Airframers – Page 1381
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MD-80 crash sparks emergency AD
David Learmount/LONDON Guy Norris/Los Angeles Operators of the Boeing MD-80 series, MD-90s and 717-200s and the McDonnell Douglas (MDC) DC-9 series are making urgent examinations of stabiliser jackscrews and other elements of the pitch-control system. The checks follow preliminary inspections of the wreckage of the Alaska Airlines MD-83, ...
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Caribbean start-ups muscle in on the action
Airline competition in the Caribbean is set to heat up with the planned entry of two new start-ups Eastern Caribbean Express and Caribbean Star Airlines, putting added pressure on the region's financially struggling regional operators to restructure and realign operations. Eastern Caribbean aims to start in April, using three Bombardier ...
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Engine makers discuss A330-100 options
All three leading engine manufacturers are discussing with Airbus Industrie powerplant options in the 55-60,000lb-thrust (245-267kN) range for its proposed A330-100 medium-range 250-seat development. The aircraft is expected to combine an aerodynamically modified A300-600R wing with a shortened A330 fuselage. A quick solution is required to meet a projected ...
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CFM and Russians tie the knot on Il-76MF
Tashkent Production Plant TAPO, Ilyushin and CFM International (CFMI) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) covering development of an Ilyushin CFM56- powered Il-76MF freighter. The agreement calls for the potential launch of the programme by the end of the year, pending the sale of "at least five" aircraft, ...
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R-R and SR Technics agree Trent venture
SR Technics and Rolls-Royce have reached agreement on the formation of a Trent engine overhaul joint venture to serve operators in Europe and Africa. The pair had been discussing the move for over a year, but had struggled to agree a structure for the organisation. Under the deal, Zurich-based ...
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Bad company
Asia's poor safety performers tarnish airlines in the region with good records David Learmount/LONDON By the end of the 1990s, South Asia and Asia Pacific had earned a poor reputation for airline safety, although not all of the region's airlines deserved it, but they suffer for the sins of others, ...
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Lengthy service
The world's longest airliner, the 777-300, has been working for 18 months. Some of its key operators assess its progress Andrzej Jeziorski/SINGAPORE Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON Although Airbus Industrie pioneered the widebody twinjet concept in the early 1970s, its rival Boeing has developed the configuration to its ultimate size and weight, with ...
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Road to recovery
The gloom of the past two years has been replaced by a cautious optimism Chris Jasper and Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON When the aerospace industry last gathered in Singapore, for Asian Aerospace '98, the sense of gloom was almost palpable. Subsequent events fully justified that pessimism. Only now are Asian orders beginning ...
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Boeing's 777-300 reliability figures are the best for a widebody introduction
Boeing's 777-300 reliability figures are the best for a widebody introduction Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON Boeing says its experience with the introduction of the 777-300 has been a case of "no news is good news". Mike Fleming, Boeing's 777 fleet support chief, says: "In terms of performance ...
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Airbus lines up huge MAS order
Andrew Doyle/MUNICH Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC Malaysia Airlines (MAS) is in the final stages of negotiations with Airbus Industrie on an order for up to 80 aircraft, including 18 A340-500/600 widebodies and up to 62 examples of the A320 family. Industry sources say the aircraft types have been agreed ...
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Russians attach strings to opening up Polar routes
Paul Lewis/Washington DC The Russian Federation has agreed to a limited opening of the new transpolar and transSiberian routes to scheduled traffic, but is making full and open access conditional upon receiving international assistance to modernise its air traffic management system. At a recent International Civil Aviation Organisation-chaired ...
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Routes
Channel Islands-based Aurigny will launch twice-daily services between Guernsey and Manchester in the UK next month, using a Saab 340. Air France and Italian start-up Gandalf Airlines have signed a codeshare agreement on the Bergamo-Paris route, which Gandalf will operate with its Fairchild 328JETs. The agreement could be expanded to ...
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SAS studies candidates for 70-seat regional jet order
Andrew Doyle/COPENHAGEN SAS expects to launch a competition early next year to select a 70-90-seat regional jet family. The carrier requires around 20 aircraft for use on long thin routes, mainly from Stockholm and Oslo. The Scandinavian carrier, which does not operate regional jets, plans to complete a ...
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Regional jets steal output lead
Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON The booming regional market continued its climb skyward last year, as more airlines made the inevitable move to jets. The regional jet order backlog has increased by almost 50%, putting further pressure on the few turboprops still in production. Last year represented the cross-over point in ...
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Air Canada tackles part of Canadian's debts
Air Canada has restructured part of the C$3.5 billion ($2.4 billion) debt owed by Canadian Airlines, with which it is merging, after reaching agreement with GE Capital Aviation Services. The deal, worth "tens of millions of dollars" according to Air Canada chief executive Robert Milton, covers the lease of a ...
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Honeywell starts AS900 flight tests
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC Honeywell has begun flight testing its AS900 turbofan, under development to power the BAE Systems Avro RJX regional airliner and Bombardier Continental business jet. The first flight, on Honeywell's Boeing 720 engine testbed, included performance and windmilling tests. During the 2h flight, the 7,000lb (31kN) thrust-class ...
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BA steps up the class war
Chris Jasper/LONDON British Airways has launched a radical overhaul of its premium cabins, introducing aft-facing and flat-bed seats in business class and a new "upper economy" product. The move is aimed at increasing the proportion of business travellers on BA's long haul services, and cements its strategy of targeting high-yield ...
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777X crew rest plans advance
Boeing is working with an advisory group of 14 airlines towards the final configuration for upper-lobe crew-rest areas for its planned ultra-long range 777-200X/300X family. An advanced flightcrew rest area in the forward upper lobe has been finalised, which will free four first or business class seats, or provide extra ...
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Debis targets Boeing after latest Airbus purchase
Debis AirFinance is seeking to conclude sale and leaseback deals with Classic and Next-Generation Boeing 737 operators as part of efforts to diversify its rapidly expanding aircraft portfolio. The Amsterdam-based DaimlerChrysler subsidiary, meanwhile, has purchased 12 in-service aircraft from Dublin-based Airbus Industrie Financial Services (AIFS), comprising two A340-300s, three ...
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Hong Kong/Beijing bilateral clears way for Dragonair
Mainland China and the Hong Kong Government have swept away a rule limiting Hong Kong carriers to operating one-third of the capacity on routes to the mainland. According to the Hong Kong Government, a new air services arrangement signed with Beijing guarantees that "airlines of both sides enjoy equal ...