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Aviation History
1990
1990 - 0544.PDF
OPERATIONS: AIR TRANSPORT Soviets plan formation of seven new airlines BY KIERAN DALY The USSR is working on plans that would give the country at least eight separate airlines. In addition to Aeroflot and the newly announced ASDA, the Soviets are considering forming up to six regional domestic carri ers. The new airlines would serve Lithuania and possibly other Baltic states, using a nucleus of staff drawn from Aeroflot. They would eventually have to com pete independently like ASDA. Speaking in Paris, Aeroflot's Vassili Afanasiev said that ASDA is a long-range specialist which is talking to Boeing about the 747- 400. The carrier's director-gen eral commercial, Vladimir Samoroukov, says that more capacity is needed because in creased travel freedom has led to an annual shortfall of 1.5 million international seats and 20 mil lion domestic seats. Aeroflot still does not know when either the Ilyushin 11-114 or Tupolev Tu-334 will be ready for service. It plans to introduce the 11-96-300 in early 1992 and the Tu-204 in mid-1991. Aeroflot will make the engine choice for its five Airbus A310s next month. Evaluation teams are visiting Pratt & Whitney and General Electric. • GPA eyes $18bn East Europe market East European airlines will have to spend between $12 billion and $18 billion in aircraft fleet renewal by the end of the decade, according to GPA direc tor Dr Garret Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald says that, if traffic growth rises by 7% a year, then 150 aircraft will be needed. If the rate reaches a more probable 10%, then 300 to 450 aircraft will be required. Fitzgerald suggests that de ficiencies in existing Soviet equipment will force carriers to abandon them for economic rea sons before their airframe lives are exhausted. He points out that Soviet types require three times as many spares to be held as for Western types; aircraft utilisation is half that in the West; fuel consumption is 50% greater than for Western aircraft; Soviet types in service have a poor public image; and some are unable to meet new noise standards. The GPA director accepts that new Soviet airliners and short- haul aircraft could fill some of the demand, but says that Aero flot's needs will consume most long-haul type production. GPA, the world's largest leas ing company, is also interested in arranging finance to develop air traffic control, runways and terminals, simulators and maintenance provision in East ern Europe. Fitzgerald says that the com pany would be prepared to pur chase ATC equipment. • Balkan looks at Western leasing Balkan Bulgarian is the latest Eastern European carrier to turn to the West for new aircraft. The Bulgarian flag-carrier ex pects this week to announce a leasing agreement for either three Boeing 737-500s or three Fokker 100s to begin replacing old and noisy Tupolev Tu-134s. The Boeing appears to be the favourite because of its better cargo capability. Dinev says that, whatever the choice, the aircraft will be leased. Balkan also intends to replace its long-range Ilyushin Il-62s in 1992 with either a Boeing or Airbus model. Political change has not af fected the airline's structure and there are no plans for privatisation. • Novair puts the 'for sale' sign up on its 737s Novair sells 737s in charter slump UK charter carrier Novair International Airways is to dispose of its two Boeing 737s and lay off between ten and 14 pilots as a result of the slump in the UK holiday market. The two short-haul aircraft will be put up for sale at the end of April after fulfilling ski-season charter contracts. The Gatwick-based charter carrier is a fully owned subsid iary of the Rank Organisation and was previously known as Cal Air International. The airline has three DC-10-10s and two 737- 400s. It employs some 310 people and operates regular pas senger charger services to Europe and North America, plus some ad hoc charter work. Novair's commercial and fi nance manager Michael Lee says: "The holiday market is down by 20% or even more, but it's not just that. The seat rate available for 737-size aircraft is far too low, so we are selling the 737- 400s and reviewing what we are doing with the DC-lOs. We are trying to get wet leases for the DC-10s. However, we have three high-capacity 737-400s on order, one firm for 1991 delivery and two options for 1992, and we are maintaining these until we see how the holiday market goes long-term." • Brussels seeks to open EFTA skies The European Commission (EC) hopes shortly to begin talks to extend its "open skies" plans to the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries. Transport commissioner Karel Van Miert said in Paris last week that the next Council of Min isters meeting in March could produce a draft mandate to allow negotiations to begin. Van Miert explains: "In the view of the Commission, we should not wait for the negotia tions between the EEC and EFTA in June but should go ahead as soon as we can". Some EC officials see the extension of European deregula tion to the EFTA members— Norway, Sweden, Finland, Ice land, Switzerland and Austria— as vital for the scheme's success. Van Miert also suggests that East European Comecon coun tries should also eventually join the scheme. "I would not go as far as to propose now that the countries of the Comecon should follow the initiative of EFTA. I do not exclude, however, that in the near future things will have changed [so] that we really will be able to discuss the issue." • FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 28 February-6 March 1990
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