeries, and which represents a new generation designed for airlines seeking 100-150 seat planes.

Bombardier had struggled to win customers even though the planes offered fuel-savings similar to a new class of larger aircraft sold by Airbus and US rival Boeing.

"JetBlue has proven there is no contradiction between economic efficiency and a high quality product," said Airbus Chief Commercial Officer Christian Scherer in a statement.&nbsp;

"Their endorsement of the A220 proves this aircraft meets those two criteria better than any alternative in its segment," he added.

Moxy is an airline venture led by David Neeleman, founder of JetBlue and Azul Brazilian Airlines and who is now the controlling investor in TAP Air Portugal.

The aircraft are to be assembled in a new Airbus factory in the US state of Alabama, with work to begin later this month.

The A220's seating capacity falls between that of traditional commuter planes and Airbus' A320 family, which can seat from 180 to 240 people and which has become an airline workhorse on medium-range routes.&nbsp;

European aircraft manufacturer Airbus said Thursday it had finalised the sale of 120 A220-300 single-aisle jets worth $11 billion. Sixty of the aircraft would go to low-cost US carrier JetBlue and another 60 to a start-up codenamed Moxy that is to begin operations in 2021, Airbus said.

European aircraft manufacturer Airbus said Thursday it had finalised the sale of 120 A220-300 single-aisle jets worth $11 billion. Sixty of the aircraft would go to low-cost US carrier JetBlue and another 60 to a start-up codenamed Moxy that is to begin operations in 2021, Airbus said. Airbus acquired in 2017 the A220-300 aircraft line, which Canadian firm Bombardier developed as its CSeries, and which represents a new generation designed for airlines seeking 100-150 seat planes. Bombardier had struggled to win customers even though the planes offered fuel-savings similar to a new class of larger aircraft sold by Airbus and US rival Boeing. "JetBlue has proven there is no contradiction between economic efficiency and a high quality product," said Airbus Chief Commercial Officer Christian Scherer in a statement. "Their endorsement of the A220 proves this aircraft meets those two criteria better than any alternative in its segment," he added. Moxy is an airline venture led by David Neeleman, founder of JetBlue and Azul Brazilian Airlines and who is now the controlling investor in TAP Air Portugal. The aircraft are to be assembled in a new Airbus factory in the US state of Alabama, with work to begin later this month. The A220's seating capacity falls between that of traditional commuter planes and Airbus' A320 family, which can seat from 180 to 240 people and which has become an airline workhorse on medium-range routes.

Sale of 120 jets worth $11 billion finalised: Airbus

&nbsp;Airbus SE is set to close a deal to take a controlling stake in Bombardier Inc's CSeries jetliner program, effective July 1, the companies said on Friday, in a move expected to kickstart the European planemaker's ability to put its marketing and cost-cutting muscle into the Canadian plane program.

Bombardier agreed in October to sell Airbus a 50.01 per cent stake in its flagship commercial jet for a symbolic Canadian dollar, as the plane program battled sluggish sales and low production, which made it harder to keep a lid on costs.

Airbus, by contrast, will be able to offer airlines deals by packaging the CSeries with its own jets and is expected to use its purchasing prowess to drastically cut the price of parts, along with improving efficiencies internally.

Bombardier will now own about 31 per cent, while Investissement Quebec, the investment arm of the province of Quebec, will hold a 19 per cent stake.

The Quebec government, through its financing arm, took a 49 per cent stake in the CSeries program in 2015 for $1 billion. Quebec's share, most recently worth 38 per cent, slipped to 19 per cent following the deal with Airbus.

The deal was announced at a time when Bombardier was locked in a trade dispute with U.S. planemaker Boeing Co.

The dispute ended in March when Boeing said it will not appeal a U.S. trade commission ruling that allows Bombardier to sell its CSeries in the United States without hefty duties.

Boeing is now holding its own tie-up talks with Bombardier's Brazilian rival Embraer SA. The closing allows Airbus' sales team to promote the CSeries during campaigns to carriers such as Grupo Aeromexico and Ethiopian Airlines, with the European planemaker expected to boost orders and change the plane's name to an Airbus brand.

Airbus, by contrast, will be able to offer airlines deals by packaging the CSeries with its own jets

Airbus SE is set to close a deal to take a controlling stake in Bombardier Inc's CSeries jetliner program, effective July 1, the companies said on Friday, in a move expected to kickstart the European planemaker's ability to put its marketing and cost-cutting muscle into the Canadian plane program. Bombardier agreed in October to sell Airbus a 50.01 per cent stake in its flagship commercial jet for a symbolic Canadian dollar, as the plane program battled sluggish sales and low production, which made it harder to keep a lid on costs. Airbus, by contrast, will be able to offer airlines deals by packaging the CSeries with its own jets and is expected to use its purchasing prowess to drastically cut the price of parts, along with improving efficiencies internally. Bombardier will now own about 31 per cent, while Investissement Quebec, the investment arm of the province of Quebec, will hold a 19 per cent stake. The Quebec government, through its financing arm, took a 49 per cent stake in the CSeries program in 2015 for $1 billion. Quebec's share, most recently worth 38 per cent, slipped to 19 per cent following the deal with Airbus. The deal was announced at a time when Bombardier was locked in a trade dispute with U.S. planemaker Boeing Co. The dispute ended in March when Boeing said it will not appeal a U.S. trade commission ruling that allows Bombardier to sell its CSeries in the United States without hefty duties. Boeing is now holding its own tie-up talks with Bombardier's Brazilian rival Embraer SA. The closing allows Airbus' sales team to promote the CSeries during campaigns to carriers such as Grupo Aeromexico and Ethiopian Airlines, with the European planemaker expected to boost orders and change the plane's name to an Airbus brand.

Airbus set to close deal for majority stake in Bombardier Cseries

The European Union told the World Trade Organization's dispute settlement body on Monday that it had acted within days of a WTO ruling to bring its funding of planemaker Airbus into line with WTO rules, a trade official who attended the meeting said.

The United States won a partial victory on May 15 against EU support for Airbus at the WTO, clearing the way for possible US&nbspsanctions in a 14-year-old dispute over claims of illegal handouts for aircraft makers.

The EU said last week it had taken steps to comply with the WTO ruling on subsidies for its A350, Europe's newest long-haul jet, and the A380, the world's largest airliner, and reiterated its efforts at a closed-door WTO meeting on Monday.

The EU said it had made "contractual changes to the loan terms for the A380 and the A350XWB models of aircraft, where it was found that the repayable loans provided to Airbus for these aircrafts did not sufficiently reflect market conditions."

But a US&nbsprepresentative at the WTO meeting said it was hard to give credence to the EU's assertion after four previous rulings that had disagreed with similar EU claims to have brought Airbus's financing into line with market benchmarks.

Under WTO rules, Washington could now ask the WTO to set a level of sanctions allowed against the EU.

"To be clear, the US&nbsppreferred outcome is a mutually agreed solution with respect to aircraft financing," the US&nbspofficial told the meeting. "The United States remains ready to hold serious discussions to achieve this goal."

The United States is the target of a similar WTO complaint brought by the EU over US&nbspsupport for Airbus's rival Boeing, and the EU has said it expects to land a similar legal blow later this year.

That could plunge the two sides into a tit-for-tat sanctions battle, or prompt what some trade experts have long expected: a trans-Atlantic deal on financing big civil aircraft.

The US&nbspofficial said Washington wanted to agree on a deal to avoid similar disputes over subsidies in future, although it was prepared to seek countermeasures on EU products if necessary.

"But in our view, what is needed to resolve this dispute is not more WTO litigation but a real desire to resolve this dispute," the US&nbspofficial said.

An Airbus spokeswoman said the firm welcomed the US&nbspproposal for a settlement, saying it would be a "wise way forward" and dismissing any grounds for US&nbspcountermeasures.

“Airbus and the EU have always been open to sit down and discuss a settlement with everything on the table and without any preconditions," she said.

"If that is the case, we are happy to start a constructive discussion to find a solution to this long-lasting dispute."

The United States is the target of a similar WTO complaint brought by the EU over US support for Airbus's rival Boeing, and the EU has said it expects to land a similar legal blow later this year

The European Union told the World Trade Organization's dispute settlement body on Monday that it had acted within days of a WTO ruling to bring its funding of planemaker Airbus into line with WTO rules, a trade official who attended the meeting said. The United States won a partial victory on May 15 against EU support for Airbus at the WTO, clearing the way for possible US&nbspsanctions in a 14-year-old dispute over claims of illegal handouts for aircraft makers. The EU said last week it had taken steps to comply with the WTO ruling on subsidies for its A350, Europe's newest long-haul jet, and the A380, the world's largest airliner, and reiterated its efforts at a closed-door WTO meeting on Monday. The EU said it had made "contractual changes to the loan terms for the A380 and the A350XWB models of aircraft, where it was found that the repayable loans provided to Airbus for these aircrafts did not sufficiently reflect market conditions." But a US&nbsprepresentative at the WTO meeting said it was hard to give credence to the EU's assertion after four previous rulings that had disagreed with similar EU claims to have brought Airbus's financing into line with market benchmarks. Under WTO rules, Washington could now ask the WTO to set a level of sanctions allowed against the EU. "To be clear, the US&nbsppreferred outcome is a mutually agreed solution with respect to aircraft financing," the US&nbspofficial told the meeting. "The United States remains ready to hold serious discussions to achieve this goal." The United States is the target of a similar WTO complaint brought by the EU over US&nbspsupport for Airbus's rival Boeing, and the EU has said it expects to land a similar legal blow later this year. That could plunge the two sides into a tit-for-tat sanctions battle, or prompt what some trade experts have long expected: a trans-Atlantic deal on financing big civil aircraft. The US&nbspofficial said Washington wanted to agree on a deal to avoid similar disputes over subsidies in future, although it was prepared to seek countermeasures on EU products if necessary. "But in our view, what is needed to resolve this dispute is not more WTO litigation but a real desire to resolve this dispute," the US&nbspofficial said. An Airbus spokeswoman said the firm welcomed the US&nbspproposal for a settlement, saying it would be a "wise way forward" and dismissing any grounds for US&nbspcountermeasures. “Airbus and the EU have always been open to sit down and discuss a settlement with everything on the table and without any preconditions," she said. "If that is the case, we are happy to start a constructive discussion to find a solution to this long-lasting dispute."

US and EU again at odds over Airbus subsidies at WTO

Airbus and Dassault Aviation have signed an initial agreement to cooperate on Europe's Future Air Combat System (FCAS), the two companies said on Wednesday.

They are awaiting details from the French and German governments on the exact requirements for the programme, which is set to include a fighter jet, unmanned aerial vehicles, connectivity and secure communications.

"It's a really important moment to stabilise the European defence industry and work together in a structured manner," Airbus Defence and Space CEO Dirk Hoke told reporters at the Berlin air show.

Germany and France have agreed on the central requirements for a new fighter jet to replace Eurofighter Typhoon and Rafale warplanes beginning in 2040, and officials from the two countries will sign an outline document on the sidelines of the show, military sources said on Tuesday.

The two companies want to ensure that Europe retains control over its future weapons systems, Eric Trappier, CEO of Dassault Aviation said.

"I don't feel that if other European countries buy off the shelf American products that you contribute to strategic autonomy," Trappier said.

Whether the French and German governments decide to involve Britain in future projects would likely depend on the conditions around its exit from the European Union, Hoke said.

France is working with Britain on an unmanned combat aerial vehicle, but that project has not yet progressed as expected.

"It was supposed to go up to the extent of joint demonstrator. For some reason this has not yet been decided," Trappier said.

He said the Franco-German cooperation was different, with it being for a larger system for a manned fighter, whereas the Franco-British project was for an unmanned aircraft.

The two companies have not yet announced who will lead the partnership for the Franco-German FCAS. Trappier said they would each decide who had the best skills and competencies to lead each part of the system.

"The role on both sides is to find the right compromises. If we play egos we will end up with a project that won't be successful," Hoke said.

Airbus and Dassault said it was important for France and Germany to launch an initial joint study this year so they could get demonstrators done for 2025.

The fighter aircraft will replace the current generation of Eurofighter and Rafale aircraft.

Trappier said it would not be a copy of the US&nbspF-35 fighter, but would be more ambitious.

Hoke said if Germany decided to buy the F-35 to replace its Tornados, that would mean the FCAS would no longer be feasible.

Germany and France have agreed on the central requirements for a new fighter jet to replace Eurofighter Typhoon and Rafale warplanes beginning in 2040

Airbus and Dassault Aviation have signed an initial agreement to cooperate on Europe's Future Air Combat System (FCAS), the two companies said on Wednesday. They are awaiting details from the French and German governments on the exact requirements for the programme, which is set to include a fighter jet, unmanned aerial vehicles, connectivity and secure communications. "It's a really important moment to stabilise the European defence industry and work together in a structured manner," Airbus Defence and Space CEO Dirk Hoke told reporters at the Berlin air show. Germany and France have agreed on the central requirements for a new fighter jet to replace Eurofighter Typhoon and Rafale warplanes beginning in 2040, and officials from the two countries will sign an outline document on the sidelines of the show, military sources said on Tuesday. The two companies want to ensure that Europe retains control over its future weapons systems, Eric Trappier, CEO of Dassault Aviation said. "I don't feel that if other European countries buy off the shelf American products that you contribute to strategic autonomy," Trappier said. Whether the French and German governments decide to involve Britain in future projects would likely depend on the conditions around its exit from the European Union, Hoke said. France is working with Britain on an unmanned combat aerial vehicle, but that project has not yet progressed as expected. "It was supposed to go up to the extent of joint demonstrator. For some reason this has not yet been decided," Trappier said. He said the Franco-German cooperation was different, with it being for a larger system for a manned fighter, whereas the Franco-British project was for an unmanned aircraft. The two companies have not yet announced who will lead the partnership for the Franco-German FCAS. Trappier said they would each decide who had the best skills and competencies to lead each part of the system. "The role on both sides is to find the right compromises. If we play egos we will end up with a project that won't be successful," Hoke said. Airbus and Dassault said it was important for France and Germany to launch an initial joint study this year so they could get demonstrators done for 2025. The fighter aircraft will replace the current generation of Eurofighter and Rafale aircraft. Trappier said it would not be a copy of the US&nbspF-35 fighter, but would be more ambitious. Hoke said if Germany decided to buy the F-35 to replace its Tornados, that would mean the FCAS would no longer be feasible.

Airbus, Dassault to jointly produce fighter jets, UAVs

A day after the horrific incident of a plane crash in Kathmandu, Nepal, India&#39;s budget carrier IndiGo cancelled as many as 47 flights today. The move came after the private airline was slapped with a notice by the national aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that grounded its eight A320Neo planes with faulty Pratt &amp; Whitney engines. According to reports, GoAir&#39;s three such aircraft have also been grounded.

IndiGo made an official announcement on its website stating that as many as 47 flights have been cancelled from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Patna, Srinagar, Bhubaneswar, Amritsar, Srinagar and Guwahati, among others.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndiGo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IndiGo</a> has cancelled certain flights due to the grounding of aircraft further to the DGCA directions which have been issued in the interest of safety. A320neos aircraft fitted with PW1100 engines were grounded with immediate effect by DGCA yesterday.
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/973438347539632129?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2018</a></blockquote>
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IndiGo&#39;s flight bound for Lucknow returned to Ahmedabad within 40 minutes of its take off due to a mid-air engine failure yesterday.&nbsp;

DGCA&#39;s director, in an order that was issued yesterday, cited safety measures for airlines. The order grounded A320 Neos Airbus fitted with PW1100 engines beyond ESN 450 with immediate effect.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/nepal-plane-crash-bombardier-q400-has-history-of-landing-gear-troubles-35517">Nepal crash: Bombardier Q400 plane has had </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/nepal-plane-crash-bombardier-q400-has-history-of-landing-gear-troubles-35517">history</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/nepal-plane-crash-bombardier-q400-has-history-of-landing-gear-troubles-35517">&nbsp;of landing gear troubles</a>

Three other IndiGo A320Neo planes have been on the ground since February following similar engine problems.

In an official release. IndiGo announced complying with DGCA&#39;s directive and apologised for the inconvenience caused to its passengers.&nbsp;

&quot;While we understand that this may cause inconvenience to some of our passengers, given that we have multiple flights to the same destination, we are proactively re-accommodating all our affected passengers on other flights.&quot; 
&nbsp; 
IndiGo passengers have the option to either choose another flight at no additional cost or cancel their booking and get a full refund without any cancellation charges.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Indian airlines like IndiGo and GoAir cancelled over dozens of flights yesterday after a plane crashed at Kathmandu&#39;s Tribhuvan International Airport; at least <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/plane-crashes-at-kathmandu-airport-several-feared-dead-35505">49 passengers onboard are reported dead</a>&nbsp;with 22 injured.&nbsp;

<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pdA7QcbldvA" width="560"></iframe>

IndiGo operates about 1,000 flights daily and carries about 40 per cent domestic flyers.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Indian airlines like IndiGo and GoAir cancelled over dozens of flights yesterday after a plane crashed at Kathmandu airport

A day after the horrific incident of a plane crash in Kathmandu, Nepal, India's budget carrier IndiGo cancelled as many as 47 flights today. The move came after the private airline was slapped with a notice by the national aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that grounded its eight A320Neo planes with faulty Pratt & Whitney engines. According to reports, GoAir's three such aircraft have also been grounded. IndiGo made an official announcement on its website stating that as many as 47 flights have been cancelled from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Patna, Srinagar, Bhubaneswar, Amritsar, Srinagar and Guwahati, among others. #IndiGo has cancelled certain flights due to the grounding of aircraft further to the DGCA directions which have been issued in the interest of safety. A320neos aircraft fitted with PW1100 engines were grounded with immediate effect by DGCA yesterday. — ANI (@ANI) March 13, 2018 × IndiGo's flight bound for Lucknow returned to Ahmedabad within 40 minutes of its take off due to a mid-air engine failure yesterday. DGCA's director, in an order that was issued yesterday, cited safety measures for airlines. The order grounded A320 Neos Airbus fitted with PW1100 engines beyond ESN 450 with immediate effect. Also read: Nepal crash: Bombardier Q400 plane has had history of landing gear troubles Three other IndiGo A320Neo planes have been on the ground since February following similar engine problems. In an official release. IndiGo announced complying with DGCA's directive and apologised for the inconvenience caused to its passengers. "While we understand that this may cause inconvenience to some of our passengers, given that we have multiple flights to the same destination, we are proactively re-accommodating all our affected passengers on other flights." IndiGo passengers have the option to either choose another flight at no additional cost or cancel their booking and get a full refund without any cancellation charges. Indian airlines like IndiGo and GoAir cancelled over dozens of flights yesterday after a plane crashed at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport; at least 49 passengers onboard are reported dead with 22 injured. IndiGo operates about 1,000 flights daily and carries about 40 per cent domestic flyers. (With inputs from agencies)

Nepal plane crash aftermath: After DGCA cracks whip, IndiGo cancels 47 flights across India

German prosecutors today said Airbus had agreed to pay a fine of 81.25 million euros (USD 99 million) to settle a corruption probe into the 2003 sale of Eurofighter jets to Austria.

The investigation did not find evidence of bribery to secure the lucrative contract, the Munich prosecutors said in a statement.

But they said Airbus had failed it its supervisory duty by allowing former management to make multi-million-euro payments linked to the deal for &quot;unclear purposes&quot;.

The European aircraft manufacturer said in its own statement it had accepted the fine, meaning that the probed first opened in 2012 &quot;has been terminated&quot;.

Authorities in Austria, however, are still investigating claims bribers were paid to land the two-billion-euro sale of 18 Eurofighter jets to Vienna, a deal long alleged to have been very shady.

The Austrian government last year also launched a lawsuit against Airbus, seeking up 1.1 billion euros in damages. It accuses the aircraft giant of deliberately hoodwinking Vienna over the order.

Current Airbus chief Tom Enders was head of the defense division of European Aeronautic Defence Space Company at the time the deal was struck.

The corruption probes in Germany and Austria, as well separate graft investigations in Britain and France, have long cast a pall over one of Europe&#39;s most successful and best-known companies.

Airbus announced in December that embattled Enders would not seek reappointment when his current term ends in April 2019.

The investigation did not find evidence of bribery to secure the lucrative contract, the Munich prosecutors said in a statement

German prosecutors today said Airbus had agreed to pay a fine of 81.25 million euros (USD 99 million) to settle a corruption probe into the 2003 sale of Eurofighter jets to Austria. The investigation did not find evidence of bribery to secure the lucrative contract, the Munich prosecutors said in a statement. But they said Airbus had failed it its supervisory duty by allowing former management to make multi-million-euro payments linked to the deal for "unclear purposes". The European aircraft manufacturer said in its own statement it had accepted the fine, meaning that the probed first opened in 2012 "has been terminated". Authorities in Austria, however, are still investigating claims bribers were paid to land the two-billion-euro sale of 18 Eurofighter jets to Vienna, a deal long alleged to have been very shady. The Austrian government last year also launched a lawsuit against Airbus, seeking up 1.1 billion euros in damages. It accuses the aircraft giant of deliberately hoodwinking Vienna over the order. Current Airbus chief Tom Enders was head of the defense division of European Aeronautic Defence Space Company at the time the deal was struck. The corruption probes in Germany and Austria, as well separate graft investigations in Britain and France, have long cast a pall over one of Europe's most successful and best-known companies. Airbus announced in December that embattled Enders would not seek reappointment when his current term ends in April 2019.

Airbus to pay 81 million euros to end German corruption probe

The Singapore Airshow 2018 is all set to kick off on Tuesday with 1,062 companies&nbsp;participating this year including Airbus, Boeing and Rolls-Royce.&nbsp;

The bi-annual aerospace and defence event will return with the aerobatic displays by local and international teams, which will take place during the trade days (6-9 February) as well as the public days (10-11 February). Although a preview took place on February 4th where people could see them prepare for the big show.&nbsp;

It is Asia&#39;s Largest Aerospace and Defence event where visitors can look forward to a wide range of exciting activities including static aircraft on display and the breathtaking aerobatic flying displays.&nbsp;

The Airshow will also hold conferences and business forums for aerospace industry players as well as a meet-the-pilot session where visitors can take photos and get their autographs.

Reports say that over 13,000 visitors are expected at the event which will be open to the public.&nbsp;

The main attraction of the show will consist of aerobatic performances with pilots from six countries - Singapore, South Korea, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and the United States, taking part this year.

There will also be an indoor exhibition stretched over 3000 sq m, stating the history of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and showcasing its current capabilities.

The 15-minute aerial display by the RSAF, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, will feature 15 manoeuvres, six of which are new.

The newly-certified Airbus A350-1000 long-range passenger jet and the latest-generation United States Marine Corp&#39;s F-35B, which can land like a helicopter, are among the new commercial and military planes that will be on display. ELTA Emergency Locator Transmittor and the Orion-D Man Pack drone detection system will also be making their global debut.

Aviation cybersecurity and autonomous vehicle technologies, such as unmanned aerial vehicles will be the key topics&nbsp;of the business forums this year. There will be four business forums and three conferences in total at Singapore Airshow 2018.

Reports say that over 13,000 visitors are expected at the event which will be open to public

The Singapore Airshow 2018 is all set to kick off on Tuesday with 1,062 companies participating this year including Airbus, Boeing and Rolls-Royce. The bi-annual aerospace and defence event will return with the aerobatic displays by local and international teams, which will take place during the trade days (6-9 February) as well as the public days (10-11 February). Although a preview took place on February 4th where people could see them prepare for the big show. It is Asia's Largest Aerospace and Defence event where visitors can look forward to a wide range of exciting activities including static aircraft on display and the breathtaking aerobatic flying displays. The Airshow will also hold conferences and business forums for aerospace industry players as well as a meet-the-pilot session where visitors can take photos and get their autographs. Reports say that over 13,000 visitors are expected at the event which will be open to the public. The main attraction of the show will consist of aerobatic performances with pilots from six countries - Singapore, South Korea, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and the United States, taking part this year. There will also be an indoor exhibition stretched over 3000 sq m, stating the history of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and showcasing its current capabilities. The 15-minute aerial display by the RSAF, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, will feature 15 manoeuvres, six of which are new. The newly-certified Airbus A350-1000 long-range passenger jet and the latest-generation United States Marine Corp's F-35B, which can land like a helicopter, are among the new commercial and military planes that will be on display. ELTA Emergency Locator Transmittor and the Orion-D Man Pack drone detection system will also be making their global debut. Aviation cybersecurity and autonomous vehicle technologies, such as unmanned aerial vehicles will be the key topics of the business forums this year. There will be four business forums and three conferences in total at Singapore Airshow 2018.

Watch: Singapore Airshow 2018 set to kick off on Tuesday

Airbus successfully conducted its first ever test flight of the Vahana, an eclectic and pilotless flying vehicle, they announced on Friday.&nbsp;

The test flight was conducted on Wednesday at the US state of Oregon and lasted for 53 seconds. Reports said that the full-scale vehicle reached about 16 feet high before descending safely.&nbsp;

Propelled by eight rotors that allow it to take off and land vertically, Vahana completed a second test flight on Thursday, and additional testing is slated including forwarding flight.

Airbus has said it wants to build a fleet of autonomous, multirotor eVTOL aircraft that can be used to fly from rooftop to rooftop in dense cities where traffic is often at a standstill and is designed to carry one passenger and fly autonomously, according to its website. The project launched in early 2016.&nbsp;

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Autonomous driving technology has made considerable progress in recent years with high-tech firms. Representative image. (Twitter)
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&quot;Vahana aims to democratise personal flight and answer the growing need for urban mobility by leveraging the latest technologies in electric propulsion, energy storage, and machine vision,&quot; Airbus said in its statement.

&ldquo;Our aim has long been to design and builds a single passenger electric VTOL self-piloted aircraft that will answer the growing need for urban mobility,&rdquo; Zach Lovering, project executive at Vahana, said in a blog post. &ldquo;Our goal is to democratize personal flight by leveraging the latest technologies such as electric propulsion, energy storage, and machine vision. Our first flights mark a huge milestone for Vahana as well as the global pursuit of urban air mobility.&rdquo;

Autonomous driving technology has made considerable progress in recent years with high-tech firms and established automakers putting test vehicles on the roads, while a handful of inventors and start-ups have developed flying cars.

The test flight was conducted on Wednesday at the US state of Oregon and lasted for 53 secinds. Reports said that the full-scale vehicle reached about 16 feet high before descending safely

Airbus successfully conducted its first ever test flight of the Vahana, an eclectic and pilotless flying vehicle, they announced on Friday. The test flight was conducted on Wednesday at the US state of Oregon and lasted for 53 seconds. Reports said that the full-scale vehicle reached about 16 feet high before descending safely. Propelled by eight rotors that allow it to take off and land vertically, Vahana completed a second test flight on Thursday, and additional testing is slated including forwarding flight. Airbus has said it wants to build a fleet of autonomous, multirotor eVTOL aircraft that can be used to fly from rooftop to rooftop in dense cities where traffic is often at a standstill and is designed to carry one passenger and fly autonomously, according to its website. The project launched in early 2016. Autonomous driving technology has made considerable progress in recent years with high-tech firms. Representative image. (Twitter) × "Vahana aims to democratise personal flight and answer the growing need for urban mobility by leveraging the latest technologies in electric propulsion, energy storage, and machine vision," Airbus said in its statement. “Our aim has long been to design and builds a single passenger electric VTOL self-piloted aircraft that will answer the growing need for urban mobility,” Zach Lovering, project executive at Vahana, said in a blog post. “Our goal is to democratize personal flight by leveraging the latest technologies such as electric propulsion, energy storage, and machine vision. Our first flights mark a huge milestone for Vahana as well as the global pursuit of urban air mobility.” Autonomous driving technology has made considerable progress in recent years with high-tech firms and established automakers putting test vehicles on the roads, while a handful of inventors and start-ups have developed flying cars.

Flying taxi? Airbus conducts successful 'test flight'

In the global aircraft market, a new serious contender has emerged - Bombardier&#39;s C-series aircraft. With the behemoth added to its stable, the Canadian manufacturer is wooing airlines for orders.

Bombardier took the aircraft on a world tour and one of the stops was India; the plane was showcased to prospective buyers at the Indira Gandhi International airport. The C-series aircraft belongs to a family of narrow-body, twin-engine, medium-range jet airliners originally designed by Bombardier.

But its narrow design is in no way a down side. The 160-seater, single-aisle aircraft boasts of an enhanced cabin design with bigger and wider seats, larger over-head cabins and windows as well as a broader aisle. It also offers wide-body comfort in a narrow-body aircraft. The seats, too, provide more elbow room with the middle seats being 19 inches wide and aisle and window seats being 18.5 inches wide. The windows in the aircraft are as big as those on the Boeing-777, 50 per cent larger than an Airbus-320 and 26 per cent larger than a Boeing-737. This allows more natural light inside the aircraft as well as an aisle-seat occupant to enjoy the view outside better.

The aisle is roomier too, with a width of 20 inches, allowing a passenger to walk past a food trolley. The overhead storage cabins are 10 cm lower (as compared to a Boeing-737) and are opened upwards unlike most other aircraft where the lid has to be pulled down. The new design allows passengers easier access to the storage. However, lower height also means you could bump your head into it. The C-series includes two models - CS-100 and CS-300 - which burn 20 per cent less fuel than the older generation aircraft.

It consumes two litres of fuel per passenger per 100 km. The aircraft is 6,000 kilograms lighter, translating into lower fuel burn, owing to its design material. The CS-100 will compete with the Embraer E195-E2 while the CS-300 is pitted against Boeing-737 Max 7, Airbus A319neo, and Irkut MC-21-200. For the first time in a single-aisle aircraft, the wings are composite and the fuselage is made of aluminium-lithium. Therefore, it is 10 per cent lighter but 250 per cent more resistant to corrosion and 40 per cent stronger in fatigue.

These features mean that the plane requires maintenance after a longer interval. Generally, older generation aircraft require a B-check after flying for 750 hours and C-checks after 7,500 hours. But in the new C-series, the B-check are needed after 850 hours and C-checks after 8,500 hours. Thus, the aircraft spends more time in the air flying and generating more revenue for the airline as opposed to spending time on routine checks.

Bombardier currently has more than 350 orders globally for its C-series aircraft and its clients include Air Baltic, Swiss Air and Delta Air.

Bombardier's C-series includes two models - CS-100 and CS-300 - which burn 20 per cent less fuel than the older generation aircraft.

In the global aircraft market, a new serious contender has emerged - Bombardier's C-series aircraft. With the behemoth added to its stable, the Canadian manufacturer is wooing airlines for orders. Bombardier took the aircraft on a world tour and one of the stops was India; the plane was showcased to prospective buyers at the Indira Gandhi International airport. The C-series aircraft belongs to a family of narrow-body, twin-engine, medium-range jet airliners originally designed by Bombardier. But its narrow design is in no way a down side. The 160-seater, single-aisle aircraft boasts of an enhanced cabin design with bigger and wider seats, larger over-head cabins and windows as well as a broader aisle. It also offers wide-body comfort in a narrow-body aircraft. The seats, too, provide more elbow room with the middle seats being 19 inches wide and aisle and window seats being 18.5 inches wide. The windows in the aircraft are as big as those on the Boeing-777, 50 per cent larger than an Airbus-320 and 26 per cent larger than a Boeing-737. This allows more natural light inside the aircraft as well as an aisle-seat occupant to enjoy the view outside better. The aisle is roomier too, with a width of 20 inches, allowing a passenger to walk past a food trolley. The overhead storage cabins are 10 cm lower (as compared to a Boeing-737) and are opened upwards unlike most other aircraft where the lid has to be pulled down. The new design allows passengers easier access to the storage. However, lower height also means you could bump your head into it. The C-series includes two models - CS-100 and CS-300 - which burn 20 per cent less fuel than the older generation aircraft. It consumes two litres of fuel per passenger per 100 km. The aircraft is 6,000 kilograms lighter, translating into lower fuel burn, owing to its design material. The CS-100 will compete with the Embraer E195-E2 while the CS-300 is pitted against Boeing-737 Max 7, Airbus A319neo, and Irkut MC-21-200. For the first time in a single-aisle aircraft, the wings are composite and the fuselage is made of aluminium-lithium. Therefore, it is 10 per cent lighter but 250 per cent more resistant to corrosion and 40 per cent stronger in fatigue. These features mean that the plane requires maintenance after a longer interval. Generally, older generation aircraft require a B-check after flying for 750 hours and C-checks after 7,500 hours. But in the new C-series, the B-check are needed after 850 hours and C-checks after 8,500 hours. Thus, the aircraft spends more time in the air flying and generating more revenue for the airline as opposed to spending time on routine checks. Bombardier currently has more than 350 orders globally for its C-series aircraft and its clients include Air Baltic, Swiss Air and Delta Air.

Bombardier showcases fuel efficient, lighter aircraft to take on Boeing & Airbus

Turkey&rsquo;s Turksat 5A and 5B satellites will be launched by Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), Turkish Transport Minister Ahmet Arslan said on Thursday.

&ldquo;Our friends decided to launch our satellites with the Falcon 9 rockets of Airbus&rsquo; subcontractor, SpaceX,&rdquo; Arslan said at an event in Istanbul. The agreement to build and launch satellites will be worth around $500 million, Turksat Chairman said during his speech at the same event.

In October, Airbus submitted the best bid to build the satellites. The 5A satellite will be launched in 2020 and the 5B in 2021.

Elon Musk, chief executive of American electric car maker Tesla and aerospace company SpaceX, met Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Wednesday and discussed cooperation between Tesla, SpaceX, and Turkish firms. Musk&rsquo;s SpaceX plans a manned mission to Mars by 2024 and a rocket capable of carrying passengers from one continent to another in less than an hour.

In October, Airbus submitted the best bid to build the satellites. The 5A satellite will be launched in 2020 and the 5B in 2021.

Turkey’s Turksat 5A and 5B satellites will be launched by Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), Turkish Transport Minister Ahmet Arslan said on Thursday. “Our friends decided to launch our satellites with the Falcon 9 rockets of Airbus’ subcontractor, SpaceX,” Arslan said at an event in Istanbul. The agreement to build and launch satellites will be worth around $500 million, Turksat Chairman said during his speech at the same event. In October, Airbus submitted the best bid to build the satellites. The 5A satellite will be launched in 2020 and the 5B in 2021. Elon Musk, chief executive of American electric car maker Tesla and aerospace company SpaceX, met Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Wednesday and discussed cooperation between Tesla, SpaceX, and Turkish firms. Musk’s SpaceX plans a manned mission to Mars by 2024 and a rocket capable of carrying passengers from one continent to another in less than an hour.

Now, SpaceX to launch Turkish satellites

Aviation&nbsp;giants, Airbus and Boeing, announced on Wednesday that they have been given a green light by the United States to sell planes to Iran Air, in what is being viewed as first such deal in decades. &nbsp; 
 
Europe-based Airbus and Chicago-based Boeing have been granted licenses from the US Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control following last year&#39;s nuclear accord that lifted international sanctions from the West Asian country in exchange of Iran limiting its enrichment of uranium, AFP reported.&nbsp; 
 
Both the companies have struck separate $25 million deal, media reports said.&nbsp; 
 
The deal allows the foreign aviation giants to sell or lease over 200 jets to air carrier IranAir, according to Reuters.&nbsp; 
 
The license issued to Airbus will allow sale of 17 planes, including A320s and A330s, Airbus spokesman Justin Dubon was quoted as saying by the news agency Associated Press.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
The move comes along the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York and signals US President Barack Obama honouring the terms of the nuclear accord. &nbsp; 
 
Meanwhile, the deal, which has been touted as an &#39;international achievement&#39; by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. is likely to bolster Iran&#39;s economy that had been paralysed by international sanctions.&nbsp; 
 
Opposition from Republicans 
 
United States Republicans have condemned the deal saying that jets could be misused by Iran for military purposes, international news agency Reuters reported today.&nbsp; 
 
The Republicans lashed out at the Obama administration for its favourable policies towards Iran.&nbsp; 
 
Speaker of the US House of Representatives said the administration &ldquo;bended over backwards&rdquo; to help Iran.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

The move follows last year's nuclear accord that lifted sanctions from Iran in exchange of Iran limiting its enrichment of uranium

Aviation giants, Airbus and Boeing, announced on Wednesday that they have been given a green light by the United States to sell planes to Iran Air, in what is being viewed as first such deal in decades. Europe-based Airbus and Chicago-based Boeing have been granted licenses from the US Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control following last year's nuclear accord that lifted international sanctions from the West Asian country in exchange of Iran limiting its enrichment of uranium, AFP reported. Both the companies have struck separate $25 million deal, media reports said. The deal allows the foreign aviation giants to sell or lease over 200 jets to air carrier IranAir, according to Reuters. The license issued to Airbus will allow sale of 17 planes, including A320s and A330s, Airbus spokesman Justin Dubon was quoted as saying by the news agency Associated Press. The move comes along the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York and signals US President Barack Obama honouring the terms of the nuclear accord. Meanwhile, the deal, which has been touted as an 'international achievement' by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. is likely to bolster Iran's economy that had been paralysed by international sanctions. Opposition from Republicans United States Republicans have condemned the deal saying that jets could be misused by Iran for military purposes, international news agency Reuters reported today. The Republicans lashed out at the Obama administration for its favourable policies towards Iran. Speaker of the US House of Representatives said the administration “bended over backwards” to help Iran. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Aviation giants Airbus, Boeing get US green signal to sell aircraft to Iran

Britain&#39;s serious fraud office said on Sunday it had opened a criminal probe into Airbus Group, investigating allegations of fraud, bribery, and corruption.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;These allegations relate to irregularities concerning third party consultants,&quot; the SFO said in a statement.&nbsp;The authority said it opened the investigation in July and asked anyone with relevant information to come forward. 
 
A spokesperson for the SFO said additional details of the probe would not be made public until charges were brought or the investigation is dropped.&nbsp;European planemaker Airbus said it was aware of the probe and the aviation firm was working with investigators. 
 
&quot;Airbus Group has been informed by the SFO that it has opened a criminal investigation into allegations of fraud, bribery, and corruption in the civil aviation business of Airbus Group relating to irregularities concerning third party consultants,&quot; the company said in a statement. 
 
&quot;Airbus Group continues to cooperate with the SFO,&quot; the statement concluded.&nbsp;The company was informed on Friday that the authority had launched an investigation, an Airbus spokesman told AFP. 
 
&quot;We ourselves detected this issue and self-disclosed it to the authorities.&nbsp;This is as an effort of our enhanced anti-corruption (policy). Management has taken robust action and is determined to resolve this issue in cooperation with the authorities,&quot; spokesman Jeremy Greaves said. 
 
 
Probe could take years 
 
Airbus informed authorities of the irregularities in April. The same month the UK Export Finance decided to suspend export credits to the firm, a move followed by France and Germany. 
 
The aviation firm said at the time it hoped to resolve the financing problem as soon as possible.&nbsp;The current SFO investigation is expected to take years.&nbsp;The probe was described by the Financial Times newspaper as a &quot;severe blow to the European aircraft maker&quot; which would be exploited by its US rival Boeing. 
 
Airbus is the largest commercial aerospace company in Britain and last month said its net profit rose 15 per cent in the first half of the year.&nbsp;Profits were up 1.76 billion Euros ($1.94 billion), but the gain was due to exceptional items that masked a slide in operating earnings. 
 
The company was hit by charges of just over 1 billion Euros related to its troubled A400M military cargo transporter programme, while adverse currency movements and charges on its widebody A350 aircraft totaled nearly 900 million.&nbsp;However these were compensated for by the sale of shares in Dassault Aviation and the creation of a rocket launcher joint venture with Safran that generated a net gain of nearly 1.9 billion Euros. 
 
Ahead of British voters&#39; decision in June to leave the EU, Airbus said it would reconsider future investment in the country if the referendum took the UK out of Europe.&nbsp;&quot;Airbus Group&#39;s success in the UK is predicated on a highly competitive, integrated European business model,&quot; executives said in a letter sent to employees in April. 
 
(AFP)

Britain's largest commercial aerospace company is being investigated for bribery, fraud and corruption in a probe that could take years

Britain's serious fraud office said on Sunday it had opened a criminal probe into Airbus Group, investigating allegations of fraud, bribery, and corruption. "These allegations relate to irregularities concerning third party consultants," the SFO said in a statement. The authority said it opened the investigation in July and asked anyone with relevant information to come forward. A spokesperson for the SFO said additional details of the probe would not be made public until charges were brought or the investigation is dropped. European planemaker Airbus said it was aware of the probe and the aviation firm was working with investigators. "Airbus Group has been informed by the SFO that it has opened a criminal investigation into allegations of fraud, bribery, and corruption in the civil aviation business of Airbus Group relating to irregularities concerning third party consultants," the company said in a statement. "Airbus Group continues to cooperate with the SFO," the statement concluded. The company was informed on Friday that the authority had launched an investigation, an Airbus spokesman told AFP. "We ourselves detected this issue and self-disclosed it to the authorities. This is as an effort of our enhanced anti-corruption (policy). Management has taken robust action and is determined to resolve this issue in cooperation with the authorities," spokesman Jeremy Greaves said. Probe could take years Airbus informed authorities of the irregularities in April. The same month the UK Export Finance decided to suspend export credits to the firm, a move followed by France and Germany. The aviation firm said at the time it hoped to resolve the financing problem as soon as possible. The current SFO investigation is expected to take years. The probe was described by the Financial Times newspaper as a "severe blow to the European aircraft maker" which would be exploited by its US rival Boeing. Airbus is the largest commercial aerospace company in Britain and last month said its net profit rose 15 per cent in the first half of the year. Profits were up 1.76 billion Euros ($1.94 billion), but the gain was due to exceptional items that masked a slide in operating earnings. The company was hit by charges of just over 1 billion Euros related to its troubled A400M military cargo transporter programme, while adverse currency movements and charges on its widebody A350 aircraft totaled nearly 900 million. However these were compensated for by the sale of shares in Dassault Aviation and the creation of a rocket launcher joint venture with Safran that generated a net gain of nearly 1.9 billion Euros. Ahead of British voters' decision in June to leave the EU, Airbus said it would reconsider future investment in the country if the referendum took the UK out of Europe. "Airbus Group's success in the UK is predicated on a highly competitive, integrated European business model," executives said in a letter sent to employees in April. (AFP)

Airbus group goes under scrutiny for bribe in UK

Airbus&#39;s decision to cut production of the world&#39;s biggest passenger jet, the A380, will not drive the programme massively into the red, the European planemaker&#39;s group chief executive said on Wednesday. 
 
Tom Enders added that Airbus remains optimistic about the long-term prospects of the double-decker, 544-seat A380, and hopes to return to higher levels of output in the years ahead. 
 
&quot;I hope that this is only a year or two and then we can raise production rates again,&quot; he told reporters at the Farnborough Airshow. 
 
Enders was speaking a day after Airbus cut its target for A380 deliveries to 12 a year from 2018, from 27 in 2015 and well below its current break-even point, due to weak demand. 
 
The reduction deals a blow to one of Europe&#39;s biggest and most expensive industrial projects. 
 
Airbus and US rival Boeing have enjoyed years of booming sales, driven by rising air travel and demand for new fuel-efficient planes. 
 
But risks to the global economy, from slowing growth in China to Britain&#39;s decision to leave the European Union, have caused sales to dry up and analysts are worried some of the industry&#39;s record order backlog could be deferred or cancelled. 
 
So far at the Farnborough Airshow, the industry&#39;s showcase event, Airbus and Boeing have announced combined business worth a little more than $50 billion, including deals that confirmed preliminary agreements. That is less than half of the business closed at last year&#39;s sister event in Paris. 
 
Airbus shares dipped to 50.67 euros in early trading, but by 1200 GMT were up 0.8 per cent at 52.63 euros. 
 
Jefferies analysts said they had already been expecting the A380 to make a trading loss, before research and development costs, of 250 million euros in 2018, 300 million in 2019 and 350 million in 2020. 
 
They added the cut in production could be a prelude to a revamped A380neo, with new engines, to counter the new version of Boeing&#39;s most profitable widebody jet, the 777, being developed by the US company. 
 
Enders said Airbus would strive to break-even on the A380 at lower rates of production. 
 
&quot;How far we can bring it down, we will have to see,&quot; he said. &quot;I do not expect to be massively in the red.&quot; 
 
Each A380 is worth $432.6 million at list prices, but after discounts it would sell for significantly less. 
 
Sales of large four-engine airliners such as the A380 have been hit hard by improvements in the range and efficiency of smaller two-engined models, which can be easier to fill. 
 
The trend became starker on Monday when one of the mammoth plane&#39;s earliest advocates, Richard Branson&#39;s Virgin Atlantic, opted for 12 of Airbus&#39;s A350-1000 twin-engined jets after progressively shelving its long-standing order for A380s. 
 
In another blow, Airbus finance chief Harald Wilhelm said on Wednesday the company was likely to take a fresh charge in first-half results later this month for the latest problems involving its A400M military transporter. 
 
Problems that the company partially blames on the gearbox of the aircraft&#39;s large turboprop engines have disrupted deliveries of the already delayed military plane and driven up costs. 
 
Wilhelm, who gave no indication of the size of the potential charge, said there was also a risk of charges related to loss-making contracts for the A350 jetliner, but that these would not affect the aircraft&#39;s overall break-even target. 
 
(Reuters)

Airbus remains optimistic about the long-term prospects of the double-decker, 544-seat A380, and hopes to return to higher levels of output

Airbus's decision to cut production of the world's biggest passenger jet, the A380, will not drive the programme massively into the red, the European planemaker's group chief executive said on Wednesday. Tom Enders added that Airbus remains optimistic about the long-term prospects of the double-decker, 544-seat A380, and hopes to return to higher levels of output in the years ahead. "I hope that this is only a year or two and then we can raise production rates again," he told reporters at the Farnborough Airshow. Enders was speaking a day after Airbus cut its target for A380 deliveries to 12 a year from 2018, from 27 in 2015 and well below its current break-even point, due to weak demand. The reduction deals a blow to one of Europe's biggest and most expensive industrial projects. Airbus and US rival Boeing have enjoyed years of booming sales, driven by rising air travel and demand for new fuel-efficient planes. But risks to the global economy, from slowing growth in China to Britain's decision to leave the European Union, have caused sales to dry up and analysts are worried some of the industry's record order backlog could be deferred or cancelled. So far at the Farnborough Airshow, the industry's showcase event, Airbus and Boeing have announced combined business worth a little more than $50 billion, including deals that confirmed preliminary agreements. That is less than half of the business closed at last year's sister event in Paris. Airbus shares dipped to 50.67 euros in early trading, but by 1200 GMT were up 0.8 per cent at 52.63 euros. Jefferies analysts said they had already been expecting the A380 to make a trading loss, before research and development costs, of 250 million euros in 2018, 300 million in 2019 and 350 million in 2020. They added the cut in production could be a prelude to a revamped A380neo, with new engines, to counter the new version of Boeing's most profitable widebody jet, the 777, being developed by the US company. Enders said Airbus would strive to break-even on the A380 at lower rates of production. "How far we can bring it down, we will have to see," he said. "I do not expect to be massively in the red." Each A380 is worth $432.6 million at list prices, but after discounts it would sell for significantly less. Sales of large four-engine airliners such as the A380 have been hit hard by improvements in the range and efficiency of smaller two-engined models, which can be easier to fill. The trend became starker on Monday when one of the mammoth plane's earliest advocates, Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic, opted for 12 of Airbus's A350-1000 twin-engined jets after progressively shelving its long-standing order for A380s. In another blow, Airbus finance chief Harald Wilhelm said on Wednesday the company was likely to take a fresh charge in first-half results later this month for the latest problems involving its A400M military transporter. Problems that the company partially blames on the gearbox of the aircraft's large turboprop engines have disrupted deliveries of the already delayed military plane and driven up costs. Wilhelm, who gave no indication of the size of the potential charge, said there was also a risk of charges related to loss-making contracts for the A350 jetliner, but that these would not affect the aircraft's overall break-even target. (Reuters)

Airbus says output cut won't drive A380 massively into red

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