All Airframers articles – Page 1481

  • News

    TrunkLiner future lies in the balance as China nears decision

    1998-07-22T00:00:00Z

    The future of the troubled Boeing MD-90 TrunkLiner programme is hanging in the balance with the Chinese Government expected to decide the fate of the programme shortly. Aviation Industries of China (AVIC) is facing the prospect of its second major setback in recent months after the collapse of the ...

  • News

    Boeing sued over SilkAir crash

    1998-07-22T00:00:00Z

    Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE The first of several expected lawsuits arising from last December's crash of a SilkAir Boeing 737-300 has been filed against Boeing, in an attempt to force the Indonesian-led investigation to release more information about the possible cause of the accident at Palembang, Indonesia. A US firm ...

  • News

    Guizhou to expand as China Southern takes control

    1998-07-22T00:00:00Z

    Guizhou Airlines is preparing for a major expansion of its aircraft fleet and domestic network following an agree- ment for China Southern Airlines to acquire a controlling interest in the Chinese provincial carrier. The Guiyang-based airline has received the first of three Boeing 737-300s on a seven-year dry lease ...

  • News

    Delta III waits on launch pad for maiden flight

    1998-07-22T00:00:00Z

     Boeing's first Delta III is pictured on Pad 17B at Cape Canaveral, Florida, being prepared for its maiden flight scheduled for 3 August, carrying the Hughes HS-601 Galaxy 10 communications satellite. The Delta III, which can place 3,810kg into geostationary transfer orbit, comprises a stretched Delta II first stage ...

  • News

    Double standards

    1998-07-22T00:00:00Z

    Any remaining doubts that action on airline safety is needed in South Asia and Asia-Pacific have been dissolved by the accidents that occurred in the first six months of 1998. After the 2 February Cebu Pacific Air fatal accident, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) broke its characteristic neutral silence ...

  • News

    PAL rescue plan goes into extra time

    1998-07-22T00:00:00Z

    Philippine Airlines (PAL) has been given US and Philippine bankruptcy protection until the end of July, allowing the local Securities Exchange Commission (SEC)-appointed "rehabilitation committee" extra time to finalise and present a financial rescue plan. The troubled national carrier is temporarily shielded by the SEC from any claims made ...

  • News

    FAA finalises parachute testing

    1998-07-22T00:00:00Z

    Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES The US Federal Aviation Administration is close to completing tests on a parachute system that will allow Cirrus Design's SR20 aircraft to decelerate and drift down to the ground in the event of a mechanical failure or other emergency. Tests on the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) ...

  • News

    Going separate ways

    1998-07-22T00:00:00Z

    Andrzej Jeziorski/TOULOUSE After months of negotiations, ATR and British Aerospace put an end to their Aero International (Regional) (AI(R)) partnership on 3 July with the signing of the official termination documents, retroactively valid from the beginning of the month. Two-and-a-half year old AI(R) - formed under French law as a ...

  • News

    Marketplace

    1998-07-22T00:00:00Z

    -Continental Airlines has taken delivery of its first of 28 Boeing 737-800s. -Airtours International has confirmed its order for two additional Rolls-Royce Trent 700-powered A330-200s, bringing its orders for the type to four. The second batch will be delivered in the fourth quarter of 1999 for operation by Airtours' Danish ...

  • News

    Pressure points

    1998-07-22T00:00:00Z

    International pressure is mounting for the process of aircraft accident investigation to be opened up, just as it is increasing on those countries seen to be underperforming in airline safety. It is vital to understand the positive and negative effects of this pressure for transparency, however. Investigators themselves are ...

  • News

    EC allows American/BA alliance in exchange for Heathrow slots

    1998-07-15T13:09:00Z

    Carriers on both sides of the Atlantic are stressing that there is still all to play for despite the European Commission's long-awaited ruling on the British Airways and Lufthansa transatlantic alliances. Major US airlines are already gearing up to lobby the US Department of Transportation to increase access to ...

  • News

    Lufthansa Cargo slams Boeing for closing down MD-11 production

    1998-07-15T00:00:00Z

    Lufthansa Cargo has criticised Boeing's decision to cease production of the MD-11. Speaking during the ceremony to hand over the carrier's first two tri-jet freighters at Frankfurt early this month, Lufthansa Cargo chairman Wilhelm Althen described the production shutdown decision as "very regrettable". He described the arrival of ...

  • News

    Huge UPS contract provides A300-600 lifeline for Airbus

    1998-07-15T00:00:00Z

    Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON UPS Airlines has chosen the Airbus A300-600 for its long-awaited widebody regional freighter requirement, with a deal for up to 100 aircraft, including 40 new build examples. The deal, which was won over a several bidders, including Boeing, provides a vital boost to the flagging A300 ...

  • News

    Aeropostal enters widebody world with A310s

    1998-07-15T00:00:00Z

    Venezuela's LAV Aeropostal has added its first widebodied types - two Airbus A310s - on lease from Airbus Industrie. The Latin American airline has concluded a deal to acquire two 11-year-old Pratt & Whitney PW4000-powered ex-Pan Am/ Delta Air Lines A310-300s on five-year leases from Airbus Industrie Leasing. Deliveries ...

  • News

    Kyrgyzstan begins fleet update with debis A320

    1998-07-15T00:00:00Z

    Kyrgyzstan Airlines has become the first CIS operator of an Airbus fly-by-wire type, with the introduction of a leased A320. The airline plans to take additional Western aircraft, including two A319s, as part of its fleet modernisation programme. The four-year-old Airbus A320 has been acquired on a four-year operating ...

  • News

    A320 beats 737 in Qatar fight

    1998-07-15T00:00:00Z

    Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON Qatar Airways has selected the Airbus A320 over the rival Next Generation Boeing 737 for its new short-haul fleet, and concluded a deal with Airbus for up to 11 aircraft. The Gulf airline is now turning its attention to the replacement of its A300s. The airline ...

  • News

    Western Michigan University jets ahead with plans to acquire 737-400 simulator

    1998-07-15T00:00:00Z

    Western Michigan University plans to acquire a Boeing 737-400 flight simulator and to offer a jet orientation course as part of its ab initio airline pilot training programme. Based at Battle Creek, Michigan, the University's International Pilot Training Center is training cadets for Aer Lingus and British Airways. Eight ...

  • News

    Boeing catches up with 737 output

    1998-07-15T00:00:00Z

    Boeing is working its way through the backlog of Next Generation 737s built before last-minute modifications, including a revised horizontal stabiliser leading edge and novel upward opening emergency exits, which were required for US and European certification. Twenty of the 28 737-700s completed before certification have now been delivered with ...

  • News

    BA ponders engine switch for big new 777 acquisition

    1998-07-15T00:00:00Z

    British Airways is considering buying 20 more Boeing 777s in a $2 billion deal that could see it switch engine suppliers. The carrier selected the General Electric GE90 engine for its current fleet of 777-200s, having rejected an offer from traditional supplier Rolls-Royce, but it is now seeking bids ...

  • News

    Kuwait Airways advances towards privatisation

    1998-07-15T00:00:00Z

    A draft law for the privatisation of Kuwait Airways has been approved by its state owners backed by improving finances at the carrier. The Government draft still has to undergo a parliamentary debate in the Kuwaiti National Assembly, but airline chairman Ahmed al Meshari believes the airline could now be ...