All air transport news – Page 2151
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News
Rupture caused Delta III failure
A rupture of the combustion chamber in the second-stage RL-10B-2 engine caused the failure of the second Delta III launcher in May, according to an interim report by Boeing. The engine, which was being used for the first time, suffered "a 67in² [43,225mm²] diamond-shaped breach of its combustion chamber" ...
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Thai closes on privatisation
Jens Flottau/TOKYOThai Airways International chief executive Thamnoon Wanglee says a decision on the privatisation of the carrier will be taken next March or April, with the choice of investor determining whether the carrier remains within the Star Alliance. Wanglee confirms that British Airways and Qantas have made approaches on behalf ...
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Fessler loses partner Ryan but goes ahead with Walter purchase
US investor Robert Fessler has signed a framework agreement to buy 94% of Czech aero-engine manufacturer Walter, despite a decision by his would-be joint venture partner Tony Ryan, the founder of Irish low-cost airline Ryanair, to withdraw from the takeover deal at the last minute. The pair had planned ...
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FAA proposes new rules to ensure fuel tank safety after TWA crash
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC The US Federal Aviation Administration is proposing a new regulation that will have an impact on airliner manufacturers. Under the new rule, they will have to conduct design reviews and develop new, compulsory maintenance programmes for fuel tank systems on existing aircraft to ensure that ...
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Dragonair hunts A320 customers
Andrzej Jeziorski/HONG KONGHong Kong-based Dragonair expects to sign the first contracts with customers for its new Airbus A320 flight training centre in January. General manager Felix Hart says the centre should become operational next June. The company is in talks with A320 operators in the Asia-Pacific region, with possible customers ...
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Ibis targets December for roll-out of Ae270
Ibis Aerospace, the Aero Vodochody/AIDC joint venture, expects to roll out the single-turboprop Ae270 multimission aircraft on 10 December. The first production prototype will be an Ae270P variant, powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-42A. The aircraft is pressurised, with retractable landing gear. The non-pressurised Ae207W, which has a ...
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Sierra develops new Citation upgrade
Sierra Industries, the Uvalde, Texas-based company known for its after-market airframe modifications, has developed an engine package to upgrade Cessna 500 series Citations. The company has fitted Williams FJ44-2 turbofans in place of the original Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15Ds. As a result, Sierra is offering the FJ44 Eagle ...
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Boeing shrugs off anticipated 777 ETOPS threat
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Boeing says an airworthiness directive (AD) expected to be issued soon by the US Federal Aviation Administration, ordering inspections of the 777's back-up electrical generator and its oil servicing system, poses no threat to the aircraft's extended range twin operations (ETOPS) clearance. According to unconfirmed reports, ...
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Lockheed upheaval
Lockheed Martin president Peter Teets has retired after taking the blame for the company's poor financial performance. Teets announced his retirement after the company slashed its earnings outlook for next year by 50%. The company mainly blames satellite launch delays and failures. Micky Blackwell, executive vice-president of Lockheed Martin's aeronautical ...
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Turboprop makers bullish about stable future sales
The market for regional turboprop airliners is set for a relatively stable future, despite explosive demand for regional jets, say manufacturers. Production, they say, is expected to remain at consistent levels throughout the next decade. ATR expects to build more than 300 ATR 42/72 turboprops over the next 10 ...
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Air France signs A330 deal to replace A310/767 fleet
Julian Moxon/PARIS Air France has finalised its long-awaited medium capacity fleet renewal plans, with an order for up to 13 Airbus A330-200s. The order, worth about $1.5 billion, includes eight firm orders and five options, and provides the airline with a replacement for its medium-range fleet of 10 ...
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Marketplace
Air New Zealand has begun to update its regional fleet with delivery of the first of seven ATR 72-500s. The new aircraft will replace the airline's older ATR 72-210s. Meanwhile, the airline has sold six 13/14-year-old Nordam Stage 3 hushkitted Boeing 737-200Advs to Mexican carrier Aviacsa. Sabena has phased ...
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Saab repossesses Argentinian 340s
Saab Aircraft Leasing has repossessed Kaiken Lineas Aereas' fleet of Saab 340 turboprops after the Argentinian regional carrier failed to make payments for almost a year. In the first action of its kind by the former Swedish manufacturer, all three of Kaiken's Saab 340As were seized at Rio Grande ...
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A330s set to wing their way to Iran
Andrew Doyle/MUNICH Iran has reached agreement with France over its planned purchase of four Airbus A330-300s for operation by flag carrier Iran Air, with deliveries of the aircraft to begin in 2001. Iranian transport minister Mohammed Hojjati told the country's official news agency, IRNA, that the $480 million deal was ...
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Impulse plans float to fund regional jets
Paul Phelan/CAIRNS Impulse Airlines aims to expand into regional jets and is to fund its growth with a share flotation, following its severing of links with Ansett Australia last month. Impulse, based in Newcastle, New South Wales, operates feeder and hub-bypass services. It is preparing to raise funds ...
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SriLankan Airlines receives its first Trent 772-powered Airbuses
SriLankan Airlines has taken delivery of the first of nine Rolls-Royce Trent 772-powered Airbus A330-200s, as the airline moves towards becoming an all A330/A340 operator. The remaining aircraft are due between now and December next year, replacing the airline's four Lockheed L-1011 TriStars. SriLankan, which is part owned by Dubai's ...
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Airbus wraps up Chinese package
A package of orders for 28 Airbus aircraft for Chinese carriers was announced by French president Jacques Chirac in late October, while hosting a visit by China's president Jiang Zemin. Although Chirac revealed that the deal includes eight A340-500/600s, 10 A318s and 10 A319s, details such as the identity ...
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City Bird suspends Kinshasa service
City Bird has suspended its weekly services between Brussels and Congolese capital Kinshasa after local authorities levied a $1 million landing charge at the airport. There have also apparently been threats that City Bird's Boeing 767-300ER may be blown up or seized if it lands at Kinshasa. City Bird ...
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El Al compromises with A330/777 deal
Arie Egozi/TEL AVIV Airbus Industrie is set to conclude its first sale to El Al following the Israeli national airline's decision to split its medium-capacity fleet replacement order between the European consortium and Boeing. El Al is to acquire a mix of aircraft and has ordered three Boeing ...
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Eurocontrol steps up air traffic enforcement
Eurocontrol is stepping up its activities to implement a European notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) process. The air navigation organisation is working towards introducing formal contractual arrangements with air traffic management (ATM) service providers after proposals from Eurocontrol's council were approved last month. A European NPRM, which would allow ...