Morocco’s national airline completed an order for four Boeing Co. 787 jets and took out an option for one more, the companies said Tuesday. Royal Air Maroc and Chicago-based Boeing signed a memorandum of understanding in July for the airline to buy as many as five of the fuel-efficient, long-range aircraft. Terms of the final agreement announced Tuesday were not disclosed. The 787 has a list price of $130 million, but airlines typically negotiate discounts. Boeing said it has 241 firm orders and 68 commitments from 25 customers for the 787, which is scheduled to enter commercial service in 2008.
CombiMatrix offers new flu tests
CombiMatrix of Mukilteo said Tuesday it will offer influenza testing services using its newly developed biochips, which can detect bird flu and other strains. As the chips have not been approved for outside testing by regulators, CombiMatrix will send specimen collection kits to interested customers and then test the sample at its headquarters.
Lumera Corp. gets contract extension
Lumera Corp. of Bothell has received an extension of a federal contract to continue development of advanced wideband optic modulators. The one-year extension is worth about $1 million, with the overall contract now nearly $5.7 million. The modulators may help deliver increased bandwidth over fiber-optic communication lines.
Microsoft faces fine and sanctions
South Korea’s antitrust watchdog fined Microsoft Corp. $32 million for alleged unfair business practices and ordered it to take corrective measures such as either unbundling certain software from Windows or sell the software of competitors along with it. The ruling by the Fair Trade Commission comes after the U.S. software giant reached separate settlements with companies that then withdrew the complaints that led to the investigation. The companies had complained that Microsoft violated trade rules by tying its instant messenger software to Windows.
Profits jump for grocery store giant
Kroger Co., waging a customer-by-customer fight in a competitive marketplace, on Tuesday reported a 30 percent jump in its third-quarter profit. Kroger earned $185.4 million, or 25 cents per share, in the quarter ended Nov. 5, compared with earnings of $142.7 million, or 19 cents, a year ago. David Dillon, chairman and chief executive, told analysts and investors that the company in the past year has stepped up surveys of customers about Kroger and its competitors. Kroger is the parent company of the Fred Meyer and QFC grocery chains.
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