All air transport news – Page 2214
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EASA delayed by debate over powers
ALAN GEORGE BRUSSELS The protracted project to create a European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) now seems unlikely to come to fruition until 2002 at the earliest. It still remains uncertain whether the new body will be an agency of the European Commission (EC), or, as originally envisaged, an international agency ...
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British Midland steps up bid for transatlantic rights
COLIN BAKER LONDON British Midland (BM) has raised the stakes in its quest for transatlantic services from London Heathrow with a $1.2 billion order for four long-haul Airbus A330s. The order is despite the failure of the US and UK governments to reach an open skies "mini-deal" earlier this year, ...
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Vietnam-USA seal deal
NICHOLAS IONIDES ATI SINGAPORE Vietnam and the USA have finally signed a bilateral to allow codesharing. That could be the prelude to a full air-services accord when talks resume in June. The codeshare agreement was signed early in March in Hanoi and is described as a "memorandum of discussions", although ...
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Air Maldives hit by cash shortage
Air Maldives is in serious financial trouble, having been forced late in February to suspend all international services as a result of a cash shortage. The airline grounded its international operation on 28 February, although as Airline Business closed for press it hoped to have resumed flights before the ...
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Airbus wins Chinese orders
China Northern Airlines has signed with Airbus Industrie to acquire 10 A321s. The deal concludes the allocation of the purchase package of 30 A320-family aircraft placed by China Aviation Supplies Import and Export Corporation in May 1997. Ten other aircraft from the package were allocated to China Eastern Airlines, three ...
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SAA springs surprise with Boeing decision
ROGER MAKINGS JOHANNESBURG South African Airways (SAA) has acquired 21 Boeing 737-800s, plus 21 options, raising eyebrows among observers who expected the carrier to buy Airbus A320s. SAA chief executive Coleman Andrews claims that Boeing's offer was clearly ahead on price, but some in South Africa remain suspicious over the ...
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Biman sell-off
RAVI PARSAD NEW DELHI A Citibank-led consortium is preparing a restructuring plan with the aim of attracting a strategic partner for Biman Bangladesh Airlines. British Airways and Singapore International Airlines are among those reported to be interested. The consortium consists of consultancy SH&E, legal firm Clifford Chance Wirot and ...
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When size matters
The debate over the size of market for a new very large aircraft has become similar to a poker game; until the first cards are on the table, no-one knows which way the deck will fall. During a recent briefing in Washington, Airbus Industrie's senior vice- president, commercial, John Leahy ...
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Life at the top
KAREN WALKER SINGAPORE Airbus is right to feel proud of its 1999 performance, as it overtook Boeing on new orders. But the fight to stay on top will be fierce. If Airbus Industrie's managers find the heights to which they climbed in 1999 overwhelming, they show no signs of vertigo ...
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Atlantic Coast for Louisville
United Express carrier Atlantic Coast Airlines is starting regional jet services between Washington Dulles and Louisville from 8 June. It plans a four times daily roundtrip service. Source: Airline Business
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SALE strikes deals
Singapore Aircraft Leasing Enterprise (SALE) has mandated its largest financing facility in a deal with the European Export Credit Agency (ECA). The $185 million 10-year facility will fund new deliveries of five Airbus A320s and one A321. The deal is SALE's first ECA guaranteed transaction and was arranged by Halifax, ...
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Dragonair fleet expansion challenges Cathay Pacific
Nicholas Ionides ATI SINGAPORE Hong Kong's Dragonair has confirmed a major fleet expansion in what observers say is a clear sign that the carrier intends to mount a more direct challenge to the dominance of the former colony's de facto flag carrier, Cathay Pacific Airways. China-controlled Dragonair announced details of ...
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Hungary for a change?
Tom Gill BUDAPEST With a new chief executive and new investors on the horizon, things might be looking up for Malév Ferenc Kovacs is cautiously confident. Appointed Malév's chief executive in October after 23 years with the company, he is well aware of the many false starts that the Hungarian ...
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Back to Business: Alan Mulally, president of Boeing Commercial Airplanes
For Alan Mulally, president of Boeing Commercial Airplanes Group, this is the year the company can finally put its troubles behind it with new launches, a growing services business and, above all, a renewed focus on the customer
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Soft Landing
Tom Gill and Colin Baker LONDON There are all the classic signs of a downturn in the cycle, with aircraft prices weakening and deliveries slowing, but this time it looks more like a gentle decline rather than bust When the airline industry cycle last turned down a decade ago, it ...
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Eastern Caribbean Express ready for regional flights with Dash 8s
Eastern Caribbean Express plans to start flying on 18 April in support of parent Air Jamaica. The St Lucia-based airline will initially operate two Bombardier Dash 8-100s on lease from the manufacturer and has plans for a third. According to general manager Eugene Pieterse, the carrier will initially operate from ...
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767-400ER schedule set back
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Boeing faces a delay to its 767-400ER certification and delivery schedule in the wake of its recently resolved engineering employees' strike. Before the 40-day strike by Society for Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace members, Boeing was on target to certificate the -400ER in April and deliver ...
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Spain set for regional battle
Andrew Doyle/GERONA Boeing is close to securing a second European airline customer for its 717 following Spanish regional start-up AB Bluestar's announcement that it intends to order six of the twinjets and take nine options. Spanish rival Air Nostrum, meanwhile, has concluded a major deal with Canada's Bombardier ...
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Airbus A318 undergoes low-speed windtunnel tests at Toulouse
Low speed windtunnel testing of the Airbus A318 is under way at ONERA's Le Fauga facility near Toulouse, in France with a 1/11th scale model of the 107-seat twinjet. Powered by the Pratt & Whitney PW6000 or CFM International CFM56-5 engine, the A320 derivative will have its first flight in ...
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ERJ-145 makes Crossair debut with operational tests
Crossair's first Embraer RJ-145 is undergoing operational tests from the Swiss regional's base at Basle-Mulhouse. The 49-seater was scheduled to enter service on 26 March, with initial destinations including Manchester, Madrid, Birmingham, Copenhagen, Oslo, Hamburg and Valencia from Basle. Source: Flight International