Airbus


Did a cosmic ray zap the Airbus?

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is now considering the remote possibility that a rogue cosmic ray or solar particle caused a Qantas plane to twice dive out of control over Western Australia in October last year, says Ben Sandilands.

Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: The fast train to nowhere

Crikey readers on why Airbus hasn’t killed the fast train, the government’s Telstra swashbuckling, border protection (or lackthereof) and Rosemary Stanton gets into a food fight.

Sydney/Melbourne by plane or bust: Airbus vision kills the fast train

The notion of a Very Fast Train for the Melbourne-Sydney corridor has been shot down by new plans from Airbus to fly Very Large Planes between the two cities, because the entire cost, and risk, is funded by the privately owned airlines and airports.

US lawyer sues Airbus (and everyone else) over Air France disaster

A US lawyer is suing everyone who made anything that was part of the Air France Airbus flight that crashed into the mid Atlantic in June, reports Ben Sandilands.

Pilots challenge Air France with their AF 447 crash ‘truth’

Two Air France pilots have challenged Airbus and the French air crash investigators to face up to critical factors in the June 1 crash of flight AF447 in the mid-Atlantic, which killed all 228 people on board.

The shape of jets to come

Airbus has released some tantalising glimpses of future airplane designs — but is it all just another pie-in-the-sky fantasy from the aircraft manufacturers? asks Ben Sandilands

The shape of jets to come, maybe

Airbus have released some teasers overnight about the future of aviation. Are these the shapes of jets to come or just a whimsy on the part of Airbus?

The 787 calamity: lies and evasions continue

The lie that Boeing used to makes fools of customers like Qantas was that the technology to build a high composite ‘plastic fantastic’ Dreamliner jet posed no difficulties. So is the Airbus any better? asks Ben Sandilands.

World leaders must act on airline safety

After a year of airline disasters, it’s time for a higher standard of airline safety to be enacted and enforced around the globe.

Airbus scrutiny required (not for the reasons you think)

The Yemenia Air crash and the Air France disaster have nothing in common (despite their Airbus link), but there are good reasons for continued scrutiny of the modern A330 design involved in the AF447 disaster.

Airbusophobia alive and well after Yemeni air disaster

The crash of a Yemenia Airbus A310 had all the classic early jet age prerequisites for an air disaster, writes Ben Sandilands. Any links to the Air France Airbus mid-Atlantic crash are dubious.

Airbus v Boeing face-off thanks to AirAsia X and Jetstar

AirAsia X has Airbus A350-900s on order; Jetstar is supposed to get the first of Qantas’ Boeing 787-8s. So two fuel-slashing “plastic fantastic” aircraft will compete in one market. Interesting.

40 years ago today: remembering the Airbus’s modest debut

When the Airbus A300 debuted in 1969, 40 years ago today, people were more interested in flying to the moon. Ben Sandilands was there when it first took flight in 1973.

Poisoning cyberspace with Arab hate mail

A fresh coat of hatred has been poured over a hoary old internet fakement about ignorant Arab pilots and a brand new Airbus they destroyed on the ground in France, writes Ben Sandilands.