News from FlightGlobal – Page 2205

  • News

    Air France close to A318 signings

    1999-04-21T00:00:00Z

    Julian Moxon/HAMBURG Air France has confirmed that it is close to ordering the Airbus A318 to replace its Boeing 737-500s, but director general Pierre-Henri Gourgeon says the airline remains in "tough negotiations" on powerplant selection. Airbus chose the Pratt &Whitney PW6000 as the sole powerplant for the A318, ...

  • News

    British Midland weighs up 717 but pushes for shrink option

    1999-04-21T00:00:00Z

    Chris Jasper/LONDON British Midland (BM) has emerged as a potential first European airline customer for the Boeing 717 twinjet. Chairman Sir Michael Bishop suggests the carrier might opt for the aircraft if Boeing can be persuaded to develop it as a family, including a smaller shrink model. The ...

  • News

    UK/US bilateral deal not such a 'big bang'

    1999-04-21T00:00:00Z

    Chris Jasper/LONDON UK transport secretary John Prescott will meet his US counterpart, Rodney Slater, this week for talks which, according to government sources, will move the two countries further along the path to a new bilateral air services agreement. Prescott was due to meet Slater during a visit to ...

  • News

    Routes

    1999-04-21T00:00:00Z

    Crossair is resuming flights from Zurich to Klagenfurt in Austria using Saab 340s following Austrian regional carrier Tyrolean Airways' decision to drop the route. KLM has ceased domestic services linking Amsterdam Schiphol with Groningen and Enschede. USAirways is expanding services from Atlanta, with additional daily flights to Boston ...

  • News

    SAS outlines fleet-wide renewal plans

    1999-04-21T00:00:00Z

    Max Kingsley-Jones/STOCKHOLMAirbus Industrie remains favourite to win an order from SAS for its new long-haul fleet, as the carrier evaluates a new larger aircraft type for its European trunk routes. Flight International revealed in January that SAS had chosen Airbus Industrie's package of up to 15 A330-300s and A340-300s over ...

  • News

    US carriers fight for domestic traffic

    1999-04-21T00:00:00Z

    US airlines have stepped up the battle for lucrative US north-eastern corridor traffic. Delta Air Lines and US Airways have announced plans to expand their Washington-New York-Boston shuttle operations, while United Airlines is to increase services between the three cities. Delta will offer flights every other hour between Boston ...

  • News

    Varig considers drastic cuts

    1999-04-21T00:00:00Z

    Paul Lewis/RIO DE JANEIRO Varig wants to make more cuts in the size of its fleet. The Brazilian flag carrier has opened talks with leasing companies to reschedule payments after a two-month suspension, as it continues to battle the fallout from the country's economic crisis. The airline has ...

  • News

    Asian crisis hits worldwide air cargo, dents passenger growth

    1999-04-21T00:00:00Z

    Chris Jasper/LONDON ASIA's economic crisis took a major toll on the air cargo sector worldwide last year, while severely denting growth in passenger traffic. The slowdown hit hardest at airports within Asia, although several US terminals also suffered, figures released by Airports Council International (ACI) reveal. ACI, which ...

  • News

    Bombardier profits rocket but may mask regional venture risk

    1999-04-21T00:00:00Z

    Brian Dunn/MONTREAL Chris Jasper/LONDON Bombardier's aerospace division is on a high, with revenues for last year rising by 32%, to C$6.44 billion ($4.29 billion), and pre-tax profits leaping by 42% to C$682 million. The Canadian manufacturer forecasts similar growth trends during the current year. Despite this and an order backlog ...

  • News

    Canadian Airlines ponders no-frills

    1999-04-21T00:00:00Z

    Canadian Airlines is considering setting up a discount carrier to cut costs and boost revenues, sources at the Calgary-based airline say. The move is part of a restructuring aimed to make it easier for money-losing Canadian to attract new investors. It is unclear how the new entrant would operate, ...

  • News

    Crossair chooses ERJ-145 regional jet to replace Saab turboprops

    1999-04-21T00:00:00Z

    Andrew Doyle/BASLE Crossair has selected the Embraer RJ-145 regional jet to replace its Saab 340 turboprops. It aims to complete negotiations with the Brazilian manufacturer in time for a deal to be announced at the Paris air show in June. The Swiss regional stresses that a final decision ...

  • News

    Spring clean

    1999-04-14T00:00:00Z

    There is no point in an airline carrying out a safety audit unless its employees, from chief executive to check-in clerk, are prepared to hear the truth, to recognise it as the truth, and then implement the findings. That may not be easy. Implementation may demand a total change ...

  • News

    Airbus readies for A318 launch

    1999-04-14T00:00:00Z

    Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DCAirbus Industrie is on the verge of finally launching the A318 twinjet. At the same time the European consortium has signed Egyptair as a launch customer while engine supplier Pratt & Whitney is pursuing a trade-in deal with Air China to exchange old Boeing 747s for A318 orders. ...

  • News

    China-US agreement

    1999-04-14T00:00:00Z

    China and the USA were poised to sign a new air services agreement, doubling flights between the two countries, as Flight International closed for press. The deal will see the 27 weekly flights available to each country rise to 54 by April 2001, when both will also add a fourth ...

  • News

    KAL acknowledges damning safety report

    1999-04-14T00:00:00Z

    Andrzej Jeziorski/SINGAPORE David Learmount/LONDON The existence of a damning report of dangerous Boeing 747 operations has been acknowledged by Korean Air (KAL), which has suffered 11 serious accidents since 1990. KAL, however, insists that the report was not part of the safety audit being carried out by Delta ...

  • News

    Continental and Boeing perform Y2K flights

    1999-04-14T00:00:00Z

    Continental Airlines has staged the first flight in a simulated year 2000 (Y2K) environment to test aircraft communication addressing and reporting system (ACARS) compatibility. Boeing, meanwhile, is close to concluding its own flight testing of Y2K modified flight management systems (FMS) and inertial navigation systems (INS). The Continental ...

  • News

    United polar route launch awaits Russian go-ahead

    1999-04-14T00:00:00Z

    Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC United Airlines hopes to be the first international carrier to launch a non-stop scheduled commercial service between New Delhi and Chicago, via central Russia and the Polar region. The service will start from late October, provided that Moscow gives it the go-ahead. The North American carrier ...

  • News

    Sweden's Novair plans long haul fleet revamp

    1999-04-14T00:00:00Z

    Swedish charter airline Novair is phasing out its fleet of Lockheed L-1011 TriStar 500s, as it prepares to update its long haul fleet with Boeing 767 twinjets. The wholly owned subsidiary of Apollo, Scandinavia's third largest tour operator, has appointed UK remarketing agent Cabot Aviation to find buyers for ...

  • News

    Marketplace

    1999-04-14T00:00:00Z

    Further to last week's report, the three Airbus A320s being acquired by Airtours International German associate Fly FTI are being leased from Japanese Lessor Orix. The Munich-based charter airline is also leasing a Boeing 737. Fortis Aviation has placed two 11-year-old ex-Philippine Airlines Shorts 360-300s on two-year leases with German ...

  • News

    Routes

    1999-04-14T00:00:00Z

    Aeroflot Russian International Airlines will introduce a new route from Yerevan, Armenia, to Los Angeles via Moscow this summer under the recently signed co-operation agreement with Armenian Airlines. Aeroflot is expanding its short-haul network, with new direct flights from Moscow to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Krasnoyarsk. At the same time, the airline ...