All Systems & interiors articles – Page 857
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India/China prepare to sign air agreement
India and China are set to sign a new air-services agreement (ASA), paving the way for the first direct flights by their national airlines between the two countries. The agreement is expected to be signed on 21 May during a visit to Chinese capital Beijing by an Indian ...
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Boeing hopes for 737 seating agreement
Boeing hopes that a final evaluation test planned for 20 May will resolve the long-running issue with the European Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) over exit-limit maximum seating for the next-generation 737-700 and -800. The US company originally configured the -800 with a maximum load of 189 seats, while ...
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Trent 700 suffers another in-flight shutdown
Rolls-Royce has again suffered an in-flight shutdown of a Trent 700 turbofan engine fitted to an Airbus Industrie A330 twinjet - the third such occurrence in less than six months. In the latest incident, on 6 May, the No 2 engine on a Cathay Pacific Airways A330 ran ...
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Germany certificates Extra E400 tourer
The German civil-aviation authority has awarded type certification to the Extra Flugzeugbau E400 tourer. The certification meets FAR part 23 standards, but does not yet cover the all-composite six-seater's pressurised cabin, or operations under instrument flight rules (IFR)or in icing conditions. These points will be dealt with progressively, ...
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Sharing the loads
The utilisation by major carriers of regional airlines with low cost bases to operate low-volume, short-haul feeder services is a concept that has been established in North America since the 1980s, but has only recently caught on in Europe. British Airways was the first European carrier to conclude a franchise ...
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Cathay's mixed fleet cuts costs of crews
Cathay Pacific Airways claims that mixed-fleet flying on its Airbus Industrie A330s and A340s has yielded crew-cost savings of up to 25%. The Hong Kong-based airline is a world leader in two-engine/four-engine mixed-fleet flying. Capt John Bent, Cathay's flying training manager (policy), says that, following the initial costs ...
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US carriers enjoy profits hike
Overall profits from the major US airline groups continued to forge ahead in the first quarter of 1997, shrugging aside the hike in fuel costs and re-imposition of the 10% federal ticket tax in early March. The leading airlines made a combined profit of over $750 million, more ...
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GE maintenance business challenged by P&W moves
Pratt & Whitney is seeking to combat General Electric Aircraft Engines' growing dominance of the powerplant maintenance market with the launch of its own scheme to secure a major slice of the business. The US engine maker is offering airlines a "thrust-manager" deal covering the entire life of ...
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Breath of fresh AI(R)
When Aero International (Regional) (AI(R)) was formed in January 1996 from the regional-aircraft businesses of Aerospatiale of France, Alenia of Italy and British Aerospace, its declared policy was to manufacture and market a family of complementary regional aircraft. That family now includes the Jetstream 41 turboprop (with 29-30 seats), the ...
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Lufthansa 747 'Classic' digital cockpit retrofit is certificated
The first Boeing 747 "Classic" to be retrofitted with a digital cockpit has been certificated by the German civil aviation authority. The aircraft, an ex-United Airlines 747SPbelonging to the Brunei royal family, was modified by Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg, Germany (Flight International, 26 June-2 July, 1996). It has ...
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Slater slams Miami ruling
In his first major decision as US secretary of transportation, Rodney Slater has overturned a controversial ruling on the financing of a new terminal at Miami, which would have set a precedent on the raising and use of airport funds. Slater's action reverses a March decision by a ...
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The new jet set
Long acknowledged as a quiet revolution, the issue of regional jet aircraft service was catapulted into the public domain when the potential American Airlines pilots strike became a staple feature of the evening news. Yet the operation of moderate-sized jets seating between 50 and 90 passengers, including the Canadair Regional ...
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French force unions down
The French may still be demanding liberté but there's less égalité and fraternité as unions resist management attempts to force the lower working conditions of Air France and Air Liberté on to their members at Air France Europe and TAT respectively. Pilots and ground staff from Air France ...
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Suitors fly close to Sun
Privatisation has become a bit of a buzz word among Africa's airlines recently and, while some plans should be treated with healthy scepticism, the search for foreign and local investors for South African domestic operator Sun-Air should prove less difficult. The first stage of the full privatisation of ...
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US user fees rock Canada
Canadian government has requested an urgent meeting with the US Federal Aviation Administration over proposed new overflight fees that Ottawa sees as 'highly discriminatory'. From 19 May, the FAA will begin charging fees for aircraft which fly through US airspace, but do not take off or land in ...
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Having fun in Brussels
As Sabena throws itself into revamping its shaky operations it had better remember to watch its back. Both Virgin Express and City Bird are attacking the flag carrier's Brussels base with gusto. The two airlines claim to be revolutionising the services on offer in Europe with a cheap, ...
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Can Sabena bite the bullet?
When the going gets tough, the tough get going, or so the saying goes. If the maxim runs true then Sabena will need to toughen up its act. The Belgian flag carrier may be regaining ground. Thanks to the quality Swissair management at its helm, it has identified ...
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Battle of wills
Washington has changed tactics on Japan. When President Clinton wrote to Prime Minister Hashimoto last September to urge that Japan and the US replace their contentious bilateral with a new open skies agreement, that represented a change of thinking in Washington. For eight years the administrations had insisted on Tokyo's ...
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Crossair tries back door
Swiss regional carrier Crossair has taken a 35 per cent stake in a proposed French startup carrier, in an attempt to improve its access to the European Union market. Initially, Euro Continental Airways would operate two Crossair Saab 2000s from major French cities to the French sector of ...
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BA hires and fires equally
British Airways has agreed concessions with one main union but the others may not comply so easily as the carrier launches a recruitment drive to hire 1,300 pilots and 2,000 cabin crew. Ground staff of the transport workers' union, TGWU, voted in favour of a three-year proposal at ...