• Southwest Airlines has started warning passengers about the use of power banks on flights.
• It's set to introduce a new safety policy next week.
• The change comes after an Air Busan plane caught fire when a power bank overheated in January.

Southwest Airlines is restricting the use of power banks due to the risk of them catching fire during flights.

A spokesperson told Business Insider that the airline will introduce a "first-in-industry safety policy" on May 28.

"Using portable charging devices while stored in a bag or overhead bin will no longer be permitted," they added. "Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of its customers and employees."

Since last week, passengers checking in for their flights on the Southwest app have received pop-up notifications that warn about portable charging devices.

A Reddit user shared a screenshot from the app, which read: "If you use a power bank during your flight, keep it out of your bag and in plain sight. Do not charge devices in the overhead bin."

The devices are powered by lithium batteries that can overheat and catch fire. In such rare cases, keeping the device in plain sight makes it easier for flight attendants to identify any smoke or fire and react quickly to extinguish it.

Last year, the Federal Aviation Administration recorded about three incidents every two weeks, compared to fewer than one a week in 2018.

The FAA has recorded nine confirmed incidents in the US this year.

There have been other suspected cases and disruptions caused just by the risk of overheating.

Last month, a Lufthansa Airbus A380 with 461 passengers had to divert to Boston when a passenger's tablet became stuck in a seat.

The most notable incident occurred in South Korea in January. An Air Busan plane was about to take off when a fire spread through the cabin, injuring seven people.

Investigators later said the fire was likely caused by a power bank, found in an overhead luggage bin.

The Korean government subsequently tightened its rules for airlines, which included prohibiting storing them in the overhead bins.

In the US, there are already many limits on power banks, which are banned from checked luggage. Southwest is going a step further in response to recent incidents.

• Michael O'Leary is set for a 100 million euro windfall if Ryanair stock stays above 21 euros for a month.
• It's been there for 17 days, and rose again on Monday after reporting earnings.
• Ryanair's profits fell 16%, but passenger numbers were up and a big share buyback was approved.

The CEO of Europe's biggest airline is set for another shot at one of the continent's biggest windfalls.

Ryanair's Michael O'Leary stands to receive stock options worth 100 million euros ($113 million) if the Irish budget carrier's share price trades above 21 euros for 28 days.

The stock has done well recently, staying above that price since May 2. It added another 3.3% in Dublin on Monday to just over 23 euros, valuing the company at more than 24 billion euros ($27 billion.)

While it spent a few days at this level last March and April, this is O'Leary's most promising rally yet.

In Monday's full-year earnings, Ryanair reported profits of 1.61 billion euros — a 16% fall compared with the previous 12 months.

While it reached a record 200 million passengers, tickets were 7% cheaper. O'Leary cited consumer spending pressure and "a big drop off" in bookings from online travel agents, following a dispute with them.

The airline also warned growth would slow due to delayed deliveries of Boeing planes. Having fewer planes than expected also meant that staffing costs were 17% higher this past financial year.

Ryanair also announced a share buyback worth 750 million euros.

Analysts at Peel Hunt said the airline traded at a "significant premium" to its peers and they maintained a "hold" rating with a target price of 21.50 euros.

The Financial Times previously reported that O'Leary's bonus deal was supposed to expire last year before being extended until 2028.

The potentially enormous payout isn't without its controversies, as Ryanair is known for its ancillary fees of up to three figures for changing a name or for hold baggage. The airline is getting rid of paper boarding passes later this year, however.

Such fees allow it to keep airfares as low as $20, but on some routes, tickets can still cost hundreds of euros.

When The Wall Street Journal asked about the potentially huge payout in an interview last year, the Ryanair chief gave a characteristically outspoken response.

"If premiership footballers are earning fucking 20 million a year and [Kylian] Mbappé is being paid 130 million to go play football for fucking Real Madrid, then I think my contract is very good value for Ryanair shareholders," O'Leary quipped.

• Boeing secured a record-breaking $96 billion order from Qatar Airways during Donald Trump's trip.
• It was one of several wins this week, showing the planemaker is recovering from a troubling 2024.
• Trump's support came after tensions over Air Force One delays and concerns over a Qatari gift.

Boeing showed it's bouncing back from its turmoil as it won several victories from Donald Trump's trip to the Middle East.

On Wednesday, Qatar Airways agreed to buy at least 160 Boeing jets, in a deal the White House valued at $96 billion. It is the planemaker's largest-ever order for wide-body aircraft.

While the two CEOs signed certificates and shook hands, Trump and the Emir of Qatar applauded from behind the ornate desk. The president gave Boeing's Kelly Ortberg a pat on the back.

It's rare to see heads of state attend aircraft-order ceremonies. Trump's show of support for Boeing was a notable turn from the tensions between the two over delays in building the next Air Force One.

Receiving such a huge vote of confidence from an industry-leading airline is also a significant boost, especially since the order includes 30 Boeing 777X planes and options for dozens more.

The 777X is yet to be certified, running years behind schedule, meaning Qatar's order is a big show of faith in Boeing's future. Flight tests for the 777X had to be paused last August after damage was found on a key structure.

Several customers, including the largest, Emirates, voiced their frustrations after Ortberg then announced its launch would be further pushed back to 2026.

However, Qatar Airways has never dwelt on the delays. "Let us not cry over spilled milk," CEO Badr Mohammed Al-Meer told Business Insider last July.

Boeing is also likely to benefit from Tuesday's defense deal with Saudi Arabia, which the White House called "the largest defense-sales agreement in history," at roughly $142 billion.

These are all significant signs that the planemaker hasn't lost too much of its reputation after an ignominious 2024.

The year began with a door plug falling off a 737 Max in midair. Regulators subsequently capped Boeing's production as it works to overhaul its processes.

This week has seen progress here, too, as Boeing said it delivered 45 commercial planes last month — almost double the number in the same period last year.

Trump's change of heart

Even before Qatar Airways' order, planes were dominating the headlines around Trump's trip.

The president said Monday he would be "stupid" to turn down the Qatari royal family's proposed gift of a Boeing 747.

It has raised ethical and legal concerns, with politicians on both sides of the aisle questioning the gift. The luxurious $400 million plane would be one of the most expensive gifts ever received by the government from another country.

The timing may also raise questions about Qatar's motivation for announcing the mammoth Boeing order during Trump's visit, rather than at next month's Paris Air Show.

Trump wants the 747 to serve as Air Force One because Boeing is running years behind schedule in building the next presidential jet. He renegotiated the contract in his first term, and the planemaker has since lost billions on the project.

In February, Trump showed his frustration with the delays by touring a Qatari Boeing 747 in Palm Beach — believed to be the one now on offer.

So, his support for Boeing in Qatar shows a change of heart that will likely please the planemaker and help settle any apprehension over Air Force One.

The country's top exporter, Boeing, was also under threat from Trump's tariff plans.

Jets destined for Chinese airlines had to be sent back across the Pacific Ocean after they refused to accept them due to the trade war. On Monday, China and the US agreed to lower tariffs by 115%.

But overall, that may not be as valuable as the reputation boost provided during Trump's trip.

This week has helped the storied planemaker prove that it's moving on from the woes of 2024.

• A 38-year-old first officer lost consciousness while alone on the flight deck.
• The incident occurred on a Lufthansa flight in early 2024 while the captain was in the bathroom.
• All in all, the flight was left without a pilot operating it for roughly 10 minutes, a report found.

A Lufthansa flight went 10 minutes without a pilot after the first officer fell ill while alone in the cockpit, according to investigators.

The Airbus A321 was flying from Frankfurt, Germany, to Seville, Spain, in February of last year.

Full details of the incident came to light on Thursday, when Spanish investigators published their final report.

More than 200 people were on board the flight, which appeared to be running smoothly before it crossed the Spanish border.

With about half an hour remaining of the journey, the captain left the flight deck to visit the bathroom. He told investigators the first officer appeared to be in good condition at this time.

But when the captain returned eight minutes later, he was unable to get back into the cockpit.

In an interview with investigators, the first officer said he had suddenly lost consciousness.

The captain tried to enter the security door's access code five times. At the same time, a flight attendant tried to contact the first officer on the intercom.

After receiving no response, the captain used the emergency access code. Before the timer for this expired, the first officer was able to recover enough to open the door.

The 38-year-old was described as "pale, sweating, and moving strangely," so the captain called for help.

Cabin crew and a doctor, who was travelling as a passenger, administered first aid, while the captain diverted to Madrid — the nearest airport.

Upon landing, the first officer was taken to the hospital.

His "sudden and severe incapacitation" was the result of a seizure disorder caused by a neurological condition, investigators wrote in Thursday's report.

The Spanish aviation regulator said his condition was difficult to detect — and would appear in a medical exam only if his symptoms had been present at the time or had occurred before.

Investigators recommended that the European Union Aviation Safety Agency tell all airlines about this incident, so they could reassess the risks of one pilot being left alone on the flight deck.

Lufthansa declined to comment when contacted by Business Insider.

• The first official flight for Global Airlines' Airbus A380 took off on Thursday.
• James Asquith's startup has attracted many critics who doubted whether it would ever take to the skies.
• Global has to contend with a competitive market and develop a more refined offering.

It's taken several years, but Global Airlines finally took to the skies on Thursday for its official launch flight.

The Airbus A380 departed Glasgow at 11:34 a.m. local time and is scheduled to land at New York's JFK Airport around 1 p.m. ET.

Travel journalists, influencers, and aviation enthusiasts descended on the Scottish city for the long-awaited event.

Economy tickets were initially selling for as much as £780 (about $1,000), but it looks like slow sales prompted discounting. With the promotion, return fares were listed at £380.

A business-class return ticket was on sale at £1,999 ($2,660), and for first class was £2,999 ($3,990).

The Independent's Simon Calder reported that 170 passengers were believed to be on the flight — just a third of the plane's capacity.

Thursday's flight is a huge step for Global, but it still has plenty of work ahead to convince its critics. A drama-free maiden flight will be one achievement.

The flight is operated by 9H-GLOBL, a 12-year-old A380 previously owned by China Southern Airlines before being mothballed in California's Mojave boneyard.

Global spent millions getting the plane ready for service before it made its first transatlantic flight last May, being ferried to Glasgow. It was the most-tracked flight on Flightradar24, with more than 40,000 people following its journey at its peak.

The airline was founded by James Asquith, a 36-year-old who gained fame in 2013 when he became the youngest person to visit every country in the world. He then founded Holiday Swap, a platform for travelers to book accommodation.

Critics have questioned Global's business plan, which wants a slice of the highly competitive transatlantic travel.

The A380 is a particularly expensive plane to operate because its four engines use a lot of fuel, and there are hundreds of seats to fill.

Global is paying Hi Fly Malta, a charter airline, to operate the first flights, with tickets sold through the travel agent Travelopedia.

Asquith is hoping that his grand ambitions will help the airline break through. He wants to offer an "elevated service" that will take passengers "back to the golden age of travel."

Business-class passengers can be transferred by a Blacklane chauffeur and dine on caviar in the air. However, Global cut more ambitious ideas like a "gamer class" with PlayStation and Xbox consoles.

Its "sky pub," a social space aiming to take advantage of the A380's size, is little more than a few bottles on a shelf.

"You're looking at many years to certify bigger social spaces and bars, so we will develop our social spaces even more when we have more aircraft in the sky," Asquith said in an Instagram post last month.

Global Airlines may not yet be as refined as it would like, but it has already proved many doubters wrong by making its first flight.

9H-GLOBL is scheduled to return from New York on Monday. It's due to fly from Manchester, England to JFK on May 21 and return on May 25.

• Southwest asked the Department of Transportation for permission to fly to more than 100 countries.
• It comes as the budget airline works to overhaul its business model amid falling profits.
• For now, it's only possible to fly to Europe with Southwest thanks to an agreement with Icelandair.

You might soon be able to take a Southwest Airlines flight to Europe.

On Tuesday, the budget airline asked the Department of Transportation for permission to fly to any country with which the US has an Open Skies agreement.

The State Department lists 123 such countries, representing most of the world.

Meanwhile, Southwest currently serves 10 countries outside the US. Other than Mexico, they are all in Central America or the Caribbean.

Open Skies agreements allow airlines to operate between two countries without restrictions on frequency or capacity.

Southwest also wants permission to transport "persons, property, and mail" to any country that enters an aviation agreement with the US in the future.

In the filing, the airline said that being granted such permission "will promote competition and increase the traveling public's ability to access Southwest's high-quality, low-fare service."

A Southwest spokesperson told Business Insider that the filing was "not necessarily indicative of anything forthcoming."

"We've been an international carrier for a decade plus — this helps with our existing international franchise — and we're taking advantage of the DOT's streamlined regulatory procedures for international authority," they added.

Southwest only operates Boeing 737 jets, which have a maximum range of around 4,370 miles, meaning the airline could not immediately operate true long-haul flights, but could fly some shorter routes across the Atlantic.

The filing is the latest sign of Southwest shaking things up as falling profits force the airline to rethink its business model.

It pioneered the no-frills theme taken up by other budget airlines around the world, which rely on add-on fees and keeping planes in the sky as much as possible.

However, budget airlines have struggled post-pandemic, contending with changing consumer habits, increased fuel and labor costs, and domestic overcapacity that has made it harder to fill planes.

Last July, Southwest announced that it would end its signature unassigned-seating policy and start charging for premium options with more legroom.

In March, it said it would start charging passengers to check bags. That came six months after saying it wouldn't end this other signature policy, with "two bags fly free" listed as a registered trademark.

Tuesday's filing isn't the first sign of Southwest's plans to expand operations.

In February, it began interline operations with Icelandair, which lets passengers travel with both airlines on one ticket. That means you could start on a Southwest plane, then go on to many cities in Europe via Reykjavík.

• United Airlines Flight 870 took 28 hours to reach San Francisco.
• After leaving Sydney, it diverted to Samoa, then stopped again in Hawaii.
• Airlines sometimes choose to stop again after a diversion, as it may be easier to find replacement staff.

United Airlines passengers spent 28 hours traveling across the Pacific Ocean as their flight made two unscheduled landings.

Flight 870, from Sydney to San Francisco, typically takes around 13 hours.

The Boeing 777 departed Australia on Sunday at around 11:30 a.m. local time, an hour later than scheduled, according to data from Flightradar24.

If passengers were irritated by the delayed takeoff, they had a lot more awaiting them.

Four-and-a-half hours into the journey, the plane turned southeast toward the Pacific island nation of Samoa, per Flightradar24. It landed in the capital, Apia, two hours later.

An airline spokesperson told BI the flight "diverted to Apia to address a potential medical concern with a customer."

The plane spent more than three hours on the ground in Samoa before taking off again, but it only traveled as far as Hawaii.

The six-hour flight to Honolulu also saw passengers cross the International Date Line. So when it landed in the state capital around 7:30 a.m. local time on Sunday, this was technically earlier than when the passengers left Australia.

However, they then had to wait another seven hours before they could depart again for the final leg of their journey to San Francisco.

Flight 870 ultimately concluded there at around 10:30 p.m. PT, some 15 hours later than expected.

The United spokesperson said the flight "made an additional stop in Honolulu to swap crew members."

It looks like this was because the emergency meant the crew would have exceeded their maximum working hours.

As the carrier doesn't typically fly to Samoa, it wouldn't have been able to find a new flight crew there without disrupting other journeys. By contrast, United serves several cities from Honolulu.

This tactic for minimising disruption is not uncommon.

Last month, a British Airways flight from the Bahamas to London also made two stops after a medical emergency.

It first diverted to Canada's remote Gander International Airport, before stopping again in Iceland.

British Airways arranged for the second stop because it was easier to send a replacement crew there than to Canada.

• Air Canada launched a triple-points promotion for UK customers.
• It comes after both transatlantic and transborder traffic have dropped amid tariff tensions.
• Europeans might see Canada as an alternative destination to the US.

Air Canada is turning to loyalty-program promotions as Donald Trump's policies have led to a decline in traffic.

On Monday morning, the airline's customers in the UK received an email offering triple the number of Aeroplan reward points for flights to Canada and the US.

The promotion, which began a week earlier, is applicable to flights through December 15, as long as they're booked by the end of May.

It comes after Canada's flag carrier reported reduced traffic figures in its first-quarter earnings last Thursday.

"We did experience some turbulence in the first quarter, however, we managed all of it very effectively," CEO Michael Rousseau said in the earnings call.

Passenger revenues on transatlantic flights were down 3.7% since the same period last year. The company said this was mostly because Easter fell in the second quarter, while some capacity was also redeployed toward the Middle East and India.

Europeans have shown less interest in flying to the US since Trump took power, but Canada could prove to be an alternative destination.

Accor CEO Sébastien Bazin previously told Bloomberg that European customers ditching the US were instead choosing to travel to Canada, South America, and Egypt.

Air Canada may also be looking to attract more European customers to make up for its suffering transborder business. The points promotion also applies to flights via Canada that end in the US.

Russo said bookings for flights between the two countries have declined by percentages in the low teens on average over the next six months.

The company cited a weaker currency exchange rate for Canadians and "uncertainty relating to the imposition of US tariffs and related countermeasures."

Operating revenues of 5.2 billion Canadian dollars, or around $3.7 billion, were down 1% from last year, and the airline lowered its profit forecast.

However, losses per share of 0.45 Canadian dollars, roughly $0.32, weren't as bad as expected, and the airline also announced plans for a share buyback, which saw its stock price rise nearly 15% on Friday.

• A Ryanair flight from Belgium to Spain diverted while over French airspace.
• A passenger on the flight gave birth to a baby, Flightradar24 reported.
• Babies born in the air sometimes receive free flights or loyalty points.

A Ryanair flight was said to have made an emergency landing after a woman gave birth to a baby on board.

The flight from Brussels to the Spanish province of Castellón was diverted to Limoges in southwestern France.

Flight 4797 took off from the Belgian capital at about 1:40 p.m. on Thursday, according to data from Flightradar24.

It was then supposed to be a journey of less than two hours, mostly through French airspace. But the Boeing 737 landed in Limoges an hour after takeoff, per Flightradar24.

The flight-tracking site and local news outlets reported that a woman gave birth on the plane.

Ryanair didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

The Boeing 737 took off about 90 minutes after landing in Limoges. Passengers reached Castellón less than two hours later than scheduled, according to flight-tracking data.

Another three flights scheduled on the same aircraft on Thursday were also delayed because of the diversion's knock-on effects.

Births on planes are rare, given that airlines have strict rules about flying while pregnant. Ryanair says it requires a letter from a doctor or a midwife from 28 weeks of pregnancy, while travel is not permitted beyond 36 weeks.

While there is a popular myth that being born on a flight might give the child free trips in the future, this is rarely the case.

CNN reported that Thai Airways, Asia Pacific Airlines, AirAsia, and Polar Airlines were the only carriers known to have given a newborn free flights for life.

Shona Owen, who was born on a British Airways flight in 1990, told the outlet she received two free first-class flights to Australia on her 18th birthday, allowing her to visit her grandmother.

And in 2016, Cebu Pacific Air said it gave a baby born on one of its flights a million frequent-flyer points.

• I paid around $100 to choose a seat on the upper-deck of an Airbus A380.
• It meant more legroom, my own locker, and only one neighbor on my row.
• Five airlines have this seat, which I felt was almost as good as upgrading to premium economy.

Let's face it, flying in economy sucks — especially on a long-haul flight.

But choosing the right seat can make things way more comfortable.

Paying a few extra bucks can be the difference between stretching out into the aisle versus squeezing into a middle seat, wondering how to wake up a neighbor when you need the bathroom.

Shelling out more for an exit row or bulkhead seat is practically a necessity for some taller people.

However, it's rare that one seat can feel like a new level of luxury. I found that to be the case on the upper deck of an Airbus A380.

Some airlines fill the top floor with business- and first-class seats, but others, like British Airways, leave room for coach too. I paid an extra £79, or around $105, to choose a seat up there on a flight a few months ago — but prices vary.

This seat not only gives you more space but also an extra storage locker, not to mention one less neighbor on your row.

Here's what my experience was like and why I recommend this handy travel tip.

On vacation last year, I flew on a British Airways Airbus A380 from London to Washington, DC.

Flying from London usually takes between seven and eight hours. It's faster in the opposite direction thanks to the North Atlantic jet stream.

I took the risk of spending about an extra $100 to choose a roomy economy seat upstairs.

If I had loyalty status, I could've booked this for free.

For the best experience in economy, you're looking for any window seat on the upper deck.

This seat map also shows how the cabin is arranged in a 2-4-2 format, like premium economy.

Adding to the feeling of luxury, this was the first time I used an airport lounge.

I had signed up for an American Express Gold Card offer, which included paying no fees for a year. The credit card includes a membership with Priority Pass, which provides access to around 1,700 airport lounges worldwide.

Heathrow's Aspire Lounge was crowded, and I wasn't blown away, but it was certainly easier to relax there than in the concourse.

It wasn't long before I boarded the world's biggest passenger plane.

The double-decker, four-engined jet typically has room for more than 500 passengers.

Of the 10 airlines that operate them, only half have economy seats on the upper deck.

Simply having one neighbor on my row made the cabin feel more spacious and made me feel more relaxed.

You're more likely to find rows of two economy seats on regional planes like an Airbus A220 or a Bombardier CRJ, which have much smaller cabins. For wide-body planes, it's also common on an Airbus A330.

It was much easier to only have to ask one person instead of two when I needed to get up.

I also had access to my own storage bin under the window, as well as the usual overhead one.

I found this especially useful for a long-haul flight, where it can be difficult to find a place for amenities like a blanket and headphones when you're not using them.

But the best part was that I could fit my small backpack in there instead of under the seat in front, leaving more space to stretch my legs.

I was surprised by just how much I could stretch out thanks to the plane's huge fuselage.

The A380's cabin is over 21 feet wide — that's two feet more than a Boeing 777.

While it's a bit narrower upstairs, there was plenty of space on the window side of my seat, so the silver in-flight entertainment box wasn't an obstacle.

The space on the window side of the seat meant I could fully stretch one of my legs.

This wasn't as ideal as stretching both legs, but you'd only get that by forking out thousands of dollars more for business class.

Of course, the service was the same as a typical economy seat, but I was already in a good mood.

I was offered pretzels and two drinks at the start of the cabin service. Count me as a fan of British Airways' own beer, in partnership with Brewdog.

I actually preferred the in-flight dinner, a chicken tikka masala, to the curry I had in premium economy on my return flight.

I was also impressed by just how quiet the engines were when sitting on the upper deck.

This isn't unique to the window seat, but it was a noticeable benefit of the upper deck being further away from the engines.

In total, there are five airlines where you can book this kind of seat.

Asiana Airlines, British Airways, Lufthansa, Qantas, and Qatar Airways have economy seats on the upper deck of their Airbus A380s.

They are all arranged in the 2-4-2 layout, with storage lockers under the windows.

If you're looking to put my tip to use, Business Insider previously compiled maps and lists showing where the Airbus A380 will fly this summer.

British Airways flies it to six American destinations, ahead of the five served by Lufthansa.

ANA, Emirates, Etihad, Korean Air, and Singapore Airlines also operate the superjumbo jet, but they don't have any economy seats upstairs.

• Ryanair's CEO said he was considering buying planes from China's Comac due to lower prices.
• A congressman warned Michael O'Leary not to do so, citing allegations of corporate espionage.
• However, O'Leary is said to have replied, threatening to cancel Boeing orders if tariffs raise prices.

The CEO of Europe's biggest airline is in a growing spat with a US congressman who warned him against buying any planes from China, as tariffs cause uncertainty in the aviation industry.

Several media outlets reported Thursday that Ryanair's Michael O'Leary threatened to cancel orders for new planes from Boeing if tariffs are levied on the jets.

It came two days after he was sent a letter by Raja Krishnamoorthi, the ranking member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.

He said he was raising "strong concerns" about the Ryanair boss's comments in a March interview.

"The Chinese are basically building a fucking A320. So if it was cheap enough — 10 or 20% cheaper than an Airbus aircraft — then we'd order it," O'Leary told travel industry outlet Skift.

The Comac C919 is a narrow-body plane similar to the best-selling Airbus A320 and Boeing's 737. It has received over 1,000 orders, almost entirely from Chinese companies.

Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury believes Comac's rise could see the sector go "from a duopoly to a potential triopoly."

Ryanair is a budget carrier with hundreds of Boeing 737s, making it one of the American planemaker's biggest customers. It also operates smaller subsidiaries that fly Airbus jets.

However, Ryanair has kept its options open over concerns the European Union could impose tariffs on American products in response to Donald Trump's 10% levy.

Krishnamoorthi, the Democratic representative for Illinois's 8th congressional district, told the Irish airline it shouldn't do business with China.

He cited a Justice Department indictment from 2018 that accused 10 Chinese intelligence operatives of participating in a corporate espionage campaign to steal information about turbofan jet engines.

He also said "evidence indicates" Comac has received government subsidies, although Boeing and Airbus have also done so in the past.

The Ryanair boss appears to be holding firm, reportedly saying in his Thursday reply that he would look to alternative suppliers, including Comac.

Ryanair and the Democrats of the House Select Committee on the CCP did not reply to requests for comment sent by Business Insider.

While Comac would massively benefit from an order from a major aviation player like Ryanair, tariffs could be a make-or-break moment for the upstart manufacturer.

The C919 relies heavily on American-made parts, on which China has imposed tariffs of 125%.

However, a potential EU-US trade war could raise prices for planes from aviation's two main players, Airbus and Boeing.

Analysts at Barclays predicted that this "might well prove the catalyst to launch the competing Chinese C919 narrow body onto the international stage."

• In recent earnings calls, several airlines have mentioned dips to travel involving the US.
• This was only partly true for Air France-KLM, which noted a rise in flights from the US to Europe.
• British Airways' parent, IAG, says it is seeing "softness" in flights to the US.

Europeans may be losing interest in visiting the US, but Americans still seem keen on flying transatlantic, at least for now.

As airlines have reported quarterly earnings over the past few weeks, several have highlighted dips in bookings to the US while at the same time seeing year-over-year increases in bookings to other regions — including from the US to Europe.

Air France-KLM, Europe's second-largest airline company by revenue, on April 30 said bookings on flights from Europe to the US in May and June were down 2.4% compared with the same period last year while those in the opposite direction had risen 2.1%.

Europeans instead seem to be looking anywhere else for their summer travels. The airline group's bookings from Europe to the rest of the world were up 9.2%, with a 7.3% increase the other way.

"Europe is holding up against the turmoil with inbound traffic from both the United States and the rest of the world showing growth compared to last year," CEO Ben Smith said on an earnings call.

Germany's Lufthansa Group, Europe's biggest airline company by revenue, is seeing similar trends.

CEO Carsten Spohr said on an April 29 earnings call that Americans were more willing to spend than Europeans but that the group was still seeing fewer bookings in the US.

"Bookings have slightly softened in the US," he said, "destinations to and from."

This week, IAG, the parent company of British Airways, released its first-quarter results. The company reported strong overall performance, with revenue growing by 9.6% compared with the same period last year, but it too mentioned US-related frailty.

CEO Luis Gallego said that while demand for travel in Latin America and Europe continued to be "strong," the company had been "mitigating some recent softness in US point-of-sale economy leisure" with strong sales in premium cabins.

"We continue to see resilient demand for air travel across all our markets, particularly in the premium cabins and despite the macroeconomic uncertainty," Gallego said.

Tighter immigration rules in the US in particular are thought to have made some European travelers wary.

In an interview with Bloomberg in early April, the CEO of the hospitality firm Accor spoke of declining bookings he attributed to a "bad buzz," with widely publicized reports of Europeans being turned away at the US border.

For example, France's higher-education minister told Agence France-Presse that a scientist was denied entry to the US after he was found to have sent texts criticizing Donald Trump.

The US president's tariff plan has also caused economic uncertainty. Leisure travel is one of the first things to suffer in such cases because it's nonessential and is relatively easy for consumers to forgo.

At the same time, people have also been more willing to pay for experiences since the pandemic, and premium cabins for leisure travel have been more resilient.

But with the economic uncertainty set to continue and the impact of tariffs yet to be fully realized, some analysts think the worst is yet to come for airlines.

"At the moment, the US carriers and Lufthansa have pointed towards resilient premium leisure demand," Andrew Lobbenberg, a Barclays analyst, wrote in a note on April 29. "We continue to think this will weaken due to wealth effects."

In a separate note a day later, he added that Barclays analysts were "bearish" for transatlantic routes.

Correction: May 9, 2025 — An earlier version of this story misstated some of the dates involved. Air France-KLM reported its earnings on April 30, not this past Wednesday, while Lufthansa Group reported its earnings on April 29, not this past Tuesday. Andrew Lobbenberg similarly published his note on April 29.

• Airbus's CEO said it's exporting US airlines' planes to other countries to avoid tariffs.
• An A350 for Delta Air Lines is scheduled to fly from Toulouse, France, to Tokyo for delivery.
• It's the same tactic used during a previous trade war between the EU and the US.

Airbus is working to avoid Donald Trump's tariff plan by sending planes to US airlines via other countries.

"We're looking at opportunities to export to somewhere else than [the] US, especially for airlines who have international operations, and we have that flexibility," CEO Guillaume Faury said on the company's first-quarter earnings call on Wednesday.

He explained that if Airbus sends parts to its final assembly line in Mobile, Alabama, the planemaker has to pay the 10% tariff. Alternatively, if the plane is built in Europe and then sent to the US, the airline would pay the import fee.

"There's obviously a contradiction that […] actually nobody wants to pay the additional cost," Faury added.

In February, the Airbus boss said that tariff costs would be passed onto airlines, which would, in turn, mean higher ticket prices.

However, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said on an earnings call last month that the carrier would not pay any tariffs and instead would defer aircraft deliveries.

Now, it looks like the two parties have found a way around the conundrum.

Flight tracking data shows a new A350-900 for Delta was scheduled to fly Wednesday from Toulouse, France — Airbus' headquarters — to Tokyo's Narita Airport.

This flight was canceled, but a new one was scheduled for Saturday, according to data from FlightAware.

This is the same tactic that was used when Airbus faced tariffs during a previous trade war between the US and the European Union.

"We are doing what we were doing five years ago in a similar situation," Faury said.

The World Trade Organisation had permitted tariffs on aircraft as high as 15% as the two sides accused the other of unfair subsidies for Airbus and Boeing, until a truce was struck in 2021.

At the time, Delta decided to use new Airbus planes exclusively for international flights, which meant they were never officially imported, as an airline spokesperson told Simple Flying in 2019.

On Wednesday's earnings call, Faury called for a return to zero tariffs on all civil aerospace parts and airplanes.

Airline stocks have reacted with particular volatility to tariff announcements. Travel is often one of the first things people cut back on during economic uncertainty.

Several airlines withdrew their financial forecasts as they announced first-quarter earnings last month.

Airbus kept its outlook in place, which excludes tariffs, owing to the uncertainty around the situation.

Its first-quarter net income rose by a third to 793 million euros ($898 million), beating expectations, and its share price jumped 2%.

• Hawaiian Airlines Flight 457 declared an emergency due to a device stuck in a seat.
• After a priority landing in Tokyo, the airline was able to remove the mobile device.
• Trapped devices pose fire risks, and similar incidents have led to flight diversions before.

Another flight had a precarious moment when a passenger's device got stuck in a seat.

Hawaiian Airlines Flight 457 was traveling from Honolulu to Tokyo on Monday.

Partway through the journey, flight attendants noticed an "electrical smell" in the cabin, an airline spokesperson told Business Insider.

They added that it was "coming from a guest's mobile device that became lodged in a seat."

The pilots then declared an emergency, which allowed them to obtain priority handling at Tokyo's Haneda Airport. This was done "out of an abundance of caution," the spokesperson said.

They added that the airline's team was able to remove the device from the seat after everyone deplaned safely.

"Safety is our priority, and we apologize to impacted guests for the inconvenience."

Airlines take trapped devices very seriously because lithium batteries can catch fire and spread throughout the cabin, creating a potentially dangerous situation.

Airlines tell passengers to keep devices in the cabin rather than the hold so that any problems can be spotted.

Some Japanese news outlets reported that the device caught fire, but the airline told BI this wasn't the case.

Back in January, an Air Busan Airbus A321 caught fire shortly before takeoff in South Korea, injuring seven people. Investigators said in March that it was likely caused by a portable power bank.

After the fire, the airline announced it would no longer allow passengers to keep power banks in their carry-on luggage.

Earlier this month, a Lufthansa Airbus A380 had to divert after someone's tablet became "jammed" in a business-class seat.

The flight from Los Angeles to Munich, carrying 461 passengers, had been flying for around three hours when it diverted to Boston.

And last May, a United Airlines flight from Zurich to Chicago had to turn around and divert to Ireland after a business-class passenger's laptop got stuck in their seat.

• 360 United Airlines passengers were diverted to San Francisco during a redeye flight.
• A flight-deck indicator said the cargo door was open — a potentially dangerous situation.
• However, it turned out that the door sensor was malfunctioning, the airline said.

A United Airlines Boeing 777 diverted after an indicator wrongly told its pilots that the cargo door was open.

Sunday's Flight 1731, from Hawaii's Kona International Airport, was supposed to land in Denver around 5:30 a.m. local time on Monday.

Three hours into the journey, the plane descended below 10,000 feet as it flew over the Pacific Ocean, according to Flightradar24 data. It landed in San Francisco shortly before 4 a.m. local time, nearly six hours after leaving Hawaii.

The trip to Denver usually takes about six hours, but flying so low requires a slower speed.

The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the pilots reported that an indicator said the cargo door was open.

However, it turned out that the problem was actually with the indicator itself. An airline spokesperson told Business Insider that the plane diverted to "address a malfunctioning door sensor."

The plane in question is 28 years old, suggesting a maintenance problem. There were 360 passengers and 10 crew members on board.

"We have arranged for a different aircraft to take our customers to Denver Monday morning," the United spokesperson added. The FAA said it will investigate the incident.

An open door on a plane would be a very dangerous situation, so it makes sense that the pilots were cautious and diverted to the nearest airport.

Descending below 10,000 feet would also make the air on board breathable if the cabin had depressurized due to an opening.

In 1974, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10 operated by Turkish Airlines suffered a fault with a cargo door latch.

This led to an explosive decompression, which cut off critical controls and led to the deaths of all 346 people on board. It remains one of the deadliest aviation disasters in history.

Two years earlier, a cargo door on American Airlines Flight 96 broke off due to a design flaw with the DC-10. The rapid decompression caused the passenger cabin's floor to collapse, and eleven people were injured.

Advancements in aviation safety and design mean such events are even rarer today.

• S&P Global Ratings says it's no longer considering downgrading Boeing to junk status.
• The firm raised billions in equity after losing lots of money in a challenging 2024.
• It's also set to ramp up production of the 737 Max, an important source of profit.

Boeing has another reason to believe that its turnaround year is on track.

S&P Global Ratings said on Monday that it was no longer considering downgrading the planemaker to junk status.

The credit rating agency grades companies based on how likely they are to repay debt, and a lower rating makes it more expensive to borrow money. S&P had put Boeing at risk of a downgrade in October.

Boeing reported a cash balance of $23.7 billion at the end of the first quarter — a positive sign after hemorrhaging money throughout a testing 2024.

Last year, the company faced a quality crisis after a door plug came off an Alaska Airlines 737 Max that had been delivered to the carrier just 66 days earlier. The Federal Aviation Administration subsequently restricted its production of the aircraft type to 38 a month.

A seven-week strike also temporarily shut down production of the Max, a significant cash cow for Boeing.

Boeing assuaged its troubles last October by raising $24.3 billion of equity.

S&P also cited the planemaker's deal to sell portions of its aviation-software business to private equity firm Thoma Bravo, which is expected to raise $10 billion.

However, cash flow remains a concern, with S&P affirming Boeing's BBB- rating.

But it looks like the company is set to start making money as it ramps up and stabilizes production of the Max.

"The key to cash generation will be continued progress on the 737 Max ramp," Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said in an earnings call last Wednesday.

He added that it is currently producing a number in the low 30s, but expects to reach the cap of 38 over the next few months. By the end of the year, Boeing plans to ask the FAA to increase this to 42.

S&P expects Boeing's negative cash flow to continue throughout the second quarter, but sees this turning around with more Max deliveries in the second half of the year.

"We view Max production recovery as key to returning the company to profitability and positive free cash flow generation," the ratings agency said.

Boeing reported first-quarter revenues of $19.5 billion, up 18% from the year before. However, it had a loss per share of 16 cents, and free cash flow was negative $2.3 billion.

• A British Airways diverted to Boston after the crew reported a bird strike on Saturday.
• The crew also reported fumes in the cabin, the FAA said..
• Bird strikes are risky, with 19,400 incidents at US airports in 2023.

Passengers expecting to cross the Atlantic Ocean only made it as far as Boston after it diverted a possible bird strike and fumes in the cabin.

Saturday's British Airways Flight 216 took off from Dulles International Airport near Washington, DC, for London. While ascending, the Boeing 777 appeared to hit a bird, and the crew reported fumes in the cabin.

Data from Flightradar24 shows that the plane was only in the air for an hour as it followed the US's eastern coastline north to Massachusetts.

The flight from Washington to London typically takes up to seven hours.

"British Airways Flight 216 landed safely at Boston Logan International Airport around 7:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, April 26, after the crew reported a possible bird strike and fumes in the cabin," the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

The agency added that it would investigate the incident.

G-STBD, the aircraft involved in the incident, took off from Boston on Sunday night, around 27 hours after landing. It landed in London at around 10 a.m. local time on Monday.

A British Airways spokesperson told BI: "The flight landed safely after diverting to Boston as a precaution following a suspected bird strike. We are sorry for the delay to our customers' travel plans, but the safety of our customers and crew is always our priority."

Bird strikes pose a great risk to flights.

The best-known example is "Miracle on the Hudson" in 2009, when Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger landed an Airbus A320 on the Hudson River after a bird strike knocked out both engines.

Last November, a Flair Airlines plane also encountered a flock of geese, shattering its windshield and leaving glass in the cockpit. Flight-tracking data showed the plane, registered as C-FLKO, flew to Pinal Airpark — a storage, maintenance, and repair facility in Arizona.

There were 19,400 wildlife strikes at 713 US airports in 2023, per the FAA.

Each year, bird strikes cost US airlines an estimated $1.2 billion, much of which results from knock-on effects on flight schedules.

• Companies are describing economic conditions as "volatile" and "impossible to predict."
• Firms like GM and UPS are overhauling earnings forecasts amid uncertainty caused by Trump's tariffs.
• Here's a list of companies that have lowered or pulled their guidance as a result.

Volatile. Challenging. Uncertain.

This is the language of corporate earnings calls amid President Donald Trump's tariffs.

As a result of the uncertainty, companies are lowering or outright scrapping their earnings forecasts.

Here's a look at the big brands that have made adjustments to their guidance in recent earnings reports.

GM

GM said it would suspend earnings guidance for 2025 and freeze a $4 billion share buyback as it assesses the impact of Trump's tariffs on imported cars.

Two days later, after the White House announced measures to ease the blow of the tariffs, GM said it had slashed its guidance for this year and had a current tariff exposure of between $4 billion and $5 billion.

Like other Detroit automakers, GM, which builds several models for the US market in Mexico and Canada, is highly exposed to the tariffs. Barclays analysts previously warned that the levies could wipe out "effectively all" of GM, Ford, and Jeep and RAM owner Stellantis' profits.

UPS

Parcel giant UPS said it would pull its financial guidance in its first quarter earnings release, as well as announcing plans to cut 20,000 jobs throughout 2025.

"Given the current macro-economic uncertainty, the company is not providing any updates to its previously issued consolidated full-year outlook," the company said.

It reported virtually flat revenues of $21.5 billion, a drop of 0.7% compared to the same period in 2024.

P&G

Procter & Gamble now forecasts flat sales growth in fiscal year 2025, compared to a previous projection of a 2% to 4% increase. The consumer goods conglomerate, which owns brands like Tide and Charmin, also cut its core EPS outlook to $6.72 to $6.82, down from $6.91 to $7.05.

"We will have to pull every lever we have in our arsenal to mitigate the impact of tariffs within our cost structure and P&L," P&G's CFO, Andre Schulten, said on a call with reporters.

In the company's earnings release, CEO Jon Moeller pointed to a "challenging and volatile consumer and geopolitical environment."

"We're making appropriate adjustments to our near-term outlook to reflect underlying market conditions while remaining confident in the longer-term growth prospects for our brands and the markets where we compete," he said.

PepsiCo

The food and beverage giant warned of higher production costs and lower consumer spending amid "increasingly dynamic and complex geopolitical and macroeconomic conditions."

"As we look ahead, we expect more volatility and uncertainty, particularly related to global trade developments, which we expect will increase our supply chain costs," CEO Ramon Laguarta said in the company's earnings release. "At the same time, consumer conditions in many markets remain subdued and similarly have an uncertain outlook."

PepsiCo lowered its core EPS forecast for the year to a 3% decline, where it previously forecast a single-digit increase.

"Relative to where we were three months ago, we probably are not feeling as good about the consumer," PepsiCo's CFO, Jamie Caulfield, said in a post-earnings call.

Chipotle

Chipotle lowered its guidance for the fiscal year and now forecasts a sales increase in the low single digits, compared to low- to mid-single digits previously forecasted.

"In February, we began to see that the elevated level of uncertainty felt by consumers are starting to impact their spending habits," interim CEO Scott Boatwright said on the company's earnings call. "We could see this in our visitation study where saving money because of concerns around the economy was the overwhelming reason consumers were reducing the frequency of restaurant visits."

United Airlines

United Airlines took the rare step of offering two sets of outlooks: one for a stable macroeconomic environment and one for a recessionary environment.

"The Company's guidance is based on consensus market macroeconomic expectations," it said in a securities filing. "However, a single consensus no longer exists, and therefore the Company's expectation has become bimodal — either the U.S. economy will remain weaker but stable, or the U.S. may enter into a recession. The Company is therefore providing two separate guidance benchmarks based on these two different macroeconomic views."

The filing added that the macro environment "is impossible to predict this year with any degree of confidence."

Delta Air Lines

Delta was one of the first airlines to pull its guidance when announcing Q1 earnings.

"Given current uncertainty, Delta is not reaffirming full year 2025 financial guidance and will provide an update later in the year as visibility improves," the carrier said in an earnings release.

CEO Ed Bastian said in the company's earnings call that it would be "premature" to project the year "given the broad macro uncertainty."

American Airlines

American Airlines also withdrew its full-year guidance, noting that it plans to provide an update "as the economic outlook becomes clearer."

"Aircraft cost too much already," CEO Robert Isom said on the earnings call when asked about tariffs. "I don't want to pay any more for aircraft. It doesn't make sense."

He added, "And certainly, we're pulling guidance. Certainly, it's not something we would intend to absorb. And I'll tell you, it's not something that I would expect our customers to welcome. So we've got to work on this."

In an interview on CNBC's "Squawk Box," Isom said "uncertainty" was the reason American pulled their guidance.

Southwest Airlines

The airline has withdrawn its guidance on full-year 2025 and 2026 earnings before interest and taxes.

"Amid the current macroeconomic uncertainty, it is difficult to forecast given recent and short-lived booking trends," it said in an earnings release.

JetBlue

JetBlue joined many of the country's airlines by pulling its financial forecast for the year in earnings on April 29.

CEO Joanna Geraghty cited "the macroeconomic uncertainty," and said the firm was looking at further capacity reductions due to lower demand, as well as evaluating its schedule for retiring planes.

Like for Southwest, the uncertainty comes at a challenging time, with both airlines working to turn around their lack of profitability.

Air Canada

In early May, Air Canada lowered its annual profit forecast for 2025 amid the impact of tariffs and slowing demand for travel to the US.

"The noise around tariffs and trade disputes definitely had an impact, but also we believe some travellers avoided the US simply because it was expensive, with the Canadian dollar trading at levels not seen since 2020," Michael Rousseau, Air Canada's president and CEO, said on an earnings call.

Air Canada lowered its annual earnings outlook to between C$3.2 billion and C$3.6 billion, equivalent to between $2.6 billion and $2.3 billion. This is roughly C$200 million, or $144 million, lower than earlier estimates.

Thermo Fisher

CEO Mark Casper said on a recent earnings call that the updated guidance "incorporates the expected net impact of current tariffs and the changes driven by the current policy focus of the US."

Thermo Fisher said it expects a $400 million revenue headwind as tariffs hit the sales of products made in the US and sold in China. It also expects tariffs to raise the cost of parts it sources in China.

Snap

Snap, the company behind Snapchat, declined to issue guidance for Q2 in its first-quarter earnings report on April 29.

"Given‬‭ the‬‭ uncertainty‬‭ with‬‭ respect‬‭ to‬‭ how‬‭ macro‬‭ economic‬‭ conditions‬‭ may‬‭ evolve‬‭ in‬‭ the‬‭ months‬‭ ahead,‬‭ and‬‭ how‬‭ this‬‭ may‬ impact‬‭ advertising‬‭ demand‬‭ more‬‭ broadly,‬‭ we‬‭ do‬‭ not‬‭ intend‬‭ to‬‭ share‬‭ formal‬‭ financial‬‭ guidance‬‭ for‬‭ Q2," the company said in a letter to investors.

Snap also said that while the company's revenue has continued to grow, it has "experienced‭ headwinds‬‭ to‬‭ start‬‭ the‬‭ current‬‭ quarter."

Stellantis

The auto giant, which owns companies including Jeep, Dodge, Fiat, Chrysler, and Peugeot, said on April 30 it was suspending its financial guidance. Stellantis said it was rolling back the guidance because of the uncertainty tariffs are causing.

"The company is highly engaged with policymakers on tariff policies, while taking action to reduce impacts," the carmaker said in a statement.

Mercedes

Mercedes-Benz joined the list of automakers that have withdrawn their full-year guidance amid tariff-related uncertainty. The German luxury car brand said on April 30 that it can't offer reliable estimates in the current environment.

On a call after the announcement, Mercedes' chief financial officer said its previous guidance wouldn't have changed without the tariffs.

Ford

Ford is the latest auto giant to suspend guidance and outline how tariffs will impact its bottom line.

In its first-quarter earnings release on May 5, the American carmaker said it would suspend its full-year financial guidance because of supply chain disruptions and the possibility of increased tariffs in the US. The company said that retaliatory tariffs and other restrictions from foreign governments also pose risks.

Ford estimated that full-year adjusted earnings before interest and taxes will take a $1.5 billion hit because of tariffs.

"These are substantial industry risks, which could have significant impacts on financial results, and that make updating full year guidance challenging right now," Ford wrote in the earnings release.

American Eagle

American Eagle withdrew its guidance for the year "due to macro uncertainty," according to a press release, but didn't mention tariffs. The clothing retailer said that it anticipates revenue to decline roughly 5% in the first quarter compared to last year, coming in at approximately $1.1 billion. Same-store sales are expected to decline around 3%.

CEO Jay Schottenstein said that the company has had trouble selling items and now has excess inventory, and that "we are clearly disappointed with our execution in the first quarter."

• Pakistan closed its airspace to all Indian airlines as tensions grow between the two countries.
• Several Air India flights had to change directions and land elsewhere.
• Passengers from Toronto took 24 hours to reach New Delhi, some 10 hours later than expected.

Hundreds of passengers from across the world faced lengthy delays after Air India flights were forced to divert on Thursday.

Flights from San Francisco and Toronto landed in Denmark, while those traveling from Paris and London diverted to the Middle East.

All the planes involved were midway through their journeys when Pakistan closed its airspace to all Indian carriers.

Tensions have boiled over between the two countries since 26 people were shot dead in the Kashmir region on Tuesday. India has pointed the finger at Pakistan, but the latter has denied involvement in the attack.

The closure means many flights to India will now take longer, costing the country's airlines more for fuel and labor.

Even before the disruption, passengers on Air India Flight 180 were set for a lengthy redeye trip.

It took off from San Francisco around 9 p.m. local time Wednesday, bound for Mumbai. Data from Flightradar24 shows that 11 hours into the journey, the Boeing 777 turned around while over Russia.

It then flew four hours west to Copenhagen. Passengers had to wait a couple of hours before continuing to India, landing nine and a half hours later than scheduled.

Passengers from Toronto on Flight 190, which was headed to New Delhi, also U-turned over Russia and diverted to Copenhagen. They eventually landed in the Indian capital around 24 hours after leaving Canada, some 10 hours later than expected.

Flights 162 and 148, from London and Paris respectively, changed directions to fly over Iran and land in Abu Dhabi.

Passengers on both flights ultimately reached New Delhi four hours later than unexpected.

"Due to the announced restriction of Pakistan airspace for all Indian airlines, it is expected that some Air India flights to or from North America, UK, Europe, and Middle East will take an alternative extended route," Air India said in a statement on X.

It added that it "regrets the inconvenience caused to our passengers due to this unforeseen airspace closure that is outside our control."

The flag carrier flies the longest routes of India's airlines, but budget airlines IndiGo and SpiceJet also operate routes that have typically crossed over Pakistan.

• Chinese auto giant BYD reported first-quarter earnings on Friday.
• The carmaker, one of Tesla's biggest rivals, saw its net profits double compared to last year.
• BYD's sales and profits have surged while Tesla fights falling sales and anger at CEO Elon Musk.

Tesla's biggest Chinese competitor reported bumper first-quarter earnings on Friday.

BYD said its net profit increased 100% since last year to 9.15 billion yuan, roughly $1.3 billion.

It means China's best-selling carmaker has overtaken Tesla on another key metric. Elon Musk's firm reported net income of $409 million for the same period, a drop of more than 70% compared to the same period in 2024.

Alongside surging profits, BYD said operating revenues increased 37% compared to the same period in 2024, reaching 170.4 billion yuan, roughly $23.3 billion.

BYD's earnings per share also surged in the first quarter, up 99% to 3.12 yuan per share, around $0.43.

Last year, BYD overtook Tesla on overall annual revenue, reporting $107 billion in revenue, compared to Tesla's $98 billion.

BYD has been aggressively expanding outside China in recent years.

At the same time, Tesla has started 2025 battling falling sales and mass protests against CEO Musk over his close involvement with the Trump administration.

Last month, BYD unveiled a new system that it says can give 250 miles of charge in just five minutes.

The 1,000 kW chargers are four times as powerful as Tesla's current chargers, which it says can add 200 miles of range in 15 minutes. Tesla plans to roll out 500 kW chargers later this year.

BYD's technology is available in its Han L sedan and Tang L SUV, with the prices for the former as low as $30,000.

The Chinese company's cars remain unavailable in the US, but BYD has still been pulling ahead of Tesla for sales.

BYD sales jumped 60% in the first three months of 2025, while Tesla deliveries came in well below analyst expectations.