Boeing

Reuters

Boeing has issued a safety bulletin reminding pilots how to handle incorrect data from a key sensor in the wake of last week's crash in Indonesia that killed 189 people.

The planemaker said investigators probing the Lion Air crash found one of the "angle of attack" sensors on the Boeing 737 MAX had provided erroneous data.

The angle of attack is a crucial parameter that helps the aircraft's systems understand whether its nose is too high relative to the current of air - a phenomenon that can throw the plane into an aerodynamic stall and make it fall.

Boeing said its bulletin underscored "existing flight crew procedures" designed to address circumstances where the information coming into the cockpit from the sensors was wrong.

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Third quarter profits at airline maker Boeing have soared 30% to $2.4bn.

Revenue increased to $25.1bn, driven by higher defence and services volume, the company said.

Boeing chairman, president and chief executive officer Dennis Muilenburg said: "During the quarter we captured important new defence business."

It captured training contracts for the US Navy and Royal Australian Air Force in the period.

The company has raised its revenue and earnings forecast for the year.

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Flying taxis could hit the skies sooner than you think.

Boeing chief executive Dennis Muilenburg told Bloomberg TV an air taxi prototype will be flying within the year.

The US aerospace firm is pouring plenty on investment in futuristic-feeling technologies, and last year bought drone firm Aurora Flight Services which is working with Uber to develop flying taxis.

Meanwhile, if you're thinking of a career change, taking to the skies might be a good option.

Boeing forecasts that the Asia Pacific will need a huge number of pilots, technicians and cabin crew over the next two decades.

It reckons there'll be a need for 240,000 more pilots and 317,000 cabin crew by 2037.

That's because passenger numbers in the region are expected to skyrocket - if you'll excuse the pun - as Asia's economies strengthen.

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Cobham

Shares in aerospace firm Cobham have plunged almost 10%.

That's after Cobham said that one of its most important customers, Boeing, is witholding payment related to Cobham's work on the KC-46 aerial tanker aircraft.

Cobham makes the system which pumps fuel through a hose extended from the wing of the tanker aircraft (see above).

The KC-46 project has caused Boeing a lot of grief and yesterday the US defence giant said there had been another $418m in cost overruns.

Boeing is also pursuing Cobham for damages, although has not said how much.

Cobham expects around £40m in extra costs to complete its work on the KC-46.

BBC

Boeing and Vietnam’s fast-growing VietJet Air have agreed a provisional deal for 100 aircraft that makes it the biggest order so far at this week’s Farnborough Airshow.

If or when finalised, the agreement for 100 Boeing 737s would be worth about $13bn, at list prices.

VietJet, one of Asia’s most ambitious airlines - and one of only about a dozen run by a female chief executive – is likely to receive discounts for bulk orders.

Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao said the aircraft would be used to expand the budget carrier’s route network rather than replace existing aircraft.

Speaking through an interpreter, she said the deal would also include a pilot training and technical package.

The agreement comprises 80 Boeing 737 MAX 10s and 20 of the company’s 737 MAX 8s.