Whether they are being spotted on the approach to a busy airport, dropping on to the White House lawn or crashing while carrying drugs in Tijuana, the issues raised by unmanned aircraft arguably are the most controversial in aviation for decades.

Singapore Airlines (SIA) is boosting its widebody fleet with new deliveries in the first quarter, although passenger demand has slipped back slightly at the start of 2015.

Alaska Airlines will buy six more Boeing 737-900ERs, in an order valued at $594 million at current list prices.

Arkia Israeli Airlines has signed a MOU with Airbus for up to four A330-900neo aircraft, the manufacturer announced Wednesday.

Vietnam Airlines will take delivery of the first of 19 Boeing 787-9s in May, and the first of 14 Airbus A350-900s in June.

South African Airways (SAA) has renegotiated lease re-extensions on three Airbus A340s and is working on similar deals for another five, which are expected to cut R262 million ($22.5 million) in annual costs.

Rolls-Royce’s underlying profits from its civil aerospace business rose 12% to £942 million ($1.4 billion) in 2014, off the back of a 3% boost in underlying revenues.

Boeing has opened a propulsion engineering and assembly facility in North Charleston, Carolina.