News from FlightGlobal – Page 2341

  • News

    SIA prepares for stardom

    1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

    As the clock runs down on one of the oldest alliances in Asia, US and Taiwanese carriers are forging closer ties following the recent open skies deal between the two countries. The first sign that Singapore Airlines' Global Excellence alliance with Delta Air Lines and Swissair is starting ...

  • News

    Sydney syndrome

    1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

    As Australia's government prepared to launch the second phase of its airport privatisations in October, the difficulty of finding a buyer for Sydney remained a significant cloud on the horizon. By Tom Ballantyne.Three down, 15 to go and one odd man out. That constitutes a pretty good summary of where ...

  • News

    Pilatus boosts PC-12 output after IFR approval

    1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

    Pilatus is stepping up production of its single-turboprop PC-12 in anticipation of increased sales following recent US approval of commercial single-engined operations in instrument-flight-rules (IFR) conditions. Production was increased from three to four a month in August and will reach five aircraft a month by early 1998. ...

  • News

    Air Malta strategy rethink leads to Avro RJ disposal

    1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

    Air Malta has abandoned the hub strategy pursued by its previous chairman, and is undertaking a fleet shake-up which will see its Aero International (Regional) Avro RJ70s transferred to Italian subsidiary AZZURRAair, replacing RJ85s. In 1994, under the leadership of the then chief executive Joe Tabone, Air Malta ...

  • News

    Alitalia brings A320s into Airbus contract

    1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

    Marco Massela/ROMEJulian Moxon/PARIS Alitalia is negotiating with Airbus Industrie for the conversion of its 23 outstanding A321 orders to include some smaller A320s, which would be the Italian carrier's first order for the 150-seat member of the Airbus narrowbodied family. The airline is also examining its longer-term strategy ...

  • News

    Smog causes air chaos in Asia

    1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

    Dense smoke from massive forest fires in Borneo and Sumatra is severely disrupting air transport across much of South-East Asia, forcing the closure of some smaller airports and the cancellation or delay of many domestic and regional flights. A thick haze generated by the fires has blanketed Brunei, ...

  • News

    Bournemouth's Scottish express plane

    1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

    Euroscot Express launched low-fare services to Scotland from its base in Bournemouth in southern England on 29 September, using a BAC One-Eleven 500 leased from European Aviation. The airline will serve Glasgow daily and Edinburgh at weekends, and will compete against British Airways Express (British Regional Airlines), which serves the ...

  • News

    American presses case for free-flight

    1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

    American Airlines is conducting a co-ordinated lobbying campaign to accelerate progress towards US free-flight, based on computer modelling which predicts that the region's hub-and-spoke system will seize up by 2014 if nothing is done. Over the past year, the airline has begun applying pressure at political and technical ...

  • News

    Condor prepares for low-cost subsidiary

    1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

    Andrzej Jeziorski/MUNICH Condor Flugdienst, the charter subsidiary of Lufthansa, is expected to found a Berlin-based subsidiary airline within weeks. According to Condor, plans are being finalised for a low-cost airline, to be called Condor Berlin, which will compete against rivals such as Aero Lloyd and Air ...

  • News

    BA waits on Russian approval for FANS go-ahead

    1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

    British Airways is ready to equip up to 40 Boeing 747-400s with Future Air Navigation System (FANS) avionics to take advantage of new cost-saving routes across Russia - but may walk away from the project if there is no sign of funding for ground infrastructure by the end of this ...

  • News

    Air Liberte signs allies in major consolidation

    1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

    Julian Moxon/Deauville France's second-largest airline, Air Liberté, has signed deals with American Airlines, Regional Airlines and three smaller French regionals in what company president Marc Rochet describes as the "first steps" in a major consolidation aimed at "strengthening our position in an extremely tough operating environment". ...

  • News

    Garuda is forced to defer 737 deliveries

    1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

    Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE Garuda Indonesia has been forced to postpone taking initial deliveries of 17 new Boeing 737-300/500 passenger jets on order, because of continuing problems in raising lease finance. The Indonesian carrier had been due to take delivery of the first 737 in August, but the ...

  • News

    Hokkaido finalises fleet for April 1998 start-up

    1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

    Hokkaido International Airlines, Japan's new domestic carrier, is finalising its fleet plans as it aims to start in April 1998. The airline has signed a letter of intent with Ansett Worldwide Aviation Services for the lease of a Boeing 767-300ER, to be delivered in February. It has also ...

  • News

    R-R offers local investment to win SAA deal

    1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

    South African Airways' (SAA) order for seven Boeing 777s, which has been in limbo for nearly two years, is back in the spotlight following an offer by Rolls-Royce to invest in a repair centre in return for a firm deal to power the aircraft. The move comes as SAA is ...

  • News

    Spinetta takes the Air France helm

    1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

    Jean-CYRIL Spinetta has been confirmed as the new president of Air France by the airline's board of directors, and has promised to "continue the strategy" put in place by his predecessor, Christian Blanc, who resigned over the Government's refusal to privatise the airline (Flight International, 24-30 September). Spinetta ...

  • News

    Cathay warns of a terrible year

    1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

    Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE Leading finance houses are cutting their year-end profit forecasts for Cathay Pacific Airways by as much as 30% after a fourth month of sharply curtailed passenger traffic for the Hong Kong carrier which has coincided with its hand-over to China at the end of June. ...

  • News

    A new vision in Rome

    1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

    Kevin O'Toole/ROME It was something of a homecoming for Dominico Cempella when he was asked to take up the reins at Alitalia in March 1996. Having started out as a check-in agent at Rome Airport 40 years ago, he was now returning as chief executive charged with leading ...

  • News

    Garuda Indonesia A300 crashes in hill smog

    1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

    A Garuda Indonesia Airbus Industrie A300B4 carrying 222 passengers and 14 crew has crashed on its approach to Medan Airport, northern Sumatra, in bad visibility. There are no reports of any survivors. Flight 152 is reported to have crashed about 45km (25nm) south of the airport at around ...

  • News

    Boeing hints at MD-95 family commitment

    1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

    Boeing has hinted strongly that it is committed to continuing with the former McDonnell Douglas MD-95 and is likely to introduce derivatives of the 100-seat aircraft. The news comes as ValuJet - the only MD-95 customer so far, with 50 on firm order - says that it expects to exercise ...

  • News

    Northwest Airlines confirms Airbus A319 order

    1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

    Northwest Airlines has confirmed the commitment it signed in June with Airbus Industrie at the Paris air show for its A319, with a firm order for 50 aircraft, plus options for a further 100 A319s and A320s. The 124-seat A319s will be used for growth, rather than to ...