News from FlightGlobal – Page 2429
-
News
Earning its upkeep
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON THE BOEING 777 WAS launched into revenue operations on 7 June, 1995, with United Airlines, when the US airline began to operate its first Pratt & Whitney PW4000-powered aircraft between London Heathrow and Washington DC. For several months United was the sole 777 ...
-
News
Fast data
More and more airlines are taking advantage of quick-access recorders. Paul Phelan/CAIRNS The MAJOR QUALITY-CONTROL and cost-savings benefits delivered by quick-access flight-data recorders (QARs) are beyond debate, and most leading non-US carriers are already enjoying these benefits. Although some airlines have been surprisingly slow to adopt ...
-
News
Canada 3000 signs up for A330-200s
Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON CANADA 3000 AIRLINES has signed a lease agreement for up to four Airbus A330-200s, and is set to become the launch customer for the high-capacity twin in North America, and the first operator worldwide of the -200 version. The Toronto, Canada-based charter airline has ...
-
News
Swissair focuses on MD-XX and A340-600
Andrew Doyle/LONDON Swissair is evaluating closely the proposed McDonnell Douglas (MDC) MD-XX and Airbus A340-500/600 developments, as it approaches a decision on a new medium-/high-capacity, long-range type to replace its five Boeing 747-300s. The evaluation is being carried out jointly with Belgium's Sabena - 49.5%-owned by the Swiss ...
-
News
GEC-Marconi leaves IFE market
GEC-MARCONI InFlight Systems (GMIS) is to leave the in-flight entertainment (IFE) market when its existing contractual commitments have been fulfilled. The company has also experienced problems attempting to get equipment into service. Potential purchasers for the proprietary technology are being sought, but despite industry rumours, GMIS says ...
-
News
Crandall forecasts UK-US fares battle
Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON AMERICAN AIRLINES chairman Bob Crandall expects all five major rival US carriers to compete with the British Airways/ American alliance at Heathrow if the deal goes ahead. The American boss is forecasting a fares war across the Atlantic as capacity outstrips demand in the wake ...
-
News
Koreans fail to agree on Pyongyang
A RECENT MEETING of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has failed to resolve differences between South and North Korea over the planned opening up of the Pyongyang Flight Information Region (FIR). According to ICAO, "-some progress was made", during the meeting in Bangkok between representatives from China, ...
-
News
Asiana sets its sights
ASIANA AIRLINES is hoping that new bilateral air-traffic discussions between South Korea and Germany will lead to the carrier being given a much greater share of the European market. South Korea's Ministry of Construction and Transport and the German transport ministry are scheduled to begin talks shortly on ...
-
News
Europe takes fare action
Julian Moxon/PARIS THE EUROPEAN Commission (EC) is considering mounting an enquiry into excessive pricing on fully flexible business-class tickets in Europe. Transport commissioner Neil Kinnock says that an EC analysis has shown that such fares are often "significantly higher than costs", and may contravene EC rules ...
-
News
Myanmar interline
Japan Airlines (JAL) has reached an interline agreement with Myanmar Airways International (MAI), in an effort to counter All Nippon Airway's recently inaugurated trice-weekly direct service to Yangon. Under the deal, 21 of JAL's 29 weekly services between Japan and Bangkok will connect with MAI's onward flights to Yangon. JAL ...
-
News
Sabena agrees cost-reduction deal with unions
SABENA HAS reached agreement with its three main unions over the implementation of key parts of the airline's Horizon 98 cost-reduction plan. The scheme, proposed by Sabena president Paul Reutlinger, differs little from the one proposed by his predecessor Pierre Godfroid, who was forced to resign in the ...
-
News
FedEx commits to MD-10 effort
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES US FREIGHT giant FedEx and McDonnell Douglas (MDC) have launched the MD-10 programme with an agreement covering conversion of a minimum of 60 (MDC) DC-10s to two-crew cockpit configuration (Flight International, 3-9 July). The two-phase MD-10 project was launched after a complex deal ...
-
News
Australia and New Zealand
Paul Phelan/CAIRNS AUSTRALIA AND New Zealand have endorsed a deal creating a single aviation market (SAM), effective from 1 November. The move came 24h after aviation regulators of both nations sanctioned the A$475 million ($377 million) acquisition by Air New Zealand of a 50% stake in Ansett Holdings. ...
-
News
RB.211 failure puts pressure on RR for solution
Andrew Doyle/LONDON ROLLS-ROYCE IS under renewed pressure from operators of RB.211-524G/H turbofans to resolve turbine blade problems, after a South African Airways (SAA) Boeing 747-400 came close to suffering a double engine-failure on take-off on 5 September. The -524H-powered SAA aircraft (ZS-SAY) suffered a high-pressure (HP) ...
-
News
Airbus speeds up A3XX as Boeing goes firm on 747-X
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES AIRBUS INDUSTRIE has told airlines that it will present firm proposals on the A3XX ultra-high capacity airliner by the end of 1996. The moves signals a dramatic acceleration in the European consortium's plans to compete with Boeing's proposed 747-500X and -600X development. The ...
-
News
BA aims to slash costs by £1 billion over three years
Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON BRITISH AIRWAYS is to concentrate on reducing costs at the airline's main hubs at Heathrow and Gatwick, doubling its franchising business and restructuring operating divisions such as its European partners as part of a company-wide £1 billion ($1.5 billion), three-year efficiency drive. The move, ...
-
News
Samsung books exclusive Fokker access
SAMSUNG OF South Korea has moved a step closer to taking over Fokker with signature of a letter of intent giving it exclusive rights to examine the bankrupt Dutch manufacturer's books. The agreement with Fokker's board of trustees gives Samsung sole access to the company's accounts for one ...
-
News
Cuts in favour
"The World's Favourite Airline" might be a catchy slogan for an airline, which is the largest by neither turnover nor total traffic - even if its profits make it the darling of international stock markets. British Airways (BA) will be a little less of a favourite this month with some ...
-
News
Tibet test
McDonnell Douglas (MDC) has successfully demonstrated a series of simulated engine-out tests on an MD-11 for China Southwest Airlines at Lhasa, in Tibet, which is 11,600ft (3,540m ) above sea level. The demonstration began with a high-altitude test in the cruise at 35,400ft when the number three engine was throttled ...
-
News
MEA leases A320s and A321s from ILFC
MIDDLE EAST AIRLINES (MEA) is to lease four new Airbus Industrie A320/A321s as part of its programme of fleet. These aircraft, which will enter service at the begining of 1997, will be the first new aircraft to be delivered to the airline since the mid-1970s, when it introduced the Boeing ...