All Networks news – Page 1276
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737-800 takes to the air for seven months of flight testing
The first Boeing 737-800 made a successful 3h 5min-long maiden flight from the company's Renton production site in Washington on 31 July. The 39.5m-long -800 is the second of the Next Generation family to be flown. Boeing test pilots, Capts Mike Hewett and Jim McRoberts, report "a flawless flight", which ...
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Air UK considers options in fleet-expansion strategy
Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON Air UK expects to finalise its fleet-expansion strategy in the coming months in a move which could see the airline selecting a new 60- to 80-seat aircraft to slot in between its 50-seat Fokker 50s and 99-seat Fokker 100s. Philip Chapman, Air UK's director ...
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Airbus lands first A340-500/600 deals
Max Kingsley-Jones/London Airbus has taken an important step towards a full programme launch for the A340-500/600 growth versions by securing commitments from two major airlines for the aircraft. Air Canada plans to take the types as part of a major A330/A340 deal, while Virgin Atlantic aims to become ...
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Asians seek longer ranges from Airbus and Boeing
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE Potential Asia-Pacific launch customers for Airbus Industrie's planned A340-500/600 growth derivatives are pressing the European consortium for a higher maximum take-off weight (MTOW) and improved payload and range performance. Airbus is targeting Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Cathay Pacific to place Asian launch orders for ...
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BA considers move in low-fare market
Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON British Airways is studying a move which could see it proceed in the low-fare market against new "no-frills" rivals such as easyJet and Debonair. The airline, which is already seeking to cut costs by £1 billion ($1.7 billion) over the next three years, has ...
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Czech Airlines plans to launch charter division in early 1998
Andrzej Jeziorski/MUNICH Czech Airlines (CSA) is planning to set up a charter subsidiary which will start operating at the beginning of 1998. According to CSA charter department manager Tomas Jandecka, a business plan is now being prepared which should be finished by the middle of this ...
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EC sets out rules for BA and American alliance
Julian Moxon/Paris The European Commission (EC) competition directorate has laid out its position on granting approval to the planned alliance between American Airlines and British Airways. The paper, in which the EC outlines a series of problems it has with the alliance, repeats the call for ...
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EVA secures US partner and now looks to Europe
Brent Hannon/TAIPEI Taiwan's EVA Airways has signed an alliance agreement with an unnamed US carrier as it strives for a similar link in Europe. The US deal, disclosed by EVA president Richard Huang and described as a "full alliance", includes an exchange of frequent-flyer programmes. "All ...
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FAA approves composite repairs
Ian Sheppard/LONDON An aircraft-repair technique developed by the Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico together with composites specialists from Textron Systems, has gained initial approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration as an alternative to riveted aluminium. The bonded composite "doubler" is the result of a three-year FAA-sponsored ...
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FedEx MD-11 crashes
A FEDEX McDonnell Douglas MD-11 freighter (N611FE) crashed on 31 July landing at Newark International Airport, New Jersey. The MD-11, en route from Anchorage, Alaska, apparently touched down very hard on landing and then flipped over and burned out. The five crew on board escaped with minor injuries. ...
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New US taxes may take a toll on airline boom
Kevin O'Toole/LONDON US airlines could be hit with extra taxes of almost $4 billion over the next five years under recommendations from the US Congressional committee set up to establish an alternative to the 10%federal ticket tax. The recommendation, which is expected to become law from ...
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Volga-Dnepr introduces first scheduled passenger services
Paul Duffy/MOSCOW Volga-Dnepr, the Ulyanovsk, Russia-based freight carrier, has introduced its first regular passenger flights, following a request from its home city's council to provide scheduled services after Simbirsk Avia ceased operating. The airline is operating services between Ulyanovsk and Moscow (twice daily), St. Petersburg (three ...
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Air jets off
French independent Air Jet, which pioneered ticketless travel in Europe, has ceased scheduled operations and withdrawn from its solitary route, from Paris/Charles de Gaulle to London/City. Air Jet will continue to operate in the charter sector. Source: Airline Business
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Laker sues BA
Laker Airways has filed an antitrust lawsuit against British Airways in the US, alleging exclusionary tactics by the UK major. The US startup claims that BA controls the slot allocation committee at London/ Gatwick, which denies Laker a 'fair opportunity to compete on Miami-London'. The suit also says that Laker ...
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Paris terminal
The new French government has suspended construction of two extra runways at Paris/Charles de Gaulle, following traffic noise concerns. The runways are vital for Air France's expansion at its main hub, which is close to its capacity limit. Source: Airline Business
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Little moves on US-Japan
Alliance plans appear to have led to a softening of United Airlines' stance towards US bilateral talks with Japan, but there is little progress on open skies talks with the UK. Formal bilateral negotiations between Japan and the US resumed in July, with Tokyo still rejecting the prospect ...
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US starts up merge mania
Low-fare, low-cost startups on both the east and west coasts of the US are seeking critical mass through mergers in their struggle for survival. On the east coast, ValuJet's mid-July merger with Airways Corporation allows the Atlanta-based airline to obtain critical mass without technically infringing the growth restrictions ...
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AA set to win Latin stake?
Victory appeared close for American Airlines at presstime in its bid to capture a stake in Aerolineas Argentinas. Although American was making no comment and Continental Airlines, the other bidder, said it had not been informed of any decision, well informed sources in the US were saying that ...
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Alitalia gets cash crutch
State aid conditions attached to Alitalia's capital injection present few surprises, other than the insistence on the removal of the carrier's monopoly rights on international routes and a potential loophole which could allow the carrier to circumvent restrictions on capacity expansion. The European Commission was set to rule ...
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Business revolution
While Ansett Australia is certain to benefit from its relationships with Air New Zealand, United and Singapore Airlines, the carrier knows that internal change is required to ensure a more profitable future. By Tom Ballantyne. When former Cathay Pacific managing director Rod Eddington took control of financially struggling Ansett ...