Programmes – Page 1211

  • News

    Order boom forces Boeing to raise production rates

    1997-04-16T00:00:00Z

    Boeing is planning another increase in production rates as it prepares to keep pace with a surging orderbook and growing delivery backlog, now moving towards 1,500 aircraft. New urgency was injected into the company's continuous assessment of production rates by the Delta Air Lines order in March for ...

  • News

    Chinese airlines lease more Airbuses

    1997-04-16T00:00:00Z

    General Electric Capital Aviation (GECAS) has signed lease agreements with two Chinese airlines to supply additional Airbus Industrie A320s, to supplement the large number ordered by China in 1996. China Northwest Airlines and Zhejiang Airlines have each signed letters of intent with GECAS for two more A320s. The ...

  • News

    Finnair signs fresh pacts to strengthen Stockholm hub

    1997-04-16T00:00:00Z

    Finnish flag-carrier Finnair has signed co-operative deals with Braathens Safe, Transwede and Maersk Air, as part of plans to strengthen its presence at Stockholm, Scandinavia's main hub, in neighbouring Sweden. The deals, which include increased codesharing and links on frequent-flier programmes, follow signs of weakening in Finnair's long-standing ...

  • News

    PIA prepares for $1 billion fleet renewal

    1997-04-16T00:00:00Z

    Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is gearing up to order $1 billion worth of new aircraft, as part of plans to replace 21 ageing widebody and turboprop aircraft in its fleet by 2000. The move comes as the carrier enters the throes of a major restructuring, with the Pakistan ...

  • News

    Saudi Arabia talks to Russia and China about new missile

    1997-04-16T00:00:00Z

    Saudi Arabia has approached China and Russia for a possible replacement for its ageing Chinese-made CSS-2 surface-to-surface missiles (SSMs), raising fears in Washington that the move could undermine Western non-proliferation efforts. The Saudi defence minister, Prince Khalid bin Sultan, has held talks on the subject in both Moscow ...

  • News

    SIA is first to order FANS-A upgrade for Airbus A340s

    1997-04-16T00:00:00Z

    Singapore Airlines (SIA)has become the first customer for the Airbus future-air-navigation system-A (FANS-A), with a commitment to install it on its fleet of long-haul A340-300s. Airbus aims to gain certification of FANS-A equipment on the A330/340 in April 1998, with ßight trials using its A340 testbed due to ...

  • News

    R-R, Boeing to draw up -524HT test plans

    1997-04-16T00:00:00Z

    Rolls-Royce has signed a memorandum of understanding with Boeing covering the formulation of a flight-test schedule for the RB.211-524HT "hybrid" turbofan, although the timing of the programme remains uncertain as the UK manufacturer works to locate a suitable testbed aircraft. The -524HT, which uses the core of the ...

  • News

    Jersey European may add larger aircraft to cope with expansion

    1997-04-16T00:00:00Z

    JERSEY EUROPEAN Airways is considering options for the expansion of its fleet, which could see the airline introduce new larger aircraft in 1998. The regional airline, which flies 12 British Aerospace 146s, four Fokker F27s and two Shorts 360s, has experienced 25% annual growth over the past six ...

  • News

    Saab signs up to A3XX

    1997-04-16T00:00:00Z

    Saab has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Airbus to join the study phase of the A3XX programme, and is understood to be interested in taking a risk-sharing stake of around 5%in the project. Airbus has also signed an MoU with Finland's Finavitec, to add to deals with Belairbus ...

  • News

    Delta JT8D fan finding

    1997-04-16T00:00:00Z

    Failure of inspection techniques at manufacture, assembly and in service were responsible for the Pratt & Whitney JT8D-200 fan-hub failure which killed two passengers on a Delta Air Lines McDonnell Douglas MD-88 in July 1996, according to findings from a US National Transportation Safety Board hearing. A minor flaw caused ...

  • News

    USA signs Singapore in open-skies push

    1997-04-16T00:00:00Z

    The USA has continued its push for new open-skies deals with the signing of its new aviation agreement with Singapore, which is the first fully liberalised pact within the key Asia Pacific region. "The signing of this agreement-represents an important step toward ending restrictions on aviation services in ...

  • News

    FAA demands an inspection of...

    1997-04-09T00:00:00Z

    Following in-flight separation of a large section of a Delta Air Lines Boeing 767 wing-flap, more than 200 of the type worldwide have to undergo emergency inspection. The event occurred on a 27 March approach to Dallas/Forth Worth (DFW) Airport, Texas, and the pilots reported no problems countering the resulting ...

  • News

    Boeing chases Paris launch for 777-200/300X

    1997-04-09T00:00:00Z

    Boeing has presented 777-200X/300X proposals to four major US and Asian airlines in an effort to launch the planned long-range twin derivatives in time for the Paris air show in June. At the same time Rolls-Royce (R-R) has become the second powerplant manufacturer to sign an agreement to offer a ...

  • News

    Arianespace faces board power struggle

    1997-04-09T00:00:00Z

    Europe's Arianespace commercial-launcher venture is embroiled in a board-room power struggle over the appointment of a successor for long-standing chairman Charles Bigot, with French space agency CNES attempting to push through its own candidate against the firm's wishes. The company is reported to have been infuriated by CNES ...

  • News

    MAS reveals plans to raise $1.3 billion

    1997-04-09T00:00:00Z

    Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has unveiled bold plans to triple its share base and raise nearly M$3.3 billion ($1.3 billion) to help underwrite a widebody fleet re-equipment programme and the company's move to Kuala Lumpur's new international airport at Sepang. The funding will be split between a M$1.8 billion ...

  • News

    Auditors warn on TWA losses

    1997-04-09T00:00:00Z

    TRANS WORLD Airlines (TWA)has been dogged by further poor financial news, with a warning from the group's auditors over the carrier's future in the light of mounting losses and falling cash reserves. The warning from KPMG Peat Marwick accompanies TWA's official filing of its annual results with the ...

  • News

    Allied near to completing F-22...

    1997-04-09T00:00:00Z

    AlliedSignal is in "the final throes" of high-altitude testing of the auxiliary-power generating system (APGS) for the Lockheed Martin F-22, in a bid to clear the full envelope before the fighter has its first flight, planned for the end of May. Revealing details of the integrated APGS on ...

  • News

    DoT refuses pleas to delay American-BA consideration

    1997-04-09T00:00:00Z

    THE US Department of Transportation (DoT) has begun to consider the American Airways-British Airways (American-BA) alliance, brushing aside requests by rival carriers to put the inquiry on hold pending the signing of a UK-US open skies bilateral agreement. Delta Air Lines and Trans World Airlines had both pressed ...

  • News

    Building affordability

    1997-04-09T00:00:00Z

    PROVING THAT THE F-22 can be produced affordably is an increasingly important part of the engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) effort. "It's E-M-D, not E-D," emphasises Randy Simpson, director of production operations at Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems (LMAS). He is responsible for the F-22 assembly line, where the first aircraft ...

  • News

    IAE studies latest V2530-A5 failure

    1997-04-09T00:00:00Z

    International Aero Engines (IAE) is working to determine the cause of a third incident of high-pressure compressor (HPC) damage occurring to a V2530-A5 turbofan operated by Lufthansa on its Airbus A321 fleet. The latest discovery followed an engine stall and rejected take-off on 25 March. HPC blade damage ...