Lifeline for America West

The Bush administration has announced conditional approval for a loan of nearly $400m to save the airline America West from bankruptcy.

America West is one of many airlines in the United States which have struggled to stay in business since passenger numbers fell drastically after the 11 September attacks on New York and Washington.

It is the first beneficiary of a potential $15bn rescue package for the aviation industry agreed by President Bush and Congress.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service