All Ops & safety articles – Page 1165
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...and plans to end commissions
ANNIE REDMILE LONDON Plans by British Airways to axe a new travel agency bonus scheme and pay transaction fees instead of commission from next January has damaged a fragile relationship with the UK travel trade and may have repercussions across Europe. According to Sandy McPherson, chairman of the Association ...
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The next chapter
COLIN BAKER LONDON ALAN GEORGE BRUSSELS The transatlantic row over hushkits may only be a dress rehearsal for bigger battles to come over tougher world aircraft noise limits. Time appears to be running out on the hushkit debate. There are only a couple of months to go before the European ...
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Threat to single cargo platform
A three-year initiative aimed at developing a seamless, door-to-door system for conventional air cargo could be in jeopardy if a meeting in Los Angeles on 24 February votes as expected. At stake are plans by the International Air Transport Association's special interest group, Cargo 2000, to create a ...
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Virgin's Brisbane choice revives terminal debate
Virgin Australia's selection of Brisbane as its operations centre raises questions about the airline's strategy and revives the debate over airport terminal access. Brisbane is the smallest of Australia's three big cities and it handles the smallest share of their air traffic. Statistics show that 51% of all domestic ...
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In brief, International
Freight merger Lufthansa and Deutsche Post are looking at a pooling of their logistics operations which could see DHL International, Lufthansa Cargo and Air Express International brought under a single structure. The German post giant and Lufthansa each have a 25%stake in express delivery specialist DHL International, while Deutsche ...
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In Brief, Europe
Low-cost boost Most business travellers in the UK cite cost as the most important consideration when choosing an airline. The findings, in a recent survey by Barclaycard, a UK credit card company, provide evidence of a growing trend to the use of low-cost carriers. For the first time, two ...
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Maverick in Brazil
BRIAN HOMEWOOD RIO DE JANEIRO TAM has grown out of its regional status to become Brazil's second biggest airline. Its chief executive wants greater competition, although not an open skies deal with the USA. Every weekday morning between 06.00 and 07.00, TAM president Rolim Amaro can be found on ...
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Out of the blue
CAROLE SHIFRIN NEW YORK New York's new start-up carrier gets off the ground, boasting an impressive management team, some attention-grabbing innovations and a sizeable sum of money. Does it also have staying power? David Neeleman, the 40-year-old founder and chief executive of JetBlue Airways, exudes confidence that the newest low-fare ...
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Behind the headlines
The first batch of European airline results are in for the December quarter. Chris Tarry of Commerzbank looks at what they really tell investors. From a stock market perspective, there can be little doubt that airlines are out of favour. After a recovery in sentiment in the last two months ...
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Indian Airlines stake attracts interest
RAVI PRASAD NEW DELHI The Indian Government's latest plans to sell an equity stake in Indian Airlines this year has drawn interest from major Indian corporations. These include Sahara Group of Industries, parent company of Sahara Airlines; the Tata Group, which had planned to launch an airline in a joint ...
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Taiwan/Philippines heal rift with new air agreement
NICHOLAS IONIDES ATI SINGAPORE Scheduled flights between Taiwan and the Philippines were restored last month after the two sides forged a tentative agreement on new air services. It ends a dispute lasting more than four months. The agreement was signed on 28 January in Manila, allowing for flights to ...
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Technically speaking
Max Kingsley-Jones/LUTON The original Boeing 757-200 was a "sleeper" in sales terms. Boeing will hope that the new model is the same. After launch orders in 1978 for the 757-200, new contracts ran at a trickle until the mid-1980s. It has been a similar story for the -300, which has ...
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On the rack
Flight International flight tests Boeing's latest 757 model, the stretched 240-seat -300 which entered service last MarchPeter Henley/LUTONOne of Boeing's marketing slogans is that it has a family of airliners for every market. The 757 and 767 family members are intended to complement one another in range and capacity. The ...
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Marketplace
St Petersburg-based Pulkovo Airlines is acquiring two additional Tupolev Tu-154s and two Tu-134s, increasing its fleet of the two types to 21 and 10 aircraft, respectively. The airline plans to begin phasing out its Tu-134s from 2002 and replace them with new Tupolev Tu-334s. Evergreen International Airlines has placed a ...
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Sabena loss
Belgian flag carrier Sabena suffered a BFr563 million ($14 million) net loss last year, after registering its first profit in 40 years in 1998. The carrier blamed the result on high fuel prices and transatlantic overcapacity, plus the cost of launching its Airline Management Partnership with Swissair. Operating profit was ...
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Engineer shortage to push up wages
If the airline industry does not act to stem the engineer shortage, "employment costs for maintenance and engineering staff will equate to those normally associated with flightcrew", the UK Civil Aviation Authority predicts. Europe and the USA face such a shortage of avionics and maintenance engineers that it will "cut ...
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Design flaw found in Polar Lander switch system
The Mars Polar Lander (MPL) Failure Review Board has identified a fatal design flaw that could be a possible cause of the loss of the spacecraft on 3 December. A simple switch system to turn off the $167 million lander's engine when contact was made with the ground may have ...
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Eurocontrol will listen to wireless case
Wireless airport communication systems (WACS) could play a role in air traffic services in the future, but their potential use needs more investigation, suggests a Eurocontrol-commissioned study. Early last year a consortium led by DERA and including Rockwell Collins, Aerospatiale Matra, German charter airline Condor, SITA and wireless local ...
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Hong Kong carriers review fleets as plans for expansion make progress
Cathay Pacific Airways is expected to announce a sizeable order for new widebody jets by mid-year, as rival Dragonair enhances its position as a competitor for business from Hong Kong. Dragonair has revealed plans to double the size of its Airbus A330 and A320 fleet and is to launch a ...
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TAESA declared bankrupt
Mexican carrier TAESA (Transportes Aereos Ejecutivos SA), once the country's third-largest airline, has been declared bankrupt. Privately owned TAESA provided the main competition to Mexicana and Aeromexico, which, although committed to rival global alliances, are both controlled by state holding company Cintra. TAESA's demise can be traced to the crash ...