FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1982
1982 - 1982.PDF
AIR TRANSPORT S9B^ The first BAe 146-200 has made its maiden flight from Hatfield carrying the colours of US operator Air Wisconsin Olympic in upheaval ! ATHENS I Olympic Airways' Board of i directors has resigned in an j effort to "ease the crisis" now affecting the airline. The crisis follows a series of strikes by the State-owned | carrier's flight engineers and I attendants over a pay in crease. Olympic personnel began their strike action early last month when it was revealed that the carrier's engineers and mechanics had received a 10 per cent increase, while flight engineers and atten dants gained only 7 per cent. The Greek Socialist Government threatened to apply "drastic solutions", and reports published in the country's pro-Government Press stated that Olympic would be closed down, its 9,000 personnel fired, and a new State-owned airline created if the strikes con tinued. Several days later the Union of Flight Atten dants called off their strike after a meeting with the Minister of Transportation. The matter was taken to the Greek court for settlement. Olympic has lost an esti mated Dr2,100 million f£17-6 million—about £1 million a day—from the strikes. The airline has been forced to 344 take out an £8-4 million loan to cover urgent cash needs, and has had to leave bills for aviation fuel unpaid. Now the Greek Govern ment has placed Dimitrios Papanikas, former president of Hellenic Aerospace Indus tries, in charge of Olympic. Lambros Canellopoulos, former president of sub sidiary Olympic Aviation, has been brought in as general manager. Western and Wien will merge LOS ANGELES The US Civil Aeronautics Board has approved the pro posed merger of Western Air Lines and Wien Air Alaska. The CAB is also allowing Western chairman and chief executive officer Neil Bergt to gain control of the merged airline while continuing to own Alaska International Air. But to minimise the anti - competitive effects of the three-carrier combina tion, the CAB says that Bergt must run Alaska, an all- cargo airline, separately and give up operating control for at least 18 months. At the end of that period the Board will decide whether Alaska International should be sold. The CAB also said that it would end the $6 million an nual Federal subsidy pay ments which Wien Air Alaska receives for the ser vices it provides to small communities when the mer ger takes effect. The major consideration in the CAB's protracted de liberation of the merger has been Bergt's control of all three airlines. The CAB says that airline competition in Alaska is limited during the current recession because carriers do not find it attrac tive to begin services there. But with an economic up turn, competition might be more likely, the CAB thinks, and Bergt would not have to close down Alaska Inter national. The Western-Wien merger has been considered a major factor in Western's survival. Neil Bergt had even threat ened to leave Western if the merger was not approved. William Kane, a CAB admin istrative law judge, noted when recommending the merger a month ago that Western could not survive financially without Bergt as chairman. Western stockholders promptly approved the mer ger after the CAB's decision and the Western Board elec ted P. Dewitt II president of the new company. Bergt was able to overcome objections by Air Florida to the merger. Air Florida owns about 12-6 per cent of Western's 13 million shares. • Western is seeking further delays on the delivery dates of its six 767-200s. Last year the carrier delayed delivery of the aircraft from 1983 to 1984 because of financing problems. Chairman Neil Bergt has been negotiating with Boeing, but could not say when the carrier will ac tually take delivery of the aircraft. Western has options on six more 767s. Air France president resigns PARIS Air France's president Gilbert Perol has resigned. He will be succeeded by Henri Sauvan, the airline's secretary-general. It has been reported that Perol, president since 1974, had differences of opinion with the airline's chairman Pierre Giraudet on how the airline should be run under a comparatively new Socia list Government. Perol is to take up a new post at the French Ministry for External Relations, where he first be gan his career. Perol's resignation comes at a difficult time for Air France. The airline recently reported a £31 million loss for 1981-82, compared with a £870,000 loss in the previ ous year. FLIGHT International, 14 August 1982
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
