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Aviation History
1997
1997 - 0296.PDF
WORKSHOP ++ MTU has received a five-year contract from Qantas to support the General Electric CF6-50C2s which power the airline's fleet of Airbus A300B4s. ++ Sabena Technics has signed a long-term contract with Biman Bangladesh Airlines to provide maintenance support for the airline's fleet of two Airbus A310-300S. Sabena Tech nics will base a team of engineers in Dhaka, Bangladesh, to assist Biman's own staff with line, light and heavy maintenance on the air craft. ++ British Airways has con tracted Pemco World Air Services for the maintenance of two Boeing 757s at its Copen hagen maintenance centre. The two aircraft will undergo C-level maintenance checks. ++ BA has also awarded Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) a one-year con tract for 757 maintenance at lAI's Ben Gurion centre. ++ Pemco has received a contract from Laker Airways to carry out a C-check on one of the airline's McDonnell Douglas DC-lO30s at its Dothon, Alabama centre. ++ FLS Aero space has recently carried out a C- check on one of Transaero's two DC-lOs. having made a similar check on the first aircraft in 1996. The company has also reached agreement with Premiair to add a DC-10-30 to the four DC-10-10s it already has under maintenance contract. The Danish carrier's DC- 10-30 will undergo a D-check, maintenance, modification and repaint. The company has also secured long-term contracts with UK Airbus A321 charter operators Airworld and Leisure Inter national covering base and line maintenance and technical and component support. ++ Rolls- Royce Aero Engines Services has landed an eight-year engine overhaul contract on RB.211-535E engines in a deal worth £12 million ($19 million) from new UK Boeing 757 operator Flying Colours. ++ TAP-Air Portugal and Air France are to co-operate in exchanging maintenance services across the range of aircraft.engines and sys tems in their fleets. The deal is set to run until 2002. Alitalia pulls plug on Fokker 70s JULIAN MOXON/PARIS ALITALIA IS attempting to return its five leased Fokker 70s to the bankrupt Fokker opera tion, after failing in a bid to rc-lease them to low-cost Italian regional carrier Alpi Eagles. The two airlines concluded a codeshare deal late in 1996 which included the transfer of the Fokker 70s. Although the marketing ar rangement continues, the aircraft side of the deal has fallen through. Alpi is now running a fleet of Fokker 100s. According to airline sources, Fokker is showing "little interest" in helping Alitalia. They say that "...they are on a long-term lease and we have received no notifica tion of any change in that". Three of the aircraft are owned by Fokker, the remaining two by Daimler- Benz Aerospace which, through its Debis financial ami, is handling the day-to-day leasing operation of Fokker 50s, 70s and 100s in the field. Alitalia had originally ordered 15 Fokker 70s, but leased only five after pilots unions objected to the pay differentials between Fokker 70 pilots (who came from former Alitalia regional, Avianova) and those from the flag carrier flying McDonnell Douglas DC-9s.The Italian airline will use existing Alitalia's Fokker 70s are on the road back to Fokker capacity to replace the Fokker 70s once it finds another home for die aircraft. Fokker says that Alitalia should continue looking tor secondary lease opportunities for the five air craft. "The market for 70-seat jets is hardening," it says. Meanwhile, the Fokker receiver is in further negotiations on a pos sible bid from a Furopean consor tium which might enable the manufacturer to remain in busi ness. Dutch sources say that the talks are with a "non-aviation" grouping, and may involve an "overseas" partner as well. Discussions with the South Korean manufacturer Samsung Industries collapsed late in 1996. • Meridiana Fxpress, the new low-cost division of Italy's largest private airline, has launched ser vices. With a lower wage base than that of parent Meridiana, the new division will ultimately be expand ed to replace the existing airline. Six McDonnell Douglas MD-80s originally destined for Meridiana are being transferred to the new airline, while the six DC-9/51s now operated bv the parent airline will be retired without replacement when they fall foul of new noise limitations. The low-cost carrier may also receive eight more new aircraft planned for Meridiana in an earlier fleet-expansion plan. Ll Croatia starts fleet renewal with Airbus order CROATLV AIRLINES has placed an order to buy six Airbus A319s in a move towards a complete renewal and expansion of its fleet. The airline has also placed opt ions on six aircraft, which can be taken up as any type in the A320 family. No engine choice has yet been made. The first A319 is to be delivered in January 1998, and will be fur nished for 42 business-class pas sengers, and 90 in economy class. From 1 June, the airline plans to introduce one A320 on a three- and-a-half-year dry lease Irom Airbus, in response to growth in business and tourism in Croatia. According to Croatia Airlines, the A320 and A319s will be operat ed on new and well-established longer routes in the airline s net work, as well as to airports where noise requirements restrict use of the airline's fleet of ex-Lufthansa Boeing 737-200s. Airbus adds that the aircraft's 5,550km (3,000nm) range allows the A319 to be flown on Croatia's longest routes, such as those to Copenhagen and Moscow. Croatia is planning to replace its fleet of five 737-200s, three AJ(R) ATR 42 turboprops and one Cessna 31 OR by 2005. By then it hopes to have a fleet ol six short- range aircraft, between ten and 15 medium-range types and between two and five long-range aircraft, having gradually sold its existing jet-powered fleet "in the next four to five years", it says. The airline says that it plans ".. .todevelop into a medium-si/,ed European carrier", linking Croatia to Australia, other parts of Europe, the Far East, the Middle East, North America and West Africa. "Our aspirations and their realisa tion are closely linked with the revival of the Croatian economy,'* says the airline. Croatia is planning to introduce new routes to Athens, Beirut, Dubai, Kiev, Madrid and Milan, as well as increasing frequencies on its existing network. The airline is now negotiating with Alitalia and Spanish national carrier Iberia on possible codesharing on routes to Italy and Spain. • FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 12 - 18 February 1997
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