The European Aviation Safety Agency ordered Airbus to check all superjumbo A380 planes for wing cracks Wednesday after cracks were found during "an unscheduled internal inspection". Airbus claims there is no safety risk.
A heavy overnight snowfall forced London Heathrow airport, one of the world’s busiest hubs, to cancel 30 percent of its flights Sunday. Europe is experiencing a brutal cold snap, which has caused more than 200 deaths in the past week.
Hungary’s national carrier Malev ceased operations Friday, grounding all its flights and stranding more than 7,000 passengers after some of its planes were held overseas for unpaid debts.
French aviation authorities said Tuesday they were ready to replace striking airport security personnel with police to minimise travel delays. The strike, which started Friday, has been causing delays at Charles de Gaulle airport and in Lyon.
The French papers pay tribute to Vaclav Havel - calling him the one man who did the most to lift the iron curtain. We also look at the airport strike in France, and the Chinese village standing up to the authorities.
New Caledonia is hit by a deadly uprising, as protests over rising airfares turn violent in the French overseas territory. Also, French firemen are up in arms over a new European directive which may be about to change their status. Finally, the Elysée Palace gets a summer facelift, just in time for the return of the president and his cabinet.
International powers are planning for a Libya without Gaddafi, but on the ground the conflict drags on and the Colonel's supporters are as resolute as ever. The travel chaos for passengers on Air Algérie is over as the Prime minister's office intervenes to end a four-day walkout by cabin crew. Also in Algeria, the mayor of the town of Zeralda finds himself behind bars. His supporters say he's paying the price for speaking out against corruption.
Hundreds of passengers were stranded in French and Algerian airports on Wednesday after a three-day-long strike over pay by Air Algérie cabin crew, who are seeking a 106 percent pay hike.
Business is booming for the aviation industry. At the height of the financial crisis, orders for new planes dropped sharply at the world's two biggest manufacturers, Airbus and Boeing. But two years later, both they and their smaller rivals are seeing a revival in their fortunes, as airline bosses go shopping at the Paris Air Show.
