All MRO news – Page 503
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News
Consolidate to accumulate
The maintenance, repair and overhaul market is expected to swell to around $35.9 billion by 2004, according to Doug Birch/LONDON Think of consolidation within the aviation industry and the frenzied merger activity gripping the aerospace manufacturing sector immediately springs to mind. Yet consolidation is also beginning to change the ...
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Safety team to probe Shuttle maintenance
Tim Furniss/LONDON NASA has appointed an independent industry team to review the overall safety of the Space Shuttle and its maintenance and refurbishment practices. The team will be led by Dr Henry McDonald, director of NASA's Ames Research Center. The move follows the discovery of maintenance-related damage to ...
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Il Avia loses licence after using time-expired engines
Russia's Federal Service of Air Transport has withdrawn the operating licence of a leading air cargo operator for maintenance violations involving the alleged use of time-expired engines on an Ilyushin Il-76TD. Il Avia, 10%-owned by the Ilyushin Aviation Complex and 90% by Vozrozhdenniya, a foundation set up to support ...
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Anglo-Russian consortium brings Tu-204F to the West
A UK freight leasing company will introduce the first of at least three Tupolev Tu-204 freighters in November, spearheading Anglo-Russian efforts to boost the fortunes of the Russian twinjet. AirRep, headquartered at London Gatwick, will take delivery of the first Aviadvigatel PS-90-powered Tu-204-100C in mid-November, with two more following ...
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Carriers link to beat US safety restrictions
Aeropostal of Venezuela is negotiating with Aerolineas Argentinas to combine their Airbus A310-300 services in a move to improve operating efficiencies and circumvent safety assessment restrictions on flights to the USA. The South American carriers each operate two Pratt & Whitney PW4000-powered A310s on operating leases from Airbus Asset ...
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Spares sale
The TI Group has sold its two aircraft spares companies to the UK's RF Saywell, forming what is claimed to be one of the largest aircraft-spares supplier in Europe. The acquisition of UK Southend-based Flightspares, and London Gatwick Airport-based Aerocontracts, which have a combined annual turnover of more than £12 ...
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Shuttle schedule switched
NASA has switched the launches of the STS100 Endeavour Shuttle Radar Topography and the STS103 Discovery Hubble servicing missions while inspection and repair work continues on the orbiter's electrical wiring (Flight International, 8-14 September). The tentative launch date for STS103 is 28 October, while STS101 is targeted for a ...
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DC-9 age leads to calls for checks
Old Age is catching up with the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 fleet as the US Federal Aviation Administration issues directives on two electrical modifications and a revision on the safe life of structural components. Reporting incidents in which short-circuiting has caused "severe smoke and burn damage which could result in ...
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Workshop
Norwegian low cost airline Color Air has signed a five-year engine support contract for its three Boeing 737-300s with Shannon Engine Support in Ireland. The deal for work on the CFM56s will be extended to cover five aircraft when the airline increases its fleet size next April. GE Engine Services ...
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AirTran pins hopes of return to profit on introduction of 717
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES AirTran Airways is poised to introduce the first of up to 100 117-seat Boeing 717s to support its efforts to become profitable this year for the first time since 1995, says chairman and chief executive Joe Leonard. The arrival of the 717 "will be ...
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Volga-Dnepr ponders new strategies
Chris Jasper/SHANNONOutsize cargo specialist Volga-Dnepr plans to launch scheduled freight services as part of a major expansion of its operations. The Russian carrier, which offers cargo charters with its Antonov An-124-100 freighters marketed through the UK's HeavyLift Cargo Airlines, may take four Ilyushin Il-96Ts freighters to launch the service, but ...
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SAA's Sun Air bid is rejected
Pretoria has vetoed South African Airways' (SAA) planned take-over and closure of Sun Air after refusing to write off R20 million ($3.3 million) owed by the defunct regional. The UK's Virgin Atlantic Airways is touted as a possible alternative investor. The South African Government says the proposed sale of ...
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Joining the jet age
Turbofan power is giving the 328 regional airliner a new lease of life Andrew Doyle/OBERPFAFFENHOFENIt is an unconventional way of bringing a regional jet to the marketplace. Fairchild Aerospace has created a capable 30-seat aircraft by re-engining the Dornier 328 turboprop with turbofans. First deliveries of the 328JET were made ...
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BAe to relaunch regional jet family with update of RJ85
Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC British Aerospace expects to launch development of the re-engined Avro RJ-X programme with the RJ-85 as a result of stronger market interest in the smallest version of the regional jet family. Two unbuilt RJ airframes have been allocated to the development programme, aircraft serial numbers ...
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Budapest maintenance venture sparks fresh Malév speculation
Andrew Doyle/MUNICH Lufthansa and Hungary's Malév have announced the formation of a maintenance joint venture to be sited in Budapest. It adds to speculation that the German flag carrier may be winning the race to invest in the soon-to-be privatised east European airline. The move will also further expand the ...
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Boeing focuses on cargo with conversion programme
Guy Norris/SEATTLE Boeing Airplane Services (BAS) plans to launch 757-200SF (special freighter) and 767-200SF passenger to freighter conversion programmes by the end of the year as part of plans to mount a broad attack on the cargo conversion market. It estimates the market could be worth up to $15 ...
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R-R grapples with European Trent overhaul strategy
Andrew Doyle/MUNICH Rolls-Royce (R-R) has failed to reach agreement with SAirGroup maintenance unit SR Technics over the structure of their proposed Trent engine overhaul joint venture, despite a year of talks on the scheme. Lufthansa Technik, having pondered participation in the venture, is no longer involved in the discussions. ...
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Star partners unite to repel oneworld bid for Air Canada
Brian Dunn/MONTREAL Chris Jasper/LONDON Air Canada and its Star Alliance partners are gathering their forces in a bid to fight off an attempted takeover of the flag-carrier masterminded by rival oneworld leader American Airlines, acting in tandem with the Toronto-based Onex conglomerate, owner of caterer Sky Chefs. The Onex/American ...
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Reflectone aims for closer Airbus link
Reflectone has completed delivery of four Airbus A320 full flight simulators, and is discussing a possible closer alliance with the European consortium. Three of the Level D-standard devices have been installed in the new Airbus Training Centre in Miami Springs, Florida, where they will be used to provide flight and ...
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Boeing-GE 777X deal sparks EC probe into exclusivity
Chris Jasper/LONDON The European Commission (EC) is poised to launch an investigation into airframe-engine exclusivity deals following the sole supplier agreement between Boeing and General Electric on the Seattle giant's planned ultra-long-range 777X. Outgoing EC competition chief Karel Van Miert ordered that a file be opened on exclusivity deals ...