Programmes – Page 1163
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News
Regional revolution
Kevin O'Toole/LONDON Regional aircraft manufacturers must, by now, be getting used to living in a perpetual state of revolution, and 1997 was no disappointment. The year began with Fokker delivering its last few aircraft and ended with the loss of another famous name, as Saab Aircraft announced its retreat ...
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Jet age dawns for 328
Andrzej Jeziorski/MUNICH When the completed Fairchild Dornier 328JET was first shown to Reinhold Birrenbach, head of the 328 project since its turboprop days, he must have felt a little self-satisfied. "This is the way the aircraft always should have looked," he said, observing the clean lines of the newly fitted ...
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Brit float
French regional airline Brit Air has floated 37% of its shares with the aim of raising around Fr150 million ($25 million) to help finance its new franchise operations for Air France. Under a deal signed in October, Brit Air will operate franchise services on 32 domestic routes. It is also ...
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Qantas and Virgin compete for Cathay's surplus 747-200s
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE Cathay Pacific Airways has entered into detailed discussions with Qantas of Australia and Virgin Atlantic Airways to sell its fleet of seven surplus Boeing 747-200 passenger aircraft. Qantas is also being offered an interim development of the proposed 747-400 increased-gross-weight (IGW) variant by Boeing to meet the carrier's ...
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Emirates nears A340 decision
Ian Sheppard/LONDON Emirates Airlines is preparing to make a decision on its long-awaited requirement for ultra-long-range aircraft. The airline signed a letter of intent (LoI) with Airbus for up to A340-500s in November 1997, but has kept the manufacturer waiting because of Boeing's last-minute attempt to meet performance demands ...
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CFMI takes lion's share of 1997 orders
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES The General Electric/ Snecma alliance CFM International (CFMI) won orders for 1,314 CFM56 engines in 1997, selling more for 100-seat-plus aircraft than all other large-civil-engine manufacturers combined. Although there is some dispute over the exact figure for the year, with some independent analysts claiming that ...
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Safety-authority plans detailed
Julian Moxon and Alan George/BRUSSELS New details of the planned European Air Safety Authority (EASA) have been revealed by European transport Commissioner Neil Kinnock. In spite of the progress, he admits that there remain "several very difficult political issues" to be resolved. The European Commission (EC) has called ...
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GE prepares for GE90 growth possibility
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES General Electric is to upgrade its GE90 compressor design to reduce fuel consumption by 1.5-2%. Although the move is aimed at the Boeing 777-200IGW (increased gross-weight), the company is preparing for the possibility that a substantial market will develop for future growth versions. The US ...
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Marketplace
-Egyptair has signed a firm contract with Airbus Industrie for four A340-600s, including two orders and two options. It will introduce the 400-seat, Rolls-Royce Trent 500-powered A340 in 2003. -Southern Air Transport has taken delivery of a Boeing 747-200F, acquired from Northwest Airlines, which is being operated ...
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Wexford adds to Embraer orderbook with letter for 40 ERJ-135s
Wexford Aviation has signed a letter of intent for 40 Embraer RJ-135 37-seat regional jets, worth $500 million. The agreement is similar to an earlier deal for 20 firm orders, with 20 options, for Embraer RJ-145 50-seat regional jets, worth $700 million. Greenwich, Connecticut-based investment firm Wexford plans to ...
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US airline profits are 'best ever'
The major US airlines ended 1997 with their strongest profits on record, but the celebrations were accompanied by the promise of more turbulence ahead, with the fall-out from Asian economic crisis and the prospect of a renewed round of consolidation closer to home following the Continental/Northwest Airlines tie-up. With only ...
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BFGoodrich delivers two more private 'Super 27s'
Two further Boeing 727-200s, modified to "Super 27" configuration, have been delivered to private customers by BFGoodrich Aerospace's Aerostructures group (formerly Rohr) in California. The Super 27 upgrade allows the 727 to meet Stage 3 noise requirements and involves replacing the two outboard engines with Pratt & Whitney JT8D-217Cs ...
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Airbus urges AE31X speed-up to compete with Boeing 717
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE Airbus Industrie and its Chinese and Singapore partners are discussing speeding up development of the proposed smaller AE316 member of the planned AE31X family of regional aircraft, in response to Boeing's relaunch of the former MD-95 twinjet as the 717-200. It is understood that Airbus Industrie Asia (AIA) ...
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British Airways is ready to Go with no-frills contender
British Airways is to launch its London Stansted based "no-frills" division under the name Go. The launch is set for early in the second quarter of 1998. Go's chief executive Barbara Cassani denies that the new airline's remit is to eliminate new low-cost entrants such as easyJet, but warns that ...
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Latin carriers link for A320 deal
Three major Latin American carriers, TAM of Brazil, TACA Group of El Salvador and LanChile, are in final negotiations with Airbus Industrie to place a joint order for up to 130 A320-family aircraft. The deal should be concluded by March. LanChile confirms that it has already signed a letter ...
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American chooses GEC HUD
Ian Sheppard/LONDON American Airlines has selected GEC-Marconi Avionics to supply its HUD 2022 head-up-display (HUDs) system for 75 new Boeing 737-800s the carrier has on order. The contract secures the UK company's place as a leading supplier of civil HUD systems for the Next Generation 737 family alongside ...
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AVIC will make Boeing composite parts in China
Boeing is to team with aerospace-materials specialist Hexcel and Aviation Industries of China (AVIC) to establish a joint-venture composite-parts factory in the city of Tianjin, 120km (75 miles) south-east of Beijing. The three companies are reported to have spent the past two years considering the move, which will create ...
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Regional brinkmanship
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC Brazil and Canada have been brought to the brink of a trade war by a dispute between Bombardier and Embraer over alleged Government subsidies for regional-jet development and sales. Now, representatives of the two countries have until the end of February to resolve the dispute, which threatens ...
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French stick over partner
Doug Cameron Investment bankers are sharply split over Air France's ability to secure a strategic airline investor and Air France's advisers have retreated from supporting a trade sale after the collapse of its planned Alitalia agreement. Air France plans an equity issue of FFr18 billion (US$2.9 billion) in ...
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Eye of the tiger
National flag carrier Air India is being readied for a merger with its domestic partner Indian Airlines and at least partial privatisation. But once again political change threatens to scupper the progress made so far. Tom Ballantyne reports from Mumbai. If anyone had doubts that Mumbai-based flag carrier Air-India was ...