On track

TULSA — The NORDAM Group recently opened a sales office in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to manage its growing business in the Middle East.

Mouhiddine Ghalayini has joined NORDAM to operate the office and will serve as regional director of Middle East Sales. Ghalayini, a 20-year industry veteran, will be responsible for developing NORDAM's manufacturing and aftermarket business within the Gulf region.

"As NORDAM continues to expand internationally, the Middle East is playing a larger role in our strategic growth,” said Alain Poupin, the company's vice president for operations in Europe, Middle East and Africa. "We have been providing MRO (maintenance, repair,overhaul) services to the region for decades but, as fleet sizes increase, the number of flights increase, and the economy grows, we are bolstering our sales presence to capture more opportunities and build direct, close and healthy customer relationships.”

ATLANTA — UAL Corp.'s United Airlines and Delta Air Lines Inc. have been discussing a combination between the nation's second- and third-largest carriers that would keep the United name and the corporate headquarters in Chicago.

The exact financial details of the transaction being discussed are not clear. But the talks involve United being the name of the combined airlines, the headquarters staying in Chicago and Delta's Atlanta hub being an operational center for the two carriers, the official said. Delta also has had talks with other airlines. The official did not specify which airline or the status of any such talks.

Delta said Wednesday that its board has established a special committee to work with management to review and analyze strategic options for the airline.

DETROIT — United Auto Workers members have ratified a historic four-year contract with Ford Motor Co. that sets lower pay for some newly hired workers and puts the company's huge retiree health care debt into a UAW-run trust.

The UAW, which represents about 54,000 workers at Ford, said Wednesday that 79 percent of those voting favored the pact.

The landmark deals have been praised by the companies and union for protecting jobs while at the same time cutting labor costs to make the struggling automakers more competitive with their Japanese rivals.

WASHINGTON — The number of new cars considered the safest by the insurance industry nearly tripled in the past year, helped by automakers' push to make certain safety equipment more widely available.

Ford Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. had the most vehicles on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's annual list of the safest cars for the 2008 model year. Thirty-four vehicles received the top safety pick designation for 2008, compared with 13 vehicles from the 2007 model year.

The institute requires new cars and trucks to have electronic stability control, or ESC, to qualify for the award. Many auto companies are putting the anti-rollover technology into their fleets ahead of a government requirement for the systems by the 2012 model year.

Ford was represented on the list by the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable passenger cars with optional ESC, and the Ford Edge, Ford Taurus X and Lincoln MKX midsize sport utility vehicles. The Volvo S80, C70 midsize convertible and XC90 SUV, part of Ford's Volvo unit, made the list.

Honda and its Acura unit had seven vehicles on the list: the Honda Accord, Odyssey, Pilot, CR-V and Element, and the Acura MDX and RDX SUVs.

From Staff and Wire Reports