Business briefs: Airbus launches new versions of jetliner
FARNBOROUGH, England – Airbus has launched updated versions of its A330 wide body aircraft in a bid to improve fuel efficiency, increase range and help the aircraft compete against Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner.
Airbus told reporters Monday the new designs for the A330-800neo and the A330-900neo will reduce fuel consumption by 14 percent per seat and boost the model’s range by 400 nautical miles.
Air Lease Corp. of Los Angeles on Monday agreed to buy 25 of the new A330-900s as well as 60 A320neos. No financial details were immediately disclosed at the world’s premier aviation event in the south of England.
The launch comes as Airbus struggles to find buyers for the larger A350 model.
Emirates recently canceled an order for the A350 and opted for Boeing aircraft.
National group honors former GSI leader Hadley
Rich Hadley, who stepped down this spring after heading Greater Spokane Incorporated for nearly 21 years, will be honored as a life member by the American Chamber of Commerce Executives.
The award is the chamber of commerce profession’s highest individual honor. Hadley will receive the award in August during the group’s national convention in Cincinnati.
Recipients are nominated by their peers and selected by the association’s board of directors. Hadley is one of three honorees this year.
Though retired, Hadley has said he will take on occasional GSI projects on issues affecting area economic development and business support.
Seattle council passes rules on ridesharing
SEATTLE – The Seattle City Council on Monday passed new rules regulating rideshare companies, allowing them to operate in the city without a limit on the number of cars.
Monday’s vote comes a week after the council repealed rules it passed four months ago, which would have limited the number of rideshare cars from each service to 150 on the road at any given time.
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray last month brokered a deal that eventually led to the repeal of the old ordinance and to Monday’s legislation.
Politicians in Seattle and other places have been attempting to regulate fast-evolving “transportation network” companies such as Uber, Lyft and Sidecar.
Rideshare companies had said the cap passed in March would hurt their businesses, and they gave heavily to a campaign to repeal those rules through a referendum. Meanwhile, taxi drivers had said the companies had an unfair advantage because they weren’t licensed or regulated.
The new rules passed on Monday adds 200 new taxi licenses in the city during the next four years, details insurance and licensing requirements for rideshare companies and allows hailing rights for for-hire vehicles, among other provisions.
University of Phoenix under federal review
NEW YORK – Apollo Education Group said the U.S. Department of Education will review the administration of federal student financial aid programs by its University of Phoenix subsidiary.
The for-profit education company said Monday that the government review, which is scheduled to start Aug. 4, will initially cover the 2012-13 and 2013-14 years. The review will also cover the University of Phoenix’s compliance with laws governing campus security and crime statistics and drug policy. The university has about 241,900 students.
The Department of Education did not immediately respond to a request for comment.