Airbus will deliver at least 30 A380 superjumbos in 2012 after meeting its target for at least 25 in 2011, chief operating officer Fabrice Bregier said in remarks published on Friday.

Thai transsexual ladyboys are taking to the air as flight attendants for a new airline, a move that some said could be a key step towards still broader acceptance in a nation where they are already unusually visible.

All Nippon Airways, the first operator of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner said it will postpone the start of 787 service on some international routes because of a delay in receiving another aircraft.

Japan Airlines would likely pay back this month JPY¥185 billion (USD$2.38 billion) of its JPY¥220 billion bank loans maturing in January 2013, the Nikkei reported.

Emirates, the largest customer for the Airbus A380 superjumbo, is hoping to soon place more orders for the 525-seat aircraft, the airline’s chief executive told a German newspaper.

The Australian government’s airline safety regulator said it has grounded the local operations of Singapore’s budget carrier Tiger Airways as it investigates “serious” safety concerns.

Delta Air Lines will make a decision on buying planes by the end of the year, its chief executive said.

Flybe, Europe’s largest regional airline, and Finnair have together agreed to buy Finland’s biggest domestic carrier Finnish Commuter Airlines (FCA) for EUR€25 million (USD$35.5 million) to expand in the Baltic market.

National carrier Vietnam Airlines has sought government approval to invest USD$8.38 billion to expand its fleet, taking it to 110 aircraft by 2015 in the first phase, a state-run newspaper reported on Friday.

US airlines will step up their campaign against European Union climate policy next week, with a legal challenge at Europe’s highest court to their inclusion in the EU carbon market.