All Ops & safety articles – Page 1202
-
News
Battle to power A318 intensifies
CFM International's bid to power the A318 is expected to be decided shortly, says president Gerard Laviec. The engine maker has offered the CFM56-5A or -5B to Air France as an alternative to the incumbent Pratt & Whitney PW6000, but talks with Airbus Industrie have stalled over financial arrangements ...
-
News
Alitalia commits to $1 billion fleet upgrade
Andy Nativi/GENOA Alitalia has committed to a L2,000 billion ($1.1 billion) fleet upgrade of its Alitalia Express and widebody fleets, despite facing strike action by its workforce and downgraded performance estimates for the year. The airline's board has approved the purchase of five Boeing 747-400s, with deliveries from the ...
-
News
Floor lighting system puts fluorescence to work
Geoff Thomas Airlines and their passengers all get frustrated by delays - especially if the cause is something as simple as the emergency floor-level lighting not working. Wiring can become damaged, bulbs may fail or the emergency battery could be discharged; whatever the cause, the problem puts non-operational ...
-
News
Lucas capabilities
Lucas Aerospace is making an impressive display highlighting its depth of technology, breadth of systems capability, global scale and powerful financial backing on its stand. The firm highlights a video/multi-media technology centre and free-standing interactive CD-ROM stations featuring the Lucas Aerospace story, along with a multi-media presentation on the ...
-
News
Rests a boon for passengers
At the end of a long-haul flight, the last thing you want is a battle with your seat. Awkward leg rests and back rests could be a thing of the past, thanks to Mesag aircraftparts. The Swiss company is using its stand at Hall 4/C11 to showcase its latest ...
-
News
Stansted growth gets backing
The UK government today recommended that London's Stansted Airport be permitted to almost double its capacity. UK Minister for Transport Glenda Jackson says the government is recommending increasing the permitted level of passenger air transport movements (PATMs) at Stansted to 185,000 annually, replacing the current limit of 120,000 PATMs. ...
-
News
MAS to cut back on first-class offerings
Malaysia Airlines (MAS) is to remove first class from at least some of its 11 Airbus A330-300s and may reconfigure its 37 Boeing 737-400s and -500s to all-economy configuration. The airline is circumspect about plans that reportedly come after talks failed with an unnamed Brazilian carrier and at ...
-
News
Looking for approval signals
Steve Nichols AlliedSignal is looking for both US and world-wide approval for its new Enhanced TRA 67A Mode S transponder. It has already received Technical Standard Order approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), but it has also been designed to meet the new Change 7 and ...
-
News
Flying testbed shows off advanced ATC datalink
The future of European air traffic control (ATC) has been seen at Le Bourget. A Cessna Citation II research aircraft of the Dutch National Aerospace Laboratory (NLR) has been flying live ATN datalink demonstrations. Show visitors at Thomson-CSF could see ATC radar and controllers communicating digitally with the ...
-
News
Joint venture
A new joint venture is being formed in the field of aircraft landing gear maintenance, following the signing of a letter of intent by Messier Services and SIA Engineering (SAIEC). Under the agreement SAIEC will take a 40% share in Messier Services' Asian overhaul plant in Singapore. The ...
-
News
DIRCM system passes flight test programme
Northrop Grumman announced at the show that its 15-week flight test programme to check the effectiveness of its AN/AAQ-24(V) directional infrared countermeasures system (DIRCM) has been completed successfully. Northrop Grumman's Electronic Sensors and Systems Sector has been working with the UK Ministry of Defence and the US Special Operations ...
-
News
Transponder designed to meet needs of the future
Steve Nichols AlliedSignal is looking for both US and worldwide approval for its new Enhanced TRA 67A Mode S transponder. It has already received Technical Standard Order approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), but it has also been designed to meet the new Change 7 and ...
-
News
Solution to 'blue ice' valve testing problem
To some people living under the approach paths of busy airports, the sky really is falling. 'Blue ice' is the euphemistically-named substance formed when leaks from aircraft toilets freeze at altitude. As an aircraft begins its descent, lumps of ice can break off - hurtling towards earth and thus ...
-
News
LCD displays top billing at Paris
Forget your dials, gauges and clocks, the liquid crystal display panel is king at Le Bourget this year as a trip around the halls will confirm. Once the domain of cheap watches and children's games, the LCD has moved on from its "only available in greeny-black" days to give ...
-
News
Optical fibres are light years ahead of wires
Mark Hannant The lid came off the world's first optically powered aircraft fuel quantity control indicating system at the show yesterday. By eliminating all electrical connections between an aircraft fuel tank and its avionics and power busses, the application, developed by Raytheon and Smiths Industries, will improve reliability. ...
-
News
Cathay Pacific reveals pilot pay agreement details
Cathay Pacific Airways has revealed details of the revised pay agreement that its senior pilots have accepted, as negotiated between the company and its aircrew union, the Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association (AOA). Of the more than 700 A-scale - senior - pilots that responded to the offer, a ...
-
News
United 747-400 attendant hurt in accident
Improper operation of the galley elevator on a United Airlines Boeing 747-400 caused serious injury to a flight attendant on a Singapore-Tokyo Narita flight on 9 June, and caused the captain to divert the aircraft to Hong Kong. An initial US Federal Aviation Administration report of the incident says ...
-
News
ILFC takes A318s in new mega-order
Mike Martin International Lease Finance (ILFC) has ordered 30 of Airbus Industrie's latest aircraft, the A318 - part of a 60-aircraft deal for A320 family aircraft, it was announced at the show yesterday. It was also announced that AirLanka has ordered three more A330-200s. The list price ...
-
News
Regional squeeze
You would think that some industries learned from their mistakes. Not so the regional aircraft manufacturing sector. It appears again that too many players are trying to cram into a market with more products than it can reasonably support. At one stage, it seemed that the industry had accepted ...
-
News
Mergers
Shareholders in US Airways Express carrier CCAIR have approved its merger with Mesa Air, of which it will become a wholly-owned subsidiary. Heroux has increased its involvement in Bombardier's Canadair Regional Jet programme by acquiring fellow Canadian aerostructures companies Metro Machining and Les Industries CAT. Turboméca is to acquire the ...