All air transport news – Page 2117
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Warrior gears up for Centaur challenge
Warrior (Aero-Marine) has secured half of the required investment from North American and UK-based sources to fund development and certification of its single-engined Centaur light seaplane. The £15 million ($22 million) cash injection, derived from a mixture of private and public investment, is conditional on the UK company providing ...
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Boeing goes ahead with 777 variants but declines to reveal customers
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Boeing is to go ahead with the ultra-long range 777-200LR and -300ER derivatives, previously called the 777 200X/300X. The company plans to deliver the first aircraft in September 2003. News of the long-delayed launch was dampened by Boeing's refusal to name a launch customer. Candidates ...
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Midland determined on long haul
Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON British Midland (BM) is adamant that it will begin long-haul services next year, but is tight lipped about its contingency plans should it not receive clearance for transatlantic flights. The airline had expected to be in a position to detail its plans for transatlantic flights from London Heathrow ...
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Boeing strike bites as talks stall
Deliveries of new Boeing commercial aircraft have slowed to a trickle as the company declared an "impasse" in talks with more than 17,000 striking engineering and technical workers from the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) union. The strike, over pay and conditions, began on 9 February ...
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Second Fregat test precedes commercial debut
Starsem plans to launch the second Soyuz Fregat booster from Baikonur on 19 March to place two dummy satellites into a simulated orbit, using the Fregat upper stage. The mission will pave the way for two commercial launches in June and July, designed to place two pairs of Cluster ...
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SR Technics sets up joint ventures
SR Technics is to form separate maintenance joint ventures with South African Airways (SAA) and France's AOM, carriers to which it is linked via parent company SAirGroup, which has equity stakes in both. The Swiss overhaul specialist says it is in "very advanced" talks about the South African venture. ...
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Star seeks busier fleet
Julian Moxon/PARIS French charter carrier Star Airlines has isolated improved aircraft utilisation as the key to matching 1999's financial performance during the current year. Star posted an after-tax profit of Fr11.72 million ($1.75 million) last year, up 128% on 1998, with operating profit up even more sharply, increasing to ...
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Marketplace
Air France has signed a five-year lease agreement with International Lease Finance (ILFC) for three General Electric GE90-powered Boeing 777-200ERs. The aircraft will be delivered between April 2001 and February 2002. Brymon Airways has taken delivery of the first of seven Embraer RJ-145s it has on order. Sabena has firmed ...
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Mergers
Reflectone, BAE Systems' simulation and training unit, has been renamed Flight Simulation and Training in line with the UK giant's new corporate identity, adopted after the BAe-Marconi Electronic Systems merger. Reflectone, founded in 1939, was acquired in 1997. Dallas-based Aviation Group has approved the purchase of air-ticket bulk-buyer Global Leisure. ...
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Sibir targets second spot
Sibir Airlines plans to establish a hub at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport while expanding its network of subsidiaries in Siberia and Russia's Far East. The proposals could make it the country's number two carrier. The airline expects to carry up to 1.5 million people this year, doubling its 1999 load of ...
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Snecma sales rise
France's Snecma, General Electric's partner on the CFM56 engine programme and parent of landing gear and brakes specialists Messier-Dowty and Messier-Bugatti, has announced a 12% rise in sales to Fr31.88 billion ($4.75 billion) for last year, with operating profits up 51% on 1998 to Fr3.1 billion. A hefty tax bill ...
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Jet power
The potential for Indian air transport has never been greater Julian Moxon/MUMBAIWith a population of close to 1 billion people, most of whom travel by train, India offers immense potential for air transport. That potential was unlocked with the Indian Government's liberalisation of the domestic civil aviation industry in 1990. ...
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Early date set for BRJ-X launch
Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DCBombardier plans to move ahead with the BRJ-X large regional jet as early as mid-year. The company is also set to make a launch decision by the end of the month for the proposed CRJ900 stretch of the Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ). Bombardier says there is "no overlap" ...
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On-time software keeps FAA datalink on track
Key software for the US Federal Aviation Administration's controller-pilot datalink communications (CPDLC) programme has been delivered to prime contractor Computer Sciences (CSC). The on-time delivery of router software for the aeronautical telecommunications network (ATN) keeps the CPDLC programme on track as the FAA struggles with budget and schedule problems ...
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RFP limits R-R options in C-5 competition
The Rolls-Royce RB211-535-E4D powerplant has been dropped from the competition to re-engine 126 Lockheed Martin C-5A/B transports after the release of a request for proposals (RFP). Lockheed Martin, armed with a preliminary $15 million contract, has been tasked with selecting a new powerplant for the C-5. Its RFP gives ...
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CAT detector ready for tests
Flight tests of the first predictive warning system for clear air turbulence (CAT) are set to begin by the middle of this year on a Honeywell-owned Boeing 720 testbed. The tests, if successful, will pave the way for eventual series production of a hybrid weather radar/infra-red (IR) laser radar warning ...
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Swissair to hand over most Geneva flights to Crossair
Andrew Doyle/MUNICH Swissair is transferring the bulk of its Geneva-based services to regional subsidiary Crossair in a bid to cut costs and allow frequencies to be boosted on a large number of routes through the use of smaller aircraft. From the start of this year's summer timetable, Crossair ...
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Tupolev revives Tu-234 work and aims for mid-year flight
Paul Duffy/MOSCOW Development of Tupolev's short-fuselage version of the Tu-204 has been resurrected, with the much-delayed first flight expected to take place by the middle of this year. The 160-seat twinjet - designated the Tu-234 (or Tu-204-300) - has been under development since the early 1990s and is ...
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Workshop
General Electric Engine Services and South Korea's Asiana Airlines have launched an engine support joint venture - GE On Wing Support-Korea - based at Seoul's Kimpo Airport. The company will support all engines in Asiana's widebody fleet and is expected to save the airline $20 million annually. Northwest Airlines has ...
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R-R on the up
UK aero-engine giant Rolls-Royce saw aerospace sales climb nearly 9% last year to £3.77 billion ($6 billion), producing a trading profit of £555 million, up 29%. Group sales from continuing operations rose 10% to £4.74 billion, and pre-tax profits rose 11% to £360 million. Civil sector sales were strongest, up ...