The Latest: Airbus to make new midsize long-range plane

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The Latest: Airbus to make new midsize long-range plane

2019-06-17 17:29 Last Updated At：17:40

The Latest on the Paris Air Show (all times local):

11:25 a.m.

Airbus will start making a new single-aisle long-range jet, beating rival Boeing to the market in this category.

The European plane maker launched the A321XLR jet Monday at the Paris Air Show, saying it will be ready for customers in 2023 and will fly up to 4,700 miles (7,560 kilometers).

Chief salesman Christian Scherer would not say how much the plane would cost to develop, but said it would be significantly less than building a whole new plane because it is an upgraded version of the existing A321.

It was the biggest new plane announcement expected at the Paris Air Show gathering of aviation industry powerhouses.

Boeing is considering whether to build a new jet — the concept is dubbed New Midsize Airplane, or NMA — that would be close in size to the A321XLR. It would fill a gap in the Boeing lineup between the smaller 737 and the larger 777 and 787.

Right after the launch, Los Angeles-based Air Lease Corporation signed a letter of intent to buy 27 of the new Airbus planes.

9:55 a.m.

A Boeing executive is apologizing to airlines and families of victims of 737 Max crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia.

Kevin McAllister, CEO of Boeing's commercial aircraft, told reporters at the Paris Air Show on Monday that "we are very sorry for the loss of lives" in the Lion Air crash in October and Ethiopian Airlines crash in March. A total of 346 people were killed.

McAllister also said "I'm sorry for the disruption" to airlines from the subsequent grounding of all Max planes worldwide, and to their passengers. He stressed that the company is working hard to learn from what went wrong but wouldn't say when the plane could fly again.

Other Boeing executives also stressed the company's focus on safety and condolences to victims' families.

Angle-measuring sensors in both planes malfunctioned, alerting anti-stall software to push the noses of the planes down. The pilots were unable to take back control of the planes. Investigations are underway.

9:45 a.m.

The world's aviation elite are gathering at the Paris Air Show with safety concerns on many minds after two crashes of the popular Boeing 737 Max.

The global economic slowdown and trade tensions between the U.S. and other powers are also weighing on the event that opened Monday at Le Bourget airfield.

Boeing's CEO said the company is heading into this week's show with "humility" after the crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia and Boeing's botched communication over a cockpit warning system in the Max.

Rival Airbus is expecting some big orders despite a slow sales year so far, and is likely to unveil its long-range A320 XLR at the Paris show.

The event also is showcasing electric planes, pilotless air taxis and other cutting-edge technology.

The item timed at 9:55 a.m. has been corrected to give the name of the official who spoke as Kevin McAllister, not Randy Tinseth.

Trump's appointment of envoy to Greenland sparks new tension with Denmark

The leaders of Denmark and Greenland insisted Monday that the United States won't take over Greenland and demanded respect for their territorial integrity after President Donald Trump ‍announced the appointment of a ‌special envoy to the semi-autonomous territory.

Trump's announcement on Sunday that Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry would be the envoy prompted a new flare-up of tensions over Washington's interest in the vast territory of Denmark, a NATO ally. Denmark's foreign minister told Danish broadcasters that he would summon the U.S. ambassador to his ministry.

”We have said it before. Now, we say it again. National borders and the sovereignty of states are rooted in international law," Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and her Greenlandic counterpart, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said in a joint statement. “They are fundamental principles. You cannot annex another country. Not even with an argument about international security.”

“Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders and the U.S. shall not take over Greenland,” they added in the statement emailed by Frederiksen's office. "We expect respect for our joint territorial integrity.”

Trump called repeatedly during his presidential transition and the early months of his second term for U.S. jurisdiction over Greenland, and has not ruled out military force to take control of the mineral-rich, strategically located Arctic island. In March, Vice President JD Vance visited a remote U.S. military base in Greenland and accused Denmark of under-investing there.

The issue gradually drifted out of the headlines, but in August, Danish officials summoned the top U.S. diplomat in Copenhagen following a report that at least three people with connections to Trump had carried out covert influence operations in Greenland.

“We need Greenland for national security,” Trump told reporters on Monday at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, when asked about Landry's appointment. “And if you take a look at Greenland, you look up and down the coast you have Russian and Chinese ships all over the place.”

On Sunday, Trump announced Landry's appointment, saying on social media that “Jeff understands how essential Greenland is to our National Security, and will strongly advance our Country’s Interests for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Allies, and indeed, the World.”

The U.S. president on Monday said Landry approached him about being appointing as an envoy.

“He’s a deal guy. He is a deal-maker type guy,” Trump said.

Landry wrote in a post on social media after Trump announced the appointment that “it’s an honor to serve you in this volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the U.S.” The governor will continue to serve in his elected position in Louisiana.

The Trump administration did not offer any warning ahead of the announcement, according to a Danish government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

The official also said Danish officials had expected Trump to signal an aggressive approach to Greenland and the Arctic in the U.S. administration’s new national security strategy and were surprised when the document included no mention of either.

Deputy White House press secretary Anna Kelly said Monday that Trump decided to create the special envoy role because the administration views Greenland as “a strategically important location in the Arctic for maintaining peace through strength.”

Danish broadcasters TV2 and DR reported that in comments from the Faroe Islands Monday, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said he would summon the U.S. ambassador in Copenhagen, Kenneth Howery, to his ministry.

Greenland's prime minister wrote in a separate statement that Greenland had again woken up to a new announcement from the U.S. president, and that “it may sound significant. But it changes nothing for us here at home.”

Nielsen noted that Greenland has its own democracy and said that “we are happy to cooperate with other countries, including the United States, but this must always take place with respect for us and for our values and wishes.”

Earlier this month, the Danish Defense Intelligence Service said in an annual report that the U.S. is using its economic power to “assert its will” and threaten military force against friend and foe alike.

Denmark is a member of the European Union as well as NATO.

The president of the EU's executive commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said on social media that Arctic security is a “key priority” for the bloc and one on which it seeks to work with allies and partners. She also said that “territorial integrity and sovereignty are fundamental principles of international law.”

“We stand in full solidarity with Denmark and the people of Greenland,” she wrote.

Madhani reported from West Palm Beach, Fla.