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The Belgian unit of Thomas Cook Airlines plans to transfer air crews, flight slots and two of its five aircraft to Brussels Airlines, in a move to extend a partnership with the Lufthansa-owned carrier, the companies said on Thursday. Thomas Cook has worked closely with Brussels Airlines for years, but the latest initiative follows a slide in customers and profits at Thomas Cook's Belgian travel unit after last year's attacks on Brussels airport. Thomas Cook, whose airline has units in other countries, said in a statement it had agreed to use Brussels Airlines for the majority of its Belgium business and would consider launching new long-haul destinations with the carrier. "The proposal builds upon a successful 15-year working relationship between Thomas Cook Belgium and Brussels Airlines," Thomas Cook said. Under the deal, Thomas Cook's Belgian unit would transfer 160 pilots and cabin crew, flight slots and two aircraft to Brussels Airlines, it said. The remaining three aircraft will be deployed across the Thomas Cook Group. A Brussels Airlines spokesman said the partnership would mean the carrier could fly to more leisure destinations.<br/>

Air China Thursday reported a 0.6% rise in 2016 net profit, underperforming analyst expectations as earnings were hit by the weakening yuan and rising costs. The company's profit attributable to shareholders of 6.8b yuan ($987.22m) fell short of forecasts from analysts, who expected China's flag carrier to report full-year reported net income of 7.35b yuan, according to 8 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters. Revenue rose 4.6% year-on-year to 114b yuan, it said. It made 4.2b yuan in foreign exchange losses due to the yuan's depreciation against the dollar over the year. Operating costs overall rose 4.2%, although its fuel bill, which accounts for about a quarter of its costs, fell 8.6%. It also increased passenger capacity by 8.6% over the year, while its revenue made per passenger for one kilometre fell 4.4%. Chinese airlines have been ordering new aircraft to take advantage of strong demand in the country for foreign travel but many of these orders were made with US dollar-denominated loans.<br/>

United faces a new setback in its bid to win back business customers as production snags hinder deliveries of Boeing jetliners outfitted with new luxury seats. “Short delays” are affecting two 777-300ER aircraft with United’s Polaris luxury interiors, said Megan McCarthy, a spokeswoman for the airline. United and the planemaker are working with French seatmaker Zodiac Aerospace to expedite shipments, said McCarthy and Doug Alder, a spokesman for Boeing. The stumbles will slow United’s efforts to woo international travelers with a rebranding campaign centered on the Polaris cabins, which offer pod-style suites with Zodiac’s lie-flat berths. Zodiac, which agreed to be acquired by Safran SA, has also held back production of Airbus Group SE’s marquee A350 with delays of seats and lavatories. “It’s not just seatless in Seattle, it’s seatless in Toulouse,” said aviation consultant Robert Mann, referring to the planemakers’ manufacturing hubs and a Tom Hanks movie. “It’s a serious problem and it’s been building.” Even delays of a month or two could hurt Chicago-based United if, after a year of marketing build-up, the airline misses a chance to deploy the brand-new 777s on high-profile routes to Asia during the peak summer travel season, Mann said by phone. “You can only make the most money when you have a product in the market at the right time,” Mann said. “You are talking consequential damages.”<br/>

Air New Zealand's last Boeing 767 takes flight today, ending 32 years of service for the plane described as the Dreamliner of its time. Millions of passengers have flown on 767s which opened up the Pacific Rim for the airline. Air New Zealand has carried a Pope, America's Cup winners and the Rolling Stones in the plane. At least three wedding proposals were made on board. First flown commercially by Delta in 1982, the wide-body plane was smaller than a 747 jumbo but had features that were revolutionary for the time. Its digital "glass cockpit" provided enough information to two pilots and did away with the need for a flight engineer. It was made from the latest material available at the time, had bigger overhead bins than previously seen and a large galley at the rear of the plane that was popular with crew and boasted fuel economy up to 35 per cent greater than the planes they replaced. It was designed to fly transcontinental routes across the United States but was soon put to work flying across the Atlantic and stretched versions across the Pacific. The 767 went on to became the first twin-engine plane certified to fly for three hours away from the nearest airport on one engine.<br/>