News from FlightGlobal – Page 2231
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News
Swiss World seeks protection from bankruptcy
Swiss World Airways (SWA) suspended operations on 2 December after suffering consistently poor load factors on its single route between Geneva and New York Newark. The airline has informed the Swiss Federal Office for Civil Aviation (OFAC) that it is seeking Chapter 11-style bankruptcy protection through the courts and ...
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Moscow court case brings end to Aeroflot/Transaero union
Alexander Velovich and Paul Duffy/MOSCOW The two-year-old alliance between Aeroflot Russian International Airlines and Transaero has ended, following a Moscow court ruling that Aeroflot must pay Transaero R3 million ($176,000) as a balance of mutual financial claims by the two airlines. In early September, Aeroflot officially informed Transaero ...
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Belgium's City Bird announces first profits
Herman De Wulf/BRUSSELS Belgian long haul airline City Bird is diversifying into main-deck freight operations with a deal to acquire two new Airbus A300-600Fs for delivery in mid-1999. The expansion comes as the low-cost passenger carrier recorded its first net profit since starting operations on 27 March,1997. Last ...
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Frontier share purchase makes Vanguard tie-up a possibility
The main shareholders of Kansas City-based Vanguard Airlines have taken an 8% shareholding in Denver-based Frontier Airlines and hinted about a possible combination of the two regional US airlines. The investors, headed by William Hambrecht, say that it is desirable for Frontier to explore various relationships with Vanguard or ...
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'It's a sad ending', says Mesa as it settles all WestAir claims
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC Mesa Air Group has settled all claims by aircraft and equipment lessors against Mesa's defunct WestAir subsidiary for about $15 million. WestAir had operated United Express service for United Airlines until the partnership was dissolved on 31 May, making 43 leased aircraft idle. Jonathan Ornstein, ...
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Government saves Air Namibia
Hilka Birns/CAPE TOWN The Namibian Government has injected N$20-million ($3.7 million) into Air Namibia and has appointed a Malaysian financier to restructure, and re-capitalise the troubled national carrier as a state-owned company. The move takes the airline out of the control of state holding company TransNamib, which has ...
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Deadline looms over subsidy allegations
Rival manufacturers Bombardier and Embraer will complete their presentation of written submissions by 15 December to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) over a long-running wrangle involving the alleged use of subsidies to sell regional aircraft. The manufacturers have made a formal submission and rebuttal to the two WTO dispute ...
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Dawn of the auxiliary
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Tables complied by Air Transport Intelligence Auxiliary Power units (APUs) rarely grab the headlines. Until recent times, any mention of APUs has generally been for the wrong reasons - failures, poor reliability and inadequate support. Now it seems the tide has turned in virtually every aspect ...
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The precision approach
David Learmount/CAPE TOWN Learning only from serious accidents and incidents is a flawed way of advancing flight safety. It took until the 1990s to create a system which is more effective and workable, and until now to persuade most of the world's regions to consider adopting it. The system ...
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African dawn
Lois Jones/DAKAR David Learmount/CAPE TOWN Air traffic services (ATS) in many parts of Africa are already unable to cope with current traffic levels, never mind increased demand. Meanwhile, wars and political instability raging in parts of the continent mean that basic air traffic control (ATC) is often neglected and ...
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ATR holds 728JET partnership discussions
Julian Moxon/PARIS ATR is holding discussions on a possible regional jet partnership with Fairchild Dornier, as it postpones plans to launch its proposed ATR Airjet 70 into 1999. The Aerospatiale/Alenia partnership is also continuing talks on a tie-up with Embraer. Industry sources say the surprise talks between the ...
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Boeing cuts production as Far East orders dive
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Boeing plans to make dramatic cuts to commercial aircraft production and numbers of workers in 1999 and 2000 as a result of the Asian economic crisis. "It's not a pretty picture," admits Boeing president Harry Stonecipher, who says the cuts are being made because "the ...
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Swissair reveals Express brand
Swissair is introducing an Express brand to coincide with the launch on 5 November of wet-lease services by Debonair of the UK on behalf of the Swiss flag carrier and Italian independent airline Air One. Debonair will operate one of its British Aerospace 146-200s, painted in Swissair Express colours, ...
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Business Express sale
US carrier American Eagle is to purchase Business Express Airlines. The carrier operates 43 Saab 340s from major bases at Boston Logan and New York LaGuardia. The value of the deal has not been disclosed. American Eagle will initially operate Business Express as a separate company and gradually combine operations. ...
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Developing crisis
It is a nightmare scenario for any company. Immense production problems are overcome at huge expense, just in time for the market to collapse. For Boeing, the timing could hardly be worse. As quickly as the company's production recovery takes effect, the deepening impact of the Asian economic crisis starts ...
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Aer Lingus will sign up strategic partner 'by the first half 2000'
Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON Aer Lingus should be ready to decide on its strategic partner by the end of the first quarter of 1999, enabling a firm agreement to be finalised during 2000. The airline's executive vice-president for Europe, Richard Luchente, says that the carrier is discussing a strategic partner ...
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Air France plans US link to pave the way toward a global alliance
Julian Moxon/PARIS Air France expects to join a global airline alliance based on an agreement with one of its two US partners, "before the end of 1999", according to the airline's president Jean Cyril Spinetta. The signing of the co-operation pact between KLM and Alitalia on 27 November ...
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GPA sale
Air Canada has sold its remaining 10.2% interest in leasing company GPA. The bulk of the shares have been acquired by a Texas Pacific Group subsidiary, although other shareholders have also purchased shares. Air Canada will realise an after-tax gain of C$18 million ($11.7 million) on the sale. Although the ...
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MD-90 delivery kicks off Aserca's fleet renewal
Aserca Airlines has begun its fleet renewal programme with the delivery of a new Boeing MD-90 and is now finalising plans for additional aircraft. The Venezuelan airline has taken the aircraft on lease from Taiwanese leasing company Hwa-Hsia Leasing, via Caribbean airline Air Aruba, which has also just introduced ...
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BA's CityFlyer buy bolsters Gatwick hub
Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON CityFlyer Express says that no significant changes will result from the £75 million ($124 million) take-over by its franchise partner, British Airways. The London Gatwick based regional airline has a conditional agreement with BA to purchase the entire company. The deal is subject to formal approval ...