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Aviation History
1991
1991 - 2995.PDF
AIR TRANSPORT First Boeing 650-seater talks over BY GUY NORR1S IN SEOUL Boeing has completed the first major round of talks about plans for its future large aircraft with prospective customers in cluding United Airlines, Japan Air Lines (JAL), All Nippon Air ways (ANA) and Qantas. "We're setting up a customer advisory committee of eight to ten airlines, like we did for the 777, and bringing them to gether," says Boeing Everett divi sion vice-president and general manager James Johnson. Speaking in South Korea after the hand-over of the first 747- 400 to the locally based start-up carrier Asiana, Johnson said: "We shall probably schedule the first meeting for tbe first quarter of 1992". "The decision must for a stretch of the 747-400 or a new air craft or both — we're actually considering both," reveals Johnson. "There is ac tive interest in a new large 650- to 680-seat airplane, and there are a number of custom ers who'd like us to do it real soon." 1 Entry into service could be as early as 2000. "If we go sooner 1 will work to be made keep technologies identical to those of the 777," he says. Preliminary "conceptual draw ings and interior layouts" have been made. "We could go to a circular, double-deck cross- section which is lighter and more efficient and which obvi ates the cargo possibility," adds Johnson. The aircraft will probably not be built at Everett, with its increasing site congestion, be cause of 747, 767 and 777 pro duction and the high local Washington State taxes. "We shall be making a sion on that soon," says Johnson. "The programme will probably be financed by our selves, with some sort of co- manufacturing arrangement with someone like the Japanese on the 777, though not necessarily the Japanese." deci- ANA: helping Boeing L^*3 s 1 grow £ > '~J::-. re 747 *V ."> *s « The Asian-Pacific market is leading the drive on the aircraft's development, says James Chorlton, Boeing vice-president international sales. "This is big- aircraft country. We see contin ued growth of the percentage of Everett production from here, whether it be 767 or 777. For people like JAL, ANA and Thai, the bigger the airplane the bet ter. They keep saying: 'Are you going to build it, and when, and how big?'." China is also expected to be come a focus for the big-aircraft market. "China's traffic is grow ing by 20% a year internally and 10-12% internationally. They have a whole warehouse of Rus sian junk that has to be done away with, and it's a big market for aircraft. China south-east wants the biggest airplanes we can build," says Chorlton The continued growth of the Asian- Pacific market means that more than a third of Boeing aircraft on order are also destined for service there. Boeing is close to making a decision on whether to boost 747/ 767 production rates at Everett to meet the Asian-Pacific demand. The monthly rate for both may be increased from five to seven. • MDC calls DC-10-upgrade discussions McDonnell Douglas (MDC) has invited companies in terested in the upgrading of American Airlines' DC-10 fleet to a meeting in Long Beach, California, on 20 November. The outline proposal, which could cover an initial 49 air frames, stems from American's unwillingness to sign up for the vastly more expensive Boeing 777, combined with a major re-assessment of its fleet require ments and available cash flow. Much of the work would be re-engining with the Rolls-Royce RB.211-535F5 (Flight Interna tional, 25 September-1 October) as well as complete rewiring, large-scale re-skinning and en largement of the forward cargo door. Conversion of the aircraft, dubbed the MD-14, to a two- man-crew cockpit is also being considered. Cost of conversion is esti mated to lie in the region of $25 million-30 million an aircraft. MDC says that about four MD- 14s would be turned out every six months. The main sub contractor is also required to offer a 20-year support deal, which confirms American's in tention of keeping the aircraft in service until at least 2010-15. One of the companies likely to be at the meeting is Califor nia-based American Avionics Systems, which is working with Harris to develop a two-man DC-10 cockpit. The company has finished developing a two- man Boeing 727 cockpit, using Harris computers to replace the functions of the flight engineer's panel and bypass processed en gine data directly to the pilot's displays. American Avionics Systems vice-president David Miles'says the conversion would take "around ten days" per aircraft, at a cost of $990,000 each. D Aero discusses stake in Europe's regional jet Czechoslovakian aircraft manufacturer Aero is nego tiating with Deutsche Aerospace (DASA), Aerospatiale and Alenia over involvement in the pro posed regional-jet programme. A launch decision on the DAA92/120 is targeted by the end of 1991 and DASA says it is open to further companies be coming involved in the project. Ivan Marinec, Aero general director, says: "We are talking about this market with Aerospa tiale, Alenia and DASA". He does not elaborate, but says: "If the outcome is successful we're looking at the new project". With the turmoil in the Soviet Union — the company's tradi tional marketplace for its L-39 Albatross jet trainer — Aero is looking to forge partnerships with Western companies, says Marinec. He does not discount the Sov iet market, however, foreseeing a considerable area for regional aircraft as air-transport policy is devolved into the republics. On a note of caution, Marinec warns that, in dealing with the Soviets, "...our concern is their ability to pay". In looking to move away from relying almost solely on business from eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, and in the run-up to privatisation, Marinec and over 20 of his colleagues from other sectors of the Czechoslo vakian aerospace industry have recently been in the UK attend ing a management programme at Sundridge Park Management Centre. This is oriented toward in creasing awareness of how to do business in the West's market economy environment. DASA is also considering how much of a stake to give China National Aero Technology Im port/Export (CATIC), which was involved in the MPC-75, the predecessor to the DAA92/120, with DASA subsidiary MBB. Deutsche Aerospace says: "We want to give CATIC a stake. It will be less than 15% and possi bly below 10%". • FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 20 - 26 November, 1991
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