United Airlines cancels flights in US airports due to technology issue

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• FAA: Arriving flights at Newark Airport were halted by a telecom issue

  The Federal Aviation Administration halted arriving flights for over an hour at Newark Liberty International Airport on Thursday due to a telecom frequency issue. This is the latest technical problem to cause delays at the airport in New York City. Flightradar24 is a flight-tracking site that reports flights to Newark, the hub of United Airlines, are currently suspended. Flights already in the air are held, but the departures are unaffected. The FAA reported that delays are increasing as flights resume following a 75-minute pause. In April and May, there were two major communications failures for the air traffic controllers in Newark. This caused hundreds of flights to be disrupted. The FAA cut flights at Newark in May after a series major disruptions. Has proposed to extend these through Late October Last year, the FAA moved control of Newark's airspace from Newark to Philadelphia in order to deal with staffing issues and congestion in New York City. The FAA has since upgraded its communications technology in order to prevent similar incidents, but is still working on adding air traffic controllers. (Reporting and editing by Diane Craft; David Shepardson)

• UAW members strike at GE's Evendale and Erlanger facilities

  UAW President Shawn Fain announced that members of the United Auto Workers at GE Aerospace’s Evendale, Ohio plant and Erlanger distribution facility in Kentucky went on strike Thursday, after failing to come to a new agreement. Evendale builds industrial and marine engines for the U.S. Navy. Erlanger supplies parts to the company's other engine plants. The strike is the latest in a series of strikes that have swept through the aerospace and aviation industries. Unions are flexing their muscle to win new contracts, amid a high demand for skilled workers. In the past two years, workers in all sectors have been pushing for higher wages and better job protections. Local union chapter in the area represents more than 600 workers at both sites. The union members voted by majority to strike if no new agreement could be reached by the afternoon of August 27. A GE Aerospace spokeswoman said that the company had activated a detailed contingency plan, adding it was "disappointed", the union decided to go on strike before the employees were given a chance vote. Reporting by Shivansh Tiwary, Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Harshita Menaktshi, Mrinmay dey and Maju Samuel; Editing and Sonia Cheema.

• UAW members at GE Evendale will strike on Thursday

  UAW President Shawn Fain announced in a late-night video that members of the United Auto Workers at GE Aerospace’s Evendale, Ohio plant would go on strike starting Thursday, after they failed to reach a contract. The U.S. Navy uses the plant to build marine and industrial engines. The walkout extends also to a GE Distribution facility in Erlanger (Kentucky), which supplies parts to many of the engine plants owned by the company. The strike is the latest in a series of strikes that have swept through the aerospace and aviation industries. Unions are flexing their muscle to get new contracts, despite a high demand for skilled workers. In the past two years, workers in all sectors have been pushing for higher wages and better job protections. Local chapter of the union represents 600 workers at two GE Aerospace sites. The union members voted in favor of strike action if no new agreement was reached by August 27. GE Aerospace didn't immediately respond to a comment request outside of regular business hours. (Reporting from Shivansh Tiwary, Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Harshita Menaktshi. Editing by Maju Sam)

• Global Airlines Group proposes raising the international pilot retirement age from 65 to 67

  The U.N. agency for aviation has been asked by a group of global airlines to increase the age limit for commercial aviators to 67 from 65 years, claiming that the demand for air travel worldwide is greater than the supply. At its General Assembly on September 23, the U.N.'s International Civil Aviation Organization will examine this proposal. Major U.S. Pilot Unions have opposed it. Many countries, including the United States apply the same rule to domestic flights. IATA, which represents 350 airlines, has said that raising the limit to two years is "a cautious but reasonable step in line with safety." IATA stated in a paper on the ICAO website that there would have to be two pilots per flight. One of them must be younger than 65 if another pilot is older. In 2006, ICAO raised the age limit to 65. Major pilot unions in the U.S. oppose a higher retirement based on safety issues. Dennis Tajer (American Airlines) spokesperson and spokesperson for the Allied Pilots Association, APA, stated that there are not enough data to understand the risks of raising the retirement age. He said, "We do not gamble with our safety in this way." Southwest Airlines Pilot Association and Air Line Pilots Association have not responded to comments immediately. The U.S. Pilot Unions opposed a failed push by U.S. carriers to increase the mandatory retirement age for airline pilots to 67 years old from 65 in 2023. Last month, a bipartisan group in Congress urged President Donald Trump to support international efforts to increase the mandatory retirement age for pilots. (Reporting from Dan Catchpole, Seattle; Additional reporting from Rajesh Kumar Singh, Chicago; Editing Jamie Freed).

• Delta pays $78.75 Million to settle fuel dump lawsuit

  Delta Air Lines has agreed to pay $78.75 Million to settle a class-action lawsuit regarding a 2020 fuel spill that flooded tens and thousands of properties in Los Angeles County and Orange County in California, including schools and homes. This week, a proposed preliminary settlement in Los Angeles Federal Court was filed. The judge must approve it. The case stemmed a January 14th, 2020 incident when Delta Flight 89 from Los Angeles to Shanghai, with 167 passengers, crew and cargo, lost thrust shortly after takeoff. Delta pilots ejected about 15,000 pounds (6.804 kg) jet fuel from the Boeing before returning to Los Angeles International Airport to reduce the risk of an emergency landing due to excess weight. Minor injuries were treated by several dozen people who were on the ground. The property owners claimed that the pilots dumped fuel unnecessarily at low altitudes over densely populated areas instead of over the Pacific Ocean, at high altitudes so it could dissipate or by burning fuel while flying in a hold pattern. They demanded Delta clean up the mess. Delta said that it had settled the case to avoid the uncertainty and costs of litigation. Flight 89's Atlanta-based carrier said that the pilots and crew of Flight 89 "did what their FAA-approved FAA training required them to to do in order to respond to the emergency on board and ensure the safety and security of passengers, crew and people on ground." Delta reported that a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigation cleared the pilots from any wrongdoing. Court documents show that the net settlement after legal costs and fees could total $50.6 Million and will be distributed to residents or owners of approximately 38,000 properties. Filippo Marchino said in a press release that the settlement is fair and reasonable and will compensate "hardworking families who have asked for nothing more than respect and justice and deserve this outcome." The case is In re Delta Air Lines Inc., U.S. District Court for the Central District of California No. 20-00786. Reporting by Jonathan Stempel, New York Editing Bill Berkrot

• Washington Union Station is to be taken over by the Trump administration

  After Trump administration officials raised concerns about safety, the U.S. Transportation Department announced on Wednesday that it would reclaim control of Washington Union Station. It is one of America's largest rail hubs. Stephen Gardner, CEO of Amtrak (U.S. passenger rail company), was forced to resign in March by the White House, following an order from President Donald Trump. The plan to reclaim Union Station comes after Trump's decision to send hundreds of National Guard soldiers to Washington this month, following his takeover of the local police force over the objections from local leaders. In a press release, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated that the department is renegotiating an agreement with Amtrak and the non-profit Union Station Redevelopment Corporation which controls the station. He added that formal confirmation of the USDOT's new control over Union Station will be expected in September. Union Station was one of the sites guarded by National Guard troops. Vice President JDVance also visited the station. Amtrak will unveil new Acela high-speed trains on Wednesday on the Northeast Corridor. This busy rail corridor, which links Boston and Washington, is the busiest in the United States, with over 800,000 trips per day. The region represents 20% of the U.S. economic output. The new trains are capable of running at speeds up 160 miles per hour, which is 10 miles faster than current trains. However, they will only be able run at this faster speed for a limited time until additional work has been done. Alstom's new trains in the United States have 27% extra seating per train. The Trump administration announced last week that it would be increasing metals tariffs for imported railcars. USDOT announced in April that it would remove the Metropolitan Transportation Authority as the leader of the Penn Station Reconstruction Project in New York City. Instead, Amtrak will be overseeing the project, which is backed by USDOT, in midtown Manhattan. Trump repeatedly tried to reduce funding for Amtrak during his first term. Amtrak receives about $2.4 billion annually in federal support by 2023. Congress approved Amtrak funding of $2.42 billion per year in March. Since March, the railroad has been led by Roger Harris as its president. A new CEO has not yet been appointed. Last year, it set a record for passengers. (Reporting and editing by Toby Chopra, Helen Popper, and David Shepardson)

• US cancels another $175 Million in California High-Speed Rail Projects

  After canceling $4 billion of federal grants in July for California's ambitious, but long-delayed, high-speed railway project, the U.S. Transportation Department announced on Tuesday that it will cancel $175 million of funding for four projects. The Trump administration announced Tuesday that it would withdraw funding from grade separations, overcrossings, design work, and the construction of a high-speed train station in Madera. California sued in July to contest the withdrawal of funds, calling it illegal. The USDOT has threatened to revoke $33 million of safety funding to California after it claimed that the state was not following federal regulations requiring truckers to be able speak English. The funding cuts represent another obstacle to the 16-year-old effort to connect Los Angeles and San Francisco with a train trip lasting three hours, a project which would provide the fastest passenger rail service available in the United States. The California High-Speed Rail Authority declined to comment immediately, but Newsom stated in July that the termination of grants was motivated by "petty political retribution" and President Trump's personal animus towards California and the High-Speed Rail Project, not facts on the ground. California voters approved the first $10 billion bond in 2008. Since then, more than 50 major structures have been built, including overpasses under-crossings, viaducts and bridges. The cancellation of funding marked the latest confrontation between a Republican president and a Democratic Governor widely considered as a top contender for the Democratic Party's nomination to the White House in 2028. Both men disagreed on a range of issues, from the transgender athlete and electric cars to the use National Guard troops at Los Angeles protests or even egg prices. San Francisco to Los Angeles was originally supposed to be finished by 2020 at a cost of $33 billion. The projected cost of the project has risen from $89 billion to a staggering $128 billion. Service is now expected to begin in 2033. The state challenged a previous decision by Trump to revoke federal grants worth $929 million during his first term, in 2019. This led to a settlement under Democratic President Joe Biden in June 2021, reversing the amount. (Reporting and editing by Leslie Adler, Stephen Coates, and David Shepardson)

• US FAA funds system for preventing accidents involving runaway aircraft

  The Federal Aviation Administration announced on Tuesday that a system had been installed at Philadelphia International Airport to stop an airplane from taking off. The FAA granted $8.5 million for the first Engineered Material Awaiting System at the airport, which is a system of 2,000 tiles that are designed to stop an aircraft overrunning traveling up to 70 knots. The system is designed to stop an overrunning aircraft traveling at speeds up to 70 knots by using a crushable material that's installed and compressed by the landing gear. At a Tuesday press conference, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Park said: "This process decelerates the aircraft and stops it for safety." Over 60 US airports have 117 systems, which are installed in areas where the excess land is not enough to extend beyond runways. Philadelphia was the 21st busiest U.S. Airport last year, with 31 million passengers. American Airlines accounted for two-thirds. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford stated that the system would allow for the use of the 5,000 foot long runway by business jets, smaller commercial aircraft, and to ensure the runway met agency standards. It will also help increase the capacity. Bedford stated that this is a win-win situation. We can now be confident that if there is a refused takeoff, the arrestor system ensures passenger and crew safety. The project involved demolition of an existing service road, the installation of utilities, storm water management, and ground settlement monitoring. Bedford said that the system was not cheap. It's an expensive upgrade, but it adds incremental capacity by taking essentially unusable space. In December, a crash of a Jeju Air Boeing 737-8 in South Korea killed 179 people after the plane belly-landed at Muan International airport and skidded away from the end of runway. It exploded in a fiery fireball when it slammed against a wall. There have been questions raised as to why there wasn't a system in order to prevent planes from overrunning the runway and hitting the wall. (Reporting and editing by Nick Zieminski, David Shepardson)

• Boeing and the US FAA will conduct scenario-based planning before lifting the 737 MAX production limit

  The Federal Aviation Administration's head said Tuesday that the agency will conduct tabletop exercises with Boeing to plan scenarios before lifting the cap of 38 planes per month on the 737 MAX production. Officials said that the exercises would review any potential problems Boeing could face as it increases production. They also aim to ensure that Boeing maintains its progress in quality. On Tuesday, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said that they still hadn't asked for an increase in the rate and we had not agreed to anything. We agreed that it was a good idea to begin the process of bringing up a conversation about a possible rate increase. Bedford said he hopes that these exercises, which are currently being developed, will be completed by the end September. Bedford added that if the FAA wants to increase production, they will have a road map on how to evaluate it. The FAA implemented the production cap after an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 that was missing four bolts in mid-air during a mid-air emergency on January 20, 2024. Since then, FAA has increased its in-person supervision of Boeing production. Boeing declined to comment immediately. In May, CEO Kelly Ortberg stated that the planemaker was "pretty sure" it could increase production to 42 737 MAX jets per month. Bedford met with Ortberg and was briefed on Boeing's quality and safety initiatives, as well as the supply chain's stability, on August 15. The FAA also gave him a tour of the production line. In May, the FAA extended by three years the program that allows Boeing, on behalf of the agency, to perform certain tasks, such as inspections. Bedford praised Boeing's efforts to improve quality and implement changes, but acknowledged that there were still problems with traveling work. This is when jobs are completed later than planned. Bedford said that "in general, there are good news and cautious optimism, but still, work needs to be done."

• After a long legal dispute, Ryanair and Booking.com have reached a deal on tickets

  The companies announced on Tuesday that Ryanair and Booking Holdings have reached an agreement to allow their Booking.com website and KAYAK website to resell tickets from the airline. This deal appears to be the end of the long-running legal dispute between the two. In recent years, Ryanair has launched a number of legal actions against third party booking platforms such as Booking that resell their tickets without consent. The airline has accused the platforms of charging additional fees and making it hard for them to reach passengers. It has been signing agreements since the beginning of the year with platforms such as Kiwi.com and Expedia, allowing the resale or tickets. In a joint statement, Ryanair and Booking stated that the deal would allow customers to receive flight updates and "full transparency" directly. The statement didn't say if a resolution had been reached in the U.S. case between Booking and Ryanair over the legality scraping Ryanair's website by Booking websites. The case, which was initially brought by Ryanair in the year 2020, has been subjected to several appeals. The statement also added that the agreement extends to Booking's Priceline, Agoda and other websites. Conor Humphries, Helen Popper (Editing)

• South Korean firms pledge US investment of $150 billion at summit

  South Korea highlighted a wide range of U.S. investments plans by its firms at the Monday summit between U.S. president Donald Trump and South Korean president Lee Jae Myung. These included shipbuilding, nuclear power, aerospace, energy, and critical minerals. The U.S. and South Korea agreed at the summit to invest $150 billion by South Korean companies. They also agreed on a non-binding agreement that would allow $350 billion to be invested in funds as proposed by Seoul last July in a trade agreement to reduce threatened U.S. duties on Korean products. Here are a few of the investment plans that were announced at the summit. Investments of $150 Billion The South Korean business lobby group announced that companies will invest $150 billion into areas like artificial intelligence, chips and biotechnology. Shipbuilding, nuclear power, shipbuilding, and shipbuilding are also included. The group didn't give any breakdown of the investments or a timeframe. If the investments are made, they would equal six times the U.S. direct investment of South Korean companies in 2024. Kim Yong Beom, the presidential adviser, said that investments will include previously announced projects like Samsung Electronics new chip factory located in Texas and Hyundai's auto factory in Georgia as well as Hanwha’s expansion of its U.S. Shipyard. AEROSPACE Korean Air, South Korea’s largest carrier, has announced the purchase of 103 Boeing planes worth $36.2 billion. The deal also includes a $13.7-billion agreement with GE Aerospace to provide engines and maintenance. This is the biggest contract ever signed by Korean Air. It's separate from the order for 50 Boeing jets with GE engines that it announced in March. HYUNDAI MOTOR GROUP Hyundai Motor Group has announced that it will increase its U.S. investments to $26 billion, up from the previously announced $21 million between 2025-2028. The plan calls for the construction of a new steel plant in Louisiana, an expansion of Hyundai Motor's and Kia Corp.'s U.S. automobile production capacity, as well as a robotics center with a 30,000 unit annual output. SHIPBUILDING Trump said that during the summit, the U.S. will work with South Korea in order to revive the struggling U.S. Shipbuilding Industry. He added that the U.S. will buy ships from South Korea and also receive support to manufacture ships within the country. South Korea's HD Hyundai and Korea Development Bank signed a Memorandum of Understanding with U.S. investment company Cerberus Capital in order to create a multi-billion dollar joint fund that will be used to strengthen U.S. maritime capability, including shipbuilding. Samsung Heavy Industries, Vigor Marine Group and other companies have also signed a preliminary agreement covering the maintenance and overhaul of U.S. Navy Support Ships, shipyard modernization as well as joint vessel construction. The state-owned Korea Gas Corp has signed long-term agreements, among others with commodity trader Trafigura, to import 3.3 millions tonnes of liquefied gas per year for 10 years beginning in 2028. This will be mainly from the United States. Cheniere, the biggest U.S. LNG supplier, will supply long-term contracted LNG volume, among other companies. NUCLEAR ENERGY Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, Doosan Enerbility and U.S. partners X-energy & Amazon Web Services have joined forces to collaborate on the design and construction of small modular reactors. Doosan Enerbility and Fermi America also signed an MOU for the construction of a Texas AI project. KHNP, Samsung C&T and Fermi America each signed their own MOU. KHNP also agreed to invest with Centrus in a U.S. facility for uranium enrichment. CRITICAL MINERALS Korea Zinc and Lockheed Martin have agreed to supply germanium starting in 2028 as part of a long-term agreement. The deal also aims to enhance the supply chain collaboration for rare metals. Deal on $350 Billion Fund that is Non-Binding Last month, South Korea agreed to a trade agreement to reduce tariffs in return for making separate investments of $350 billion. Details about the fund were not disclosed. Kim stated on Monday that South Korea intends to pursue a non-binding agreement on the structure of the fund and its operation. He said that the "financial packages" would support strategic industries like key minerals, batteries and chips, pharmaceuticals, AI, quantum computing and AI. (Reporting and editing by Joyce Lee, Heekyong Yahn and Hyunjoo Ji; Reporting by Heekyong Yan and Hyunjoo Jin. Ed Davies is responsible for editing.

• Wall Street Journal, August 26,

  These are the most popular stories from the Wall Street Journal. These stories have not been verified and we cannot vouch their accuracy. President Trump announced that he was removing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. He cited allegations that Cook had submitted false information in mortgage applications. Hyundai Motor Group, a South Korean automaker, said that it would increase its U.S. investments to $26 billion by 2028 in order to expand on the market. Korean Air Lines has agreed to purchase 103 Boeing airplanes for $36.2 billion as part of its $50 billion investment into U.S. Aviation. Li Chenggang will be visiting Washington for a series of talks this week, marking the beginning of the trade negotiations in Washington. President Donald Trump has said that the U.S. would increase tariffs on tech companies and export restrictions to countries who tax or regulate U.S. firms. - Perplexity will pay publishers from a $42.5 million revenue pool for news articles that the artificial-intelligence company uses to answer queries.