Programmes – Page 1140
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News
Thai puts aircraft deliveries on hold as financial woes bite
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE Thai Airways International has been forced to place on hold the delivery of seven new Airbus and Boeing aircraft as it struggles to secure $700 million in financing. At the same time, the state-owned carrier has moved a step closer to partial privatisation with Thai Government approval for ...
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Ailing Tigers
Anyone still nursing hopes that the Asian downturn would prove to be a short, albeit sharp, shock to the region's once buoyant airline industry, will have struggled to retain their optimism in the face of the extraordinary news pouring out over the past fortnight. Perhaps most ominous was the ...
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Ageing airliner census 1998
SUPERSONIC Aerospatiale/BAe (BAC) Concorde Of the 20 Concordes built, 14 were delivered to Air France and British Airways between 1975 and 1980, and 13 remain in service. The remaining six aircraft - two prototypes, two pre-production aircraft and two production aircraft - were used for testing and not ...
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Supersonic rising sun
Paul Lewis/MITIKA Japanese engineers have long displayed a distinctive flair for futuristic transportation thinking. While there may be a tendency in the West to confine many such notions to the realms of science fiction, it is worth remembering that Japan is the home of the Shinkansen "bullet train" and the ...
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New-entrant blues
Dave Higdon/WITCHITA, KANSAS It IS a long, arduous path from membership of the kitplane-producing community to becoming a certificate-holding member of the production-aircraft industry and not one of the three US companies travelling the route has actually reached its goal - yet. Although all three companies started their aircraft development ...
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FTC bans Boeing sale to Bell
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES The US government's Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has blocked the sale of Boeing MD500/600 helicopters to Bell Helicopter Textron, forcing Boeing to put the two production lines back on the market. The MD500/600 lines were sold to Bell in March following Boeing's decision to opt ...
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IATA approves millennium bug plan
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC The International Air Transport Association (IATA), which estimates that the so-called "millennium bug" will cost the airline industry $1.6 billion, has won approval from airlines for a plan to ensure that airlines, airports, air traffic control providers and manufacturers work together to minimise the effect of ...
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Crisis spreads to China as airlines make losses
The Asian economic downturn has begun to have an impact on the Chinese air transport industry, with the country's 11 largest carriers announcing for the first time a collective loss of ¥1.7 billion ($206 million) in the opening quarter of the financial year. According to the state-run China ...
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GPA plans to shed GE Capital
Kevin O'Toole/LONDON GPA could re-emerge from the shadow of GE Capital, with plans to buy out of the agreements signed five years ago when the US finance giant stepped in to rescue the Irish leasing company from near collapse. A memorandum of understanding has been agreed between the ...
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EGPWS move leads Korean Air safety drive
Korean Air (KAL) is to begin fitting its entire fleet with enhanced ground proximity warning systems (EGPWS), starting in July with the delivery of new Airbus Industrie A330-200/300s and Boeing 777-200/300s. The airline warns, however, that some of its future widebody deliveries may be delayed because of the economic ...
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PAL fights for survival as pilots are sacked and flights slashed
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE Philippine Airlines (PAL) is drawing up survival plans for a massive shrinkage of its international and domestic operations, after sacking 600 pilots involved in a week-long strike that has brought the national carrier close to financial ruin. Pilots were protesting over plans to force redundancies among older ...
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Boeing direct
Boeing and freight carrier UPS have expanded their spare parts delivery service to cover all Boeing's distribution centres. The service was launched in 1996 and previously covered only Seattle and Atlanta - now to be joined by Beijing, London and Singapore. Boeing says the move will allow airlines to reduce ...
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717 faces new problems before planned September flight
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Boeing revealed several last minute aircraft and engine modifications to the 717-200 regional aircraft on the eve of its planned roll-out on 10 June. Despite the problems, the company still hopes to achieve a first flight for the aircraft in early September, according to programme manager ...
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757-300 prepared for flight test
Guy Norris/SEATTLE The first Boeing 757-300 is being prepared for flight testing, provisionally scheduled to begin with a maiden flight on 1 July, following the roll-out ceremony at the company's Renton site on 31 May. Three 757-300s are due to take part in the test effort, which is ...
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Fiji Airways prepares to launch as second international carrier
The Fijian Government has designated newly named Fiji Airways as the island nation's second international carrier, following approval by the local Trade and Investment Board for the planned Fijian-Singaporean joint venture start-up airline. According to Fiji chief operating officer Pravin Jumabhoy, the next steps are to amend Fiji's bilateral ...
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Italy starts bilateral negotiations with USA for open skies deal
Italy and the USA are to start bilateral air negotiations with a view to establishing an open skies agreement, flying in the face of the European Commission (EC) which wants to negotiate directly for a Europe-wide agreement. A US-Italian open skies agreement was included as part of Alitalia's alliance ...
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Korean finalises deal for 737-700/800s
Boeing has confirmed that Korean Air (KAL) will place a major order for Next Generation 737s during South Korean President Kim Dae Jung's visit to Washington DC in early June. The airline will announce an order for up to 27 737-700s and -800s on 9 June. The deal, as ...
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MetroJet takes on Southwest
Ramon Lopez/BALTIMORE US Airways launched its low-cost MetroJet operation at Baltimore/Washington International Airport on 1 June, leaving industry analysts waiting to see whether Southwest Airlines drops its already low ticket price to protect its market share. MetroJet's initial fares match those of Southwest, but that could change if ...
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Marketplace
-Air Europa has leased an ex-Carnival/Pan Am Boeing 737-400 from International Lease Finance (ILFC) for four years. The Spanish carrier leases two 737-300s and two 737-400s from ILFC. -KLM uk has extended the terms on five British Aerospace 146-300s on lease from BAe Asset Management - Jets, but is returning ...
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Mesa starts disposal of WestAir aircraft
International Airline Support Group (IASG) has agreed to help US regional Mesa Air Group dispose of 21 British Aerospace Jetstream 31s and 20 Embraer EMB-120 Brasilias. The aircraft are leased by Mesa subsidiary WestAir, which was wound up when its United Express codeshare contract expired on 31 May. Peter ...