All Airframers articles – Page 1459
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News
Corsair moves to Airbus from all-Boeing fleet
French charter airline Corsair has confirmed its purchase of two Airbus A330-200s, with Rolls-Royce Trent 700s. The decision in favour of the European consortium was taken, says Corsair president Jacques Maillot, "-because Airbus reacted most quickly" to the request for proposals and "-presented the best financing package". The ...
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Carriers push Airbus on LCDs
Paul Lewis/SINGAPOREAirbus Industrie is being pressed by major international carriers to offer a choice of new liquid crystal display (LCD) systems in the cockpits of future aircraft, as the consortium narrows the final selection of vendors to Rockwell Collins and Sextant Avionique. The European consortium plans to fit its A320/A330/A340 ...
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EGPWS move leads Korean Air safety drive
Korean Air (KAL) is to begin fitting its entire fleet with enhanced ground proximity warning systems (EGPWS), starting in July with the delivery of new Airbus Industrie A330-200/300s and Boeing 777-200/300s. The airline warns, however, that some of its future widebody deliveries may be delayed because of the economic ...
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Surprise share plan changes UK's air traffic control chart
David Learmount/LONDON Privatisation of the UK air traffic control (ATC) system has been put back on the political agenda, with the year-old Labour Government mooting the sale of 51% of the Civil Aviation Authority's National Air Traffic Services (NATS). ATC privatisation has been a running issue within UK ...
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Life after death
Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON When the MD-11 was launched at the end of 1986, the estimated $500 million investment must have looked like money well spent. McDonnell Douglas (MDC) was promising that it could quickly and relatively cheaply bring to the market a new generation long haul aircraft developed from its ...
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IATA seals Afghanistan deals
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE The Afghanistan Government and national carrier Ariana Afghan Airlines have concluded a series of wide ranging agreements with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to overhaul local air traffic communications as well as to improve aircraft and airport safety. Under an $8 million deal concluded with ...
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AirTran assures Boeing of 717 fleet intentions
Boeing's roll-out of the first 717-200 on 10 June was accompanied by public reassurances from launch customer AirTran Airlines that it still intends to buy a fleet of up to 100 aircraft. To date, the AirTran deal for 50 firm orders and 50 options makes up the bulk of the ...
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Qantas picks RB211 power for 747-400s
Qantas has selected the improved Rolls-Royce RB211-524GT turbofan for its three recently ordered Boeing 747-400 passenger aircraft, clearing the way for a decision on a powerplant retrofit to the Australian carrier's 18 747-400s. The airline opted for the R-R engine after a competition involving the General Electric CF6-80C2 and ...
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Lufthansa looks at cargo version of Tu-204
Sirocco Aerospace demonstrated the Rolls-Royce RB211-powered Tupolev Tu-204-120C to Lufthansa in early June as a potential medium haul freighter for the airline's cargo division. Lufthansa is the technical advisor to the Sirocco programme, but wanted to check the freighter version's capacity to load/unload the containers and pallets used by ...
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Air Djibouti takes A310-200 for long haul services
Airbus Industrie has placed a secondhand A310-200 with Air Djibouti, which the airline will use to relaunch operations next month. The carrier has signed a deal with Airbus' Dublin-based Financial Services (AIFS) division to lease a 14-year-old ex-Kuwait Airways A310-200, powered by Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7R4s. The 194-seater ...
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Ageing airliner census 1998
SUPERSONIC Aerospatiale/BAe (BAC) Concorde Of the 20 Concordes built, 14 were delivered to Air France and British Airways between 1975 and 1980, and 13 remain in service. The remaining six aircraft - two prototypes, two pre-production aircraft and two production aircraft - were used for testing and not ...
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F-16 manufacturing time is reduced
Lockheed Martin has demonstrated a significant reduction in manufacturing time for the F-16, using commercial practices. The first of 12 to be produced for Singapore under a commercial lease agreement has been delivered less than 22 months after contract signature. This compares with the normal lead time of 36-42 months, ...
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Business Air ponders ERJ-145 acquisition
Business Air is examining the Embraer RJ-145 as an alternative to the Saab 2000, which it had been planning to introduce as part of its expansion under British Midland (BM) ownership. The Aberdeen, Scotland-based regional wants a 50-seater to operate alongside its Saab 340s, and was close to a ...
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Workshop
AAR Aircraft Component Services, based in Amsterdam, has been awarded a five-year contract extension by Binter Canarias, Iberia's regional operator, for the repair of components for its nine ATR 72s. FLS Aerospace has secured a deal with Indian Airlines to conduct a C check on an A320. A further six ...
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Preparing for partnership
Kevin O'Toole/JOHANNESBURG This could finally be the year when the pieces start falling into place for South African Airways (SAA). If all goes according to plan, by the end of October the South African Government will have decided on a strategic partner to take a 20-30% stake in its ...
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TTS offers three-dimensional trainer
A three-dimensional (3-D) "spatially representative environment" has been introduced by Thomson Training & Simulation (TTS) for its flight management systems trainer (FMST). The system was initially developed for Continental Airlines Boeing 737-500 and 757-200 training. The FMST is the only such device to use the same software as that ...
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MetroJet takes on Southwest
Ramon Lopez/BALTIMORE US Airways launched its low-cost MetroJet operation at Baltimore/Washington International Airport on 1 June, leaving industry analysts waiting to see whether Southwest Airlines drops its already low ticket price to protect its market share. MetroJet's initial fares match those of Southwest, but that could change if ...
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Messier-Bugatti tests power by wire
Ian Sheppard/LONDON Messier-Bugatti has installed a prototype electro-hydraulic actuator (EHA) in an Airbus Industrie "iron bird" test rig at Aerospatiale's Toulouse systems development centre, as part of an industry drive to replace cumbersome hydraulics with electric cables. The EHA is a key technology for all electric, or power ...
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Marketplace
-Air Europa has leased an ex-Carnival/Pan Am Boeing 737-400 from International Lease Finance (ILFC) for four years. The Spanish carrier leases two 737-300s and two 737-400s from ILFC. -KLM uk has extended the terms on five British Aerospace 146-300s on lease from BAe Asset Management - Jets, but is returning ...
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Last of the line
Guy Norris/LONG BEACH The roll-out of a new aircraft is a major event for any airframe manufacturer, but, for Boeing's Douglas Products division, the 10 June unveiling of the 717-200 is nothing less than pivotal. Coming hard on the heels of the news that the MD-11 line is ...