News from FlightGlobal – Page 2251
-
News
Turbofan time
The entrée of the 30/40-seat jet offers the opportunity to focus on modernising the lower end of the regional aircraft fleet Paul Lewis/Washington DC The recent introduction of the new Embraer RJ-135 (above) and Fairchild Aerospace 328JET has heralded the entry into service of a completely new class of ...
-
News
EC approves Alliance engine plan
The European Commission (EC) has formally approved plans by the General Electric-Pratt & Whitney Engine Alliance to offer a powerplant for the Airbus Industrie A3XX, following a review of the tie-up's likely impact on competition. The decision had been anticipated after the Commission indicated last November that it was ...
-
News
Step by step
A year after ICAO's global CVS/ATM gathering, progress towards the ultimate goal of global implementation is slowly being made Emma Kelly/LONDON In May last year, more than 800 International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) states and aviation decision makers met in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to discuss communications, navigation and surveillance/air ...
-
News
Wishful thinking
DVD, e-mail and Internet access are among the next big things for in-flight services Emma Kelly/LONDONThe in-flight entertainment (IFE) industry's wish list just keeps on growing. No sooner have airlines and IFE system and service suppliers implemented a new capability to entertain, than they are eyeing up the next service ...
-
News
Next Generation 737 cleared for 180min ETOPS
The US Federal Aviation Administration has cleared the Next Generation Boeing 737 for 180min extended range twin operations (ETOPS) and is thought to be close to approving a 207min extension for the 777. The extension from 120min to 180min is expected to benefit at least four operators by the ...
-
News
Marketplace
Air Maldives is to acquire three secondhand Airbus A310-300s on three-year leases from Airbus. The first aircraft, an ex-Air Jamaica, Pratt & Whitney PW4000-powered example, will be delivered on 15 October, with others due for delivery at one-month intervals. Schreiner Airways has taken delivery of two ATR 72s on lease ...
-
News
Airbus' A3XX economics target 'unachievable', says Boeing
Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC Boeing has dismissed Airbus Industrie's 15-20% cost saving target for the A3XX over the 747-400 as unachievable. The European consortium claims to be ahead of the targets, as its US rival focuses on cheaper 747-based growth derivatives rather than an all-new design to meet its ...
-
News
IAI conducts final EROS tests
Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) is conducting the final tests on its first earth resources observation satellite (EROS), which is scheduled for launch at the end of this year. The EROS programme, which also involves US company CST and Israel's Elop, is designed to allow the imaging of every point ...
-
News
Workshop
Norwegian low cost airline Color Air has signed a five-year engine support contract for its three Boeing 737-300s with Shannon Engine Support in Ireland. The deal for work on the CFM56s will be extended to cover five aircraft when the airline increases its fleet size next April. GE Engine Services ...
-
News
Aerolineas Argentinas prepares to order new narrowbody fleet
Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC Aerolineas Argentinas expects to decide within the next year on acquiring a new standardised fleet of 40 or more narrowbody jets. The airline is currently leasing additional 737-200s. "We have had initial discussions with both Airbus and Boeing and we're analysing right now our fleet requirements for ...
-
News
Air France to let the train take more of the strain
Air France and French train operator SNCF are strengthening their co-operation agreement linking the airline's services to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) with SNCF's TGV high-speed train network. The move reflects increasing interest in "plane-train" co-operation in Europe as major airlines concentrate on developing international alliances and higher yield ...
-
News
Routes
Virgin Express will begin serving Berlin Schönefeld from Brussels, London (Stansted and Gatwick) and Rome from November. US Airways will add services between Manchester in the UK and Philadelphia next May. The airline also plans to add daily non-stop flights from its Charlotte hub to Paris and Frankfurt. Swissair has ...
-
News
AirTran pins hopes of return to profit on introduction of 717
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES AirTran Airways is poised to introduce the first of up to 100 117-seat Boeing 717s to support its efforts to become profitable this year for the first time since 1995, says chairman and chief executive Joe Leonard. The arrival of the 717 "will be ...
-
News
Boeing seeks to overturn China Eastern A340-500/600 deal
Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC Boeing is attempting to overturn a decision by China Eastern Airlines (CEA) to acquire Airbus A340-500/600s. It is proposing a deal similar to the controversial agreement the US company sealed with Singapore Airlines earlier this year, which will take the carrier's A340s in return for ...
-
News
Volga-Dnepr ponders new strategies
Chris Jasper/SHANNONOutsize cargo specialist Volga-Dnepr plans to launch scheduled freight services as part of a major expansion of its operations. The Russian carrier, which offers cargo charters with its Antonov An-124-100 freighters marketed through the UK's HeavyLift Cargo Airlines, may take four Ilyushin Il-96Ts freighters to launch the service, but ...
-
News
Air Foyle ponders new strategies
Emma Kelly/LONDON UK freight specialist Air Foyle is evaluating 100-seat aircraft for the expansion of a passenger activities, following the loss of a TNT cargo contract next summer. The company is also finalising the re-organisation of Ireland's CityJet, in which it recently purchased a controlling stake. Air Foyle ...
-
News
S Africa's Nationwide poised to launch international expansion
Doug Birch/LONDON South African regional Nationwide is preparing to launch crossborder services, with an expansion of its network into neighbouring Namibia and Zimbabwe. Nationwide managing director Vernon Bricknell says that the airline aims to introduce services to Windhoek, Namibia and Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, with Livingstone and Ndola in Zambia following ...
-
News
Four form joint union
Cabin crew unions from the Netherlands and Italy have formed a new joint organisation in the wake of the KLM/Alitalia strategic alliance. The Wings Cabin Crew Union (WCCU) ties together VNC of the Netherlands and Italy's SULTA, ANPAV and UGL, with the Dutch union claiming the four represent the ...
-
News
Canadian regionals lukewarm on merger
Canada's regional airlines are showing little enthusiasm for the expansion opportunities likely to accompany a merger of Canadian Airlines and Air Canada. Ottawa's hopes of retaining a competitive airline industry after a merger could hinge on the expansion of services by regional and charter carriers, which could take over ...
-
News
SAA's Sun Air bid is rejected
Pretoria has vetoed South African Airways' (SAA) planned take-over and closure of Sun Air after refusing to write off R20 million ($3.3 million) owed by the defunct regional. The UK's Virgin Atlantic Airways is touted as a possible alternative investor. The South African Government says the proposed sale of ...