Madrid - The airline Spanair did not heed the safety recommendations of McDonnell Douglas, the maker of the MD-82 jet that crashed at Madrid airport on August 20, killing 154 people, press reports said Tuesday.

Quoting a preliminary draft report by an investigating commission, the reports said the plane's wing flaps, which provide extra lift, were not extended properly for a reason that remains unclear.

The pilots ignored the problem, because the security mechanism that should have alerted them of it was not in order.

A similar problem occurred before a MD-82 crashed in Detroit in 1987, also killing 154 people.

Brussels  - Lufthansa is to take over Belgian carrier Brussels Airlines, the two carriers said Monday in Brussels, just over two weeks after confirming they were in merger talks.

In a first step, the big German airline is to pay 65 million euros (91 million dollars) to acquire 45 per cent of Brussels Airlines from SN Holding. Lufthansa can acquire the rest between 2011 and 2014 at a market price not to exceed 250 million euros.

Vienna  - Lufthansa, Air France-KLM and the Russian carrier S7 will likely bid for the takeover of Austrian Airlines, several Austrian media reported Monday.

Austria's state holding company OeIAG is seeking to sell its 42.75- per-cent stake in the Austrian flag carrier by late October.

Sources close to the OeIAG's governing board told Austrian news agency APA that British Airways was no longer on the shortlist that is to be formalized on Tuesday.

Brussels - Lufthansa is to take over Belgium's airline, Brussels Airlines, the two carriers said Monday in Brussels, just over two weeks after confirming they were in merger talks.

In a first step, the big German airline is to pay 65 million euros to acquire 45 per cent of Brussels Airlines from SN Holding. Lufthansa can acquire the rest in 2011.

Lufthansa had earlier confirmed it was in takeover talks.

London  - European aircraft manufacturer Airbus sold part of its manufacturing site in Britain Monday to engineering giant GKN for 136 million pounds (243 million dollars) as the government revealed it had agreed to give financial backing for the deal.

GNK, one of Britain's leading engineering firms, is to acquire the manufacturing operation at the site in Filton, near Bristol, in western England, where wing components for the Airbus are made.

Business Secretary John Hutton said the government had agreed, in principle, to support GKN with a repayable launch investment of 60 million pounds.