News from FlightGlobal – Page 2307
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Egypt's Lotus is ready to blossom
New Egyptian charter airline Lotus Air is preparing to launch services with its first Airbus A320, following maintenance on the aircraft carried out by Gulf Aircraft Maintenance (GAMCO) in Dubai. The A320, which was previously operated by Onur Air, is being leased from International Lease Finance, and will be ...
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Continental angers Delta chief executive
Delta Air Lines chief executive Leo Mullin has attacked the "complete misrepresentations" made by Continental Airlines officials on the carrier's failure to reach a merger agreement. Despite three weeks of secret bargaining, Continental eventually snubbed Delta and agreed to forge a strategic alliance with Northwest Airlines. Continental's chief executive ...
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Eurocontrol and FAA step towards common ATN
Eurocontrol and the US Federal Aviation Administration are to work together to create procedures for the introduction of the aeronautical telecommunications network(ATN). Eurocontrol and ATN Systems (ATNSI), the US group backed by the FAA, have agreed to develop a common American-European reference aeronautical telecommunication network (CAERAF). ATNSI, owned ...
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ICAO urges Asian action on airline safety
Asian states must improve their airline safety oversight standards, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has urged, following a spate of fatal accidents in Asia. "The Asia-Pacific region is increasingly, though regrettably, becoming owner of a series of catastrophic aircraft accidents," notes ICAO regional representative Lalit Shah. Specific regional ...
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Cash rich KLM buys up Martinair and considers further deals
KLM is to spend part of its growing cash mountain on acquiring the remainder of shares in Dutch charter and cargo carrier Martinair. The flag carrier also says that it is considering other share deals, including buying back the 25% stake still held in the airline by the Dutch Government. ...
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United and Mesa part at Denver
United Airlines is to terminate its codeshare agreement with Mesa Airlines at Denver, Colorado, on 22 April, ending its relationship with US regional Mesa Air Group. The move follows earlier decisions to end agreements under which Mesa subsidiary WestAir Commuter Airlines provides United Express services in California and the ...
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BAe ponders RJ cockpit and engine changes
Kevin O'Toole/MANCHESTER British Aerospace Regional Aircraft is studying further developments for its Avro RJ family, including new avionics and engine options, with the intention of improving the aircraft's economics and keeping the programme up to date. Although the RJ is now effectively alone in the 85- to 100-seat regional ...
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Routes
-Sabena has signed a partnership with French airline AOM covering routes between Brussels and the French cities of Toulon, Nice and Marseille, but extending also to French overseas territories, enabling both airlines to offer more frequencies and co-ordinate schedules. -Japan Airlines (JAL) plans to launch a twice weekly non-stop ...
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Japan-USA aviation pact opens way to codeshares
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC Andrew Mollet/TOKYO The aviation pact between Japan and the USA is expected to spur additional global airline alliances, with a key provision of the air services agreement allowing for codesharing for the first time in the lucrative Japanese-US market. Under the bilateral aviation pact ...
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United jumps in after WestPac fails Chapter 11
Western Pacific Airlines in the USA ceased operations on 4 February, after efforts to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection failed. United Airlines immediately offered to re-accommodate passengers holding WestPac tickets under a deal which would see the airline receiving up to 60% of revenues already paid to the failed ...
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GEC voices fears over European mega-mergers
Ian Sheppard/LONDON A new report from GEC- Marconi highlights fears within the UK avionics sector that it may lose out in the pending consolidation of the European aerospace industry with its interests potentially swamped by those of the aircraft manufacturers within proposed mega-mergers. Senior sources at GEC, ...
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Emirates closes on stake in Air Lanka
Emirates has entered detailed talks with the Sri Lankan Government to acquire management control and a 40% equity stake in flag carrier Air Lanka. The Dubai-based carrier was selected from a shortlist of potential international bidders. A Government technical evaluation committee says that Emirates was the only contender to ...
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French Government gets going on Air France privatisation
Julian Moxon/PARIS The privatisation of Air France has officially been launched, with the appointment of the two investment banks which will handle the sale for the French Government. Astake of close to 50%could be sold, including a holding for staff. The USA's Morgan Stanley and France's Crédit Agricole ...
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Moving goalposts
The UK Government's decision to give British Aerospace £123 million ($200 million) launch aid for development work on the wing of the Airbus A340 500/600 airliner may give a much-needed morale boost to the UK aerospace industry, but it may also do little to bolster (and may even harm) the ...
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Italy breaks waterbomber sales drought
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC Bombardier anticipates additional orders for its CL-415 waterbomber this year, after breaking a year-long sales drought with the follow-on purchase of two aircraft by Italy's civil protection department. The company is confident that it will find customers for most of the 21 aircraft remaining from the first ...
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Fairchild Dornier wins corporate 328JET orders
Fairchild Dornier has won six orders from four customers for its 328JET in executive jet and air ambulance configurations. Tyrolean Jet Service of Innsbruck, Austria, has become the launch customer, with an order for one aircraft in its corporate version, plus one for an air ambulance, to be delivered ...
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Investors rap Mesa for SJ30-2 distribution deal
Troubled US regional airline operator Mesa Air Group is coming under fire from investors for its year-old agreement to distribute the Sino Swearingen Aircraft (SSAC)SJ30-2 business jet. Wholly owned subsidiary Four Corners Aviation (FCA), a fixed-base operator located at Mesa's Farmington, New Mexico, headquarters, signed the distributorship agreement in ...
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New stretch of 747 defined
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Boeing has revised its future 747 growth studies to include a 500-passenger stretch version with a larger wingspan, known as the -400Y Stretch, while dropping another long range variant dubbed the -400ERY. The company stresses that the only new version of the 747 being formally ...
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Airbus puts back entry into service of A3XX
Julian Moxon/PARIS Airbus Industrie is to delay the entry into service of its planned 555-seat A3XX by at least nine months, to the third quarter of 2004. The consortium claims that the delay is "minor" and says that the current economic chaos in key Asian markets is not responsible ...
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EC to decide on Alitalia state aid probe
Julian Moxon/PARIS Marco Messala/ROME The European Commission(EC) is to decide on 11 February whether to open an investigation into allegations that Alitalia has broken the state aid deal agreed in July 1997. EC transport commissioner Neil Kinnock has written to Italian minister for transport and navigation Claudio Burlando, ...