All Ops & safety articles – Page 1275
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Lack of cash forces FAA to revise air traffic plan
Failure by the US Federal Aviation Administration to secure sufficient funding for its planned overhaul of US air traffic management may lead to phased modernisation of the US National Airspace System (NAS). The modernisation plan, NAS Version 3.0, is being reshaped into a phased programme, with upgrades introduced in ...
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Alitalia cancels cheap fares after Kinnock threat
Alitalia cancelled all promotional fares within Europe on 11 February after the European Commission (EC) warned that it would reconsider its approval of the carrier's state aid unless there was immediate action. The state aid package was finally cleared by the EC in mid-1997 after a lengthy investigation, but ...
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Airtours acquires Air Belgium with Sun
UK group Airtours has acquired a majority stake in Air Belgium following its take-over of Belgian tour operator Sun International. The move marks a further incursion for the UK charter airline business into the continental European market. Airtours will take over an 80% stake in the largely privately owned ...
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747s go as Ansett rethinks future fleet strategy
Ansett Australia is re-examining its future fleet strategy, focusing on its international capacity and an overhaul of its regional operations. The carrier says that it expects to finalise its long haul fleet early in 1999 and has advised Singapore Airlines that it will return the first of three Boeing ...
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FAA calls public meetings on 727 freighter payload limits
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC The US Federal Aviation Administration is giving affected cargo carriers a final chance to express their views on four proposed airworthiness directives (ADs) that would severely limit the payloads of Boeing 727 freighters converted by third party maintenance organisations. The FAA has scheduled public meetings ...
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AE31X partners launch pre-development work
Airbus Industrie Asia (AIA) and Aviation Industries of China (AVIC) have agreed to launch pre-development work on the AE31X project in March, before any final joint venture business agreement and without the active participation of Singapore Technologies Aerospace (ST Aero). A joint team is to be established in Toulouse ...
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Garuda DC-10 pilot faces criminal charges after crash
The Japanese police have recommended that criminal charges be brought against the captain of a Garuda Indonesia McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 that crashed at Fukuoka Airport in June 1996, killing three passengers and injuring 170 people. Prosecutors are being asked to charge Ronald Londong with "professional negligence leading to death ...
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Routes
-Sabena has signed a partnership with French airline AOM covering routes between Brussels and the French cities of Toulon, Nice and Marseille, but extending also to French overseas territories, enabling both airlines to offer more frequencies and co-ordinate schedules. -Japan Airlines (JAL) plans to launch a twice weekly non-stop ...
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Utilicraft negotiates first Freight Feeder orders
American Utilicraft (AUC) says that it is negotiating a 50-aircraft launch order for its FF-1080-200 Freight Feeder with an unnamed US air cargo operator. Funding for the programme is tied to securing a launch customer for the twin-turboprop aircraft, says AUC president John DuPont. "We are in pretty strong ...
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Spotlight falls on SilkAir recorder 'failure'
The investigation into the crash on 19 December, 1997, of the SilkAir Boeing 737-300 is raising questions about why the aircraft's cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) both stopped operating in quick succession just before the aircraft entered its steep, fatal descent. Analysis of the CVR ...
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Cash rich KLM buys up Martinair and considers further deals
KLM is to spend part of its growing cash mountain on acquiring the remainder of shares in Dutch charter and cargo carrier Martinair. The flag carrier also says that it is considering other share deals, including buying back the 25% stake still held in the airline by the Dutch Government. ...
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Italians object to new ban on night flights
Italian airlines and airports have objected to a Government decision to re-activate a 1995 law banning non-military night flights at all national airports except Rome Fumicino and Milan Malpensa. The law comes into effect on 26 July, and imposes a total ban on flights between 23:00 and 06:00, as ...
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BAe ponders RJ cockpit and engine changes
Kevin O'Toole/MANCHESTER British Aerospace Regional Aircraft is studying further developments for its Avro RJ family, including new avionics and engine options, with the intention of improving the aircraft's economics and keeping the programme up to date. Although the RJ is now effectively alone in the 85- to 100-seat regional ...
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ICAO examines global aviation impact model
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) is considering adopting a model developed by Dutch civil-aviation authority, the RLD, to predict the environmental and socio-political effects of aviation regulatory decisions. Richard Hancox, project manager for UK transportation modelling specialist MVA, believes that Project AERO represents "the only detailed global model ...
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Continental angers Delta chief executive
Delta Air Lines chief executive Leo Mullin has attacked the "complete misrepresentations" made by Continental Airlines officials on the carrier's failure to reach a merger agreement. Despite three weeks of secret bargaining, Continental eventually snubbed Delta and agreed to forge a strategic alliance with Northwest Airlines. Continental's chief executive ...
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IFALPA spotlights S American ATC dangers
David Learmount/LONDON South American air-traffic control (ATC) has been labelled as inadequate by the International Federation of Airline Pilots Associations (IFALPA). The Federation plans to mount a campaign to pressurise national governments into taking action to improve the situation. IFALPA is becoming increasingly vociferous in its criticism of ...
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Qantas ponders proposal for Papua's Air Niugini
Senior Qantas executives visited Papua New Guinea (PNG) capital Port Moresby in early February to study a PNG Government proposal for the Australian carrier to take control of Air Niugini under a management contract, in an attempt to ward off the collapse of the airline. The review follows an ...
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EC to decide on Alitalia state aid probe
Julian Moxon/PARIS Marco Messala/ROME The European Commission(EC) is to decide on 11 February whether to open an investigation into allegations that Alitalia has broken the state aid deal agreed in July 1997. EC transport commissioner Neil Kinnock has written to Italian minister for transport and navigation Claudio Burlando, ...
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ICAO urges Asian action on airline safety
Asian states must improve their airline safety oversight standards, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has urged, following a spate of fatal accidents in Asia. "The Asia-Pacific region is increasingly, though regrettably, becoming owner of a series of catastrophic aircraft accidents," notes ICAO regional representative Lalit Shah. Specific regional ...
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Malaysia offers its unwanted 777s to Brazilian carrier VASP
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE Malaysia Airlines (MAS) is offering its unwanted Boeing 777-200 delivery positions to Brazilian carrier VASP, following the collapse of similar talks with Delta Air Lines. At the same time, Thai Airways International says that it is looking to defer some of its later deliveries. The Malaysian ...