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Aviation History
1996
1996 - 3112.PDF
HEADLINES NEWS IN BRIEF • AIR OF RESIGNATION Canadian Airlines Internat ional's board of directors has resigned en bloc rather than be held personally financially liable to creditors should the airline have to close.The air line has threatened closure unless employees agree to a 10% wage cut by 27 Novem ber, to help overcome contin uing heavy losses. • FIRE-DECTECTORS The latest outcome of the fatal 11 May Valujet McDonnell Douglas DC-9 crash is that the US Federal Aviation Admini stration has mandated advice made 12 years ago by the US National Transportation Safe ty Board to install fire-detec tor and suppression systems in the cargo holds of commercial passenger aircraft. Development of growth GE90 variant put on hold PAUL LEWIS/SINGAPORE GENERAL ELECTRIC has put on hold its plans to devel op a growth variant of the GE90, after deciding not to commit itself to the larger 445kN (100,0001b)- thrust GE90-100B engine as part of a competition to supply engines to Asiana Airlines, for an order split between Boeing and Airbus. As a result, the South Korean carrier has narrowed its choice of power- plants for the Boeing 777-300 to Rolls-Royce's planned Trent 898 and the Pratt & Whitney PW4098. Asiana is expected to make a deci sion soon on the selection of a fam ily of engines for up to 48 Airbus Industrie A3 3 0-2 00/3 00 and Boe ing 777-200/300 widebody twins on order or option. A key deciding factor is Asiana's requirement for a 436kN engine for its planned fleet often stretched 777-300s. GE is understood to have told Asiana there was not yet sufficient demand to warrant development of the -100B engine, which would have been derated to power the air line's 777-300s. The carrier has dropped the GE90 as a candidate engine for both the stretch and ten 777-200IGWs it plans to pur- chase.The move also throws into doubt GE's offer of CF6-80E1 engines for Asiana's planned 15 A330-300sand 13 A330-200s. Rolls-Royce, in response, has for the first time proposed a 436kN version of the Trent 800 engine to power Asiana's 777-300s. The Trent 898 would complement the company's existing 768/772 and 890 turbofans being offered for the A330-200/300 and 777-200IGW respectively. The new derivative would need to meet Asiana's 1999 delivery schedule for its first 777- 3 00The required modifications to meet the higher thrust level would be "minimal", claims Rolls. The Trent rival is the 436kN PW4098, already being developed to power Korean Air's planned fleet of eight 777-300s, and is due to enter service in June 1998. Others of the family being offered include the PW4090 for the 777-200 and PW4164/4168fortheA330. • American signs Boeing for fleet replacement RAMON LOPEZ/WASWNGTON DC AMERICAN AIRLINES has placed firm orders for 103 Boeings as part of a deal which could see it buying a total of 6 3 0 air craft over the next 2 0 years. Based on Boeing's list prices, the firm order is valued at $6.6 billion, but Robert Crandall, American's chairman and chief executive, says: "You can count on the fact that I bought diem for a few dollars less than that." Boeing will become the exclusive supplier of long-haul passenger air craft to American, providing air craft ranging from die next-gen eration Boeing 737 to the 777. The deal is contingent, however, on rat ification of a deal reached between American and the Allied Pilots As sociation. The 9,000 members will vote during December. A novel approach to the long- term aircraft deal includes "pur chase rights" for 527 more Boeing aircraft. Under current practices, traditional delivery options have to be exercised 24 to 3 6 months before delivery, or they expire. Under the alternative scheme, which is subject to availability of American lines up a deal which could total 630 aircraft over 20years delivery positions, some of which are guaranteed, American will have the right to acquire, at specified prices, new narrowbodied aircraft with as little as 15 months' prior notice and widebodied aircraft with 18 mondis' notice. In part this flex ible plan is a result of Boeing's on going aircraft production cycle- time reductions. "American will be able to match replacement and growth orders with the industry's notoriously cyclical nature," says Crandall. The 103 firm orders include a dozen Boeing 777-200IGWs that will re- Type 737-800* 757-200 767-300EF 777-200* Total CTTTTTT; Firm Orders 75 12 4 12 103 'jIVJi'-l Purchase RigMs 425 38 26 38 527 la-H.l'lilJII- HI 1 1 1 Mil i» Firm Order Total Schedule 500 50 30 50 630 Source: American Airlines Notes: Purchase rights due between 1998 and 2018 * - 1998-2001 1998-1999 1998 1998-2001 - Purchase rights can Engines CFM56-7 R-R RB.211 GECF6 N/A e taken as any variant place the McDonnell Douglas MD-lls which American has agreed to sell to FedEx in 1997. American still has 16 MD- lis. The 777s on order will be delivered between 1998 and 2001. Negot iations are currently under way with the engine manufacturers. American will begin retiring Boeing 727s, replacing them with 75 Boeing 737-800s powered by CFM International CFM56-7 engines, from 1998. In the interim die 737 delivery schedule will require American to retain and hush-kit as many as 50 727s. Orders for 12 additional Rolls Royce RB.211-powered Boeing 757-200s and four more General Electric CF6-80-powered 767-300ERs were also placed, which will bring American's fleet of the types to 102 and 75 respectively. The "purchase rights" for an additional 527 aircraft are due through to 2018, and the complete fleet modernisation plan will yield an overall 2% capacity growth. Over the next two decades, American will replace all of its 727s, McDonnell Douglas MD-80s and Fokker 100s. It will, however, retain its 3 5 Airbus A3 00s. • 4 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 27 November - 3 December 1996
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