Boeing nears 737 Max approval
Federal safety regulators are moving closer to letting the grounded Boeing 737 Max fly again with changes that Boeing made to the plane after two deadly crashes.
The Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday that “in the near future” it will issue a proposed safety directive for the plane. The agency gave no indication, however, of when it might lift its March 2019 order that grounded the plane.
The FAA said it would allow 45 days for public comment on Boeing’s proposed changes to the plane and pilot-training procedures to address problems found during investigations of the crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia, which together killed 346 people.
Investigators have focused on a flight-control system, new to the Max, that pushed the nose of both planes down based on faulty readings from sensors.
Airlines seek to resume flights through testing
FRANKFURT, Germany – Major airlines are urging the U.S. and the European Union to quickly restore transatlantic air travel by deploying a joint COVID-19 testing program.
The CEOs of United, American Airlines, IAG and Lufthansa Group wrote Tuesday that “given the unquestioned importance of transatlantic air travel to the global economy as well as to the economic recovery of our businesses, we believe it is critical to find a way to reopen air services between the U.S. and Europe.”
They said a testing program for the transatlantic market “could be an excellent opportunity for government and industry to work together” and “safely restore passenger travel between the U.S. and Europe.”
The letter was addressed “with urgency” to U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and to Ylva Johansson, the European commissioner for home affairs.
1,000 workers to be laid off by LinkedIn amid outbreak
NEW YORK – LinkedIn is laying off nearly 1,000 employees, approximately 6% of its workforce globally, with unemployment in the U.S. above 13% and national economies from Europe and Asia, to the Americas, shrinking due to the pandemic.
The outbreak has disrupted commerce globally, closing thousands of businesses while forcing others to furlough large numbers of employees as they await a recovery.
In a note to employees at the professional networking site, CEO Ryan Roslansky said that the job cuts will hit global sales and hiring sections of the company. He said no further layoffs are planned.
LinkedIn employees in the U.S. will receive at least 10 weeks of severance pay and a year of continuing health coverage through COBRA.
EBay classifieds sold to Norway’s Adevinta
LONDON – EBay Inc. is selling its classifieds business to Norway’s Adevinta in a deal worth $9.2 billion that will create the world’s largest online classifieds group, the companies said Tuesday.
Under the terms of the deal, the U.S. company will get $2.5 billion in cash and become the largest shareholder in Adevinta.
The combined company will have classified ad websites in 20 countries, covering 1 billion people and receiving about 3 billion monthly visits.
EBay’s classified brands include Gumtree in Australia and the U.K., Marktplaats in the Netherlands, Mobile.de in Germany, Vivanuncios in Mexico and Canada’s Kijii.
From wire reports