Falling ocean-freight rates could help bring down prices on everything from party supplies to sofas. Retailers are hoping to save millions of dollars on shipping costs when they negotiate contracts with ocean carriers this month, the WSJ Logistics Report’s Paul Berger writes. Companies including Costco Wholesale, Hobby Lobby Stores and Party City expect to cut costs by half or more, which in turn could allow them to slow or stop price increases for goods. This year’s dealmaking is happening in a dramatically different environment than last year when port backups contributed to rising freight rates. More recently retailers have pulled back on orders while working through a backlog of inventory, leaving carriers scrambling to fill space on ships. The average contract cost of shipping a container from China to the West Coast was $2,618 as of Feb. 9, down significantly compared with the $8,607 rate on April 1, 2022, according to Xeneta.

Soaring post-pandemic demand for air travel is causing aircraft production to take off. The WSJ’s Benjamin Katz reports Airbus plans to build more of its wide-body aircraft, the A350 and the A330neo, in response to resurgent demand for long-haul flights. The European plane maker has yet to finalize a decision, according to people familiar with the matter. But an announcement could build on the momentum of a new contract to sell 250 jets to Air India as part of the largest deal for commercial aircraft in aviation history. Airbus slashed production of wide-body planes at the start of the pandemic when international traffic came to a near standstill and airlines canceled and deferred aircraft orders. Now that travel is surging, Airbus is scrambling to meet demand from airlines searching for new planes. Ramping production back up hasn’t been easy as Airbus grapples with supply constraints for its narrow-body models.

• Air India ordered 470 jets from Boeing and Airbus. (WSJ)
• Moldova shut its airspace and reopened it to flights a few hours later Tuesday, citing security concerns. (WSJ)

U.S. consumer prices rose 0.5% in January from December as inflation moderated slightly from historic highs. (WSJ)

OPEC raised its forecast for oil demand for this year by 100,000 barrels a day. (WSJ)

E.U. lawmakers have passed a law to effectively ban the sale of new gasoline- and diesel-powered cars in the bloc from 2035. (WSJ)

Ford Motor has halted production and shipments of its electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck to address a potential battery issue. (WSJ)

A group of Tesla employees in Buffalo, N.Y., is organizing a unionization campaign. (WSJ)

Norfolk Southern faces scrutiny from regulators and public officials after the derailment of a train carrying hazardous chemicals in Ohio. (WSJ)

Supply-chain software firm Descartes Systems Group acquired a final-mile delivery software provider for $138 million. (Dow Jones Newswires)

Discount retailer Tuesday Morning filed for bankruptcy for a second time in less than three years. (WSJ)

South Korean liner HMM has ordered nine methanol-fueled container ships as part of a push to go carbon neutral. (Korea Times)

Spanish authorities banned a tanker from unloading because they said it violated E.U. sanctions on Russia. (Splash 247)

Less-than-truckload carrier Saia has opened three new terminals this month. (Transport Dive)

Semiconductor supplier Rinchem is building a new chemical warehouse near Phoenix. (Business Journals)

Paul Page is editor of WSJ Logistics Report. Reach him at paul.page@wsj.com.

Follow the WSJ Logistics Report team: @PaulPage, @bylizyoung and @pdberger. Follow the WSJ Logistics Report on Twitter at @WSJLogistics.