News from FlightGlobal – Page 2527
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Aiming for the top
Phillipine Airlines is being revamped in a determined effort to polish its tarnished image Paul Lewis/MANILA For many years Phillipine Airlines (PAL) had the reputation of being a carrier with a problem. A series of soap-opera-type shareholder battles for control, a geriatric fleet of aircraft, poor punctuality ...
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New chairman aims to begin rapid shake-up plan at BWIA
Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON NEW BWIA International chief executive Gilles Filiatreault is to present to a meeting of the main board on 16 August a new strategy for the Caribbean carrier, just 11 days after his appointment was made public. BWIA announced the elevation of the former ...
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Indian courts resolve Skyline leasing wrangle
Andrew Chuter/LONDON US LEASING COMPANY PLM International has failed in a legal action to have Indian carrier Skyline NEPC, return two Boeing 737-200s, which it has on lease. The Bombay court has ordered the airline to pay arrears, which have accrued from non-payment of leases since late ...
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Business Express attracts interest, despite bankruptcy
SAAB AIRCRAFT, which forced Business Express into bankruptcy court early this year over a $20 million debt, "-has been approached by parties interested in taking over the regional airline", says Michael Magnusson, Saab's senior US-based sales executive. "We are confident that someone will take it over. A couple ...
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American attacks United's 'hypocrisy'
AMERICAN AIRLINES (AA) says that rival carrier United Airlines is "hypocritical and unprincipled" in its position on international airline alliances. The airline's comments were contained in a Department of Transportation filing over United's request for anti-trust immunity to allow it to pursue a marketing pact with Air Canada. ...
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IATA plans trial flights over North Korea
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE THE INTERNATIONAL Air Transport Association (IATA) expects to conduct the first trials of international flights through North Korean airspace by October, following agreement with Pyongyang to open up its flight-information region (FIR). IATA hopes that the proving flights will lead to new air ...
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TAM to buy LAPSA
Fast-growing Brazilian domestic carrier TAM is to take over Paraguayan airline Lapsa, allowing it to start international operations. The acquisition, which is due to go ahead by September, will allow TAM to operate on routes to the USA and Europe as well as within South America from the base in ...
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KLM suffers setback as costs increase
KLM has worried financial markets with an unexpectedly poor set of first-quarter figures, revealing a steep rise in costs and further bad news from its cargo operations. Attention has focused on a drop in the Dutch carrier's operating profits, which slumped by half over the quarter to the end of ...
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FBI agents raid SabreTech premises
US FEDERAL BUREAU of Investigation (FBI) agents have raided Miami-based SabreTech, maintenance contractor to ValuJet and alleged to be implicated in the cause of the 11 May crash, seizing company documents. FBI officials will not discuss the reasons for the search. Meanwhile, Lewis Jordan, president of grounded ValuJet, ...
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Leaked figures lead to suspension of Lauda Air shares
Shares in Lauda Air were suspended on the Vienna stock exchange after a bank official prematurely released first-half financial figures showing a sharp increase in first-half losses. Following the leak on 6 August, shareholders fought to sell off Lauda shares ahead of the official announcement, which was brought ...
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Lufthansa Technik warns against maintenance monopoly dangers
Andrzej Jeziorski/MUNICH LUFTHANSA TECHNIK (LHT) chairman Wolfgang Mayrhuber has criticised manufacturers which offer their own maintenance packages for aircraft and aero engines. LHT says that aircraft and engine manufacturers are increasingly attempting to "-elbow their way" into the maintenance and overhaul market and restrict current ...
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PW4090 flight-test programme starts on first Boeing 777
PRATT & Whitney's 400kN (90,000lb)-thrust PW4090 engine has entered a five-month flight-test programme on the first Boeing 777 aircraft, WA001. The engine will power 777-200IGW versions on order from Korean Air and United Airlines, the first of which will enter service in March 1997. The engine is an ...
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Delta launches low-cost Express from Florida base
Karen Walker/ATLANTA DELTA AIRLINES has entered the low-fare market with the launch of Delta Express, a single-class service providing non-stop flights between Florida and cities in the mid-western and north-eastern USA. Services, using a dedicated fleet of 25 Boeing 737-200s, will begin on 1 October ...
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Maintaining success
European maintenance company FLS Aerospace is to undertake heavy maintenance on three Boeing 747-100Fs belonging to US freight operator Polar Air Cargo. The programme will be performed "nose to tail" at the FLS hangar at Stansted in the UK, starting on 11 August. The Danish-owned company has also secured a ...
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Airtran
AirWays, of Orlando, Florida, parent company of AirTran Airways, has appointed its chairman and chief executive, Robert Swenson, president and chief executive of AirTran, following the retirement of John Horn. Swenson was chief executive of AirTran Corporation from 1978 to September 1995 and is a former treasurer, vice-chairman and chairman ...
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DHL eyes widebody freighters for European operations
DHL AIRWAYS is targeting late 1997 or early 1998 to introduce widebodied freighters on to its European network, as it seeks to modernise and upgrade its fleet. The US-based package carrier operates some 50 aircraft on its European cross-border network, including 24 Stage 3 Boeing 727-100/200 freighters. Two more -200Fs ...
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September debut for unique A300
A SPECIALLY CONVERTED EARLY Airbus A300 prototype will begin parabolic microgravity flights in September, operated by French companies Novespace and Sogerma, part-owned by French space agency CNES and Aerospatiale, respectively. The commercial venture has so far booked only two firm flights, carrying customers with processing and other equipment being evaluated ...
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US airlines exploit the boom
Kevin O'Toole/LONDON THE MAJOR US AIRLINES have followed up their latest round of record profits with predictions that their spectacular performances will continue into the second half of the year. The airlines turned in their best-ever net profit - of more than $1.5 billion - ...
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PAL will make regional-jet decision soon
Paul Lewis/MANILA PHILIPPINE Airlines (PAL) wants to finalise the selection of a new regional jet by the end of the year, as a replacement for its fleet of loss-making Fokker 50 turboprops. Domestic fares on routes operated by turbprops are limited, but the introduction of ...
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Delta orders Nordam hushkits for 737s
DELTA AIR LINES has finalised its Boeing 737 hushkit plans, placing an order with Nordam for Stage 3 sets for up to 55 aircraft, which will enable its entire 737-200 fleet to be equipped. The airline has placed a firm contract with Nordam for 25 hushkit sets, plus ...