FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1982
1982 - 1812.PDF
AIR TRANSPORT Japan's domestic air traffic to go down TOKYO All three major carriers serv ing the Japanese domestic market forecast a drop in passenger numbers for the 1982 financial year, which ends on March 51, 1983. Japan Air Lines expects to lose 5 per cent of its domes tic passengers compared with the 1981 financial year figure. All Nippon Airways forecasts a 2 per cent drop and Toa Domestic a reduction of 1 • 6 per cent. There are several reasons for the slump, say Japanese sources. Japan Air Lines still suffers from the accident at Haneda in February, when a JAL pilot crashed a DC-8— wilfully, according to some reports. The public reaction to this accident was, and still is, far beyond expectations. Furthermore all three air lines are suffering because of fare increases of up to 14 per cent earlier this year. And this month a new high speed "Shinkansen" railway line to the north of Japan will be opened. Local sources say that this will also take airline passengers. The economic recession is also said to be contributing to the industry's depressed state. Western-Wien merger jumps first hurdle .VASHINGTON US Civil Aeronautics Board Law Judge William Kane has recommended that the Board gives full approval to the proposed Western Air- lines/Wien Air Alaska mer ger, and that Western chair man Neil Beigt be allowed to control the combine. Bergt intends to control Wien through his holding company, E agle Inter national, by buying it from its current owner, House hold International Finance. Kane's recommendation is, o' course, on!y tne first hurdle'—albeit an important one—for Bergt to clear. Tne CAB will near ora^ argu ments on the case on July 7. and will probably make its decision as to the suit ability of the merger later in the summer. According to Kane, the only possible area of serious controversy in the merger deal would be the relation ship between Wien and Alaska International, an ali- cargo airline already owned by Bergt. If Bergt is allowed to buy Wien and the two car riers are combined, there will be ''a significant reduc tion in actual competition" in four Alaskan markets. But Kane believes that competition will not be dangerously reduced in any of the possible areas of the combination (Western-Wien, Western-Alaska Inter national, and Wien-Alaska International). He says that, while the merger would mean a reduction in the number of existing competi tors in the markets served by the three, it wili not pre sent any barriers to the entry of new carriers into those markets. For this reason he condones the Wien-Alaska International link-up. Bergt is already on record as saying that Alaska International would continue to operate independently of Western and Wien anyway. Airliner market AH Nippon Airways is nego tiating the possible sale of two i^ockheeo TriStars to the Civil Aviation Administration of China, which operates the state airline. CAAC is re ported to be interested in buying the aircraft, but fund ing is expected to De a problem. All Nippon will try to sell the aircraft elsewhere this year if the China deal does not succeed, because it badly needs cash to recover from tne large loss made last year and to use in payment for 25 Boeing 767s it has on order. Air New Zealand has sold two McDonnell Douglas BC- 10-50s to American Airlines, along with spares and sup port equipment. The first is scheduled for delivery in July and the second in October. Air New Zealand will be left with two DC-lOs, which it nopes to sell before the end of the year. By then it will be operating Boeing 747-20OBs exclusively on long-range flights. McDonnell Douglas has paid a major trade visit to Italy. Included in the product package the US manufac turer offered the country a^ 30 DC-9 Super 80s, which MDC proposed as replace ments for Alitalia's and ATI's 'ageing fleets of DC-9- 30s. | Simmons Air, a Michigan- I basee regional airline, has j I placed an Sii million order j | tor two Shorts 36Us, and has i | taken options on two more. j According to Shorts, Sim mons Air is the fifth US air- i line to order the 360: orders and options tor tne type now stand at 27 tor nine operators I in seven countries. Simmons Air's route network links 13 I destinations in Michigan, S Wisconsin, and Illinois, with j hubs at Chicago and Detroit. ] It expects to carry 100,000 passengers this year. Ali Adria, a new Italian regional carrier, is leasing two BAe HS.748s to begin operations. The carrier is re ported to have ordered two Aerospatiale /Aerit alia ATR 42s as a basis for a long-term fleet. Cathay Pacific Airways has placed a $70 million-plus order for a seventh Boeing 747-200B. The aircraft will be powered by BB.211-524Ds and will be delivered in April 1983. The new aircraft will be used along with Cathay's sixlth 747 (which is being de livered next month) mainly on Calthay Pacific's Hong iKong ' Vancouver service, scheduled to begin on May 1, 1983. Both these aircraft (will have gross take-off weights of 833,0001b. Pub licly announced Boeing 747 sales now stand at 593; other carriers (probably Air France and UTA) have placed unannounced orders. British Airways claims to be the first airline to have made fully automatic landings with Boeing 737s on commercial flights. By next winter it expects to have Cat 3A landing certifica tion for the type *fe* ?<>»»,, ^- •» 6 FLIGHT International, 3 July 1982
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
