All Systems & interiors articles – Page 794
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Life starts at 50
SITA may just have turned 50, but its gaze remains firmly fix on the future. Kevin O'Toole talks to chairman John Watson. "People try to categorise SITA but it's just a phenomenon," says its chairman John Watson. The fact that it exists at all is thanks to the foresight of ...
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Europe's BIG 3
Lufthansa, Air France and Swissair have built their repair and overhaul facilities into some of the most competitive in the world, but profit margins remain slim. Europe cannot claim to be a world leader in many sectors, but when it comes to commercial aircraft and engine maintenance, it is ...
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Workshop
FLS Aerospace has signed a General Terms Agreement with GE Capital Aviation Services to undertake heavy maintenance on the leasing giant's fleet of aircraft at the start or end of a lease. The deal, renewable yearly, covers all aircraft types that FLS is approved to overhaul. Initially the contract covers ...
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Mergers
– Miami-based cargo carrier Fine Air has agreed to buy fellow freight specialist Arrow Air, also of Miami, for $115 million. Both airlines provide scheduled and ACMI services, with Fine Air generating $116 million in revenues during its last financial year and Arrow, a subsidiary of International Air Leases (itself ...
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FAA faces criticism over GPS report
A storm of criticism has followed publication of the US John Hopkins University (JHU) report on future navigation systems, particularly Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite navigation. The University concluded that GPS could be a safe "sole means" guidance system, including for precision approaches (Flight International, 10-16 February). Experts have ...
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Bombardier increases production
Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON Bombardier Aerospace, buoyed by a record $1.3 billion sale of Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ) 200LRs to Northwest Airlines, is increasing production of the 50-seat aircraft to eight a month. The US carrier, based in Minneapolis, has announced a firm order for 54 CRJ-200LRs and has taken options on ...
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NASA awards cockpit contract
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC NASA has awarded Avidyne and AvroTec a contract to develop a low-cost glass cockpit for general aviation aircraft. Team members Lancair and Raytheon will handle aircraft certification issues, and both AlliedSignal and Rockwell Collins will help with symbology development. The "highway in the sky" contract ...
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Delta swallows Atlantic as US regional
Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC The US regional airline industry is poised to undergo further consolidation following Delta Air Lines' announced acquisition of partner carrier Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA). Delta's $700 million purchase of ASA Holdings will boost its share of traffic in the south-eastern USA, and consolidate an already dominant position ...
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PIA: Turning It around
Paul Lewis/KARACHI PIA's decision to enlist the help of the US-owned Sabre Group was a brave move in Pakistan's politically fickle environment. The airline contends that its decision, endorsed at the highest political level, is central to turning the national carrier around and one which it is convinced will pay ...
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New short haul airline planned to boost Gulf regional links
Max Kingsley-Jones/BAHRAIN Plans have emerged for a new regional airline in the Gulf which would operate an intensive network of short haul services between major cities in the region. The impetus for the airline has come from business interests in the Bahrain and other Gulf states. Local sources ...
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Eurocontrol plans air traffic management role for pilots
Julian Moxon/BRETIGNY Researchers at Eurocontrol's Bretigny centre in France have embarked on a programme aimed at giving pilots flying in crowded airspace limited involvement in air traffic management (ATM). The hope is that controller workload can be reduced, or at least stabilised, as air traffic continues to increase. ...
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Twin tune-up
Paul Lewis/FORT WORTH Bell's new Model 427 is in development flight testing. The eight-seat, light twin turbine has gained weight, hover, speed and range since its maiden flight in December 1997, but the manufacturer aims to reduce the weight by May Bell is fine-tuning the performance of its ...
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Hushkit Rules
Europe's decision to jump ahead of international regulation over the highly contentious issue of noise pollution may put it "at the forefront of elaborating the most stringent environmental standards for aircraft" but equally runs the risk of destroying the longer term goal of uniform environmental standards. Nowhere is the ...
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Europe navigates independent satellite route with Galileo
The European Commission (EC) has proposed development of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) independent from the US global positioning system (GPS) as the second stage in Europe's satellite navigation programme. The Galileo project, announced by EC transport commissioner Neil Kinnock on 10 February, will require funding of up ...
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SAS team shows gate-to-gate CNS/ATM
Emma Kelly/STOCKHOLM A team led by SAS and the Swedish civil aviation authority, Luftfartsverket (LFV), has demonstrated a gate-to-gate communications, navigation and surveillance/air traffic management (CNS/ATM) capability. In a demonstration carried out this month at Stockholm's Arlanda Airport, the airline performed gate-to-gate exchange of ...
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Help sought to bolster Belize with national carrier
As part of a programme to boost the economy of Belize, the Central American country's recently elected government is seeking a European carrier to help set up a national airline. Belize does not have a home-grown international operator, and the only major carriers serving the country include American Airlines, ...
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Decibel count raised in US-EU hushkit battle
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC A transatlantic war of words over European Commission plans to place serious restrictions on hushkitted commercial aircraft operating in Western Europe has reached new levels following the European Parliament's endorsement of the legislation. The European Union's anti-noise rule is opposed by the Clinton Administration and ...
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Alliance becomes SA Alliance
Michael Wakabi/Kampala Alliance Air has acquired a Boeing 767-200ER on a three-year renewable lease from shareholder South African Airways (SAA), replacing the ageing 747SP the Uganda-based carrier has operated for the past four years. The two airlines also started a codesharing agreement with effect from 6 February. ...
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Embraer reveals additions to regional jet family
Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC Embraer has unveiled plans for 70 and 90-seat additions to its family of regional jets. The surprise move is designed to signal to potential customers and risk-sharing partners the Brazilian manufacturer's firm intent to compete in this market. The company has announced the "pre-launch" of ...
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Tailored training
Paul Phelan/CAIRNS Ansett Australia, the country's principal domestic carrier, believes it has broken new ground in enhancing quality and standardisation in its flight operations. The source of those gains is in aircrew training: under Ansett's system, it more closely matches individuals' needs. The airline's training department assembles a database of ...