ROLLS-ROYCE ACCUSES P&W OF PATENT BREACH
Following years of simmering dispute, Rolls-Royce has formally accused rival Pratt & Whitney of infringing patents regarding the design of fan blades in its PW1000G geared turbofan and Engine Alliance GP7200 powerplants. Engine Alliance - a tie-up between P&W and General Electric - builds the GP7200 for the Airbus A380, competing with the R-R Trent 900. P&W's all-new PW1000G is aimed at the Bombardier CSeries. R-R, filing suit in a Virginia federal court, seeks "damages and injunctions" and expects a jury to hear the case in the first half of next year.
VARIG SUCCESSOR FLEX TO BE LIQUIDATED
A Rio de Janeiro court has declared Varig successor airline Flex bankrupt and ordered the sale of its remaining assets, ending a bankruptcy process lasting five years. Flex was created as the formal successor airline of Varig, which had been Brazil's largest airline for decades until it went bankrupt in 2005. The airline was split into "the old Varig", rebranded as Flex, which assumed debt worth some $4 billion, and a debt-free "new Varig", later acquired by Gol.
SAS TO REMOVE MD-90S VIA LEASE TO US CARRIER
SAS Group is to withdraw its Boeing MD-90s from its fleet after reaching a lease agreement with an unidentified US carrier for the eight aircraft. Delta Air Lines is the only carrier currently using the type in the USA, with a fleet of around 20. Phase-out of the MD-90s is set to start in the third quarter of this year. SAS says the twin-engined type is a "niche" aircraft and it wants to simplify its fleet.
CONGO CRASH MAY HAVE BEEN FILAIR L-410
As many as 19 fatalities and two survivors are being reported from an apparent crash in western Democratic Republic of Congo, although initial details are sketchy. Unconfirmed media reports suggest that the carrier is Filair, which uses aircraft such as the Let L-410 turboprop. The aircraft type involved is unconfirmed.
TERRAIN HAMPERS FLIGHT DATA RECORDER SEARCH
An initial search proved unfruitful for the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder of a Dornier 228 turboprop that crashed in central Nepal on 24 August, killing all 14 people on board, including six foreigners. A team from Nepal's Agni Air, as well as soldiers from the Nepalese army, was dispatched to carrying out the search. The aircraft crashed in the hills of Makwanpur while flying to Kathmandu, possibly in heavy rain, scattering wreckage widely.
BA BEGINS LONDON CITY E-190 SERVICE
British Airways' BA CityFlyer subsidiary last week started Embraer 190 services from London City airport. The new 98-seat jet will serve Amsterdam, Edinburgh and Zurich. The E-190 recently received Civil Aviation Authority accreditation to make the steep approach landing necessary for the Docklands airport.
BOEING SHANGHAI TO CONVERT 737S
Aeronautical Engineers has selected maintenance, repair and overhaul firm Boeing Shanghai Aviation Services as its third authorised conversion centre, to provide Boeing 737-300SF and 737-400SF passenger-to-freighter conversions and maintenance for customers in China and Eurasia. The firm will initially open one line capable of converting six AEI 737SF aircraft annually.
Source: Flight International
