French regulator AMF said on Tuesday it had found evidence of insider trading at Airbus parent EADS surrounding delays to its A380 superjumbo and that it would inform Paris prosecutors. It also alleged the company had misled financial markets by failing to meet standards on the publication of information.
Virgin Galactic, billionaire Richard Branson's space travel venture, plans to order five more spaceships and aims to turn a profit in five years from its commercial launch in 2010, an official said on Thursday. Prospective space travellers have so far placed deposits totalling more than $31-million for tickets that cost $200 000 each.
Leasing company Awas (Ireland) is expected to announce a deal to buy up to 100 Airbus jets worth $6,9-billion, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. The news came after aerospace group Boeing said it delivered 441 commercial airplanes in 2007 as part of a tight race with Europe's Airbus.
Airbus on Monday delivered the first of its A380s, the world's biggest passenger jet, to Singapore Airlines, 18 months behind schedule but with both sides hailing the major advance in air travel. The 73m-long superjumbo was handed over in a ceremony at the Airbus headquarters in Toulouse in southern France.
French newspapers mined the Watergate archive to describe the political ramifications of a share trading scandal enveloping Airbus parent Eads on Thursday, posing questions about "Who knew what, and when?" Coverage of suspicions of "massive" insider trading focused on the risk of instability at Europe's largest aerospace and defence group.
Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy were expected to form the perfect couple -- a pair of like-minded conservative leaders who would work hand in hand to heal Europe after its Iraq divisions and failed constitution. From his first day in office the Frenchman's bullish diplomacy has grated on his German partners.
