The head of the nation's private pilot lobby group died in Sydney yesterday after a plane he was testing apparently developed engine trouble.

Tampering with security cameras at Sydney airport meant heroin could have been placed in an innocent passenger's baggage and there would be no record, a Labor MP said today.

Organizers of the UK's biennial Farnborough International Air Show have high expectations for the 45th edition, set to take place July 17-23.

The Irish government on Tuesday decided to sell off of most of Aer Lingus through an IPO nearly a decade after it first announced its intention to privatize the carrier, but said it will retain a stake of "at least 25.1%.""The transaction is taking place in order to give Aer Lingus both the commercial flexibility and the financial muscle to compete and succeed in the global marketplace," Transport Minister Martin Cullen said in a statement.

A light plane pilot killed during a takeoff exercise stood no chance of surviving the high-speed crash, a witness said.

With Independence Air out of the picture and JetBlue Airways' armor revealing a few chinks, Southwest Airlines has decided to increase its presence in the Washington area by requesting two gates at Washington Dulles for unidentified service scheduled to begin this fall.Southwest has been a fixture at nearby Baltimore/Washington International, from which it operates 165 daily flights, for more than a decade. "The sheer size and scope of the Washington, DC, metro area makes [Dulles] an exceptional market opportunity," CEO Gary Kelly said. "The population and business growth in Northern Virginia means a great opportunity is rapidly getting even better."

Qantas and Air New Zealand are facing opposition from Australia's top consumer group over plans to code-share on flights across the Tasman, if the deal raises fares and reduces competition.

Delta Air Lines announced it will follow Northwest Airlines' lead and discontinue absorbing certain passenger facility charges, increasing one-way ticket prices $3-$4.50 on applicable connecting domestic itineraries.

SN Brussels Airlines and Virgin Express announced they will merge into a single carrier with a new name and two distinct products, a basic service for price-sensitive passengers and an upgraded service for time-sensitive customers seeking greater convenience and flexibility.The new airline, expected to be in business by the start of the 2007 summer schedule, will expand its long-haul operations, most likely in North Atlantic but also in Africa, possibly through a stake in Cameroon Airlines. The group is in talks to replace its three 280-seat A330s with five or six 220-seat long-haul aircraft. Further details, as well as the new name and logo, will be unveiled later this year.

Qantas Airways executives are looking at using the new generation of long-range aircraft to fly directly to the Dallas hub of oneworld alliance partner American Airlines, and could take a proposal to the Qantas board within the next two months.