News from FlightGlobal – Page 2394

  • News

    Easy ride on the Hill for mega-deal

    1997-03-01T00:00:00Z

    The face of special-interest politics in Washington is changing, and American Airlines is wearing a smile. An overhaul of the Senate Commerce Committee means the airline finds itself with new-found clout. The rise of Arizona Sen John McCain to chairmanship of the committee is a big win for American Airlines. ...

  • News

    Much ado about nothing?

    1997-03-01T00:00:00Z

    The countdown to full European deregulation has begun, so where's the rush to the starting post? When the final hurdle to full deregulation is swept away on 1 April all airlines in the European Economic Area gain access to cabotage rights, enabling them to fly between any two domestic points ...

  • News

    Airline News

    1997-03-01T00:00:00Z

    British Airways will transfer flights to St Petersburg and Pisa from London/Heathrow to Gatwick in March and introduce a four weekly Gatwick to Riga service, subject to government approval. The UK carrier is withdrawing its twice daily Heathrow-Turin service. Japan Airlines will codeshare with Air France on the ...

  • News

    Weber pens strike plea

    1997-03-01T00:00:00Z

    Chairman Jürgen Weber is attempting to stir up an internal debate at Lufthansa in a bid to persuade the pilot-dominated DAG union to pull back from strike action. In an unprecedented move Weber sent a letter to all Lufthansa employees in late January outlining the threats to Lufthansa ...

  • News

    Growth at a premium

    1997-03-01T00:00:00Z

    When Salomon Brothers Hong Kong released a report on Malaysia Airlines in late December, it left little doubt that the airline was no gilt-edged investment opportunity. Recommending a 'hold' on the carrier's shares, which put in a weak performance during the carrier's latest financial year, the report's title says it ...

  • News

    Latin five set to liberalise

    1997-03-01T00:00:00Z

    South America's five Mercosur nations are taking a significant if limited step towards open skies in the southern cone. The presidents of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay have inked an accord that would give airlines from those countries the right to launch third and fourth freedom services ...

  • News

    It's all in the name

    1997-03-01T00:00:00Z

    Martin Shugrue is being self-effacing these days. 'Hey, if it was just me calling up people and telling them about Air Marty Start-up Airlines, that would not get us anywhere,' he admits. What is attracting attention within the industry, he maintains, is the fact that his new airline is called ...

  • News

    Disquiet on the state aid front

    1997-03-01T00:00:00Z

    The debate over continuing state support to Europe's airlines refuses to roll over and die, just like the concept of the national flag carrier, which lies at its heart. With four cases on Brussels' books, 1997 may yet prove to be a landmark year. The European Commission's scrutiny of ...

  • News

    US cracks softest nuts

    1997-03-01T00:00:00Z

    Hard on the heels of a landmark open skies pact between the US and Singapore, neighbouring Malaysia is poised to sign a similar deal - giving Washington a significant boost in cracking the tough nut of protectionism that exists in Asia-Pacific. The US hopes the breakthroughs will have ...

  • News

    Viasa future looks bleak

    1997-03-01T00:00:00Z

    Iberia and the Venezuelan government were playing a game of brinksmanship at presstime after flag carrier Viasa ran out of cash and ceased operations on 23 January. Both sides are believed to be willing to let the airline fold but, according to one source close to the negotiations, ...

  • News

    Dress rehearsal

    1997-02-26T15:10:00Z

      The critical "free-flight" evaluation in Hawaii and Alaska, planned for 1999-2000, will serve as the precursor for implementation of the USA's future air-traffic-management (ATM) system. The brain-child of George Donohue, the US Federal Aviation Administration's associate administrator for research and acquisition, the so-called Ha-laska Project was given ...

  • News

    Noman take-over

    1997-02-26T15:07:00Z

    Air One has received approval from the Italian transport ministry to take over the routes and aircraft of defunct Italian airline Noman (Flight International, 22-28 January). The agreement will not involve the outright purchase of Noman, but rather the acquisition, through a three-year lease, of the airline's scheduled arm. ...

  • News

    Air New Zealand in regional revamp

    1997-02-26T15:06:00Z

    As part of a major cost-cutting exercise dubbed "Project Save", Air New Zealand is believed to be considering consolidating its two wholly owned regional subsidiaries and transferring some of their central management functions to the parent company. Attention is focusing on "Air NZ Link"-branded subsidiaries Air Nelson and Eagle ...

  • News

    Alitalia and Honeywell/Racal to run Aero-1 satcoms trial

    1997-02-26T15:04:00Z

    Alitalia is to run a single-aircraft trial of new-generation satellite-communication (satcom) avionics intended to reduce call charges drastically. The Italian flag carrier has agreed with the Honeywell/Racal Avionics satcom team to put the Aero-I equipment on a McDonnell Douglas MD-80 once the new service is implemented by Inmarsat - ...

  • News

    Lufthansa and SAS extend partnership to cargo flights

    1997-02-26T15:03:00Z

    Lufthansa Cargo and SAS Cargo have prepared a plan to extend the Lufthansa/SAS strategic partnership - which has to date concentrated on passenger operations - into the cargo field. From the end of March, the airlines' cargo sales teams will offer both companies' products and services. Integration of ...

  • News

    Sabena discusses Nationwide alliance

    1997-02-26T15:01:00Z

    Sabena is in talks with South African domestic airline Nationwide Air Charter over a possible strategic alliance. An agreement is expected soon. It is understood that the two carriers are looking at codesharing on several domestic routes in South Africa which would connect with Sabena's long-haul flights to ...

  • News

    AEA up 10 million

    1997-02-26T14:51:00Z

    The Association of European Airlines (AEA) carried some 148 million passengers during 1996, up almost ten million people on the 1995 total. A record load factor of over 70.4% was recorded, bettering 1995's 70.1%. Load factors on intra-European routes were down to 61%. Source: Flight International

  • News

    Miss Sarajevo

    1997-02-26T14:50:00Z

    Crossair is to revamp its flight schedules for its summer 1997 timetable which takes effect on 30 March, because of "changing market conditions". Plans to operate services between Zurich and Sarejevo have been dropped.   Source: Flight International

  • News

    Qatar finalises fleet renewal plan

    1997-02-26T14:48:00Z

    Qatar Airways has arranged to lease two Airbus A300s to replace its fleet of Boeing 747s on long-haul services from its base in Doha. The airline, which underwent a major management and strategic revamp late in 1996 (Flight International 11-17 December 1996, P10), will introduce two ex-Garuda Pratt & ...

  • News

    Airbus to introduce 'build to order' for A300/A310s

    1997-02-26T13:27:00Z

    Airbus Industrie is to start producing its A300 and A310 widebody twins on a "build-to-order" basis, in an effort to cut the number of aircraft which are having to be stored before delivery to customers. The A300/A310 firm backlog stands at only 29 aircraft, and the current production rate ...