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Aviation History
1996
1996 - 0184.PDF
3UNES Brymon upgrades its Dash 8s Bombardier lands new Dash-8 and Regional Jet deals BOMBARDIER IS to supply private Romanian airline DAC Air with a mix of 50-seat Dash 8- 300s and Regional Jets to replace its ageing Antonov An-24s. The Canadian company has also landed a Dash-8 deal with UK carrier Brymon Airways. The Romanian deal is potential ly worth $425 million, and covers a firm order for four of each type, with conditional orders and options for a further eight of each. Delivery of the Regional Jets will begin in September, the first Dash 8s following in 1997. DAC Air plans to begin services to domestic and European destina tions in May using rights trans ferred from Tarom, Romania's state-owned carrier and partial owner of DAC Air. Meanwhile, Brymon Airways is to lease five Dash 8-3 00s, in a deal valued at£26 million ($39 million). All five of the twin-engined turbo prop airliners will be delivered between March and April this year. The UK regional carrier, wholly owned by British Airways, will use the aircraft to replace three Dash 7s and two Dash 8-100s on routes between UK regional airports and the Channel Islands, Ireland, Paris and Frankfurt. • Singapore applies to join Asian AE-100 programme PAUL LEWIS/SINGAPORE SINGAPORE Technologies is negotiating with China to take at least a 10% stake in the proposed new AE-100 passenger-aircraft programme. According to industry sources in Beijing, Singapore Technologies has already signed a memorandum of understanding with Aviation Industries of China (AVIC) to join the international project, but has still to finalise the size of its stake and workshare. Detailed discussions are under way in the Chinese capital between a Singapore Technologies Aero space (STAe) team led by senior vice-president Lim Luk Hock, and AVIC commercial aircraft pro gramme director-general Gao Zhan Min. An agreement is ex pected to be reached shortly. Singapore Technologies has provisionally agreed to take at least a 10% share in die 100-seat aircraft programme, development of which is estimated to cost some $2 billion. AVIC is thought to be pressing Singapore to increase this to up to 20% in the event that South Korea drops out of the programme. Singapore's main function is expected to be as an East-West "marriage broker". STAe per formed a similar go-between role for partners Eurocopter and CATIC of China on the EC.120 helicopter programme. Singapore Technologies would assist AVIC with the selection of a Western airframe partner, along with sourcingthe AE-100's engine, avionics and auxiliary power unit. Singapore's other major contribu tion could be in the area of financ ing and marketing. Actual workshare is likely to involve STAe in the design and development of aircraft compon ents and sub-systems, such as landing gear, engine nacelle and composite structures. Production would be undertaken by Singapore Technologies Pre cision, which is already looking at establishing a manufacturing plant at Suzhou, in China. India's Hindustan Aeronautics had been tipped to become the AE- 100 programme's third Asian part ner, although it now appears to have been ruled out. AVIC, in the meantime, is understood to have set a March deadline to reach a workshare ag reement with its principal partner, the Korean Commercial Aircraft Development Consortium (KCDC). Negotiations between AVIC and the Samsung-led consortium have stalled over Chinese demands for final assembly and project leader ship (Flight International, 24-30 January). South Korean sources suggest that AVIC's demands have not been endorsed by the Chinese Government, and that they threat en the future of wider co-operation between die two countries. Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy is due to meet China's State Economic and Trade Committee in early February to discuss the AVIC-KCDC rift. • Engine problems ground Swiss Airbuses SWISSAIR HAS grounded five Airbus A320/321s after cracks were discovered in the turbine sec tion of their CFM International CFM56-5B turbofans. The grounding affects Swissair aircraft recendy fitted with the low- emissions dual-annular combustor (DAC). The airline describes the move as precautionary. The aircraft were withdrawn from service when cracks were detected in the turbine frame-strut situated close to the DAC. CFM International is believed to be looking closely at the effects of the higher operating tempera ture of the DAC on the strut. The environmental performance of die DAC has been closely scrutinised since it was first installed on the Swissair fleet. The availability of the system was the deciding factor in winning the Swissair deal against stiff com petition from International Aero Engines with its V2 500. • Boeing counts the cost of airliner-delivery slump BOEING'S COMMERCIAL aircraft business emerged from a tough 1995 widi profits down by more than one-quarter as airliner deliveries continued to slide, a situ ation worsened by the ten-week machinists' strike. It delivered only 206 airliners over the year — the lowest for a decade — to record nearly $3 bil lion less in revenues than in 1994. Boeing says that production-rate rises are due to take output back to 2 70 in 1996. The value of the back log grew to $72.3 billion by die year end. Operating profits for the com mercial aircraft sector slumped, from more dian $1 billion to $743 million. On top of this, Boeing also made a $600 million charge for early retirements, making the prof it fall worse. The group's overall results appear largely unscathed by die de cline. The space sector showed a steady rise in sales and profits, while the group's research and develop ment (R&D) spending fell by $400 million to $1.3 billion, and is due to stay atthis level throughout 1996. Disregarding the retirement provision, group net profits were down by 8.5%, at $783 million. Including the provision, profits were cut to $393 million, with tax benefits offsetting the full impact. Boeing says that it also received a $90 million federal tax credit for R&D, largely for the 777. • 4 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 31 January - 6 February 1996
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