All Airframers articles – Page 1513
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US Airways' MetroJet will launch in June
US Airways will launch its new low cost airline, dubbed MetroJet, on 1 June, with service from Baltimore, Maryland, to four cities in the eastern USA. MetroJet, which had been known as US2, will initially connect the Baltimore hub to Cleveland, Ohio, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Manchester, New Hampshire and ...
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BAe ponders RJ cockpit and engine changes
Kevin O'Toole/MANCHESTER British Aerospace Regional Aircraft is studying further developments for its Avro RJ family, including new avionics and engine options, with the intention of improving the aircraft's economics and keeping the programme up to date. Although the RJ is now effectively alone in the 85- to 100-seat regional ...
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Egypt's Lotus is ready to blossom
New Egyptian charter airline Lotus Air is preparing to launch services with its first Airbus A320, following maintenance on the aircraft carried out by Gulf Aircraft Maintenance (GAMCO) in Dubai. The A320, which was previously operated by Onur Air, is being leased from International Lease Finance, and will be ...
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CFMI reveals new technology initiative
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES CFM International (CFMI) is starting a series of multimillion dollar technology studies to support the development of a new baseline engine in the 89-178kN (20,000-40,000lb)-thrust range early next century. The drive is aimed at maintaining the current market dominance of the joint General Electric/Snecma company, ...
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Spotlight falls on SilkAir recorder 'failure'
The investigation into the crash on 19 December, 1997, of the SilkAir Boeing 737-300 is raising questions about why the aircraft's cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) both stopped operating in quick succession just before the aircraft entered its steep, fatal descent. Analysis of the CVR ...
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Regional revolution
Kevin O'Toole/LONDON Regional aircraft manufacturers must, by now, be getting used to living in a perpetual state of revolution, and 1997 was no disappointment. The year began with Fokker delivering its last few aircraft and ended with the loss of another famous name, as Saab Aircraft announced its retreat ...
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Routes
-Sabena has signed a partnership with French airline AOM covering routes between Brussels and the French cities of Toulon, Nice and Marseille, but extending also to French overseas territories, enabling both airlines to offer more frequencies and co-ordinate schedules. -Japan Airlines (JAL) plans to launch a twice weekly non-stop ...
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Wexford adds to Embraer orderbook with letter for 40 ERJ-135s
Wexford Aviation has signed a letter of intent for 40 Embraer RJ-135 37-seat regional jets, worth $500 million. The agreement is similar to an earlier deal for 20 firm orders, with 20 options, for Embraer RJ-145 50-seat regional jets, worth $700 million. Greenwich, Connecticut-based investment firm Wexford plans to ...
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CFMI takes lion's share of 1997 orders
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES The General Electric/ Snecma alliance CFM International (CFMI) won orders for 1,314 CFM56 engines in 1997, selling more for 100-seat-plus aircraft than all other large-civil-engine manufacturers combined. Although there is some dispute over the exact figure for the year, with some independent analysts claiming that ...
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Qantas and Virgin compete for Cathay's surplus 747-200s
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE Cathay Pacific Airways has entered into detailed discussions with Qantas of Australia and Virgin Atlantic Airways to sell its fleet of seven surplus Boeing 747-200 passenger aircraft. Qantas is also being offered an interim development of the proposed 747-400 increased-gross-weight (IGW) variant by Boeing to meet the carrier's ...
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BFGoodrich delivers two more private 'Super 27s'
Two further Boeing 727-200s, modified to "Super 27" configuration, have been delivered to private customers by BFGoodrich Aerospace's Aerostructures group (formerly Rohr) in California. The Super 27 upgrade allows the 727 to meet Stage 3 noise requirements and involves replacing the two outboard engines with Pratt & Whitney JT8D-217Cs ...
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Airbus urges AE31X speed-up to compete with Boeing 717
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE Airbus Industrie and its Chinese and Singapore partners are discussing speeding up development of the proposed smaller AE316 member of the planned AE31X family of regional aircraft, in response to Boeing's relaunch of the former MD-95 twinjet as the 717-200. It is understood that Airbus Industrie Asia (AIA) ...
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Latin carriers link for A320 deal
Three major Latin American carriers, TAM of Brazil, TACA Group of El Salvador and LanChile, are in final negotiations with Airbus Industrie to place a joint order for up to 130 A320-family aircraft. The deal should be concluded by March. LanChile confirms that it has already signed a letter ...
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Emirates nears A340 decision
Ian Sheppard/LONDON Emirates Airlines is preparing to make a decision on its long-awaited requirement for ultra-long-range aircraft. The airline signed a letter of intent (LoI) with Airbus for up to A340-500s in November 1997, but has kept the manufacturer waiting because of Boeing's last-minute attempt to meet performance demands ...
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Crashed SilkAir 737 hinge bolt 'was installed'
Boeing says that an elevator hinge bolt, previously believed to be missing from the SilkAir Boeing 737-300 which crashed on 19 December, 1997, was installed at the time. In a letter sent on 27 January to all 737 operators, the manufacturer says: "An examination of the wreckage gives clear evidence ...
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Wexford agrees to acquire US regional
US Airways Express carrier Chautauqua Airlines is to be acquired by US investment firm Wexford Aviation, which plans to place some of its recently ordered Embraer RJ-135 and RJ-145 regional jets with the Indianapolis-based airline. Greenwich, Connecticut-based Wexford has agreed to acquire 100% of privately held Chautauqua, which had ...
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US airline profits are 'best ever'
The major US airlines ended 1997 with their strongest profits on record, but the celebrations were accompanied by the promise of more turbulence ahead, with the fall-out from Asian economic crisis and the prospect of a renewed round of consolidation closer to home following the Continental/Northwest Airlines tie-up. With only ...
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British Airways is ready to Go with no-frills contender
British Airways is to launch its London Stansted based "no-frills" division under the name Go. The launch is set for early in the second quarter of 1998. Go's chief executive Barbara Cassani denies that the new airline's remit is to eliminate new low-cost entrants such as easyJet, but warns that ...
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AOPA criticises FAA wing-spar mandate
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) says that a proposed wing-spar airworthiness directive (AD) affecting 8,300 Aeronca and American Champion aircraft is unnecessary. The private pilots' group seeks exemptions for all non-aerobatic, lower-gross-weight aircraft such as the original Aeronca Champ and Chief and derivative aircraft such as the ...
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Boeing weighs up crisis in Asia
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC Boeing expects to deliver 60 fewer aircraft, mainly 747s and 777s, to Asian airlines over the next three years, because of the region's economic downturn. The revised forecast implies the near-term cancellation or deferral of orders in hand from Asian airlines, but the company has yet ...