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Aviation History
1979
1979 - 0006.PDF
4 FLIGHT International, 6 January 1979 Air Fransp rt UK and Scandinavia reach air agreement AFTER more than a year's argument, the UK and three Scandinavian coun tries (Sweden, Denmark and Norway) have arrived at a new air services agreement just nine days before the old one expired. The new agreement seems to represent a victory for Britain, with the Scandinavians con ceding to demands for lower fares and more scheduled services. In re turn, Scandinavian Airlines System has been given additional rights to pick up passengers in the UK for other destinations. Agreement was also reached on a progressive transfer of some SAS and British Airways flights between the UK and Scandi navia from Heathrow Airport to Gat- wick. The dispute flared up in October 1977 when the Danish authorities re fused British Midland Airways per mission to start a Birmingham- Copenhagen service and Britain re taliated by blocking SAS flights to Manchester and Glasgow. Earlier this year the Scandinavian side denounced the existing air services agreement, with effect from December 31, 1978. Britain's line throughout the negotia- PACIFIC Western Airlines, Canada's largest regional carrier, has ordered four Boeing 767s and taken options on two more. Up to December 22, Boeing's 1978 orders stood at 488 units. Launching orders for the 767 (84 aircraft) and 757 (40 aircraft) have boosted the 1978 total, although they will not affect deliveries until 1982-83. Last year also saw a remarkable surge in orders for the Boeing 737, which for the first time outsold the 727. Sales of the small twinjet were nearly four times the 1977 figure (146 against 38), largely due to Lufthansa and British Airways orders totalling 70 aircraft. Even so, other customers accounted for nearly double the 1977 total. Orders for the 747 fell just short of double the 1977 figure (83 against 42), and it will clearly be up to the 737 and 747 production lines to pay Boeing's way while the company sinks over $1,000 million into development of the 757 and 767. tions has been that UK independent airlines should be given the chance to serve more points in Scandinavia and that scheduled fares are too high. The Scandinavian countries preferred to restrict scheduled services to British Airways and SAS. The new agreement, announced in Stockholm on December 22, allows for any airport in the UK to be linked by scheduled services with any airport in the three Scandinavian countries. In addition, normal economy fares between the UK and Scandinavian countries will be reduced by five per cent from next summer. This repre sents a real reduction of 15 per cent if inflation is allowed for, according to George Rogers, the Department of Trade official who led the British negotiating team. SAS has been awarded the right to serve Dublin via any point in the UK, and although the Scandinavian carrier did not win the right to fly to Hong Kong, the British authorities are likely to allow a joint British Airways/ SAS service. SAS will start a new ser vice this year to London from an air port (yet to be selected) on Denmark's Only the 727 showed a decline in sales. Although passing the 1,600 mark during 1978 (sales now stand at 1,619, a record which is unlikely to be surpassed until the 1990s), orders dropped slightly from 134 in 1977 to 129 last year. This is still more than the entire production run of its most direct Western rival, the Trident, but the fact that the 727 has not figured in the general upsurge indicates that the market is reacting to forthcoming replacement types. • Pacific Western will take delivery of its four 767s between March 1983 and April 1984, and has yet to an nounce a choice of engine (Pratt & Whitney or General Electric) for the aircraft. Other recent Boeing orders include eight more 727s for Air Canada (deliveries in the first half of 1980); six 707 airframes for the E-3A Sentry programme; a 737 for South west Airlines of Texas (February 1980); and a 737 for Braathens (Decem ber 1979). Jutland peninsula, and BA will start one from Birmingham to Copenhagen. Next year British independent Dan- Air will start services between Edin burgh and Bergen and between New castle and Oslo. Scandinavian charter airlines will retain their fifth-freedom rights into the UK, which had been threatened by the British. An amicable agreement has been reached on the transfer of services from Heathrow to Gatwick in an effort to relieve pressure at the for mer airport. The new SAS Jutland service will operate from Gatwick and from 1980 British Airways and SAS services to Stockholm will also fly from that airport. Oslo services will be transferred in 1981. Jet 2 could be a winner, says Monarch JET 2 is emerging from a Monarch Airlines study as a promising replace ment for the Luton-based UK indepen dent's five 170-seat 707s. The air line is also looking at the 757, with JT10D and CF6-32 as well as with RB.211-535 engines, and believes that European industry could have a win ner in Jet 2. It has given its costings to the manufacturers for comment. The airline's senior directors, Bill Hodgson and Don Peacock, are im pressed with the information which they have received from the Jet team. They believe that the airline industry could regret heavy investment in 727/737-technology equipment if, as Monarch predicts, fuel prices increase 100 per cent by the mid-1980s. Stricter noise rules and their attendant field- performance requirements will also be in force by then. Monarch is keeping an open mind about the RB.211-535 but is inclined to believe at the moment that new- technology engines are more likely to be a better investment in the fuel- price environment of the 1980s and 1990s. The airline's One-Elevens will probably be retained and hush-kitted. British Airways says that it is look ing hard at Jet 2 or something like it. Other British airlines, includ ing British Caledonian, are also show ing continuing interest in the project. Canadian 767 order closes monster year for Boeing
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