All air transport news – Page 2252
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News
Guam crash: crew blamed
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has blamed the flight crew for the crash of a Korean Air Boeing 747-300 in Guam, in which 229 of the 254 people on board were killed. But the board says actions by Korean Air, the Korean Civil Aviation ...
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A330s or 767s on menu as Hainan Airlines plans international flights
Andrew Doyle/MUNICHHainan Airlines is seeking approval from the Chinese Government to launch international flights to points in Asia, Australia and Europe. The Chinese short-haul airline also plans to open discussions with Airbus and Boeing on acquiring a fleet of widebodies. "We expect approval in principle from the Civil Aviation Administration ...
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Rockwell Collins heads for I²S first
Rockwell Collins and Lufthansa affiliate Condor expect to receive German certification of the Integrated Information System (I2S) by mid-November. Certification, which follows a successful test flight on a Condor A320 in September, will pave the way for the launch of a year-long operational trial of the advanced information management system ...
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Lockheed Martin considers major closures to cut costs
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DCLockheed Martin is considering major aircraft and spacecraft plant closures in a move to improve its poor financial performance. Falling earnings have already led to the departure of two top executives and the launch of a divestment programme. Consolidation of the aircraft factories at Fort Worth, Texas, and ...
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Rolls-Royce cuts
Rolls-Royce is to reduce the workforce of its large commercial engines business by around 10%, or 400 people, by the end of March. The company says it hopes to achieve the job losses at its Derby plant through voluntary redundancies and natural wastage. Source: Flight International
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Tenzing aims for e-mail flight trials next year
Internet service provider Tenzing plans to launch flight trials of its in-flight e-mail/Internet services by next September. The Redmond, Washington-based company demonstrated its FlightConnect e-mail service for the first time at the World Airline Entertainment Association (WAEA) show last month. It has signed up an airline for flight trials, says ...
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Swissair hangs up satphones
Swissair is removing the satellite communications (satcom)-based in-seat telephones installed on its narrowbody Airbus fleet due reliability problems and a lack of passenger demand. The in-seat phones will be removed from January, but one bulkhead-installed phone will remain on each aircraft, says Don McLaren, Swissair in-flight entertainment and communication ...
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Express way to success
Airlines catering for luxury travellers have often gone to the wall. Midwest Express, however, is thriving. Paul Seidenman/MILWAUKEE Since US airlines were deregulated, a few carriers have tried to offer a single-class service catering to the demands of high-fare business travellers. Generally, these luxury operations have been unsuccessful. ...
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A319CJ enters service
Kate Sarsfield/LONDON The first commercially operated Airbus A319 Corporate Jet (CJ) was expected to enter service with Twinjet Aircraft of the UK on 8 November. Owned by Kuwaiti businessman Mohamed Abdulmohsin Kharafi, it will be used for corporate and VIP charter through London Luton-based business charter operator and management company ...
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GA enjoys sales growth
US general aviation manufacturers achieved a 42% increase in sales and more than a 13% growth in shipments for the first nine months of 1999. This is compared to the same period last year, according to figures from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA). A total of 1,692 aircraft ...
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British Aerospace reins in Nimrod work
British Aerospace is concentrating structural work on the troubled Nimrod MRA4 maritime patrol aircraft at its Woodford factory. The move follows an announcement in March that the aircraft's in-service date has slipped from April 2003 until 2005. As a result Cobham subsidiary FR Aviation (FRA) will lose a contract ...
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Pilatus expands fractional ownership network in USA
Kate Sarsfield/LONDON Pilatus PC-12 fractional ownership provider Alpha Flying is expanding its Plane Sense network to cover the south east and mid-west regions of the USA. "Responding to demand from potential customers across the US, we have decided to set up operating bases in Atlanta, Georgia by December and in ...
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ViperJet kit aircraft makes maiden flight
Viper Aircraft flew its ViperJet kitplane for the first time in late October. The two-seat Turboméca Marbore 6-powered prototype flew a 15-minute test flight from its base at Pacso, Washington. The composite ViperJet has dual controls and is targeted at the training and private flying markets. Performance projections ...
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IAE puts turbofan back on the drawing board
Andrew Doyle/MUNICH International Aero Engines (IAE) has dropped plans to launch a higher-thrust variant of its V2500 turbofan by the end of this year after failing to develop a satisfactory business case. It has refocused studies of the proposed "-A7" version of the engine, unveiled at the Paris ...
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Regional deal heralds China breakthrough
Andrew Doyle/MUNICH Paul Lewis/WASHINGTONBombardier has signed a breakthrough deal with China's Shandong Airlines to supply five Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ) series 200s. It will also look at establishing a dedicated training centre as local interest in regional aviation picks up. The Jinan-based provincial operator is the first Chinese carrier to ...
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Teledesic chief in ICO rescue
Emma Kelly/LONDON Teledesic chairman Craig McCaw is leading a rescue package for ICO Global Communications. It is designed to provide the bankrupt mobile satellite communications company with $1.2 billion so that it can launch services in 2001. McCaw and his affiliated companies, Teledesic and Eagle River Investments, will lead ...
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Mergers
Kaman Aircraft Products has been sold to Wesco Aircraft Hardware of California. The Kaman Industrial Technologies subsidiary distributes bearings to the airline industry. BF Goodrich has purchased the ACES II ejection seat product line from Boeing. The operation becomes part of BF Goodrich's Aerospace Safety Systems division. Hawker Pacific Aerospace ...
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AlliedSignal and R-R in takeover successes
The consolidation of smaller US aerospace businesses continues with AlliedSignal's $291 million acquisition of parts distributor TriStar Aerospace and the completion of Rolls-Royce's $73 million acquisition of National Airmotive. Dallas-based TriStar recorded more than $185 million in sales last year and managed more than 100,000 different parts. Its takeover ...
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MAS considers A340
Malaysia Airlines (MAS) is evaluating the Airbus A340-500 for use on transpacific services to the USA. According to Flight International's sister online service, Air Transport Intelligence, MAS sources say senior Airbus Industrie executives have visited Malaysia recently to pursue an A340 deal. Such a purchase would be a ...
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Marketplace
British Airways has confirmed its commitment for up to 24 Airbus A318s. The first Pratt & Whitney PW6000-powered aircraft will be delivered from 2003. South Africa's Interdoc Aerospace has placed deposits with Canadian Aerospace Group International for five 19-seat Twin Panda turboprops. The aircraft is a Westernised version of the ...