Airframers – Page 1362
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News
Sweden wins contract to develop Smart for ESA
The Swedish Space Corporation and the European Space Agency (ESA) have signed a €33 million ($32.9 million) contract to develop the Small Advanced Research and Technology 1 (Smart 1) science and technology demonstration spacecraft. Smart 1 will be launched to the moon in about 2003. The Smart series of small ...
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Ibis plans Ae270 sales offensive
Ibis Aerospace, the joint venture between Czech company Aero Vodochody and Taiwan's Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC), plans to launch a sales and marketing campaign for the single-turboprop Ae270 utility aircraft following its first flight in February. "We want to establish a certification and delivery timetable before we start ...
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Qantas discusses BA 767 lease
Paul Phelan/CAIRNS Qantas is finalising a deal to take up to seven surplus Boeing 767-300ERs from its oneworld partner and shareholder British Airways, to help it boost capacity ahead of next year's Sydney Olympics. The airline is also moving to counter a successful initiative by competitor Air New Zealand ...
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Continental lowers sights on capacity growth plans
Continental Airlines is to rein in capacity growth next year, to 4.6% from the planned 6% through the early disposal of six of its 31 McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 widebodies. Chairman and chief executive Gordon Bethune says the move, in line with industry trends, will help the airline and its Continental ...
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USAF settles with Northrop Grumman
The US Air Force has reached an $80 million out-of-court settlement with Northrop Grumman. The move comes after the company was forced to meet $100 million, higher than anticipated, costs to refurbish initial Boeing 707-300s for conversion to Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) aircraft. Under the original ...
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Marketplace
Manx/British Regional Airlines is to boost its BAe 146 fleet to four aircraft with the acquisition of an ex-Ansett Australia 146-300. The aircraft will enter service next March in time for the summer schedules. Pegasus Aviation has acquired a Boeing MD-83, which is currently on lease to German charter operator, ...
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Canada wants to fly MD-11 in crash investigation
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) wants to conduct test flights with a Swissair Boeing MD-11 with its inflight entertainment system activated as part of the continuing probe into the 2 September, 1998, crash of the same craft, off Nova Scotia, the TSB confirms. Tests are intended to ...
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Virgin fires starting gun for Australian no-frills market
Paul Phelan/CAIRNS Virgin Group owner Richard Branson unveiled plans in Sydney at the end of November for a low-cost Australian domestic airline in the style of Europe's Virgin Express. Branson says he hopes to have his new no-frills airline, provisionally titled Virgin Australia, fully operational well before the ...
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Workshop
Aeronavali has concluded two separate deals with Boeing on FedEx aircraft. The first covers passenger-to-freighter conversion of 11 Boeing MD-11s, while the second is the advanced common cockpit conversion of 34 McDonnell Douglas DC-10s (to MD-10 configuration). Both contracts will be managed by Boeing Airplane Services. Rolls-Royce is expanding its ...
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BAE targets bigger Airbus stake
Andrew Doyle & Laura Hailstone/LONDONNewly launched BAE Systems aims to secure a bigger stake in Airbus Industrie when the consortium is transformed into a single corporate entity. The size of the holding will be based on new valuations of the partner companies' Airbus assets and will be determined in negotiation ...
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Mergers
Finnair has sold tour operator subsidiary Finntours to Thomson Travel Group company Fritidsresor, subject to competition authority approval. Saab's takeover offer to Celsius shareholders will run from 6 December to 23 February, with a Parliamentary vote on the deal likely to be held in mid-February. Teledyne Technologies has begun operating ...
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Embraer studies short-field ERJ-170 for Crossair
Andrew Doyle/SAO JOSE DOS CAMPOS Embraer expects to determine by February whether it must install a speedbrake on the belly fairing of its new ERJ-170 regional jet to meet steep-approach guarantees given to launch customer Crossair. The Brazilian manufacturer says it hopes the requirement can be met by introducing an ...
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Financial woes hit South American purchases of new fighters
Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DCBrazil and Chile have begun to switch their attention to the second-hand fighter market for future combat aircraft purchases. The move comes as conflicting pressures to replace obsolete aircraft and a shortage of defence modernisation funds put a question mark against buying new aircraft. The two South American ...
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$100m Virgin deal launches System 3000
Emma Kelly/LONDON Virgin Atlantic has signed a $100 million letter of intent with Matsushita for the interactive in-flight entertainment (IFE) system supplier's new System 3000 hardware. The airline, expected to announce the deal later this month, is the first carrier to confirm a commitment to the fully interactive IFE ...
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GB ready for A320 expansion
Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON British Airways franchise airline GB Airways is gearing up for expansion under new leadership, aiming to benefit from the UK flag carrier's short-haul restructuring. The independent, based at London Gatwick, will take delivery of the first of at least 10 Airbus A320 family aircraft in May. ...
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A320 wet lease boosts Libyan
Andrew Chuter/TRIPOLI Libyan Arab Airlines is taking a significant step towards rebuilding its route structure with the scheduled arrival on 10 December of two Airbus A320s at its base in Tripoli. The wet-leased aircraft being provided by Irish airline TransAer are due to be pressed into service almost immediately. Libyan ...
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Malaysia Airlines considering overhaul of its regional fleet
Andrzej Jeziorski/TOKYO Malaysia Airlines is finalising its long-term fleet plans, which include a study of its options for the replacement of its regional fleet. Malaysia Airlines (MAS) chairman Tajudin Ramli says that the airline is studying its fleet programme up to 2007-2010, covering both domestic and international requirements. He says ...
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Midway starts to boost its Eastern US network
Midway Airlines plans to bolster frequencies, capacity and reduce seat kilometre costs on its eastern US network with the delivery this month of the first of 17 Boeing 737-700s. It will also receive further smaller, 50-seat, Bombardier Canadair Regional Jets (CRJs) next year. The carrier, based in Raleigh/ Durham, ...
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That's entertainment
The in-flight entertainment (IFE) industry is experiencing a mini order bonanza this month if the deals by Virgin, United Airlines and an unnamed carrier are anything to go by. But a closer look at the deals and the airlines' reason for them say more about the recent troubled history ...
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Fan finale
Turbofan engines for the Millennium are bigger and better than ever Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Flight International's final turbofan directory of the 20th century reveals the broadest power range and most capable set of engines in the industry's history. Topping the list are the mighty Boeing ...