Programmes – Page 1068
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News
Airbus flies towards FANS approval
Airbus is expecting certification of its FANS-A (future air navigation system) avionics next spring following extensive in-flight trials of the system and the first tests in an operational environment. The system, developed for the A330/A340, supports satellite communications (satcoms), datalink communications and automatic dependent surveillance (ADS). The first operational trial ...
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Mergers
Thomson-CSF subsidiary Sextant has become the sole owner of in-flight entertainment provider Sextant In-Flight Systems after acquiring the 49% of shares held by B/E Aerospace. Sextant took an initial 51% stake when the joint venture was created in January. The European Commission's review of the proposed AlliedSignal-Honeywell merger has entered ...
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Diamond Star flight test programme begins
Austria's Diamond Aircraft has begun flight testing its production configuration DA40-180 Diamond Star, four-seat piston single, for which it already has more than 200 orders. Four pre-production prototypes have already been flown from its Wiener Neustadt base. During the two-month programme the all-composite, Textron Lycoming IO-360-powered aircraft will perform ...
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Financial turnaround
KAL has performed better than expected this year after its worst ever result in 1997 and despite its dubious safety record Andrzej Jeziorski/SEOUL Shim Yi-taek, president of Korean Air, says the airline has outperformed financial expectations, with operating revenue hitting 2.2 trillion won ($1.9 billion). This is "112% of ...
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Atlas restart scheduled after engine is cleared
Lockheed Martin is to resume Atlas launches on 10 September, but the maiden flight of its Atlas III booster has been pushed back into 2000. Atlas launches were halted in May following the loss of Boeing's first Delta III, caused by the failure of a Pratt & Whitney RL10 ...
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K-TV launch put off for system check
Intelsat's New Skies Satellite company has ordered the return of its K-TV satellite from Kourou, French Guiana to Matra Marconi Space, Toulouse, for a full systems check. The study is likely to include a replacement of the solar panels, which will delay its launch to June next year, 12 months ...
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New recipe for Cook
UK travel group Thomas Cook's airlines Flying Colours and Caledonian have been rebranded JMC (from the initials of John Mason Cook, son of group founder Thomas Cook). JMC plans to invest around $320 million over the next five years, half to be spent on new aircraft, including four leased Boeing ...
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P&W solves PW6000 blade rub and resumes tests
Pratt & Whitney has resumed testing its PW6000 after the initial test engine was removed from the rig to replace a non-conforming component that threatened to result in high-pressure turbine (HPT) blade rub. The engine's turbine on board injection system (TOBI), which feeds cooling bleed air from the compressor ...
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America West considers A318 for its expanding Airbus fleet
America West is looking at adding Airbus Industrie's new A318 and possibly an uprated A321 to the carrier's expanding fleet of A319/A320 aircraft. The Phoenix, Arizona-based carrier is understood to be discussing an order for between 15 and 30 A318s including options, according to industry sources. America West declines ...
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FAIT takes a hand with first 747 built under new process
Guy Norris/SEATTLE The first complete 747 fuselage to be built using a new, computer-defined "snap-together" assembly technique is under construction at Boeing's Everett site in Washington. The milestone marks the culmination of a five-year effort to modernise the construction of the 747 and bring it into line with the ...
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Chautauqua opts for props in plan to renew fleet
Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC US Airways Express carrier Chautauqua Airlines is seeking manufacturer proposals to roll over its entire fleet of 32 Jetstream 31 and Saab 340 aircraft, but is bucking the industry trend and looking for turboprop rather than turbofan-powered replacements. The Indianapolis-based airline last month issued a ...
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Fairchild wins Chinese 328JET order
Chinese domestic carrier Hainan Airlines has ordered 19 Fairchild Aerospace328JETs, with 20 options, the US-German manufacturer's first jet sale to China. The first aircraft in the $226 million contract is to be delivered in October, with deliveries continuing until August 2001. The 328JETs will replace nine 19-seat Fairchild Metro ...
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Aloha Airlines sets its sights on first services to US mainland
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Aloha Airlines plans to start services to the US West Coast next February, marking the first time in the airline's 53-year history that it has ventured away from its Hawaii-based Pacific inter-island network. The new services will include two daily round-trip flights between Hawaii and Oakland, ...
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Boeing prepares 767-400ER for ambitious flight test effort
Guy Norris/SEATTLE Boeing is preparing for a hectic, seven-month test effort for the stretched 767-400ER, which was rolled out from the company's Everett site in Washington on 26 August. The first aircraft, due to make its maiden flight in early October, will fly most of the 850h flight ...
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Future unclear as MD-90 TrunkLiner is almost ready to fly
Andrzej Jeziorski/SINGAPORE The first of only two Boeing MD-90-30Ts that will be built under licence in China is nearing completion, but doubts hang over the future of the aircraft and its factory. According to Boeing, flight testing of the first aircraft will start soon, with delivery to Shenzhen ...
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LanChile completes A340 order to update fleet
LanChile has finalised its long-expected order for up to 14 Airbus A340-300s as the Chilean flag carrier prepares to update its long-haul fleet. The deal, revealed exclusively by Flight International in June, is worth almost $2 billion and is understood to include the option to upgrade to larger A340-600s (Flight ...
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Hapag-Lloyd pushes reluctant Airbus on A310 replacement
Andrew Doyle/MUNICH German charter carrier Hapag-Lloyd's effort to replace its Airbus A310s is being frustrated by the reluctance of Airbus and Boeing to commit to developing new short/medium-range widebody types. The airline is one of a growing band of operators, including Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines, that seek A310 ...
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Air Afrique expands with A330-200 lease
Air Afrique has concluded a deal with International Lease Finance for the lease of two Airbus A330-200s, to enable it to upgrade its long-haul operations. Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire-based Air Afrique will take the two Pratt & Whitney PW6168-powered aircraft late next year on seven-year leases to operate services from ...
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Boeing-GE 777X deal sparks EC probe into exclusivity
Chris Jasper/LONDON The European Commission (EC) is poised to launch an investigation into airframe-engine exclusivity deals following the sole supplier agreement between Boeing and General Electric on the Seattle giant's planned ultra-long-range 777X. Outgoing EC competition chief Karel Van Miert ordered that a file be opened on exclusivity deals ...
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PAL enters cargo venture talks with Lufthansa
Andrzej Jeziorski/SINGAPORE Struggling Philippine Airlines (PAL) is talking to Lufthansa about a joint cargo service between Manila and Frankfurt, which could mark PAL's return to Europe after a year away. According to PAL, the proposed block space agreement will come into effect on 1 November, with PAL buying ...