All air transport news – Page 2209
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Jack Sellsby/LONDON Financing aircraft can be a nightmare for some airlines and a hazard for lenders Airlines spend billions of dollars on new aircraft deliveries each year, and manufacturers - aided by their ever-willing and export-minded governments - ensure comparable amounts of commercial jets are financed. Airlines with ...
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Phoenix Fanjet's future waits on court decision
Kate Sarsfield/LONDON Alberta Aerospace's (AAC) plan to certificate and deliver its single-engined Phoenix Fanjet by the end of the year has been thwarted by a legal battle over the rights to the aircraft, formally known as the Promavia Jet Squalus. Canada's AAC secured a licence agreement with Belgium's ...
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Portuguese flag carrier to join SAirGroup stable
TAP Air Portugal will become the latest European carrier to come under the partial ownership of SAir Group if plans for the Swiss company to acquire a 20% stake in the Portuguese state-owned flag-carrier are approved by the European Commission. SAir Group says it hopes to complete the purchase ...
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Ryanair introduces first 737-800 to expand European network
Ryanair has taken delivery of the first of 25 Boeing 737-800s ordered last year to expand its European network. Ryanair, which operates 21 Boeing 737-200s, including seven Stage 3 hushkitted machines, also has options for 20 737-800s. The airline 33 routes from London Stansted to Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, Norway, ...
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ESA signs first Mars Express contract with Matra Marconi
Julian Moxon/PARIS The first contract for the European Space Agency's (ESA) 150 million euro ($161 million) Mars Express programme has been signed with prime contractor Matra Marconi Space. The 60 million euro contract was awarded despite the programme awaiting full approval, expected at the ESA ministerial meeting in ...
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Investors give ultimatum on Iridium performance
Iridium has been given a two-month deadline by its lenders to prove that it can meet revenue and subscriber targets. The Motorola-owned company has been told that it must have $4 million cash revenues, $30 million in accrued revenues and at least 52,000 customers by 31 May. Iridium had 3,000 ...
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Airbus aims to trim A3XX weight
Julian Moxon/PARIS The take-off weight of the Airbus Industrie A3XX will be reduced by 2-3t through the use of a new, high-pressure hydraulic system, if tests being carried out by Aerospatiale at Toulouse prove it to be economically and technically viable. "We have decided to go for a system ...
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Making a mark
Max Kingsley-Jones/DOHA Qatar Airways has restructured from a low-cost operator to a high-quality international carrier The Qatar government recognised that action was needed to ensure that its capital, Doha, was not isolated as the country's economy grew during the early 1990s. While the nation's shared flag carrier, Gulf ...
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Emirates' global vision
Max Kingsley-Jones/DUBAI Emirates had a handful of routes and aircraft when it began in 1985 - now it is a major force and is eyeing the A3XX The Past 14 years have been an exciting ride for Emirates. The airline has topped the growth tables for national carriers ...
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Emerging power
Max Kingsley-Jones/MUSCAT Oman Air is embarked on a programme of expansion and restructuring OMAN, on the Gulf's eastern side, rests in the shadows cast by the cosmopolitan regions to its west, such as Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Dubai. The country has chosen not to follow its neighbours ...
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Gulf bites back
Max Kingsley-Jones/BAHRAIN Gulf Air is fighting back from financial crisis with a clear strategy for the future Gulf Air has been through considerable pain over the past four years. Losses mounted to over $130 million and debts rose to $1.5 billion during two financially disastrous years in the ...
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Deregulated Greek market spawns another start up
Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON Julian Moxon/PARIS The launch of Greek scheduled carrier Axon Airlines is the latest in a string of developments in the country's air transport market, following the recent introduction of deregulation. The growing band of Greek independent carriers is taking advantage of last year's lapse of the ...
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EC delays hushkit rules as US talks go on
Julian Moxon/PARIS The European Commission (EC) has agreed to delay by four weeks the introduction of tough rules on hushkitted aircraft while negotiations with the USA continue on a compromise deal. The move follows US objections to the ruling, which would ban hushkitted aircraft after 2002 and prohibit ...
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PAL creditors back rehabilitation plan
Philippine Airlines (PAL) has received its first real piece of good news since June, as some of its biggest creditors back a make-or-break rehabilitation plan. The airline, which has been in receivership since June with a debt of more than $2.2 billion, filed the new plan with Manila's government-backed Securities ...
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Israeli skies are opened up
Israel has laid down the basis for a competitive airline industry. Not only has the Government granted international passenger rights to domestic carrier Israir, it has also licensed the Tel Aviv-based air transport company, Cargo Airlines (CAL), to compete fully with El Al on international freight routes. Against ...
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FAA sees growth continue
The US Federal Aviation Administration has unveiled its latest commercial aviation forecast showing continued growth in the US domestic market and an even stronger rise in international markets. In the immediate term, the FAA believes that the US domestic market will see passenger numbers rise again by 2.4% ...
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Canada bests Brazil in export tussle
Canada is claiming victory in its long dispute with Brazil over regional aircraft export subsidies, but the extent of its victory is unclear. A World Trade Oganisation (WTO) panel has ruled that Brazil's Proex export finance programme is an illegal subsidy and should be removed. Bombardier says Proex has ...
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News in brief
ProAir eyes public - Detroit-based ProAir plans to go public this year. The new entrant carrier is completing its final, $30 million, private placement and is planning an initial public offering. ProAir, which has received a fourth Boeing 737 and plans to add five this year, aims to add to ...
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THY awaits election, privatisation
THY Turkish Airlines is awaiting the country's national elections on 18 April with bated breath, as its future privatisation and relationship with Qualiflyer partner Swissair hang in the balance. The hope is that a strong coalition government will emerge with the political backing to implement a package of ...
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Routes
Southwest flies east - Southwest Airlines plans to begin services from Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina, on 6 June, in its latest move into the US East Coast market. The low-fares airline will offer daily nonstop service to five cities: Baltimore/ Washington, Chicago Midway, Nashville, Orlando and Tampa. Raleigh/ Durham-based Midway Airlines ...