All air transport news – Page 2304
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Manufacturers' perspective
Production, reliability and certification issues have dominated the 737's debut Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Between them, Boeing and CFM International faced the fastest ramp-up in production and delivery of any commercial airliner with the 737NG. Since delivery of the first aircraft to Southwest Airlines in December 1997, some 250 examples ...
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Fairchild wraps up 328JET testing and confirms stretch plans
Andrew Doyle/OBERPFAFFENHOFEN Fairchild Aerospace has almost completed flight-testing its 328JET30-seater and expects to receive certification from the European Joint Aviation Authorities and the US Federal Aviation Administration by 1 July. First deliveries to US carrier Skyways will take place that month. Meanwhile, the US company claims to have ...
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Boeing maintains 717 campaign
Andrew Doyle/MUNICH Boeing aims to boost sales of its 717 regional jet by taking a role in maintenance support and certificating a "Lite" version that could cut airport and navigation charges for airlines. The move comes as Greek flag carrier Olympic signs as the type's first European airline operator. Its ...
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FAA cracks the whip on US Classic 737 bulkheads
The US Federal Aviation Administration has ordered US operators to inspect 500 of their Classic Boeing 737s for fatigue cracks in aft pressure bulkheads. An airworthiness directive (AD) requires operators of early model 737s to perform either electronic or visual inspections. The emergency order stems from the discovery of ...
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Airbus' Japan sales drive pays off with Mitsubishi contract
Andrzej Jeziorski/TOKYO Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has secured its first airframe components subcontract on an Airbus Industrie programme as the European manufacturer steps up its sales efforts in Japan. The contract, awarded to Mitsubishi via Airbus partner British Aerospace, covers production of an A319/A320 wing root component, the shroud ...
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Delta-ALPA skirmish may start scope clause battle
Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC Delta Air Lines and the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) have locked legal horns over the use of Comair regional jets on the new Boston-Washington DC shuttle in what could be the opening shots of a much wider battle over pilot scope clauses. ALPA is ...
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Air Europe A320s arrive for Alitalia challenge
Marco Messalla/ROME Italy's Air Europe has received the first two of five leased Airbus A320s for its new north-south domestic network in competition with Alitalia. One more A320 will be delivered in time for the 8 May start of scheduled services from Milan's Malpensa Airport to Catania and Palermo, ...
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Korean MD-11 crashed 'out of control'
Andrzej Jeziorski/SINGAPORE David Learmount/LONDON The crew of the Korean Air (KAL) Boeing MD-11 freighter that crashed in China on 15 April appears to have lost control of the aircraft during climb-out from Shanghai. Evidence suggests a stall after the aircraft reached 4,600ft (1,400m), says a preliminary report from the ...
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US Airways joins the P@ssport providers
Emma Kelly/LONDON Sony Trans Com has secured a third customer for its P@ssport interactive in-flight entertainment system, with US Airways ordering the equipment for an initial seven Airbus A330-300s. The P@ssport order could increase, as the carrier holds options on a further 30 A330s. The first A330, which will ...
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Vantage work set to resume
Dave Higdon/ST LOUISThe Vantage single-engined jet will be heavier and use a more powerful engine when VisionAire begins certification testing of the first production prototype towards the end of this year. The St Louis, Missouri-based company plans to resume development of the aircraft after a lengthy design review is published ...
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Lufthansa agrees to buy up to 120 Fairchild 728JETs
Andrew Doyle/FRANKFURT Fairchild Aerospace has secured a major breakthrough in its bid to develop the 728JET - Lufthansa's supervisory board has decided to approve the purchase of up to 120 of the regional airliners by its CityLine commuter subsidiary. The German flag carrier has signed a firm order for 60 ...
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Airbus presses on with A3XX as Boeing studies LAPD
Airbus Industrie is stepping up A3XX development work and has reaffirmed its commitment to a launch decision in early 2000. Meanwhile, Boeing continues to play down its Large Aircraft Project Development (LAPD) study efforts in favour of low-cost 747-400X alternatives. "The pace is picking up and Airbus and its ...
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CFMI lobbies Airbus on A318 powerplant
Julian Moxon/PARIS Guy Norris/LOS ANGELESCFM International is in talks with Airbus to try to get its CFM56-5A engine included as a powerplant for the newly launched Airbus Industrie A318. But the European consortium is sticking to its position that it is "offering only the Pratt &Whitney PW6000". Air France, Lufthansa, ...
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EC bows to US pressure on hushkits
The European Commission (EC) has formally approved a ban on the European operation of aircraft fitted with hushkits, but in a last-minute concession to the USA has postponed the regulation's implementation by a year, until 1 May, 2000. As part of the compromise deal thrashed out in the past ...
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Shorter story
Smaller may not always be better, but for Embraer it is a route to further success Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DCIt seems a simple, sensible approach: take a proven airframe, shorten the fuselage to produce a smaller aircraft, leave the rest unchanged, and avoid the time and cost of developing a new ...
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Scope for change
Pressure is mounting for the reform of regional airline pilot scope clauses Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC The simmering debate over regional airline pilot scope clauses is slowly coming to the boil. With most labour agreements due for renewal from next year, pressure is building from a range of sectors - airlines, ...
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Century seeks partners for twin Jet 100
Century Aerospace is negotiating with risk-sharing partners to help fund its Century Jet 100, which was transformed from a single-to a twin-engined business jet late last year. Albuquerque, New Mexico-based Century has clocked up more than 50 orders for the six-seat aircraft, which is costing the company $48 million ...
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Eurofighter passes test milestones
Eurofighter has explored about 90% of the flight envelope of its initial operating capability (IOC) baseline configuration. Tests are pushing ahead, with the aim of the four Eurofighter partners receiving IOC air-defence configured aircraft in 2002. DaimlerChrysler Aerospace's DA5 aircraft is flying with the FCS 2B/1 software that gives Eurofighter ...
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Tests begin on Rafale optronics
Julian Moxon/PARISFlight tests of the Thomson-CSF Optronique front sector optronics (FSO)system that will give the Dassault Rafale fighter a passive infrared and television imaging capability have begun on a Dassault Falcon 20 testbed. The FSO will provide all-weather air-to-air and air-to-ground surveillance and targeting and, says Thomson-CSF Optronique, is the ...
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Fares fair in Japan
Japanese start-up Skymark Airlines has raised its fares, relaxing a price war which has hit the yields of all three major Japanese airlines on two of Japan's highest-density routes. Skymark's announced 17% increase in its Tokyo-Fukuoka one-way fare was matched by Japan Airlines, with All Nippon Airways and Japan Air ...