All air transport news – Page 2449

  • News

    Boeing's new 737 comes together

    1996-10-30T00:00:00Z

    The first example of the next-generation Boeing 737 family is coming together on the assembly line at Renton. The first aircraft, a 737-700, recently received its vertical tail unit and horizontal stabilisers. The new model will be rolled out in December, and the first flight is due in February 1997. ...

  • News

    Airbus is close to concluding A3XX powerplant agreements

    1996-10-30T00:00:00Z

    Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE Airbus Industrie is working to conclude agreements with the General Electric-Pratt & Whitney Engine Alliance and Rolls-Royce, so it can formally offer airlines a choice of power plants for its planned A3XX ultra-high-capacity airliner. The engine manufacturers are expected soon to sign memoranda of ...

  • News

    Aviastar Asia ties up deal for 20 Tu-204s

    1996-10-30T00:00:00Z

    Paul Duffy/SHANNON Aviastar Asia (AAC), the new joint venture set up in Taipei to market the Tupolev Tu-204 outside Russia, has now signed a contract for 20 aircraft, which is expected to be announced officially at Airshow China '96 at Zhuhai in November. Singapore-registered AAC brings ...

  • News

    BA ditches plans for British Mediterranean franchise

    1996-10-30T00:00:00Z

    British Airways has abandoned proposals to operate its services to the Levant under a franchise agreement with British Mediterranean Airways (BMed), and both carriers say that they will continue to serve the Middle Eastern region independently. The two airlines struck a deal to operate joint services to Amman, ...

  • News

    CAAC holds up Chinese airliner approvals

    1996-10-30T00:00:00Z

    Paul Lewis/BEIJING Chinese airlines are facing a growing backlog of pending aircraft orders and leases waiting for final approval from the country's civil aviation authority and Government. All Chinese aircraft orders and lease agreements of longer then one year are required to be submitted to ...

  • News

    GE modifies GE90 combustion with manifold redesign

    1996-10-30T00:00:00Z

    GE Aircraft Engines is planning to introduce a modified GE90 combustion system from mid-1997, designed to reduce manufacturing costs, emissions and weight. The only physical change is a redesigned manifold, while alterations to the fuel-nozzle system have been achieved through software modifications. "We have simplified the [double annular] ...

  • News

    AlliedSignal invests to boost LF507 despatch reliability

    1996-10-30T00:00:00Z

    AlliedSignal says that it is aiming for 99.95% LF507 dispatch reliability on the Avro RJ100 by the end of 1997 as the main target of an aggressive support campaign. The engine's reliability was criticised recently by Crossair president Moritz Suter (Flight Inter- national, 16-22 October). Allied- Signal Engines ...

  • News

    Sabena links with Virgin Express for Heathrow route

    1996-10-30T00:00:00Z

    Herman De Wulf/BRUSSELS Virgin Express is launching scheduled services between Brussels and London Heathrow, in a code-share deal with Sabena under which it will replace the Belgian flag carrier on the route. The low-cost Brussels-based airline launched services on 27 October with nine daily return ...

  • News

    Westpac orders 737s and takes options on -700

    1996-10-30T00:00:00Z

    Western Pacific Airlines (Westpac) has finalised its expected order for new Boeing 737s, with an agreement for up to 12 aircraft, including options on the next-generation -700. The fast-growing, low-cost start-up, which has been in negotiations with Boeing for some months, has now placed a firm contract for ...

  • News

    The tangled web

    1996-10-30T00:00:00Z

    As free flight comes closer to reality, all parties involved in the concept find the final details difficult to agree. Julian Moxon and Kevin O'Toole/AMSTERDAM Few concepts have caught the aviation industry's collective imagination as strongly as that of "free flight". The prospect of aircrews being able ...

  • News

    CNS/ATM programmes in Europe

    1996-10-30T00:00:00Z

    PROGRAMME FOR HARMONISED AIR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT RESEARCH IN EURO-CONTROL (PHARE) Aimed at demonstrating the feasibility and merits of a future air-to-ground integrated air-traffic-management system in all phases of flight. Now part of Euro-control's European Air Traffic Management System initiative. The last of three demonstrations in 1998 will include ...

  • News

    The big turnaround

    1996-10-30T00:00:00Z

    A pilot shortage may be about to bite, but the major carriers are likely to be unaffected Karen Walker/ATLANTA It seemed almost impossible three years ago, but the airline pilot is a wanted commodity again. In the USA, it is believed that almost every major airline will ...

  • News

    MDC board approves MD-XX for airlines

    1996-10-30T00:00:00Z

    McDonnell Douglas (MDC) is understood to have given board-level approval to its civil-aircraft arm to start offering the MD-XX tri-jet family to airlines. A final board decision was due to be made at a meeting held at St Louis, Missouri, on 25 October attended by MDC president and ...

  • News

    Cargo crash

    1996-10-30T00:00:00Z

    A Boeing 707 freighter operated by Millon Air caught fire and crashed in a densely populated neighbourhood of Manta, Ecuador, on 22 October. At least 22 people were killed and 60 injured when the Miami, Florida-bound jet, loaded with flowers and frozen fish, lost altitude and crashed. The crew of ...

  • News

    Asiana engine bidders await decision

    1996-10-30T00:00:00Z

    Competing power plant manufacturers are hoping for a decision from Asiana Airlines in November on the selection of engines for its planned fleet of 20 Boeing 777-200/300 and 28 Airbus A330-200/300 wide-body aircraft. According to local sources, General Electric, Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce are now into the ...

  • News

    Koreans join 747X

    1996-10-30T00:00:00Z

    Boeing 747 subcontractor, Northrop Grumman has signed memoranda of understandings with Korean Air and Samsung Aerospace to supply structural components for the planned new 747-500/600X derivatives. The two South Korean companies are discussing supplying parts for the new aircraft's fuselage and empennage. Korean Air already builds the 747-400's flap tracks, ...

  • News

    Smiths' work on Beech MkII

    1996-10-30T00:00:00Z

    Sir - Peter Henley gives a very positive view of the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System-winning Raytheon Beech MkII trainer in his flight test (Flight International, 2-8 October, P30). Our only regret is that Smiths Industries' contribution is not mentioned - the programme will provide us with $100 ...

  • News

    ANA buys Wicat A320

    1996-10-30T00:00:00Z

    All Nippon Airways (ANA) of Japan has become the latest carrier to purchase an Airbus Industrie A320 flight-management and guidance system (FMGS) "free-play" trainer from Wicat Systems. The ANA trainer consists of a cockpit replica with simulated primary-flight and navigation displays, multi-function control/ display unit, flight-control unit, thrust ...

  • News

    CAE Electronics prepares to equip India's FANS centre

    1996-10-30T00:00:00Z

    CAE Electronics is preparing to deliver a future air-navigation system (FANS) workstation to India, for installation in the Calcutta air-traffic-control centre. The workstation will enable India to offer fuel-saving routes over the Bay of Bengal to airlines operating Boeing 747-400s with FANS-1 avionics. The workstation is similar to ...

  • News

    Satena Dorniers

    1996-10-30T00:00:00Z

    Colombian airline Satena has ordered three Fairchild Dornier 328-120s to replace its British Aerospace 748s.     Source: Flight International