All air transport news – Page 2409
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Extended-range Airbus A321 enters service
Airbus delivered the first increased gross weight A321-200 on 8 April, to UK charter airline Airworld, on lease from International Lease Finance (ILFC). The carrier, which will take a second 220-seat CFM International CFM56-5B3-powered A321-200 from ILFC in 1998, put the first aircraft into service between Manchester and Tenerife on ...
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Chinese airlines lease more Airbuses
General Electric Capital Aviation (GECAS) has signed lease agreements with two Chinese airlines to supply additional Airbus Industrie A320s, to supplement the large number ordered by China in 1996. China Northwest Airlines and Zhejiang Airlines have each signed letters of intent with GECAS for two more A320s. The ...
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Finnair signs fresh pacts to strengthen Stockholm hub
Finnish flag-carrier Finnair has signed co-operative deals with Braathens Safe, Transwede and Maersk Air, as part of plans to strengthen its presence at Stockholm, Scandinavia's main hub, in neighbouring Sweden. The deals, which include increased codesharing and links on frequent-flier programmes, follow signs of weakening in Finnair's long-standing ...
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PIA prepares for $1 billion fleet renewal
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is gearing up to order $1 billion worth of new aircraft, as part of plans to replace 21 ageing widebody and turboprop aircraft in its fleet by 2000. The move comes as the carrier enters the throes of a major restructuring, with the Pakistan ...
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Saudi Arabia talks to Russia and China about new missile
Saudi Arabia has approached China and Russia for a possible replacement for its ageing Chinese-made CSS-2 surface-to-surface missiles (SSMs), raising fears in Washington that the move could undermine Western non-proliferation efforts. The Saudi defence minister, Prince Khalid bin Sultan, has held talks on the subject in both Moscow ...
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SIA is first to order FANS-A upgrade for Airbus A340s
Singapore Airlines (SIA)has become the first customer for the Airbus future-air-navigation system-A (FANS-A), with a commitment to install it on its fleet of long-haul A340-300s. Airbus aims to gain certification of FANS-A equipment on the A330/340 in April 1998, with ßight trials using its A340 testbed due to ...
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R-R, Lyulka Saturn form joint venture
Rolls-Royce and Russia's Lyulka Saturn are to form a joint-venture company to develop an industrial-gas-turbine engine based on the design bureau's AL-31 powerplant, which is fitted to the Sukhoi Su-27 fighter aircraft. The 16mW-power AL-31ST will be marketed by Lyulka Rolls-Royce, and will use advanced combustion system technology ...
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R-R, Boeing to draw up -524HT test plans
Rolls-Royce has signed a memorandum of understanding with Boeing covering the formulation of a flight-test schedule for the RB.211-524HT "hybrid" turbofan, although the timing of the programme remains uncertain as the UK manufacturer works to locate a suitable testbed aircraft. The -524HT, which uses the core of the ...
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Jersey European may add larger aircraft to cope with expansion
JERSEY EUROPEAN Airways is considering options for the expansion of its fleet, which could see the airline introduce new larger aircraft in 1998. The regional airline, which flies 12 British Aerospace 146s, four Fokker F27s and two Shorts 360s, has experienced 25% annual growth over the past six ...
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Saab signs up to A3XX
Saab has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Airbus to join the study phase of the A3XX programme, and is understood to be interested in taking a risk-sharing stake of around 5%in the project. Airbus has also signed an MoU with Finland's Finavitec, to add to deals with Belairbus ...
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Delta JT8D fan finding
Failure of inspection techniques at manufacture, assembly and in service were responsible for the Pratt & Whitney JT8D-200 fan-hub failure which killed two passengers on a Delta Air Lines McDonnell Douglas MD-88 in July 1996, according to findings from a US National Transportation Safety Board hearing. A minor flaw caused ...
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USA signs Singapore in open-skies push
The USA has continued its push for new open-skies deals with the signing of its new aviation agreement with Singapore, which is the first fully liberalised pact within the key Asia Pacific region. "The signing of this agreement-represents an important step toward ending restrictions on aviation services in ...
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RADA identifies $2.5 billion test market
A $2.5 billion market for airliner automatic test equipment over the next 20 years has been forecast by RADA, Israeli manufacturer of the Commercial Aviation Test System (CATS). The prediction is based on Boeing's recent market outlook, which estimates that the world's commercial airlines will add 16,160 new ...
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FAA demands an inspection of...
Following in-flight separation of a large section of a Delta Air Lines Boeing 767 wing-flap, more than 200 of the type worldwide have to undergo emergency inspection. The event occurred on a 27 March approach to Dallas/Forth Worth (DFW) Airport, Texas, and the pilots reported no problems countering the resulting ...
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Boeing chases Paris launch for 777-200/300X
Boeing has presented 777-200X/300X proposals to four major US and Asian airlines in an effort to launch the planned long-range twin derivatives in time for the Paris air show in June. At the same time Rolls-Royce (R-R) has become the second powerplant manufacturer to sign an agreement to offer a ...
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Arianespace faces board power struggle
Europe's Arianespace commercial-launcher venture is embroiled in a board-room power struggle over the appointment of a successor for long-standing chairman Charles Bigot, with French space agency CNES attempting to push through its own candidate against the firm's wishes. The company is reported to have been infuriated by CNES ...
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Delta selects Trent to power Boeing 777s
Rolls-Royce has secured its first US airline customer for the Trent 800, with the selection by Delta Air Lines of the Trent 892 to power its ten optioned Boeing 777-200s. The US carrier has placed a $500 million contract with General Electric to power the Boeing 767 component of the ...
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Fokker Aviation selects R-R Tay 620 for re-engined F28
Fokker Aviation has selected the Rolls-Royce Tay 620 engine for its proposed F28RE re-engineing programme, and is now entering final negotiations with the engine manufacturer. The engine, which has been chosen over the BMW Rolls-Royce BR710 and General Electric CF34-8C, already powers the F28's successors, the Fokker 70 ...
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Vietnam Airlines revises growth plans
State-run Vietnam Airlines is revising plans to expand its passenger fleet in the wake of slower-than-expected traffic growth. In 1996, Vietnam Airlines carried 2.5 million passengers, an 18% increase over 1995. Senior airline officials, however, had been projecting growth of between 25% and 28%. As the result of ...
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MAS reveals plans to raise $1.3 billion
Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has unveiled bold plans to triple its share base and raise nearly M$3.3 billion ($1.3 billion) to help underwrite a widebody fleet re-equipment programme and the company's move to Kuala Lumpur's new international airport at Sepang. The funding will be split between a M$1.8 billion ...