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Aviation History
1998
1998 - 0479.PDF
AIR TRANSPORT Continental Micronesia fights Asia crisis GUY NORRIS/GUAM CONTINENTAL Micronesia is expanding its route network, revising its Guam hub operation and modernising its fleet with Boeing 757s and Next Generation 737s as part of plans to counteract the downturn in traffic following the Asian economic crisis. The first of two new 757-200s due for deliver 7 this month arrived in( riiamon 2 March and will be fol lowed by four more by die end ot May. The single 757 on loan from parent company Continental will then be returned to the US-based fleet to leave five aircraft operating from Micronesia. "It's very timely," says airline president James Ream who is using the 757s to replace McDonnell Douglas DC- 10-10s on some routes and to build up fre quencies on others. The 757s have lower operating costs. The airline's three DC-10-10s are due to return to the USA by the end of March, along with the last two of five Boeing 727-2()()s sent to join die mainland Continental fleet as part of restructuring plans announced at die start of die year. The move leaves Continental Micronesia with nine 727-200s, one DC-10-30, five 757s and four 747-200s. "Asia is on its knees and we've tried to respond aggressively. Instead ofdoing things slowly every quarter, we're leapfrogging that and making the move in one go. The transfer helps them and helps us. We have the chance to flow- excess capacity back stateside where it is needed now," says Ream. Continental Micronesia also reveals that it is studying die 737- 900 as part of plans to replace its 727 with Next Generation 737s from 1999/2000 onwards. "The - 800 was pegged as the aircraft of choice, but now Boeing has launched the -900 there's a lot of interest here in that," says Curt Bourg, senior vice-president cus tomer service and sales. The air craft would be acquired as part of Continental's original Next Generation order, and could well include a mix of types including the -600 and-700, savs Ream. The airline is also expanding ser vices to Japan, where it plans to serve 11 cities by 2000 compared to six at die start of diis year. New ser vices are also planned for 1998 to Cairns, Australia, the island of Bali and, pending French Government approval, to Noumea in New Caledonia. The expansion com pensates for the closure of once lucrative routes to Seoul which have ceased with the collapse of die South Korean economy. The revised network is linked to changes at the Guam hub, where the timing of the predominantly north-south and east-west flights are being changed to more closely connect with one another and with south and east Pacific locations. Zl China Airlines flight C1676 flight profile, 16 February, 1998, at Taipei International Airport Source: Taiwan Civil Aeronautics Adminislral Note: All limes GMT. all heights AMSL. * information between events unknown Diagram not to scale IAS Indicated airspeed AMSL Above mean sea level (1.85km) (3.70km) GARETH BURGESS 98 Loss of control is key to China Airlines accident DAVID LEARMOUNT/LONDON LOSS OF control appears to have been the cause ot the China Airlines (CAL) crash at Taipei Airport, Taiwan, on 16 February, according to informa tion which has been made available by the Taiwan Civil Aeronautics Administration (TCAA). Preliminary flight data recorder readings downloaded for the TCAA by Australia's Bureau of Air Safety Investigation, indicates that the Airbus Industrie A300-600R's approach to run way 051, was tar too high for a safe landing, and that the crew lost control during a manually flown go-around in which extreme pitch attitudes and speeds were allowed to develop see diagram). The Administration released details from lmin 6s of the tape. The last data show the aircraft plunging towards the ground through an indicated altitude of 1,319ft (400m) with a nose-down pitch of 37° and its indicated air speed increasing through 203kt (376km/h). Airfield elevation is 107ft. The distribution of Wreck age indicates that the aircraft hit the ground in a slightly nose up attitude shortly afterwards. All 196 people on board, and six on the ground, were killed in the crash. On 26 April, 1994, the crew of another CAL A3O0-6O0R crashed at Nagoya, Japan, after a similar approach/go-around profile before a nose up impact in which 264 on board died. • French independent taps into new routes FRENCH INDEPENDENT airline A( ).Y1 has signed a code- sharing agreement with TAP Air Portugal under which the two car riers will jointly develop routes to cities in the south of France, Portugal, Latin America and the Caribbean. The deal follows last year's agreement with Swissair, which AOM business director Jean-Marc Janaillac admits has been delayed by a month, and will now to take effect "in late March...we have encountered some technical prob lems implementing the codeshar- ing arrangements". AO.\ 1 is to open a route between Swissair hub Zurich and Paris Orly using three leased Boeing 737- 500s. Its existing Boeing MD-83s are "too big", says Janaillac, adding that the Boeings are also needed "to develop our charter business". The Zurich route will be opened on 27 April, with three services daily. The summer 1998 season will see frequency increases on sev eral other routes, mainly to the Caribbean, but also on domestic routes between Paris and Nice, Marseille, Toulon and Perpignan. Passenger growth tor 1997 stood at 27% for AOM's long- range routes and 14.5% for medi um range services, while overall capacity increased by 9%. • FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 11 - 17 March 1998 9
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