All Ops & safety articles – Page 1223
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China's airlines take road to recovery with reduced losses
Andrzej Jeziorski/SINGAPORE China's airlines have nearly halved their losses for the first half of this year compared with the same period in 1998, according to official reports. The state-controlled China Daily newspaper quotes Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) figures showing that its member airlines suffered losses of 820 ...
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IAI Airtruck details revealed
Arie Egozi/TEL AVIV Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON Flight International has obtained the first detailed technical specifications on Israel Aircraft Industries' (IAI) Airtruck, as the Israeli company struggles to find a large enough customer base to launch its proposed twin turboprop freighter. IAI began developing the Airtruck several years ...
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UK starts ATC work
Preliminary work on the most seriously delayed of the UK National Air Traffic Services' (NATS) major projects, the New Scottish Centre, has begun. "Preferred bidder" Sky Solutions, the Lockheed Martin-led consortium, has been cleared to go ahead with "project definition", to be complete by mid-September. The NSC will be operational ...
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Lufthansa invests in punctuality despite ATC
Jens Flottau/FRANKFURT Lufthansa has launched an extensive internal programme to improve its punctuality, but says that 44% of its delays are air traffic control-related and thus beyond its reach. Lufthansa has been suffering a 25% increase in delays during the 1999 high season compared with last year. In ...
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Eurocontrol starts feasibility scheme on conflict avoidance
Julian Moxon/PARIS Eurocontrol has launched the feasibility phase of an eight-country Free Route Airspace Project (FRAP), to increase capacity and reduce potential conflicts in European airspace. Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden are co-operating in the programme, which comprises mainly simulation activities. The target for ...
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'Virtual cockpit' teams picked
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC NASA has selected six industry teams for its Synthetic Vision programme to develop "virtual-reality" cockpit displays that improve safety in low visibility operations. Synthetic Vision will combine satellite navigation with terrain databases and three-dimensional displays to show the aircraft's flightpath in relation to traffic, weather, terrain, ...
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Engine data relay to give early warning
Data Systems & Solutions will begin a real-time engine health monitoring programme for German charter airline Condor as its 13 Rolls-Royce RB211-powered Boeing 757-300s enter service in the next several months. Information will be transmitted during flight to Data Systems & Solutions' engine health centre at Derby, UK. After ...
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FAA lines up private weather data service
Two private sector service providers have been selected by the US Federal Aviation Administration to uplink weather and other data direct to the cockpits of business and general aviation aircraft. Under the FAA's Flight Information Services programme, Arnav Systems and NavRadio will build and operate competing datalink networks. These ...
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Domestic strife
Despite strong load factors and an expected 20% growth in local air travel, Taiwan's domestic carriers are losing money Brent Hannon/TAIPEI Taiwan's air transport industry lost $246 million last year, according to the Taipei Airlines Association. A survey of the airlines, however, showed a smaller total loss, of ...
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Malpensa malcontents seek EC U-turn
Andy Nativi/GENOA Nine airlines unhappy with a European Commission (EC) ruling forcing them to move all flights from Milan Linate Airport to the new Malpensa site are refusing to drop their complaint, and will lobby for a U-turn from incoming EC transport commissioner Loyola de Palacio. The carriers ...
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Embraer on WTO tightrope
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has upheld its decision that Brazil's Proex export support programme illegally subsidises Embraer regional jet sales. The WTO's appellate body also upheld a ruling that the Technology Partnerships Canada (TPC) fund illegally subsidised Bombardier's regional aircraft programmes - but the ...
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Top of the form
Taiwan's top carriers, China Airlines and EVA Airways, have made strong financial recoveries this year Brent Hannon/TAIPEI China Airlines (CAL) is aggressively expanding and modernising its fleet - in the past two months it has ordered 13 Boeing 747-400 freighters and picked up an option on five Boeing ...
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ETOPS refusal wrecks Airtours A330 introduction
The introduction of the Airbus A330-200 by charter airline Airtours International has been severely disrupted after the UK Civil Aviation Authority unexpectedly refused to clear it to operate its new twinjets on 180min extended range twin engined operations (ETOPS) flights. UK-based Airtours introduced two 360-seat Rolls-Royce Trent 772B-powered A330-200s ...
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717 emerges as favourite for BA requirement
Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON British Airways could be poised to boost the Boeing 717's flagging sales fortunes, with the twinjet emerging as front runner for a requirement to purchase up to 40 of the 100-seaters. A request for proposals (RFP), covering 20 firm orders, plus up to 20 options, has ...
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Hushkit makers push for EU court action
Pressure is mounting on the US Government to take legal action against the European Union (EU) unless it repeals legislation banning the addition of Stage 3 hushkitted airliners to the European register after next May. Lobbyists for US hushkit manufacturers believe the government could file a protest this month ...
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Southern aims for September restart
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC Start-up cargo carrier Southern Air hopes to begin Boeing 747 freighter operations in September, using routes and assets acquired from bankrupt Southern Air Transport (SAT). The Columbus, Ohio-based company plans to offer aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance (ACMI) wet-lease services initially, using an 18-year-old General ...
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UK takes private air traffic control route
David Learmount/LONDON The UK Government is seeking an established company to take a 46% stake in National Air Traffic Services (NATS) after confirming plans to sell 51% of stock for around £500 million ($800 million) within the next two years. UK electricity distributor National Grid and France's Thomson-CSF are known ...
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Drinking alleged before Fiji crash
A Fiji Air pilot had been drinking alcohol less than 4h before his Embraer EMB-110 Bandeirante crashed, the pilot's brother has alleged on Australian television. The accident happened on a flight from Fiji's capital, Suva, to Nadi, the island's international airport, on 24 July. Wreckage disposition, however, appears to support ...
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ANA hijack triggers security crackdown in Japan
Andrzej Jeziorski/SINGAPORE The death of an All Nippon Airways (ANA) Boeing 747-400 captain at the hands of a knife-wielding hijacker has caused a tightening of security at all Japanese airports. His method of beating security has become clear. According to ANA, the Japanese transport ministry has instructed all ...
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NATS privatisation hits Scottish ATCC
The UK National Air Traffic Services' (NATS) has abandoned plans to build its New Scottish Centre (NSC) as a private finance initiative project with the Lockheed Martin-led Sky Solution consortium in the wake of a government announcement that the air traffic control provider is to be partially privatised. The ...