The 787's electrical system generates almost 1.5 megawatts, or enough to power about 400 homes.

U.K. air accident investigators have officially linked the inquiries into two controlled ditchings involving Eurocopter EC225 helicopters in the North Sea.

The Versailles court of appeals late last month rendered its long-awaited verdict after reviewing the July 25, 2000, crash of an Air France Concorde near Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). The court overturned the convictions of two Continental Airlines maintenance technicians and a former top executive of DGAC, the French civil aviation authority. But it upheld settlements with several victims' families and Continental's obligation to pay €1 million ($1.3 million) in compensation to Air France.

The Airbus A350-800 has lost half of its firm orders since 2009 and appears to be commercially the weakest member of the new long-haul aircraft family. But Airbus nonetheless still plans to build it.

The Airbus A330 has proven to be an extremely popular aircraft, even after the launch of the Boeing 787. It delivers a lot of what most airlines need. Now Airbus is adding further to its capabilities. The European manufacturer has revealed plans to increase the maximum takeoff weight of its two A330 versions. It plans to offer the A330-300 and A330-200 in 242-ton variants giving the aircraft, respectively, 500 nm and 350 nm more range.

The future of Virgin Atlantic has been one of the big unknowns in the European air transport sector. Now it seems it might join forces with Delta Air Lines, a move that would have repercussions far beyond the two players.

Tablets could be a natural device for disseminating maintenance information.

Our chief pilot evaluates Boeing's high-tech twin, the 787.