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Aviation History
1977
1977 - 0113.PDF
FLIGHT International, IS January 1977 cargo tonnage for the seven airports rose by ten per cent over the corres ponding month in 1975 to 48,400 tonnes. Big Five US airlines lose $33 million AMERICA'S five largest carriers— Pan Am, TWA, United, Eastern and American—reported a combined loss of $33-1 million on operations last November, $18-4 million less than in November 1975. For the first 11 months of the year the big five showed a profit of $249-5 million, better than was achieved by the end of November 1975. Revenue for November reached $861 million, up by almost 12 per cent, and three carriers, United, American and TWA, achieved a better than 13 per cent increase. Operating expenses for the five airlines rose nine per cent to $896 million. Although November is historically a poor month, December traffic is reported to be near record levels and a healthy overall profit is likely to be recorded for the year. Air Siam takes a breather AIR SIAM, Thailand's privately owned international airline, resumed services from Bangkok to Hong Kong, Tokyo and Honolulu on January 5. Opera tions were suspended at the end of last year amid speculation that the airline's five-year operating permit, due to expire in March 1977, would not be renewed. Air Siam has lately been losing $2-5 million a month according to managing director Mr Vivid Vichit-Vadakan, who now believes that his airline will in fact get a new permit. Air Siam was operating a single 747 at the end of December after a wet-leased DC-10-30 had been re possessed by the manufacturer, which claimed that the carrier had fallen behind on its monthly $270,000 lease payments. A US court cleared Air Siam of the charge, however, and the carrier sold the balance of the lease (about $4-3 million) to Korean Air Lines and settled its account with Mc Donnell Douglas. Air Siam does not expect KLM to renew the lease on the Boeing 747 currently operated and has been try ing for several months to arrange wet leases on two other 747s. Although Vadakan does not name the potential supplier, he says that leases are "in sight." He also claims to have $10 million available for investment in the company as soon as its operating permit is renewed. The first of seven HS.748s acquired' from Argentina is seen here at Dan-Air's Manchester base A merger between Air Siam and flag carrier Thai International remains in prospect, but some sources feel that the Thai Government would prefer to let Air Siam work off its debts before combining it with the flag carrier. Though Air Siam offers con sistently cheap travel, it has a reputa tion for erratic schedule-keeping, an inevitable result of its small-fleet operation. Thai International, on the other hand, has so far been denied landing rights in Japan and Los Angeles, both of which are served by Air Siam. Mr Vadakan suggests a gradual merger of the two carriers, allowing Air Siam to benefit from access to additional equipment and giving Thai International a foothold in the US. BA cargo rates down BRITISH AIRWAYS has been charg ing North Atlantic air freight contract rates 25 per cent less than those of last year, and commodity rates reduced by up to 40 per cent. The move follows a directive from the UK Civil Aviation Authority that the air line should charge the rates which the carrier had earlier proposed and which had received CAA but not Civil Aeronautics Board approval. On several occasions last year the CAB rejected the British airline's rates submission on technical grounds and because of bad layout such as narrow page margins and unclear numbering. With British Airways now charging the lower rates, Seaboard World, the largest scheduled North Atlantic cargo carrier, says that it is prepared to match the British levels. Although still awaiting CAB approval for the rates, Seaboard says that it has no intention of being undercut on the route and that until the situation has been resolved it is prepared to match both the contract and commodity rates being offered by British Airways. The CAA approved rates apply only westbound from London, Manchester or Glasgow to seven US airports, with the minimum rate per kilo falling lOp to 30p. 103 Airliner market w Aerolineas Argentinas inaugurated its first Boeing 747 services from Buenos Aires to Frankfurt, Rome and Madrid on January 5 • Dan-Air is buying through Shackleton Aviation seven early Hawker Siddeley 748s from Argentina, three of which will come from flag carrier ' Aerolineas Argentinas and the remainder from the state-owned oil company YPE. The first is at the airline's Manchester engineering base and the others will arrive during this year • A new cargo carrier flying the titles Hamarein Air and Gulf Carriers on its two McDonnell Douglas DC-8-21s will be based at the UAR's new Ras-al-Khaimah inter national airport • Nigeria Airways will shortly take delivery of a second McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 • Three Boeing 737-200s have been ordered by Southwest Airlines of Okinawa, the 65th customer to buy the type. Deliveries, to begin in late 1978, will mark the first use of jet aircraft on the carrier's regional routes, currently operated by eight YS-lls and three Twin Otters. The new aircraft will operate from a number of 1,500m (4,921ft) fields in the Ryukyu group of islands off the southwest coast of the Japanese island of Kyushu • UTA is expected to buy a Boeing 747F for flying Peugeot car parts between Lyon Satolas and Kaduna, Nigeria. This year 26,000 cars will be delivered using McDonnell Douglas DC-8-63s; flights will peak at 18 per week. UTA had proposed that Air France might lease a Boeing 747F in return for the use of a UTA DC-10 on the Paris-Los Angeles route, but the flag carrier was unable to help • Via Nova Inter national is operating the two RIAL Capital Hawker Siddeley Argosies for its associated company Otrag Range Air Service (see Airliner Market for December 11, 1976).
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