Paris show sees more plane orders

21 June 2011 Last updated at 13:21 GMT Boeing's new 747 is drawing lots of attention at the Paris Air Show The second day of the Paris Air Show has seen brisk trade, with further competition between the two biggest aircraft makers Airbus and Boeing.

An order by Malaysia's low-cost airline AirAsia for 200 of Airbus' new upgraded A320neo planes, potentially worth $18bn (?11.1bn), is expected this week.

But its US rival has already received several orders for its new, lengthened 747-8 jumbo.

Airbus and Boeing announced $25bn in orders for 198 aircraft on Monday.

The show is taken very seriously in the industry.

Aerospace companies have been told to stop using devices that jam mobile phone signals to avoid corporate subterfuge at their sales tents at the show. Such actions are illegal in France.

Orders placed

A senior AirAsia official told the AFP news agency on Monday that "we are looking at 200 jets", with many hoping the deal for the fast-expanding airline will be announced shortly.

JetBlue Airways ordered 40 A320neos, US jet-leasing firm CIT Aerospace agreed to buy 50 and Taiwan's TransAsia Airways ordered six, worth $600m.

Low-cost Nordic carrier Norwegian Air Shuttle placed an order for 15 Boeing 737-800s, worth $1.2bn, and Aeroflot ordered eight 777 planes from Boeing in a deal worth more than $2bn.

Airbus said Indonesia airline Garuda bought 25 A320 aircraft.

Europe's Airbus has now received orders and commitments to buy more than 400 of the A320neos.

The medium-haul 150-seater planes are a redesign of the traditional A320 that cuts emissions by 15%, reducing clients' carbon footprints and their fuel bills.

Delays

Boeing is considering whether to upgrade its 737 planes in response to the apparent popularity of the A320neo, or whether to develop a new plane altogether.

The US firm said it intended to take its time over the decision and would not be making an announcement at the air show.

Airbus announced on Saturday a two-year delay to its new stretched A350 jets.

The A350-1000 will not be delivered until 2017, as Airbus wants to give Rolls Royce more time to develop engines for the plane.

The standard A350-900 is still expected to be ready by late 2013.

This year's Paris Air Show is taking place at Le Bourget exhibition centre on the outskirts of Paris from 20 to 26 June 2011.

View the original article here

New orders boost UK construction

2 June 2011 Last updated at 09:09 GMT Growth in the house-building sector in May improved after slowing in April Growth in the UK construction industry accelerated slightly in May after slowing in April, thanks largely to a rise in new orders, a survey suggests.

The Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for construction rose to 54.0 from 53.3 the previous month. Any reading above 50 indicates growth in the sector.

Employment also increased after a 10-month run of cuts.

On Tuesday, research suggested the number of construction firms going bust in the UK had increased sharply.

Accountancy firm Wilkins Kennedy said that almost 1,000 companies went into insolvency in the first three months of the year, a rise of 19% from the previous quarter. The increase was down to public sector spending cuts, the firm said.

'Positive sentiment'

However, the latest PMI survey suggested construction firms were seeing a "marked expansion" in new orders.

New contract wins led to an overall increase in employment, although Markit - the firm that carried out the survey - said that the rate of job creation "remained modest".

It added that house building activity had improved after slowing in April, although the rate of increase was below the long-term trend.

The month also saw a "considerable rise" in input prices, mainly in the form of higher raw material prices.

"Positive sentiment regarding future business activity rose to a one-year high, although concerns over public sector spending cuts continue to weigh on confidence," said Sarah Ledger at Markit.

On Wednesday, PMI data showed that the UK's manufacturing sector grew at its weakest pace in 20 months in May.

View the original article here

Toshiba push back nuclear orders

24 May 2011 Last updated at 06:53 GMT Toshiba is expanding investment into green energy, to make up for weakness in its nuclear business Japanese conglomerate Toshiba has said plans to win orders for nuclear reactors may have to be pushed back.

The company had been targeting 39 orders for nuclear reactors by March 2016, but those plans may be delayed.

Governments around the world have been tightening safety regulations in the wake of the March earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Toshiba's nuclear orders were expected to be worth around 1tn yen ($12.2bn; ?7.6bn).

The industrial giant did say that orders for four AP1000 reactors in China would proceed as scheduled.

But countries such as the United States may be reconsidering their commitment to nuclear energy.

A massive earthquake and tsunami hit Japan on 11 March, causing a nuclear crisis in the country.

Toshiba is among those helping Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) to get its crippled Fukushima nuclear facility under control.

Toshiba supplied some of the nuclear reactors at the Fukushima plant.

Fuel rods in three of the facility's reactors were found to have been partially melted down.

View the original article here