All air transport news – Page 2256
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Brazilians lose contact with faulty research satellite
Brazil's INPE space agency has been unable to make contact with its $4.6 million SACI-1 satellite, launched last month. It is thought to have suffered a communications, antenna or computer fault, which may be correctable. The small Brazilian technology research satellite was launched on the second Chinese Long March ...
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Star leaders seek to repel hostile bid for Air Canada
Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC Star Alliance leaders Lufthansa and United Airlines have sought to fend off a hostile bid for partner Air Canada by bankrolling a C$892 ($597 million) counter-offer. Though the deal would also see Canadian Airlines taken over by the flag carrier, the smaller airline would remain a separate ...
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First came the mega-deal: now comes the mega-challenge
Chris Jasper/LONDON As the dust settles on the Franco-German accord that will ultimately lead to the formation of the new European Aeronautics, Defense and Space Company (EADS), one thing is becoming clear: the landscape of the aerospace industry worldwide has changed for ever. Beyond that realisation, however, some initial impressions ...
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Schreiner Group snaps up Air Holland
Dutch aviation company Schreiner Group has agreed to buy Amsterdam-based charter carrier Air Holland. The airline operates two Boeing 737-300s and four 757-200s. It is attractive because of its slot holdings at crowded Schiphol Airport, although the Schreiner deal should allow it to continue operations. Meanwhile, French regional ...
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FedEx MD-11 in Subic Bay overrun
A FedEx Boeing MD-11 freighter was destroyed in a landing accident at Subic Bay freeport, Philippines, on 17 October. The tri-jet overran the airport's 2,745m (9,000ft) runway 07 and fell into the sea, sinking quickly. Injuries to the two pilots, the only occupants, are reportedly minor. The aircraft (N581FE), inbound ...
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Greece to buy PGMs and more Chinooks
The Greek armed forces have concluded a deal to buy more Boeing CH-47D Chinooks and are close to finalising a deal for US-supplied AGM-142 Have Nap stand-off missiles. According to industry sources, the Clinton Administration will shortly notify the US Congress of its intention to sell an undisclosed number ...
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Stevens nears Orenda C90 certificate
Stevens Aviation plans to begin the last phase of flight tests of a Raytheon KingAir C90, re-engined with Orenda liquid-cooled V8 piston engines "within the next couple of weeks". The delayed flight test effort involves two C90s. It should lead to a US Federal Aviation Administration supplemental type certificate ...
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Aircraft mixture may fill US sensor scheme
A US Army requirement for an Aerial Common Sensor (ACS) aircraft could be met with a mix of long-range/high-endurance fixed-wing aircraft and unmanned air vehicles (UAVs). ACS will combine the capabilities of three aircraft types into one or more platforms, offering corps-level airborne intelligence, surveillance and target acquisition capabilities. ...
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Kenya Airways weighs options for long-haul aircraft renewal
Jens Flottau/NAIROBI Kenya Airways is preparing to undertake a long-haul fleet-renewal programme. The carrier has issued requests for proposals to Airbus and Boeing and to leasing companies. A decision on the new long-haul fleet could be made as early as January. Although the airline's new chairman Richard Nyaga ...
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Delta learns crash lessons with mask deal
Delta Air Lines is to equip all its aircraft with full-face cockpit oxygen masks from BE Aerospace. The move follows a number of fatal fires and comes ahead of an anticipated Federal Aviation Administration ruling on their use. The airline plans to fit the system to all 600 ...
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Workshop
Australian regional Kendell Airlines has selected GE Engine Services to maintain and service the General Electric CF34-3Bs which power its new Canadair Regional Jet fleet. The deal is valued at around $40 million. KLM and its subsidiary, Martinair, have signed a contract with Boeing covering the exchange, overhaul and repair ...
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Helios charters rise in Cyprus
Backed by Cypriot and Swiss investors, a new privately owned charter carrier serving the leisure market will start operations from Larnaca, southern Cyprus, next June. Already licensed by Cyprus, the carrier, Helios Airways, will launch services with a single 170-seat Boeing 737-400 leased from GE Capital Aviation Services. By ...
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Globalstar tally increases as ICO changes business plan
Tim Furniss/LONDON Starsem launched another Soyuz-Ikar booster from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, on 18 October, carrying four more Globalstar satellites into orbit, bringing the total to 44. Starsem, the Aerospatiale Matra, Arianespace, Russian Space Agency and Samara Space Centre company, plans another launch next month, carrying another four ...
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Airbus sales irk US Congressman
America West Airlines has confirmed a deal for up to 77 Airbus Industrie A320 series aircraft. The move follows a Frontier Airlines letter of intent (LoI) for another 20 jets, rekindling US political criticism of the European manufacturer's growing success in the US market at Boeing's expense. Phoenix-based America ...
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Continental boss hits out at Airbus A340/ETOPS campaign
Continental Airlines chief executive Gordon Bethune has hit out at Airbus Industrie over its advertising campaign promoting the safety of four-engined aircraft versus twins on Pacific routes. In a letter to Airbus managing director Noel Forgeard, Bethune accuses Airbus of exploiting "the unfounded fears of the travelling public on ...
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British Midland gets ready for Star sign
British Midland (BM) is poised to sign to with Star Alliance after agreeing to a two-week period of exclusive negotiations with Lufthansa. BM has been veering towards one global grouping after another for months. BM says its "proposed agreement" with Lufthansa would see the German major acquire a 20% ...
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Boeing to study further 777 stretch
Andrew Doyle/BRUSSELS Boeing is studying the possibility of stretching the 777-300X to accommodate up to 60 more passengers. The move comes at the request of some of the airlines evaluating the twinjet as a replacement for the 747-400. "We're listening to the airlines and asking the question: 'Can ...
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SAA targets Nigeria for sub-Saharan alliance
Hilka Birns/CAPE TOWN South African Airways (SAA) aims to become the guiding force in an alliance of sub-Saharan airlines, as it negotiates to acquire a major shareholding in Nigeria Airways. The moves come as the South African carrier prepares to relaunch a competition to upgrade its short- and long-haul ...
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USA aims to extend open skies arrangements round the world
The US Government plans to use a forthcoming meeting to spark discussions on broadening the scope of current bilateral open skies agreements into regional or global arrangements. It has previously been reluctant to do this. The gathering of international transport and aviation authorities will take place in Chicago on ...
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Tupolev Tu-334 is cleared for assembly at Moscow factory
Series production of the Tupolev Tu-334 twinjet has moved a step nearer, with the Russian Government issuing a special order approving assembly at the MAPO plant in Moscow. The paper, signed in early October by Russia's prime minister, Vladimir Putin, replaces a previous government decision to launch series production ...