All air transport news – Page 2553
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Aerospace in South Korea continues to develop apace.
Paul Lewis/SEOUL SOUTH KOREA has long been recognised as one of the economic miracles of Asia. In the 43 years since the end of the Korean conflict, the country has emerged as a major industrial producer. Having propelled itself to the forefront of the shipbuilding, automobile and electronics ...
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Virgin evaluates widebodies to replace ageing 747 Classics
Andrew Doyle/LONDON VIRGIN ATLANTIC Air-ways has outlined plans to phase out its fleet of six ageing Boeing 747 Classics by 2000, with the acquisition of a fresh batch of widebodied aircraft for delivery from mid-1998. The UK carrier is looking to "-bring in aircraft over a ...
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MEADS R&D work goes to two bidders
THE INTERNATIONAL programme office running development of the $11 billion medium extended air-defence system (MEADS) has awarded $80 million contracts to each of two international joint ventures to conduct programme definition and validation (PDV) research. The international programme, which is to provide the next-generation medium-range air-defence system for ...
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African Fokkers
Ethiopian Airlines received its first of five Fokker 50s on 2 October. The aircraft were ordered in 1995, to replace ATR 42s. Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique (LAM) has leased an ex-Royal Swazi Airways Fokker 100. LAM will use the aircraft to increase frequencies on its domestic and regional services. ...
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European/Chinese regional-aircraft deal hits hurdles
Paul Lewis/BEIJING Chinese and European aerospace negotiators have still to clear major obstacles before any final agreement can be reached for joint development of a new 90- to 140-seat regional aircraft. One of the most critical issues yet to be resolved by the two sides is ...
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Constellation finalises re-equipment plan
Herman De Wulf/BRUSSELS CONSTELLATION, THE Brussels-based charter airline, has selected the Boeing 737-300 to replace its aging 727 fleet, while additional investors have been secured to boost capital. The airline, which had been evaluating the CFM-powered Boeing 737 family and Airbus A320, will acquire up ...
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Marubeni to take a stake in R-R Trent
ROLLS-ROYCE hopes to boost the sales prospects for its Trent turbofan family in the Asia-Pacific region, with the signing up of Japanese trading company Marubeni as the programme's latest risk-sharing partner. The UK manufacturer says that Marubeni will "-co-operate on a range of activities to enhance the sales ...
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Smiths waits a year for delivery upturn
THE FULL IMPACT of the upturn in civil and military aerospace markets will take another year to feed through to the bottom line, forecasts Smiths Industries, as it turns in another steady set of annual results. The aerospace business saw sales edge up a little, to ú377 million ...
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Flight Safety acquired by investment giant Buffet
Graham Warwick/ATLANTA FLIGHT SAFETY International (FSI) is to be acquired by US financier Warren Buffet, after the aviation-training company accepted a surprise take-over offer from his investment firm, Berkshire Hathaway. The cash and/or stock offer values the US-based company at $1.5 billion. New York-based FSI ...
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MD-90 receives European certification
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES THE McDONNELL Douglas (MDC) MD-90 was certificated by the European Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) on 16 October, as Scandinavian carrier SAS took delivery of its first aircraft. Type certification was formally presented by the JAA to MDC just before the SAS delivery ceremony. ...
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Aviastar seeks state guarantees for Tu-204 sales
Alexander Velovich/MOSCOW STRUGGLING RUSSIAN aircraft manufacturer Aviastar is pushing for $30 million in Government guarantees in an attempt to keep alive the deal with Egyptian company Kato Group for the delivery of five Tupolev Tu-204 airliners. The Ulyanovsk-based manufacturing plant, which is responsible for production ...
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Air France signs US pacts
Julian Moxon/PARIS AIR FRANCE HAS ended its long-running search for transatlantic partners with the signing of commercial pacts with both Continental Airlines and Delta Air Lines. The French flag carrier also hints that an Asian partner could be signed up in the first half of 1997. ...
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Japan Airlines/British Airways refute speculation on alliance
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE JAPAN AIRLINES (JAL) and British Airways have both denied that they have sealed a secret agreement to form a strategic alliance, although neither denies that talks have taken place. The claims were made by Virgin's Richard Branson, when he stopped off in Hong Kong ...
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Deutsche BA undergoes major revamp
DEUTSCHE BA HAS announced a major restructuring, which will see the fast- growing, but loss-making, British Airways subsidiary withdraw from unprofitable international routes and expand its domestic network. The move follows the carrier's decision to sell its turboprop operation to France's Regional Airlines, dispose of its five Fokker ...
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NTSB urges 737 rudder changes
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC THE US NATIONAL Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is urging the US Federal Aviation Administration to require that Boeing make various changes to the design of 737 rudder-control and system components. Three of 14 NTSB recommendations would require Boeing 737 design changes, and ...
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From Many to Few
IT IS, AS WINSTON Churchill might have put it, not so much the beginning of the end, as the end of the beginning. Aerospatiale is to merge with Dassault, and now Thomson is to be sold to Lagardere. The French Government has made the two biggest decisions in privatising its ...
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Government delays TAP Air Portugal aircraft order
THE PORTUGUESE Government has postponed at the last minute its decision on whether Airbus or Boeing will supply 22 new medium-haul aircraft for state-owned TAP Air Portugal. An announcement had been due on 18 October, but this has been delayed by a week. TAP will not reveal ...
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America West A320 order is revamped
AMERICA WEST Airlines has concluded an agreement with Airbus Industrie to revise its A320 order, which will see it taking ten additional aircraft, as A319s or A321s under "better financial terms and conditions". According to the agreement, the carrier's existing order backlog for 24 A320s has been reconfirmed, ...
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Inchon incoming
Seoul is struggling to meet targets for its new airport. Paul Lewis/SEOUL THE GROWING IMPORTANCE of Asia as a world economic powerhouse is best illustrated by the fact there are no less than four major new international airports, either being planned or built in the ...
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Good business
Scottish regional airline Business Air is to add two ex-American Eagle Saab 340As to its fleet, bringing the total to ten. The airline wants to develop further its Manchester-based routes and take advantage of its new code-sharing agreement with Continental Airlines. Business Air, which recently became part of the Airlines ...