Qatar Airways orders 160 Boeing twin-aisle jets during Trump visit
Boeing landed its biggest deal for wide-body airplanes on Wednesday when state carrier Qatar Airways placed firm orders for 160 jetliners plus options to buy 50 more during U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to the Gulf Arab country.
The deal for Boeing 777X and 787 planes with GE Aerospace engines was worth $96 billion, according to the White House. It is a win for Trump on a high-profile visit to the region, even though it will be years before the jets are delivered.
The sale is also a boost for Boeing and its biggest engine supplier at a time when large versions of rival Airbus' A350, powered by Rolls-Royce engines, have struggled with maintenance problems from operating in the world's hottest climates, including the Gulf region.
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Japan Times
3 hours ago
- Japan Times
Expanding missile threats and airspace closures are straining airlines
Proliferating conflict zones are an increasing burden on airline operations and profitability, executives say, as carriers grapple with missiles and drones, airspace closures, location spoofing and the shoot-down of another passenger flight. Airlines are racking up costs and losing market share from canceled flights and expensive re-routings, often at short notice. The aviation industry, which prides itself on its safety performance, is investing more in data and security planning. "Flight planning in this kind of environment is extremely difficult. ... The airline industry thrives on predictability, and the absence of this will always drive greater cost," said Guy Murray, who leads aviation security at European carrier TUI Airline. With increasing airspace closures around Russia and Ukraine, throughout the Middle East, between India and Pakistan and in parts of Africa, airlines are left with fewer route options. "Compared to five years ago, more than half of the countries being overflown on a typical Europe-Asia flight would now need to be carefully reviewed before each flight," said Mark Zee, founder of OPSGROUP, a membership-based organization that shares flight risk information. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Middle East since October 2023 led to commercial aviation sharing the skies with short-notice barrages of drones and missiles across major flight paths — some of which were reportedly close enough to be seen by pilots and passengers. Russian airports, including in Moscow, are now regularly shut down for brief periods due to drone activity, while interference with navigation systems, known as GPS spoofing or jamming, is surging around political fault lines worldwide. When hostilities broke out between India and Pakistan last month, the neighbors blocked each other's aircraft from their respective airspace. "Airspace should not be used as a retaliatory tool, but it is," Nick Careen, International Air Transport Association (IATA) senior vice president for operations, safety and security, told reporters at the airline body's annual meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday. Isidre Porqueras, chief operating officer at Indian carrier IndiGo, said the recent diversions were undoing efforts to reduce emissions and increase airline efficiencies. Worst-case scenario Finances aside, civil aviation's worst-case scenario is a plane being hit, accidentally or intentionally, by weaponry. In December, an Azerbaijan Airlines flight crashed in Kazakhstan, killing 38 people. The plane was accidentally shot down by Russian air defenzes, according to Azerbaijan's president and sources. In October, a cargo plane was shot down in Sudan, killing five people. Six commercial aircraft have been shot down unintentionally, with three near-misses since 2001, according to aviation risk consultancy Osprey Flight Solutions. Governments need to share information more effectively to keep civil aviation secure as conflict zones proliferate, IATA Director General Willie Walsh said this week. Safety statistics used by the commercial aviation industry show a steady decline in accidents over the past two decades, but these do not include security-related incidents such as being hit by weaponry. IATA said in February that accidents and incidents related to conflict zones were a top concern for aviation safety requiring urgent global coordination. Tough choices Each airline decides where to travel based on a patchwork of government notices, security advisers, and information-sharing between carriers and states, leading to divergent policies. The closure of Russian airspace to most Western carriers since the outbreak of war in Ukraine in 2022 put them at a cost disadvantage compared to airlines from places like China, India and the Middle East that continue to take shorter northern routes that need less fuel and fewer crew. Shifting risk calculations mean Singapore Airlines' flight SQ326 from Singapore to Amsterdam has used three different routes into Europe in just over a year, Flightradar24 tracking data shows. When reciprocal missile and drone attacks broke out between Iran and Israel in April 2024, it started crossing previously avoided Afghanistan instead of Iran. Last month, its route shifted again to avoid Pakistan's airspace as conflict escalated between India and Pakistan. Flight SQ326 now reaches Europe via the Persian Gulf and Iraq. Singapore Airlines did not respond immediately to a request for comment. Pilots and flight attendants are also worried about how the patchwork of shifting risk might impact their safety. "IATA says airlines should decide if it's safe to fly over conflict zones, not regulators. But history shows commercial pressures can cloud those decisions," said Paul Reuter, vice president of the European Cockpit Association, which represents pilots. Flight crew typically have the right to refuse a trip due to concerns about airspace, whether over weather or conflict zones, IATA security head Careen said. "Most airlines, in fact, I would say the vast majority of them, do not want crew on an aircraft if they don't feel comfortable flying," he said.
Kyodo News
3 hours ago
- Kyodo News
Toyota proposes selling U.S. cars in Japan to promote tariff talks
KYODO NEWS - 13 minutes ago - 21:15 | All, World, Japan Toyota Motor Corp. has proposed to the government that it sell U.S.-made cars in Japan through its domestic dealership network, the company said in an online video. The proposal is intended to support Japan's trade negotiations with the United States over President Donald Trump's tariffs. Observers said increased imports of U.S.-made cars could help narrow the large U.S. trade deficit, a source of frustration for Trump. According to a video released on Monday, Chairman Akio Toyoda informed Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba during their May meeting that Toyota would be able to sell vehicles manufactured by U.S. automakers through its network of over 4,000 stores in Japan. The video also revealed Toyoda's willingness to consider reimporting U.S.-produced automobiles to Japan as an option. Under Trump's so-called reciprocal tariff regime, announced on April 2, nearly every nation in the world has been hit with a baseline duty of 10 percent, with Japan facing an additional country-specific tariff of 14 percent for a total rate of 24 percent. Japan, meanwhile, has been affected by Trump's extra 25 percent tariff on automobiles, along with other sector-specific levies imposed on national security grounds. Tokyo presented a package of proposals to Washington to reach a deal. Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's top tariff negotiator known as a close aide to Ishiba, is expected to visit the United States later this week for a sixth round of ministerial-level talks aimed at securing concessions over the series of tariffs. Related coverage: Japan, U.S. eye Ishiba-Trump summit in Canada on G7 margins Japan's top negotiator eyes U.S. trip this week for 6th tariff talks
Kyodo News
4 hours ago
- Kyodo News
Japan, U.S. eye Ishiba-Trump summit in Canada on G7 margins
KYODO NEWS - 6 hours ago - 14:20 | All, World Japan and the United States plan to hold summit talks between Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and President Donald Trump in Canada on the sidelines of the Group of Seven leaders' meeting in mid-June, sources familiar with the matter said Tuesday. Before the three-day G7 gathering from Sunday, Japan's chief tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa is expected to visit Washington for the sixth round of ministerial-level negotiations on the Trump tariffs, to take place on Friday, setting the stage for the meeting between their two countries' leaders, according to the sources. The Japanese government had another option for Ishiba to travel to the United States before the G7 summit in Kananaskis, and meet in person with Trump, depending on progress on negotiations at the ministerial level. But the past rounds of negotiations failed to resolve differences between the two nations and Akazawa, who is a close aide to Ishiba, aims to continue with his efforts to bridge the gap over Trump's tariff policy. Akazawa will head to Canada following the ministerial meeting to continue communicating with Ishiba until the last minute. The minister for economic revitalization will return to Japan on June 18, according to the sources. Japan has demanded that the Trump administration remove its tariffs on cars, steel and aluminum, along with a 10 percent baseline levy as part of what is called a "reciprocal" tariff. It is also opposed to the 14 percent country-specific portion of the reciprocal tariff, which has been suspended for 90 days from early April as negotiations continue. But Tokyo has begun to consider whether it will accept reduced tariff rates as the United States has consistently refused to eliminate the duties, according to sources with knowledge of the talks. Japan and the United States are aiming to reach a deal at the earliest possible time. Ishiba has repeatedly underscored the need for the longtime allies to focus on boosting investment and creating jobs in the United States. Trump is seeking to reduce his country's massive trade deficit with Japan. Related coverage: Japan's top negotiator eyes U.S. trip this week for 6th tariff talks U.S., China hold high-level trade talks with rare earths in focus
