All Airframers articles – Page 1398
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Snecma M88
Qualification of the basic Snecma M88-2 was completed in early 1996, with the first production engine delivered at the end of the same year. The M88-2 has a thrust-to-weight ratio of 8.5, producing 11,250/16,850lb of dry/afterburner thrust (50/75kN). The engine has proved extremely reliable in flight tests to-date, by early ...
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Air Pacific takes first 737-800
Air Pacific has taken delivery of the first of two Boeing 737-800s it has on order. The aircraft will be deployed throughout the airline's route network in the South Pacific, including the 4h sector from Fiji to Christchurch, New Zealand. Air Pacific operates an all-Boeing fleet, including three 737s (one ...
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Fairchild poised for US 428JET order
Paul Lewis/SAN ANTONIOFairchild Aerospace plans to announce a $1.5 billion launch order for the 428JET regional jet, along with additional 328JET sales, at the Paris air show. The company has refused to identify the customer, but it is widely believed to be US carrier Atlantic Coast Airlines (ACA). San Antonio-based ...
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Atlas 747-400F enters service in British Airways colours
Atlas Air has taken delivery of its fifth and latest Boeing 747-400 freighter, painted in the colours of customer British Airways. The 113t payload freighter, which is the first all-cargo 747 to wear BA's scheme since 1982 when its own 747-200F was sold to Cathay Pacific Cargo, is operated by ...
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Questions remain over A318 launch decision
Andrew Doyle/MUNICH Problems over the allocation of work on the new A318 have been indirectly linked to Airbus managing director Noel Forgeard's unusual decision to launch the programme to build the 100-seat airliner before approval was given by the consortium's supervisory board (Flight International, 2-8 June). As the ...
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21st century vision
Led by its president, Alan Mulally, Boeing Commercial Airplanes is learning to make more aircraft with fewer people Guy Norris/SEATTLE Alan Mulally (left), Boeing Commercial Airplane's president, gestures to a wall festooned with charts, graphs and yellow stickies, and asks: "Does it look familiar to you?" This is ...
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Boeing and P&W study high-thrust option for 777-200ER
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Boeing and Pratt & Whitney are studying the use of the 98,000lb-thrust (436kN) PW4098 turbofan on the 777-200ER in bids to win key competitions with El Al and LanChile, which are seeking new long-range fleets. The PW4089 is in the final stages of flight testing on ...
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Routes
The USA has signed an open-skies agreement with the Gulf state of Bahrain and hopes to extend the agreement to the other three states that have shareholdings in Gulf Air. Discussions have begun with Oman, while an outline agreement was reached with the United Arab Emirates in April. There have ...
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Marketplace
Airbus Industrie received its first firm contract for the new 107-seat A318 in April, when an undisclosed customer placed orders for 57 A320 family aircraft, including 30 A318s, 14 A319s, three A320s and 10 A321s. COPA Airlines of Panama has taken delivery of the first of 12 Boeing 737-700s it ...
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Shuttle war gathers pace
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC The air war over Washington DC has escalated with US Airways announcing plans to introduce new Airbus A320s. The move comes as it expands its lucrative shuttle operation in competition with Delta Air Lines and United Airlines. US Airways will replace 12 Boeing 727-200s operated ...
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Family power
IAE has come of age thanks to the growing success of its V2500 on the Airbus A320 family of aircraft Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Business is booming for International Aero Engines (IAE), which last month celebrated the 10th anniversary of entry into commercial service of the V2500. "It's an important milestone ...
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NATO directors split decision on ground surveillance needs
Stewart Penney/LONDON The NATO Conference of National Armaments Directors (CNAD) has agreed on a twin-track approach to satisfying the Alliance's air-to-ground surveillance (AGS) requirement. A US-led group, including Canada, Denmark and Norway, will move ahead with a two-year project definition phase for a system based on the Northrop Grumman/Raytheon ...
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Chicago Express finalises fleet expansion plans
Chicago Express is poised to decide on its fleet expansion strategy as the US regional airline moves to bolster its position at Chicago Midway Airport. The wholly owned subsidiary of American Trans Air's (ATA) parent AmTran Holdings uses its fleet of nine leased British Aerospace Jetstream 31s on feeder ...
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Cathay pilots start to disrupt services as pay talks collapse
Andrzej Jeziorski/HONG KONG Cathay Pacific Airways pilots have begun to disrupt scheduled services after the collapse of pay talks between airline management and unions. Three flights were cancelled on 28 May, when "a higher than average" number of pilots called in sick. Although airline management says it does ...
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Poland and Bulgaria prepare to privatise national carriers
Andrew Doyle/MUNICH Plans by Poland and Bulgaria to sell off major stakes in their state-owned flag carriers are gathering pace. A strategic partner is being sought for LOT Polish Airlines, while Balkan Bulgarian Airlines is set to get a new majority shareholder. The Polish Government is preparing to ...
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Brymon switches to Embraer for jets
Brymon Airways has switched allegiance for its new jet fleet, placing an order for up to 21 50-seat Embraer RJ-145s, rather than the rival Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ). The Plymouth-based UK regional airline, a wholly owned subsidiary of British Airways, has an all-Bombardier fleet of 16 Dash 8-300 ...
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New beginnings from AlliedSignal
In July, AlliedSignal engineers will start a new engine for the first time. This is a critical milestone for any engine maker, but more particularly for AlliedSignal, which plans to make the AS900 turbofan a pivotal powerplant in its strategic plan for the 21st century. The AS900 is a ...
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Engine-makers submit 777X bids
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES General Electric, Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce have submitted bids to Boeing covering the development of 115,000lb-thrust (510kN) engines to power the long-delayed, ultra-long range 777-200X and -300X derivatives. Details remain confidential, but GE is pushing for exclusivity, while its rivals are thought to be offering ...
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Flightlease orders charter 767s
Andrew Doyle/MUNICH SAirGroup has taken a step towards standardising the fleets of its charter airline affiliates on the Boeing 767-300ER after leasing subsidiary Flightlease placed an order for up to eight of the twinjets. The aircraft will be operated by Balair CTA, Sobelair, LTU and Air Europe, part of the ...
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CRJ-700 flies ahead of roll-out ceremony
Bombardier's 70-seat stretched derivative of the Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ), the CRJ-700, made a 2h test flight before its formal roll-out ceremony at Canadair's Montreal plant on 28 May. The prototype is undergoing around 25h of local flight testing before being ferried to Bombardier's flight-test centre at Wichita, Kansas. Five ...