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This Flying Taxi at the Paris Air Show Is Quiet. Too Quiet.

Debut of Volocopter’s electric-powered air cab is drowned out by roaring jets and helicopters at air-industry bazaar

Air-taxi startup Volocopter announced that it hopes to carry passengers with its VoloCity aircraft during the Paris Olympics. But will the company get its aircraft certified in time? WSJ’s George Downs explores. Photo Illustration: Derryl Barnes

LE BOURGET, France—One of the hottest new aircraft is having a muted debut at the world’s premier aviation showcase.

Turns out, it’s too quiet.

Executives at Volocopter, the German developer of a flying taxi it hopes will ferry visitors around the City of Light at next year’s Summer Olympics, showcased a prototype of the aircraft here at this year’s Paris Air Show.

But this is a thunderously loud trade fair, where screeching jet fighters, thumping attack helicopters and roaring airliners turn heads and interrupt conversations.

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Russia’s Aircraft Need Maintenance They Can No Longer Get

Sanctions cut off access to parts and technology for key upkeep, raising concerns over safety.

Russia has limited access to parts, software and technical skills needed to carry out critical maintenance due on hundreds of commercial jets, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis, raising safety concerns among industry executives and regulators.

In the days after Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, many Western countries closed airspace to Russian jets. The U.S. and Europe also slapped the country with a series of sanctions and export controls that have blocked parts, services and other technology from being provided to the country’s fleet of commercial airliners.


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Western officials said they specifically targeted the sector—a key pillar of Russia’s economy that is profoundly dependent on Western assistance. But Russian airlines have kept flying, carrying some 95 million passengers last year amid buoyant demand for domestic flights.

Boeing Co. BA 1.64%increase; green up pointing triangle and Airbus SE planes comprise about 77% of Russia’s fleet of 696 in-service aircraft. In December, Russia’s central bank said Western aircraft carry 97% of all Russian passenger traffic.

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Boeing Sticks With Financial Outlook After Latest 737 MAX Problem

Plane maker posts 28% jump in first-quarter revenue, smaller net loss.

Boeing Co. BA 1.81%increase; green up pointing triangle said a new production problem expected to delay deliveries of its 737 jets to airlines this summer won’t disrupt the plane maker’s overall financial outlook for the year.

The Arlington, Va., aerospace company said Wednesday revenue rose 28% to $17.9 billion in the first quarter from the same period the previous year, beating analysts’ estimates. Boeing said it delivered 130 commercial aircraft in the three months ended March 31 as demand for new airliners remained robust.

Despite the emergence this month of a supplier’s 737 manufacturing slip-up, the company said Wednesday it plans to increase production of the narrow-body jets to 38 a month later this year, up from the current rate of 31.

Shares in Boeing rose 84 cents to $203.03 each on Wednesday, while broader U.S. stock indexes were mixed.

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Boeing has said the new manufacturing problem, related to certain fittings at the rear of the planes’ fuselage, will delay a number of deliveries of 737s in coming months. Airline and airplane-leasing customers tend to pay most of planes’ purchase price at delivery.

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Airline Recovery Boosts Jet Engine Makers

GE and Pratt & Whitney deliveries surge as travel rebounds and airlines prep for busy summer

General Electric’s aero-engine models on display at an exhibit in Shanghai late last year. GE, helped by growing engine deliveries, recorded sales and profits that beat expectations. PHOTO: CFOTO/ZUMA PRESS

Global airline passenger traffic this year is set to surpass 2019 levels despite recessionary fears, providing a boon for jet-engine makers.

General Electric Co. and Raytheon Technologies Corp., RTX 1.98%increase; green up pointing triangle the two biggest makers of plane engines, on Tuesday disclosed stronger quarterly financial results, reflecting the continued recovery in air travel and China’s relaxation of pandemic-driven restrictions.

Airlines preparing for a busy summer travel season are driving sales of spare parts at GE GE 1.53%increase; green up pointing triangle, Raytheon and other suppliers. Aircraft manufacturers Boeing Co. BA 1.75%increase; green up pointing triangle and Airbus SE are also delivering more jets following a surge in orders. Boeing reports quarterly results Wednesday.

“The recovery has strengthened as the world is eager to travel,” said GE Chief Executive Larry Culp on an investor call Tuesday.

Global air passenger traffic climbed 70% last year as more countries lifted restrictions, and big domestic markets such as the U.S. experienced a surge in business that left airlines and airports struggling to keep up. The rise in airfares driven by demand and higher fuel prices isn’t cooling growth, especially in regions such as Asia where traffic has been slower to improve.

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