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Boeing is the front-runner as Singapore Airlines closes in on an order for at least 35 wide-body aircraft amid a battle with Chinese and Middle Eastern carriers, people familiar with the matter said. Southeast Asia’s biggest long-distance carrier is considering buying 20 of Boeing’s long-range 777-9 jets, which are set to debut at decade’s end, after studying a rival bid for Airbus Group SE’s A350 aircraft, one of the people said. The carrier also is poised to take at least 19 of the Boeing 787-10, the longest Dreamliner model, the person said. Those aircraft would be valued at $13.8b based on list prices, before the discounts that are customary in the industry. The order could be unveiled this week, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the talks are private. Singapore Air, under pressure to cut costs after two consecutive quarters of declining profit, has been seeking more fuel-efficient aircraft as crude oil prices show signs of a rebound. The aircraft to be purchased would replace aging Boeing models such as the 777-300ER, while giving Singapore Air or its low-cost subsidiaries rights to Boeing aircraft not yet on the market. “The global trend is to replace inefficient planes with efficient ones,” said K. Ajith, an analyst at UOB Kay Hian Pte in Singapore. “This move is to bring down their cost.” The marquee airline is competing against rivals like Emirates that are luring first- and business-class passengers with comforts like in-flight showers. The new deal would provide a critical boost to two high-profile Boeing products amid a tough market for twin-aisle jets. <br/>

United says it has fixed a technology problem that delayed hundreds of flight around the country. An airline spokeswoman said the glitch prevented crews from creating flight plans on domestic and international flights for several hours. The problem was unrelated to a computer outage that grounded all United domestic flights for more than two hours on Jan. 22. Tracking service FlightAware.com counted more than 500 delayed United flights by midafternoon Wednesday. More than 30 were cancelled, but the United spokeswoman said those were unrelated to the technology issue. <br/>

A South Korean pilot has won his legal battle to keep a beard after a court ruled Wednesday that his company's ban on facial hair was unfair and discriminatory. The pilot at Asiana Airlines was banned from flying for a month in 2014 after violating company policy by having a beard. He was allowed to return to work after shaving. Seoul High Court said the policy - which only applied to workers of South Korean nationality - was illegal, turning over an earlier ruling by a lower court supporting the Air Asiana ban. "The firm says that workers are required to maintain neat appearances ... but there are no grounds to believe that a beard makes one look untrustworthy or shabby," the high court said. "Also, imposing the ban only on South Korean employees is discrimination based on nationality," it added. Dozens of foreign pilots and cabin crew at Air Asiana had facial hair but were not punished for it, the high court said. The lower court had ruled in favour of the ban, saying airlines were allowed to enforce stricter policies on staff appearance than other businesses.<br/>

Air India will launch new non-stop service between Indira Gandhi International and Dulles International airports this summer, giving Dulles an important boost to its international portfolio. “Today, we celebrate a new bridge between India and the Capital Region, showing that Virginia will continue to be open and welcoming to all international travelers,” Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) said. “The Commonwealth has made a significant commitment to growing our relationship with India in recent years and we are proud to be a new United States market with nonstop service from New Delhi.” Starting in July, the airline will offer three nonstop, round-trip flights a week.<br/>

An Australian brain surgeon whose pinky finger was jammed in a plane’s fold-out tray table is suing over his resulting physical and psychological injuries. Dr David Walker says he was flying with Austrian Airlines from Brisbane to Manchester, England, via Bangkok and Vienna on July 5, 2016, when his finger was snared by a collapsing tray table. In a statement of claim filed in the Queensland Federal Court, the Brisbane-based neurosurgeon says the cabin crew had folded out the horizontal table tray from his armrest before serving an in-flight meal during the Bangkok to Vienna leg of his trip. But the cabin crew did not return to retract his table tray after the meal, which stopped Dr Walker from reclining his business class seat. Dr Walker says he attempted to retract the armrest himself, at which point it “malfunctioned” and “snapped back suddenly without warning”. “The fifth finger on the right hand of the Applicant became jammed in between two of the parts of the horizontal tray-table resulting in severe pain and injury,” the statement of claim says. “The Applicant, with his son’s assistance, was able to pull the finger out of the jammed parts of the horizontal fold-out tray after several seconds. “Due to the severe pain and realisation of the injury to the finger, the Applicant lost consciousness briefly.” Dr Walker claims he suffered a fracture and “intra-articular extension” to the finger, as well as soft tissue injuries and trauma to the nail bed.<br/>