All air transport news – Page 2310
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Cause for concern
As the third Ariane 5 is prepared for launch, there is anxiety about the programme Tim Furniss/LONDON Such is the state of the Ariane 5 programme that the third test flight of the European launcher in July will create as much tension as the first. The launcher's maiden flight ended ...
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Maiden flight of Ae 270 scheduled for mid-1999
Taiwan's Aerospace Industrial Development (AIDC) and Czech partner Aero Vodochody will begin assembling the first prototype Ae 270 single turboprop utility aircraft by the middle of the year in readiness for a maiden flight in 1999. According to AIDC business manager Paul Yang, the Taichung-based manufacturer has already begun ...
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Final Lycoming AD limits inspections
The US Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) is claiming victory after the Federal Aviation Administration issued a revised airworthiness directive (AD) limiting the impact of crankshaft inspections on Textron Lycoming piston engines. AOPA says that "80% of Lycoming owners will not be affected" by the final rule - ...
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VisionAire completes first Vantage flight tests
VisionAire is to relocate flight testing of its Vantage single engined business jet to its St Louis, Missouri, headquarters in April after the completion of envelope expansion flights at Scaled Composites in Mojave, California. Almost 200h have been accumulated on the proof-of-concept (PoC) aircraft since its first flight in November ...
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Brazilian navy negotiates for Kuwaiti A-4 Skyhawks for carrier
Brazil is negotiating to purchase 23 McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawks from Kuwait to equip its aircraft carrier, the Minas Gerias. The A-4s will be owned by the Brazilian navy, which was given permission late last year to operate fixed wing aircraft. The navy was previously only allowed to fly ...
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Korean Air links with GE Capital to set up deal for 737-800s
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE Korean Air (KAL) has reached an initial agreement with General Electric Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) and Boeing to begin rolling over its narrowbodied jet fleet with new Boeing 737-800s as part of a wider $640 million move to revive the cash-strapped carrier. The South Korean national ...
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Thailandfaces $130 million F/A-18C/D penalty
Paul Lewis/BANGKOK The USA has warned Thailand that it faces a $130 million cancellation charge if it fails to purchase the eight Boeing F/A-18C/Ds it has on order. The US Government informed the Thai air force of the total cancellation penalty charge at the beginning of March. The ...
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Canadian firms court Airbus for A3XX contracts
Brian Dunn/Montreal A delegation of some 25 Canadian aerospace companies are due to meet with Airbus Industrie officials in Toulouse this month in a bid to supply parts for the proposed A3XX aircraft. "Canada's industrial partnership with Airbus is not great," says Pete Boag, director of operations at the Aerospace ...
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NATCO markets KLM simulator capacity
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC Northwest Airlines and KLM have expanded their alliance to include marketing of training on the Netherlands carrier's flight simulator fleet through Northwest Aerospace Training (NATCO). The agreement provides third-party customers with access to a total of 32 simulators and flight training devices owned by NATCO and ...
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A340-500/600 work
Saab has won a $75 million contract to supply integrated structural floor assemblies for the new Airbus A340-500/600, the Swedish manufacturer's first contract with Airbus. Meanwhile, Hispano-Suiza Aerostructures has selected Messier-Bugatti to supply the thrust reverser actuation system for the the aircraft's Rolls-Royce Trent 500 engines, and R-R has picked ...
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AEA in delays row with Eurocontrol
European air traffic control (ATC) organisation Eurocontrol has hit back at claims by the Association of European Airlines (AEA) that ATC strategies have failed, causing delays to rise to a "critical level". Eurocontrol says that the AEA's criticisms are "inaccurate, misleading and unsubstantiated". It claims the implication that Eurocontrol ...
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Aerospatiale boss deflects criticism
Aerospatiale president Yves Michot has defended the company in the face of growing criticism by its European partners that its state-owned status is holding up the region's industry consolidation process. "We have achieved a huge internal restructuring programme, which opens opportunities everywhere," he says. While there is still no ...
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Air France nears decision on replacement for 737-200
Julian Moxon/PARIS Air France expects to decide between the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 families to replace its 737-200s by the end of June. A deal for up to 30 aircraft is expected. According to fleet planning director Pierre Vellay, the airline is undertaking a five-year, Fr40 billion ...
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AlliedSignal powers up next generation engine
A core engine demonstrator built by AlliedSignal as the potential forerunner for a new family of regional and business turbofans has run at full power for the first time since its initial run on 7 December, 1997. The technology validation core is configured with a three axial stage/one centrifugal ...
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American Eagle ERJ-145 rolls out
The first of up to 67 Embraer RJ-145LRs for American Eagle Airlines is rolling down the assembly line in Sao José dos Campos, Brazil. The deal, signed at last June's Paris air show, includes 42 firm orders and 25 options. The LR version has increased weights, more powerful engines ...
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ANA steps closer to Star Alliance
Andrzej Jeziorski/MUNICH GERMAN flag carrier Lufthansa and All Nippon Airways (ANA)have signed a codeshare agreement in a first step towards full Star Alliance membership for the Japanese carrier. ANA is already in advanced talks about a similar agreement with Star Alliance partner United Airlines. While Lufthansa is not ...
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Investigators explain British Airways 737 Dutch roll
Dutch roll in a British Airways Boeing 737-200Adv on flight test in October 1995 has been attributed to fluid penetrating connector pins associated with the yaw damper coupler, according to a UK Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) report. The full inquiry had been prompted by fears of uncommanded "rudder hard-over" ...
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New joint venture is established to work on Airbus nacelles
A new company to develop and produce engine nacelles has been formed by Hispano-Suiza Aerostructures and Airbus Industrie. The company, to be known as Aircelle, will be equally owned by the French company and the European consortium. Aircelle will involve CASA of Spain, supplying the cowl doors, and Aerospatiale, ...
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Airbus prepares 8000
Airbus expects to deliver the first A340-8000 in the second quarter of this year, following the conclusion of a 20h flight test programme which began with the maiden flight from Toulouse on 19 December, 1997. The A340-200 derivative has increased weights and two additional fuel tanks in the aft cargo ...
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Boeing prepares to step up 737/747 production rates
Assembly rate increases on Boeing's Next Generation 737 and 747-400 are to go ahead, with the US manufacturer confident that its production problems are under control. Output of 737s will double in number to 14 a month in April, and 747-400 production will increase from four to five a month ...