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Boeing says focus on customers, not sales, after India's deadly Dreamliner crash

Boeing says focus on customers, not sales, after India's deadly Dreamliner crash

Malay Mail10 hours ago

LE BOURGET (France), June 16 — US group Boeing said Monday it would focus on supporting its customers at the Paris Air Show instead of the traditional announcements of plane orders, in the aftermath of Air India's 787 Dreamliner crash.
The sales rivalry between Boeing and European aerospace giant Airbus usually drives the headlines as the world's top civilian planemakers announce many of their biggest orders at the air show in Le Bourget.
But Boeing chief executive Kelly Ortberg said last week he was cancelling plans to attend the biennial event to focus on the investigation of the Air India crash.
'Our focus is on supporting our customers, rather than announcing orders at this air show,' a Boeing spokeswoman told AFP at the trade fair outside Paris.
The London-bound Dreamliner crashed shortly after take off in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, killing 241 passengers and crew and another 38 on the ground. One passenger survived. — AFP

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France seals Israeli weapons booths at Paris Air Show over Gaza, Iran wars
France seals Israeli weapons booths at Paris Air Show over Gaza, Iran wars

New Straits Times

time5 hours ago

  • New Straits Times

France seals Israeli weapons booths at Paris Air Show over Gaza, Iran wars

LE BOURGET, France: Geopolitical tensions roiled the opening of the Paris Air Show on Monday as French authorities sealed off Israeli weapons industry booths amid the conflicts in Iran and Gaza, a move that Israel condemned as "outrageous." The decision added drama to the major aerospace industry event, which was already under the shadow of last week's deadly crash of Air India's Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Black walls were installed around the stands of five Israeli defence firms at the trade fair in Le Bourget, an airfield on the outskirts of Paris. The booths displayed "offensive weapons" that could be used in Gaza – in violation of agreements with Israeli authorities, a French government source told AFP. The companies – Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Rafael, Uvision, Elbit and Aeronautics – make drones and guided bombs and missiles. An Israeli exhibitor wrote a message in yellow chalk on one of the walls, saying the hidden defence systems "are protecting the state of Israel these days. The French government, in the name of discrimination is trying to hide them from you!" French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou defended the decision during a Monday press conference at the air show. "The French government's position was very simple: no offensive weapons at the arms exposition," he said. "Defensive weapons were perfectly acceptable," he added. Bayrou cited the ongoing conflict in Gaza as the rationale behind the ban. "Given the situation in Gaza... which is extremely serious from a humanitarian and security point of view, France was keen to make it clear that offensive weapons should not be present at this exposition," Bayrou said. Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he was shocked by the "outrageous" closure of the pavilions and said the situation should be "immediately corrected." "Israeli companies have signed contracts with the organisers... it's like creating an Israeli ghetto," he said on French television channel LCI. The Israeli defence ministry said in a statement that the "outrageous and unprecedented decision reeks of policy-driven and commercial considerations." "The French are hiding behind supposedly political considerations to exclude Israeli offensive weapons from an international exhibition – weapons that compete with French industries," it said. "This is particularly striking given Israeli technologies' impressive and precise performance in Iran." Israel launched surprise strikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites on Friday, killing top commanders and scientists, prompting Tehran to hit back with a barrage of missiles. The presence of Israeli firms at Le Bourget, though smaller than in the past, was already a source of tension before the start of the Paris Air Show, because of the conflict in Gaza. A French court last week rejected a bid by NGOs to ban Israeli companies from Le Bourget over concerns about "international crimes." Local lawmakers from the Seine-Saint-Denis department hosting the event were absent during Bayrou's visit to the opening of the air show in protest over the Israeli presence. "Never has the world been so disrupted and destabilised," Bayrou said earlier at a roundtable event, urging nations to tackle challenges "together, not against each other." The row over Israel cast a shadow over a trade fair that is usually dominated by displays of the aerospace industry's latest flying wonders, and big orders for plane makers Airbus and Boeing. Airbus announced an order of 30 single-aisle A320neo jets and 10 A350F freighters by Saudi aircraft leasing firm AviLease. The European manufacturer also said Riyadh Air was buying 25 long-range, wide-body A350-1000 jets. But Boeing chief executive Kelly Ortberg last week cancelled plans to attend the biennial event, to focus on the investigation of the Air India crash. "Our focus is on supporting our customers, rather than announcing orders at this air show," a Boeing spokeswoman told AFP on Monday. The London-bound Dreamliner crashed shortly after take-off in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, killing 241 passengers and crew and another 38 on the ground. One passenger survived.--AFP

Air India Flight Returns To Hong Kong Over Technical Issue
Air India Flight Returns To Hong Kong Over Technical Issue

Barnama

time5 hours ago

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Air India Flight Returns To Hong Kong Over Technical Issue

NEW DELHI, June 16 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- An Air India flight en route to New Delhi from Hong Kong was forced to return to Hong Kong International Airport shortly after take-off on Monday due to a suspected technical issue. 'AI315 operating from Hong Kong to Delhi on June 16, air-returned to Hong Kong shortly after take-off due to a technical issue. The flight landed safely at Hong Kong and is undergoing checks as a matter of abundant precaution,' Anadolu Ajansi (AA) quoted the airline's statement. The airline added that alternative arrangements were being made to fly passengers to Delhi at the earliest.

Air India chairman to staff: Turn Ahmedabad crash grief into resolve, build a safer airline
Air India chairman to staff: Turn Ahmedabad crash grief into resolve, build a safer airline

Malay Mail

time7 hours ago

  • Malay Mail

Air India chairman to staff: Turn Ahmedabad crash grief into resolve, build a safer airline

NEW DELHI, June 16 — Air India's Chairman N. Chandrasekaran today told staff that last week's plane crash that killed at least 271 people should be a catalyst to build a safer airline, urging employees to stay resolute amid any criticism. In a town hall held at the headquarters of the Tata Group-owned airline near New Delhi and attended by 700 staff, Chandrasekaran said the crash was the 'most heartbreaking' crisis of his career, a spokesperson told Reuters. 'I've seen a reasonable number of crises in my career, but this is the most heartbreaking one,' he said, according to a transcript provided by a Tata Group spokesperson. 'We need to use this incident as an act of force to build a safer airline,' Chandrasekaran said. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 242 people on board bound for Gatwick Airport south of London began losing height seconds after take-off in Ahmedabad on Thursday, and erupted in a huge fireball as it hit buildings below. All but one on board were declared dead in the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade, and around 30 people died on the ground. The airline and the Indian government are looking at several aspects of the crash including the plane's engine thrust, flaps, and why the landing gear remained open as the plane took off and then came down. 'We need to wait for the investigation ... It's a complex machine, so a lot of redundancies, checks and balances, certifications, which have been perfected over years and years. Yet this happens, so we will figure out why it happens after the investigation,' Chandrasekaran, 62, said during the staff meeting. He is also the chairman of the Tata Group conglomerate. The crash poses a new challenge for both Air India which has for years been trying to revamp its ageing fleet, and Boeing, which is trying to rebuild public trust following a series of safety and production crises. After taking the carrier over from the government in 2022, the Tata Group unveiled its investment plans to create a 'world class airline' after years of financial losses, persistent flight delays and poor maintenance under government ownership. Today, an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plane bound for New Delhi returned to its origin of Hong Kong shortly after takeoff following a technical issue. 'It's not easy to face criticisms,' Chandrasekaran said. 'We are going to get through this. We need to show resilience.' — Reuters

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