Orders for new aircraft from Gulf-based airlines at the just-concluded Farnborough Air Show testify to continued optimism about aviation growth in the Middle East while the global aviation industry is troubled by mounting fuel bills.
Nine years after France's top plane executive shook hands in Baghdad on a $500 million deal to sell airliners to the government of Saddam Hussain, Airbus finally conceded yesterday the deal was off.
Turboprops, propeller-driven planes shunned for being slow and noisy, are enjoying a renaissance as airlines seek more efficient short-haul aircraft to counter soaring fuel prices.
