The EU is close to striking air traffic agreements with Qatar and a group of countries in southeast Asia, two people familiar with the matter said. Negotiations on the two deals are "on the home stretch" and could come into effect in 2019, the people said. As part of the deals, Qatar and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) would agree to ensure their airlines conform to environmental, worker safety and competition standards, and would in exchange be guaranteed that they would be given the same rights as their competitors. ASEAN includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam. EU member states gave the green light in 2016 for the EC to pursue air traffic agreements with the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey and the ASEAN countries to try to support its airlines. Flying rights are typically granted on a bilateral basis between governments. Some EU airlines, notably Air France-KLM and Lufthansa, have long complained about what they see as unfair competition from foreign carriers such as those in the Gulf region - Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways - which they accuse of receiving illegal state subsidies. The three airlines strongly deny such claims.<br/>
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Britain sent troops to its second-biggest airport after an unprecedented attempt to cripple Christmas travel with large drones forced all flights to be cancelled Thursday. As thousands of passengers waited at Gatwick Airport, south of London, police hunted unsuccessfully for the operators of the large drones which reappeared near the airfield every time the airport tried to reopen the runway. Police said there was no indication of a terrorism motive behind the devices, which first appeared on Wednesday night. “The assessment earlier on today was that we wouldn’t be using firearms,” Detective Chief Superintendent Jason Tingley said late Thursday. “This is continually reviewed so you will know and have seen that we have firearm officers deployed.” Europe’s air traffic control agency Eurocontrol said the airport would remain closed until 0600 GMT on Friday. The armed forces were also deployed to help resolve the situation. “We are there to assist and do everything we can,” Defence Minister Gavin Williamson said. Drones were seen as recently as the last hour, a Gatwick spokesman said at about 2200 GMT on Thursday, more than 24 hours after their first sighting. The airport said flights would remain shut down for the rest of the evening on a day when 115,000 people were scheduled to pass through, many en route to seasonal breaks. Police said more than 20 units were hunting the operators near Gatwick airport.<br/>
When drones buzzing over the runway forced London's busy Gatwick Airport to shut down, many travelers wondered why it's so hard for authorities to stop such intruders. Shoot them down, some said. Jam their signals, others suggested. Experts say it's not that easy. Britain and the US prohibit drones from being flown too high or too close to airports and other aircraft. In Britain, it is a crime punishable by up to five years in prison. Still, there is little to stop a drone operator bent on disrupting air traffic, which British officials say was the case with the Gatwick incident that began Wednesday evening. The number of close calls between drones and aircraft has increased dramatically in recent years as the popularity of drones has soared. Basic models for amateurs sell for under $100; larger, more sophisticated ones can cost hundreds more. Britain had 120 reports of close encounters in 2018, up from 93 last year. In 2014, there were six, according to the UK Airprox Board, which catalogs air safety incidents. In the US, there were nearly 2,300 drone sightings at airports in the year ending June 30, according to FAA records. Runways have been temporarily closed, but an FAA spokesman said he could not recall drones ever leading to the shutdown of a US airport. "This has gone from being what a few years ago what we would have called an emerging threat to a more active threat," said Patrick Smith, an airline pilot and author of askthepilot.com. "The hardware is getting bigger and heavier and potentially more lethal, and so we need a way to control how these devices are used and under what rules." Story has more details about the risks.<br/>
Global airline body IATA called Thursday for steps to reduce the risk of rogue drone operations including a registry of higher caliber drones, bigger fines, and jail sentences after flights were grounded at London's Gatwick airport. "We look forward to accelerating the cooperation between the industry, drone manufacturers and governments to reduce the risks of rogue drone operations," IATA said. Alongside tougher fines and prison for offenders, IATA called for greater education for operators and technological solutions to prevent drones entering restricted airspace.<br/>
Airbus is talking to airlines about a longer-range version of its best-selling narrowbody jet family with a view to launching it by mid-2019 as it tries to head off a potential Boeing competitor, people familiar with the matter said. Pre-marketing of the so-called A321XLR comes as Boeing contemplates an all-new aircraft to serve mid-market demand worth hundreds of billions of dollars, with a final decision on both aircraft expected in 2019. Airbus has stepped up a gear and is actively "testing the market" for a newly defined XLR, one industry source said. Initial plans for the A321XLR were first reported by Reuters in June. It would sit at the top of a narrowbody range driving most Airbus profits. The upgrade would boost the A321's take-off weight to some 101 tonnes for the A321XLR compared with 97 tonnes for the longest-range A321LR, which can carry 206 people 4,000 miles in two classes and went to its first customer last month. It would rely on more powerful engines already offered as an option, giving 33,000 pounds of thrust instead of 30,000 pounds.<br/>
Canada's Bombardier will deliver its first Global 7500 corporate jet on Thursday, premiering a full-sized bed and optional en-suite shower, in a challenge to US planemaker Gulfstream at the top of the luxury jet market. To meet demands by wealthy travelers, business jet manufacturers are increasingly filling their cabins with hotel-style features, previously seen only in converted commercial aircraft, by harnessing lighter-weight materials and technology that do not compromise a plane's range. The Global 7500, with a $73m list price, will compete with Gulfstream's G650, which has dominated the top end of the business jet market since its entry into service in 2012. "With no direct in-production competitor in this segment, Gulfstream has had quite a run at the top of the market," said Rolland Vincent, a consultant and founder of business aviation forecasting service JetNet. Both jets can connect far-flung cities like New York and Tokyo while flying at just under the speed of sound. But Bombardier says its Global 7500, the largest corporate plane not transformed from an airliner, is the first to offer a bed not converted from an onboard sofa. "It's really a battle of superlatives," Vincent said. Bombardier, in the middle of a deep restructuring, is counting on sales of its Global 7500 and other new large-cabin aircraft, the Global 6500 and 5500, which enter service next year, to boost its business jet division revenues to $8.5b in 2020, up from about $5b in 2018.<br/>
On a cold, dry plain in rural eastern Spain, 1,000 meters above sea level, a surreal scene greets drivers speeding along the Mudejar Highway inland from the Mediterranean Sea. Line after line of enormous jumbo jets appear silhouetted against the horizon. It's not a mirage, but the site of the largest industrial airport in Europe. Located outside the town of Teruel, the smallest of all Spanish provincial capitals, this is not a typical airport or tourist destination. There are no check-in desks, departure lounges, luggage carousels, coffee shops, taxi stands or shuttle buses. For the simple fact that there are no commercial flights here -- and there never were. This airport was built with other purposes in mind. It hosts aircraft from all over the world that have been withdrawn from service, be it temporarily or permanently, and caters to their maintenance needs. What it's not, however, is an aircraft junkyard. Some aging airliners may be scrapped here (after being stripped for valuable parts and spares) but plenty of new, perfectly serviceable aircraft are stored in Teruel. Some are ready to fly but are waiting for financial or legal issues to be sorted out. Some are here because their airlines need to temporarily adjust capacity to cope with fluctuating market conditions. Teruel isn't just a storage facility. Director Alejandro Ibrahim says it's also home to a whole range of other aviation-related activities, including those in fields with high growth potential.<br/>