All Ops & safety articles – Page 1225
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Beijing breaks ice with USA
US negotiators seem optimistic that a recent thaw in informal talks with China could lead to formal negotiations and a new bilateral this year. Washington has no expectation of "open skies," but hopes to gain more access to China with fewer restrictions for more US carriers. Last year Beijing ...
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Southwest bites the Big Apple
It is the news that other US carriers hoped never to hear. Southwest Airlines is about to take a bite out of the Big Apple and begin operating from New York. Analysts and rival airlines have speculated about the possibility for years, but Southwest has deliberately avoided the New ...
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French ambition
With a pilot deal under its belt, the French national carrier is now moving ahead with a flotation. But a global alliance still escapes the airline, while there are also doubts over its ambitious expansion plans. When in the autumn of 1997 former Air Inter boss, Jean-Cyril Spinetta, was ...
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Brazil takes off all fares controls
Brazil has removed the last remaining controls on internal air fares, although the move is expected to have little effect on a market that is still in upheaval following the major deregulatory measures taken one year ago. The Brazilian Civil Aviation Authority (DAC) has announced that airlines are free ...
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Airlines face lawsuits for pesticide spraying
Airlines are facing new complaints, union trouble and possible lawsuits over pesticide spraying on aircraft. In the USA, two major lawsuits filed by flight attendants in Louisiana and California against pesticide manufacturers claim that many crew members are suffering chronic illness and multiple chemical sensitivity from long term exposure ...
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Swissair standby dials
Cockpit voice recorder data from the 2 September 1998 Swissair Boeing MD-11 crash off Nova Scotia, reportedly show that the pilots were flying on battery run standby instruments from just over 6 min before impact with the sea. There is also evidence in the tapes, leaked to the Wall Street ...
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Routes
-Southwest Airlines is introducing direct flights from Nashville to Fort Lauderdale and Seattle from April, and direct services from Chicago Midway to Houston and Phoenix in May. -Continental Airlines will launch a daily direct service from New York Newark to Tel Aviv in August, using Boeing 777-200s. This will be ...
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Sirocco re-evaluates strategy
Andrew Doyle/MUNICH Sirocco Aerospace and Lufthansa Technik have frozen plans to establish a worldwide support network for the Tupolev Tu-204-120, in the face of the Russian economic crisis. Meanwhile, the German company's sister business, Lufthansa Cargo, confirms that it has decided not to acquire the freighter version of ...
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US report plays down fears of GPS navigation signal jamming
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC A study conducted by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory concludes that risks associated with jamming of the global positioning system (GPS) signal can be managed. This can be achieved if steps are taken to minimise the prospects of intentional and unintentional interference, says a ...
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Maintenance Directory
Part 1: The AmericasGraham Warwick/WASHINGTON DCData Tables/Air Transport Intelligence Consolidation continues in the North American commercial aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul sector, and is likely to remain the trend as its customers - the region's airlines - brace for an anticipated recession. How deeply any downturn bites into the ...
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Visionaire workers suffer cutbacks
Dave Higdon/WITCHITA Visionaire has laid off the bulk of its workforce pending the conclusion of a continuing design review, and receipt of a substantial cash injection sought to fund the development of its Vantage single engined jet. The second wave of layoffs in as many months displaced about ...
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Russians consider industry restructure
Alexander Velovich/MOSCOW The Russian government is considering moves toward a merger of the nation's two fighter manufacturers, MAPO and Sukhoi. An order for the restructuring is reported to be awaiting approval at prime minister Yevgeny Primakov's office, say reports in the Russian media. The government set up an ...
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Eurocontrol firms up separation plans in bid to beat congestion
Andrew Doyle/DUBROVNIK Proposals for a major shake-up of Europe's congested airspace, aimed at securing extra capacity, will be considered by Eurocontrol in April. If approved, the programme will commit 38 countries to work together to introduce reduced vertical separation minima (RVSM) between flight levels 290 and 410 simultaneously ...
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Corruption charges hit Australian reforms
Paul Phelan/CAIRNS Intended reform of Australia's civil aviation regulatory infrastructure is being held up by an escalating confrontation between the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and the Bureau of Air Safety Investigation (BASI). Allegations of corruption in both organisations are being aired publicly. The stand-off threatens the ...
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UK cautions on ATC privatisation
Privatisation of the UK's National Air Traffic Services (NATS)should not take place until the New En Route Centre (NERC) is fully operational, the Parliamentary Transport Select Committee has recommended. NATS says NERC will be on line in 2002. The committee says the government's plan to run NATS on a ...
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Croatia Airlines nears alliance
Andrew Doyle/ZAGREB Croatia Airlines is finalising a strategic tie-up with a major European flag carrier as the next stage in its plans to establish Zagreb as a regional hub for destinations in the former Yugoslavia. The move comes hard on the heels of the acquisition by the Croatian ...
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Philippine Airlines struggles to avoid repossession of fleet
Philippine Airlines' (PAL) newly contracted management consultancy, Regent Star Services, is calling for urgent action to avoid the repossession of the airline's fleet by frustrated creditors. Chief advisor Peter Foster says in a memo to PAL staff: "By the end of January, we must have cash to make a ...
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New British Airways pilots' deal throws doubt on virtual airline
The future of British Airways' London Gatwick-based "virtual airline" Airline Management (AML) is looking doubtful as BA pilots prepare to vote on a new employment deal. AML was set up by Flying Colours boss Errol Cossey in association with BA to function as its low-cost long haul division. It ...
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Necon Air Caravan crashes on take-off in Nepal
A Cessna 208 Caravan of Nepalese regional carrier Necon Air has crashed on take-off from Jumla, killing four of the 12 passengers and crew. The Nepalese Government has appointed a team of investigators, headed by Hari Bhakta Shrestha, joint secretary at the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation. The ...
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JAL realigns to face aggressive market
Andrzej Jeziorski/SINGAPORE Japan Airlines (JAL) is expanding its international services and delegating more regional routes to its low cost subsidiaries as it braces itself against increased competition at home and abroad. The carrier says the major catalysts for intensified competition are the emergence of new domestic Japanese carriers ...