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Aviation History
1991
1991 - 1949.PDF
MR TRANSPORT Airbus gives Australia a chance to enter programmes sttch as the A340 Australia eases offset requirements Australia has eased the offset requirements for Australian aerospace manufacturers against Airbus Industrie aircraft sales. The offset rules were replaced by a 'strategic aerocomponent agreement", which has become official after recent ratification by Airbus. The consortium has guaran teed Australian firms "free and fair access" to future Airbus contracts in return for the re moval of the offset obligations. Australian firms involved with major Airbus contracts include ASTA and Hawker de Havilland. The two also have extensive Boeing contracts, largely in con trol surfaces and composite structures. Others include Brit ish Aerospace Australia, Dunlop Aviation and Lucas Aerospace. A similar agreement was signed between the Australian Government and Boeing in March, and Hawker de Havilland recently announced a further follow-up contract with Boeing for leading-edge variable camber 747 slats, negotiated under the new agreement. The new arrangement will also open opportunities in sepa rate programmes run by Airbus partners British Aerospace, Aero spatiale and Deutsche Airbus. The Government says negotia tions are under way with all the overseas aerospace companies involved and all have expressed interest in the new agreements. "Companies which do not enter into the agreements will be required to meet all outstanding offsets obligations, as well as any future obligations arising from sales to Qantas," says the Gov ernment. "To reduce the industry's reli ance on offsets, however, and to avoid problems associated with their administration in a deregu lated domestic airline industry, offsets will no longer apply to aircraft purchased for domestic use," the Government says. The statement adds that the new arrangements will smooth the competitive entry of Austra lian aerospace manufacturers into an expanded role in risk- sharing ventures, and longer- term sole sourcing and develop ment projects. • First Mandarin flights set for September BY JOHN BAILEY IN SINGAPORE Taiwan's second privately owned international carrier, Mandarin Airlines, has been es tablished formally. The airline will start flying in September. The launch of Mandarin, which is 67% owned by flag- carrier China Airlines, follows the inauguration of EVA Air, which started international serv ices on 1 July (Flight Interna tional, 3-9 July). Mandarin plans to start with two weekly flights between Taipei and Sydney, Australia, with services to Canada and New Zealand to follow. The sudden emergence of pri vately owned international air lines follows the relaxation of Taiwanese Government laws controlling foreign travel for its citizens, and political difficulties in obtaining new overseas land ing routes for state-owned China Airlines. Around 66% of the traffic from Taiwan is carried by foreign airlines. Mandarin, which is also 33% owned by the local Ho Hsin Group, will lease one Boeing 747SP from China Airlines ini tially, and will rely on the state carrier for its management team and most of its staff. China Airlines says, however, that Mandarin will train its own staff, and will take delivery of one Airbus A300-600R, ordered by China Airlines but destined for Mandarin, in December 1992. • NEWS IN BRIEF INDONESIAN DEAL Lufthansa has won a $55 mil lion contract to maintain Garuda Indonesia's ten Airbus A300-600Rs. Work beginning September is likely to con tinue until at least 1997. The contract includes training of Garuda technicians in Ger many and assignment of Lufthansa personnel to Jakarta to provide support. The A300-600R airframes will have major checks performed in Hamburg. Boeing announces new 777 factory tape layup and cutting ma chines. The site will also be fitted with a double-ended auto clave that will allow materials to enter through one end and be removed through the other. The factory will be dedicated to the production of the 777's vertical and horizontal tail sur faces which will be made of carbonfibre composites embed ded in toughened resins. The company has also em barked on its largest expansion project at Everett, where it re cently received planning per mission for office buildings to house 7,000 employees of the 777 and Everett divisions. Also slated for construction is a 102,000m2 site to produce the wings and body sections of the 777. This is set to be completed in mid-1993. Boeing also plans to start work on several other buildings next month, including a 22,000m2 site to house the 777 Boeing is to build a $190 million plant to fabricate and assemble the composite em pennage for its Boeing 777 twin airliner. The factory will be built at the company's newly acquired site south of Tacoma, Washington, and should be fully operational by mid-1993. Boeing is taking advantage of the new site to update its manu facturing technology by equip ping it with the latest composite SATCOM LINK Bendix/King and D9ssault Electronique have signed a Memorandum of Understand ing covering the production, marketing and servicing"' of a joint satellite communications (SATCOM) airborne antenna system. The agreement pitches the companies dj-' rectly into competition against the joint satellite com munications system being de veloped by Honeywell and Racal Avionics. wing spar components, a 43,000m2 expansion of the inte rior assembly site and a 58,000m2 final assembly build ing for the 777, to be completed in August 1993. • FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 24 - 30 July, 1991 II
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