Networks – Page 1105
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News
Board poised for A3XX decision
The Airbus Industrie supervisory board is to decide whether to authorise managing director Noel Forgeard to begin soliciting airline commitments for the A3XX at an extraordinary meeting planned for 8 December. If the consortium gets the green light, Forgeard will visit key target customers for the ultra-high capacity airliner ...
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Boeing claims 747-X will catch A3XX
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Boeing is claiming that its new stretched 747-400X design is capable of meeting and even beating the direct operating costs of the all-new Airbus A3XX. The startling assertion is based on revised performance estimates for the 747-400X, plus new, independent airline analysis of the latest A3XX proposals. ...
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Leasing companies drop 767-400ER commitments after poor demand
Andrew Doyle/MUNICH Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Leasing companies General Electric Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) and International Lease Finance (ILFC) have dropped their combined orders for seven Boeing 767-400ERs after failing to find sufficient market interest in the stretched twins. ILFC says it has switched its four remaining -400ER commitments for ...
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UK plans partial ATC sell-off
David Learmount/LONDONUK air traffic control (ATC) is on course for partial privatisation by the middle of next year, with the government last week announcing plans to put a bill transforming the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) into a "public private partnership" before parliament during the 1999/2000 session. As the government ...
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Guesstimation
Accident investigation is in danger of getting a bad name. The three US authorities - the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) - associated with the EgyptAir flight 990 investigation deserve some understanding given the ferocity of the media ...
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LHT Middle East
Lufthansa Technik (LHT) is aiming to announce a maintenance, repair and overhaul operation in the Middle East in conjunction with a local airline by the end of the year. The operation would be similar to AMECO Beijing in China, which is a joint venture with Air China. Source: Flight International
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CAL ready for launch
New Israeli freight carrier CAL (Cargo Air Lines) will start operations on 1 December using a Boeing 747-200 freighter acquired from Atlas Air and taking up extra capacity on other cargo airlines operating to Israel until it introduces a second freighter. Established in the 1970s by Israeli agricultural organisations ...
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USA pressures El Al over Airbus buy
El Al is coming under increasing political pressure from the USA to rethink its selection of the Airbus A330, and re-evaluate the Boeing alternative. Last month El Al decided to split its medium capacity fleet order between Boeing and Airbus, ordering three Boeing 777-200ERs and announcing plans to buy ...
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Europeans think radically
Julian Moxon/TOULOUSE Airbus Industrie and its partner companies have begun looking at configurations that could lead to the introduction of radical designs for new airliners in the next century. The first of a series of meetings to consider future concepts takes place in Toulouse, France, this week. "We are examining ...
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LTU starts fleet update with A320s
Andrew Doyle/MUNICHGerman charter carrier LTU International Airways is acquiring 12 Airbus A320s in the first stage of a fleet restructuring that will lead to the selection of a new widebody type to replace its Boeing 767-300ERs. The company, 49.9%-owned by the SAirGroup, is also considering concluding a sale and leaseback ...
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Long-range workout
How has the latest long-range A330 performed since its entry into service? Andrew Doyle/ZURICH Max Kingsley-Jones/LUTON Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC In its latest market forecast, Airbus Industrie predicts that 210/250-seaters like the A330-200 will make up one-fifth of the 14,800 new aircraft to be delivered over the next 20 years. The ...
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Air Canada prepares new takeover bid
Air Canada is set to make a formal offer for Canadian Airlines, after a Quebec judge declared the rival Onex bid to buy Air Canada violated federal law prohibiting any shareholder from owning more than 10%. The failure of Toronto-based Onex to acquire Air Canada and merge it with ...
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Tu-334 production set to take off
MAPO aims to reach a production rate of 24 Tupolev Tu-334 twinjets a year by 2007, but will need over $300 million to fund the production programme. It plans to utilise cash earned from its military export contracts to fund the production launch. The Moscow-based production plant was recently ...
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Air safety rift puts PNG air link at risk
Key transport links between Papua New Guinea's (PNG) capital, Port Moresby, and nearby North Queensland (Australia) are threatened by a rift between Qantas and its codesharing partner Air Niugini, over air safety events. At the same time, Brisbane-based Flightwest Airlines is terminating its Australia-PNG services, due to poor traffic ...
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Routes
British Airways is launching a new three times daily route from London Gatwick to Hanover, operated by franchise partner CityFlyer Express. United Airlines is introducing 20 new daily nonstop flights to key Californian business destinations, including Santa Barbara, Medford, Reno, Palm Springs and San Diego, from its Los Angeles hub. ...
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British Midland deal helps boost Star's presence at Heathrow
Laura Hailstone/LONDON British Midland (BM) has confirmed its much-anticipated entry into the Star alliance. This follows Lufthansa's acquisition of a 20% stake from partner SAS for £91.4 million ($150 million). The deal, which will see SAS' shareholding reduced to 20%, gives Star more than a quarter of all movements ...
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US Eximbank drops its opposition to PAL plan
The US Export-Import Bank (Exim-bank) has abandoned its opposition to the rehabilitation plan for debt-ridden Philippine Airlines (PAL). The move effectively clears the last significant hurdle on PAL's route to recovery from near-bankruptcy this year. Eximbank had been petitioning the US bankruptcy court to withdraw protection from the carrier, ...
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Belgian Government to decide on future of its stake in Sabena
Herman De Wulf/BRUSSELS Belgian transport Minister Isabelle Durant is pushing the government for a policy statement on whether it plans to sell its stake in national flag carrier Sabena. The new Belgian Government came to power in June but has yet to reach a conclusion about whether to hold ...
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Emirates turns class into marketable commodity
Mike Martin/DUBAI Emirates will consider taking a stake in other airlines - as it has with SriLankan - but will not rush into new ventures, Emirates chief director Group Services Gary Chapman said at the show. "We will consider opportunities with our feet firmly on the ground," says ...
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US-Italy air accord expected at conference: ATI
Italy and the USA are expected to sign their pending open skies bilateral air agreement during a major conference on 6 and 7 December in Chicago on the future of international aviation. Hosted by the US Department of Transportation, the conference is expected to bring together the transport ministers ...