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The crash of a missing EgyptAir jet has strengthened the case for "black boxes" that can pop out of an aircraft before an accident, removing the need for challenging searches on the seabed, Airbus' most senior engineer said Tuesday. Investigators are searching in some of the deepest waters of the Mediterranean for flight recorders from an EgyptAir Airbus A320 which crashed on May 19, killing 66 people. The jet's flight recorders or "black boxes" are designed to emit acoustic signals for 30 days after a crash, giving search teams fewer than three weeks to spot them in waters up to 3,000m deep, which is on the edge of their range. "If we have a deployable recorder it will be much easier to find," Airbus Executive VP for Engineering Charles Champion said. "We have been working on that and this only reinforces our overall approach." Ejectable or "deployable" recorders would separate from the tail during a crash and float, emitting a distress signal. Recommended by investigators after an Air France A330 jet crashed in 2009, the idea came to the fore after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight 370 in March 2014. The ICAO, has called for key data to be recoverable in a "timely manner" on airplanes delivered after 2021. But it will be left to airlines and manufacturers to decide how to meet the goal, whether through deployable recorders or other technology such as new homing methods or data streaming.<br/>

United Continental recently added nonstop flights to the Chinese city of Xi’an and plans to roll out service to Hangzhou in July, part of a high-stakes bet to expand its leading position in the country. The big commitment to linking some of China’s second-tier cities directly to the US is made possible because the current US-China air treaty doesn’t include as many limits on the number of flights to secondary cities, compared with the two largest Chinese markets. United’s efforts revolve around the use of its new long-range, but relatively small, 219-seat Boeing 787 Dreamliners, which the airline said are the right size and range for such routes. United said it also is building on the strength of its hub in San Francisco, which offers travelers many connections to and from domestic US airports, and is aided by the airline’s long-standing relationship with Air China. The goal is to give United an inside track in China, the world’s most populous nation. This year, China is set to overtake the US as the largest business-travel market. While more than 95% of that business is domestic, international travel also is growing strongly, it said. But growth to China, which United has been serving for 30 years, brings its own challenges. US and Chinese carriers have ramped up their capacity, offering more seats and flights than demand warrants, which is pinching prices. The US-Chinese aviation treaty caps flights to Beijing and Shanghai—and US carriers are close to their limit, restricting future opportunities there. Also, China’s once-torrid economic growth has slowed.<br/>

Air New Zealand's planned sale of its 26% stake in Virgin Australia struck a complication yesterday with the surprise addition of China's HNA Aviation Group to Virgin's share register through a A$159m share placement. The transaction, which dilutes Air NZ's holding to 22.5%, will go some way towards shoring up Virgin Australia 's balance sheet and, at A30c a share, establishes a ball park figure for the shares if and when Air NZ sells its stake. At A30c, the shares were issued at a 7.1% premium to Monday's closing price, and they rallied to just under that level after the deal was announced to the market. Post-placement, HNA will own about 13% in Virgin Australia, but it intends to increase its stake over time up to 19.99%. Analysts said the deal, struck without Air NZ's involvement, would complicate the sale process. "They have clearly placed new shares at a time when Air NZ is trying to sell its existing shares, so I guess the implications of that will only become clear in the next few weeks," said Salt Funds Management managing director Matt Goodson. Virgin Australia said it had formed a strategic commercial alliance with HNA that would accelerate its access to the rapidly growing Chinese travel market. Under the alliance, the companies will look to introduce direct flights between Australia and China. The deal means HNA will become a major Virgin Australia shareholder alongside Air NZ, Singapore Airlines and Etihad Airways. <br/>

Brief panic over a label on a toy box caused a short delay on a flight from Cyprus to Israel on Tuesday when an aircraft cleaner thought it was a warning of a bomb. The Aegean Airlines flight bound for Tel Aviv via Larnaca, was searched by police at the Cypriot airport on Tuesday after a cleaner found a label with the word "Booba" on it in the Latin alphabet. "Booba", which means doll in Hebrew, looks alarmingly like "bomba", or 'bomb' in Greek. "Cyprus's civil aviation authority checked it and there was no problem. There was a small delay, but the alarm was lifted immediately," an Aegean Airlines spokeswoman said in Athens.<br/>

A passenger suffered a ruptured eardrum during decompression on an All Nippon Airways flight carrying 170 people last week, the transport ministry said Tuesday. ANA Flight NH561 bound for Kochi Airport took off from Tokyo’s Haneda airport at around 8:20 a.m. Friday but returned to the airport 50 minutes later due to the incident, according to the ministry and All Nippon Airways. A display showed that pressure in the passenger cabin dropped suddenly when the Boeing 737 was flying at an altitude of about 5,000 meters, they said.<br/>

Just before Christmas last year, United Airlines announced a merry change: Complimentary food was back for fliers in coach seats. Starting last February, passengers are offered a stroopwafel, or Dutch caramel-filled waffle, on flights departing before 9:45 a.m. The airline also started offering pretzels, sesame sticks and rice cakes on flights later in the day. Now the world's third-largest carrier is adding to its menu of free munchies. Coach passengers on flights from the US to Europe currently get a free mid-flight snack, plus whatever they want to buy from the onboard menu. But starting Wednesday, coach passengers on those flights will get a complimentary pre-arrival snack: a warmed croissant, jam and a yogurt cup. Passengers on flights from Europe to the US, who already get a pre-arrival snack, will now also receive a mid-flight snack. On flights from the West Coast to Europe, United announced, the airline will offer a new complimentary small sandwich. Travelers flying from Europe to the West Coast already receive a pre-arrival sandwich, so the new offering for them is an enhanced mid-flight snack, according to a United spokesman. <br/>