The American Dream Unraveling: US public health in crisis as Covid prompts curbs on officials’ powers - by Melody Schreiber

More than half of US states have introduced new laws to restrict public health actions, including policies requiring quarantine or isolation and mandating vaccines or masks. Between the new laws and the massive workforce departures during the pandemic, public health in America is now in crisis, experts say.

The new restrictions and shortages not only affect responses to the coronavirus but also make it harder to contain outbreaks of the flu, measles and other health crises, and they put the US in a weaker position to combat future pandemics.

“We’re very, very concerned about the rolling back of public health powers,” Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, told the Guardian. “We thought there was going to be a renaissance for public health, and we may be at the cusp of a major decline.”

Read more at: US public health in crisis as Covid prompts curbs on officials’ powers | US healthcare | The Guardian

Canada: : WestJet cancels orders for 15 Boeing 737 Max planes as industry struggles

WestJet Airlines Ltd. says it has cancelled orders for 15 Boeing 737 Max aircraft as the industry-wide downturn in aviation continues.

WestJet has 27 Max aircraft remaining on order, the company says. In January, WestJet was the first Canadian airline to return the Max to service, after Transport Canada lifted a nearly two-year grounding order for the aircraft.

Read more at: WestJet cancels orders for 15 Boeing 737 Max planes as industry struggles | CBC News

Aircraft Industry: Airbus lands massive order; Alabama will help fill it - by Lawrence Specker

Airbus has landed a massive order for more than 400 new jets, and indications are that at least some of them will be made in Alabama.

In Germany, Der Spiegel took notice of the news as the largest single deal in the company's history. In the U.S., Kristi Tucker, director of communications for Airbus Americas, said that the arrangement struck at the Dubai Air Show had a definite connection to Airbus' Final Assembly Line in Mobile.

According to the report in Der Spiegel, the U.S.-based investment company Indigo Partners will buy 430 medium-range jets. The plan is to purchase 273 A320neo jets and 157 A321neos. They'll go to four airlines owned by Indigo: Frontier Airlines in the U.S., Chile-based JetSmart, Mexico-based Volaris and Hungary-based Wizz Air.

Airbus builds its A320-family jets at four locations in Toulouse, France; Hamburg, Germany; Tianjin, China; and Mobile. The company is often coy about saying exactly which plant will build the jets in a given order. However, the Alabama FAL was built primarily to serve customers in North and South America, where most of the jets ordered by Indigo Partners will be flown.

Read more: Airbus lands massive order; Alabama will help fill it | AL.com

European Aircraft Industry: Airbus A380 superjumbo gets boost with $8.3 billion order

Airbus A380

Airbus' flagship A380 got a fresh lift Wednesday after leasing firm Amedeo firmed up its order for 20 of the superjumbo aircraft in a deal worth $8.3 billion.

The two firms signed the purchase agreement at the Singapore Airshow. The European plane maker had suffered some setbacks last year after the discovery of cracks on some of the giant aircrafts' wings.

But John Leahy, Airbus chief operating officer for customers, said: "This firm order from Amedeo is a clear recognition of the A380's long-term market appeal. "The A380 is the best tool for airlines to capture growth and increase profits."

Amedeo, formerly Doric Lease Corp, is the world's biggest manager of leased A380s.

Amedeo chief executive Mark Lapidus said the signing of the agreement "is a great day for aviation as we offer airlines a new, more flexible way to access the unique benefits of the A380 through our tailored leasing solutions".

He added in the statement that "as world air traffic continues to double every 15 years and airport infrastructure and slots do not, the A380 is the best solution for airlines to capture that growth".

Speaking at a media briefing, Lapidus said: "In comparable comfort and configuration the A380 will offer lower yield cost economics and better product offering.

Read more: Airbus A380 superjumbo gets boost with $8.3 billion order - Economic Times

European Aircraft Industry: With 3 Weeks to Go in 2013, Airbus Beating Boeing on Plane Orders - bt Rich Smith

Airbus A350

So far this year, Boeing says it has booked 1,229 "gross" orders for various configurations of its 737, 747, 777, and 787 airliners from a host of customers. Minus 161 orders canceled by customers, this leaves Boeing with 1,054 "net" orders for the year. But what about its archrival, Airbus ?

In its latest update on "orders and deliveries" accomplished in November 2013, Airbus revealed its numbers as well. Airbus doesn't report its results in precisely the same way Boeing does, but here are the numbers as we know them.

Year to date, Airbus says it has achieved more than twice its original target of 600 orders this year, booking 1,373 planes in all, and coincidentally surpassing Boeing's gross tally by precisely one gross (144 planes). Airbus also suffered fewer cancellations, 59 in total, with the result being that its net tally for the year also exceeds Boeing's: 1,314 net new orders.

Read more: With 3 Weeks to Go in 2013, Airbus Is Still Beating Boeing on Plane Orders