All Safety News – Page 1209
-
News
Forecasts for 2000 - Safety
Global pressures will force airlines to improve David Learmount/LONDON During 1999, new global forces for aviation safety kicked in for the first time in the form of sanctions. Where carrots failed, the stick was applied, and Korean Air felt the effect. Powerful global safety forces have recently come into ...
-
News
Single-engine IFR push hots up in Europe as UK reviews policy
The commercial operation of single-engine instrument flight rules (IFR) in Europe, so far stalled by UK opposition, is back on the agenda again, according to the Single Engine Turbine Alliance (SETA). The Joint Aviation Authorities is about to set up a working group to prepare a notice of proposed ...
-
News
Bad weather blamed for Air Açores ATP crash in Azores
Bad weather appears to have played a part in a SATA Air Açores accident in the Azores Islands on 11 December. The British Aerospace ATP (CS-TGM) crashed into the steep-sided Pico de Esperanca at about 1,100ft (330m) altitude on the island of Sao Jorge, killing all 31 passengers and ...
-
News
No failures revealed on 767, says NTSB
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC Analysis of sounds on the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) of the crashed EgyptAir flight 990 has yielded no evidence of an explosion or mechanical failure, says the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Investigators are unable to provide an explanation for what appears to have ...
-
News
Russia plans manual Y2K override
Alex Velovich/MOSCOW Russia's Federal Service of Air Transport (FSVT) will have extra staff on 31 December/1January to take over air traffic control and other procedures manually if necessary, says FSVT director Vladimir Andreyev. Although the FSVT is predicting a smooth Y2K transition for Russian commercial aviation, only half of ...
-
News
Where to build
Vital decisions have yet to be made on A3XX assembly Andrew Doyle/HAMBURG Julian Moxon/TOULOUSE The location for final assembly of the A3XX remains the only major technical decision for the consortium following the 8 December decision to go ahead with a limited commercial offer to the airlines. The original ...
-
News
In the front seat
Flight International samples Airbus' new flight desk technology for the A3XX Peter Henley/TOULOUSEAirbus Industrie has built up vast experience in the design and production of fly-by-wire commercial aircraft. A bedrock philosophy behind the consortium's ever-expanding family has been to achieve maximum commonality between cockpits. This means pilots can fly ...
-
News
Settling in
The problems that have plagued Hong Kong's new Chek Lap Kok Airport are being resolved Andrzej Jeziorski/HONG KONGThe new Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) has been surrounded by controversy from the outset. A disastrous opening period, high airport charges, slow traffic growth and simmering worries about weather phenomena have threatened ...
-
News
Family rivalry
For decades, Cathay Pacific has dominated the skies over Hong Kong, unchallenged by local airline competition. That could soon change Andrzej Jeziorski/HONG KONG Hong Kong's skies are still clearly divided as far as the region's indigenous airlines are concerned and are dominated by well-established long-haul giant Cathay Pacific Airways. Cathay ...
-
News
SAS board approves A330/A340 purchase
The SAS board has finally approved the Scandinavian flag carrier's long-awaited purchase of four A330-300s and six A340-300s to replace Boeing 767-300ERs on long-haul routes. The airline's selection of the Airbus types over the rival 777-200ER was revealed by Flight International in January, although the order was delayed until internal ...
-
News
Forecasts for 2000 - Airlines
Global alliance-forming is nearing its endgame Chris Jasper/LONDON The dominant trend in the airline industry in 1999 was the continuing expansion of global alliances, taking place against a background of varying financial performance: the USA faring well, Asia beginning to recover from its slump, but Europe suffering a ...
-
News
Euro capacity plans sought for 8.33kHz success
Emma Kelly/LONDON Eurocontrol is urging member states affected by the implementation of 8.33kHz channel-spacing to provide details of their capacity plans for next summer to ensure the success of the programme and alleviate congestion in European airspace. The mandatory carriage of 8.33kHz-compatible airborne radio equipment came into effect above ...
-
News
Crossair gears up for ATM-2000+
Andrew Doyle/SAO JOSE DOS CAMPOS Crossair aims to become the first regional airline to have aircraft compliant with Europe's future communications, navigation and surveillance/air traffic management (CNS/ATM) operating environment when it begins taking delivery of a fleet of 15 Embraer ERJ-145s in February. The carrier says it decided ...
-
News
Europe may go it alone on environment
David Learmount/LONDON The European Commission (EC) has threatened to enforce its own environmental standards for the aviation industry if the international community fails to agree action. The new EC document Air Transport and the Environment was released almost unnoticed on 1 December by Transport Commissioner Loyola de Palacio and ...
-
News
Next-generation datalink held up
Efforts by the US Federal Aviation Administration to develop and deploy the next-generation digital air-to-ground communications system could be delayed by budget cuts, US aviation agency officials have warned. For now, controller pilot datalink communications (CPDLC), a key element of the FAA's "free flight" programme, remains on track despite ...
-
News
SMA to increase take-off power of MR200 engine
Societe de Motorisations Aeronautiques (SMA) has pushed back certification of its MR200 diesel powerplant by about five months to enhance the engine's take-off power from 110kW (150hp) to 170kW. "We want to give the engine extra power for take-off to increase the aircraft's performance," says Luc Pelon, SMA's vice-president, ...
-
News
Marketplace
United Parcel Service (UPS) has decided to accelerate the acquisition of its new Airbus A300-600 freighters, with the delivery of seven aircraft next year instead of the four originally planned. The airline holds firm orders for 30 Pratt & Whitney PW4158-powered A300s plus 30 options, with deliveries due between next ...
-
News
Falling star
Belgian start-up charter Continental International Airlines has ceased operations. The collapse was caused by the dollar exchange rate, increased fuel prices and unscheduled engine repairs, it says. Source: Flight International
-
News
New PETAL partners will join in 2001
Swissair, Northwest Airlines and Honeywell (formerly AlliedSignal) are to join Europe's Preliminary Eurocontrol Test of Air/Ground Data Link (PETAL II) programme in 2001. PETAL II is Europe's groundbreaking validation of air-ground data links in operational air traffic control. The three-phase programme involves air traffic controllers and aircraft crew communicating ...
-
News
Finnair focuses on cost reduction target
Finnair is continuing its aggressive programme to reduce costs with a deal to sell a 60% stake in Finnair Gateway Restaurants to Gourmet Nova. The deal follows hard on the heels of the sale of tour operator Fintours, to the Thomson Travel Group, as it offloads non-core activities. Chief ...