OTTAWA - Newly released documents reveal concerns about how affordable the F-35 stealth fighter would be over the long term, should the Harper government buy the aircraft it once called the only choice for the air force. Defence planners expressed concerns about maintenance costs a year after the Conservatives signalled they wanted the jet, the documents show.

French aerospace giant Airbus offered a sneak preview of its latest long-haul carrier, the A350, on Monday, rolling out a first model in front of hundreds of staff at its assembly plant in south-western France. Reporters and photographers were not invited to the event near the city of Toulouse, but still got a brief glimpse of the blue-tailed aircraft from outside the fenced-off area, as it rolled out from the paint shop. The A350-900 model is due for its first take-off this summer, with the first deliveries to airlines scheduled at the end of 2014.

MONTREAL - Bombardier's revenues surged 25 per cent in the first-quarter on higher-than-expected aircraft deliveries, while the aerospace and transportation giant said its CSeries commercial aircraft remains on target for its first flight next month. Chief executive Pierre Beaudoin told the company's annual meeting that Bombardier is at a "pivotal point" as several of its development projects, including the CSeries will begin to generate revenues and profits. "This is great news for shareholders," he told shareholders.

By Tim Hepher and Praveen Menon PARIS/DUBAI (Reuters) - Boeing has shown airlines a blueprint for the world's longest-range passenger jet, adding spice to a long-awaited revamp of its 777 wide-body jet, people familiar with the matter said. Boeing on Wednesday launched a race against Airbus for sales of the newest long-haul jets by announcing it had begun selling an upgraded aircraft family code-named 777X.