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Aviation History
2002
2002 - 3136.PDF
HEADLINES BUSINESS JUSTIN WASTNAGE / VIENNA Star members eye regional deal Evaluation follows groundbreaking joint avionics sourcing agreement and information technology package The three largest European Star Alliance member airlines are exploring a combined deal for regional aircraft, which would be the first such joint aircraft purchase for the Lufthansa/United Airlines- led grouping. The carriers, Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa and Scandin avian Airlines (SAS), have issued tenders, which are likely to be set tled simultaneously, says Austrian Airlines group president and chief executive Vagn Sorensen. The move comes as Star Alliance is on the verge of following up its ground-breaking avionics sourcing agreement with Rockwell Collins with a similar information technol ogy deal (Flight International, 27 August - 2 September). The Austrian flag carrier is restructuring its fleet after integrat ing Lauda Air, Rheintalflug and Tyrolean Airways within the group earlier this year. Sorensen says that now the airline has implemented some of the more urgent parts of its fleet strategy, such as converting Airbus A320 orders to A319s, find ing a "gap filler" between 70 and 120 seats is "top priority". The fact that Austrian's Star partners Lufthansa and SAS, the latter of which Sorensen was previously deputy chief executive, are also looking for regional aircraft is "a coincidence that could be exploited", he says. Star Alliance chief executive Jaan Albrecht says the organisation will work as a "facilitator" in any deal between the three and a manufac turer, co-ordinating the terms to standardise the configurations for example. "It would be up to the car riers to negotiate on price," he says. Austrian says that the backbone of its regional fleet, to be operated by Tyrolean, will be the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 twin turboprop, which will be supple mented by regional jets. Four Fokker 70s from Austrian Airlines' mainline fleet and four Lauda Bombardier CRJ200LRs will be merged into Tyrolean's jet fleet, which comprises six Fokker 70s, six Bombardier CRJ200s and three Embraer ERJ-145s. Lufthansa is evaluating the structure of its regional affiliates and is expected to streamline its operations by the end of this year (Flight International, 8-14 October). Once the new structure is in place, Lufthansa is set to decide on a replacement for orders for 60 Fairchild Dornier 728s, plus 60 options. SAS, meanwhile, says that it still has several issues to conclude, including pilot scope clauses, before it can define its regional jet needs. The three carriers are keen to conclude any deal in the current "buyer's market", says Sorensen. LOT Polish Airlines, which joined Star Alliance last week, is thought to be too far advanced in its negoti ations to be included in the deal. Meanwhile, Star has asked five suppliers to bid to offer a common technical platform for handling ticketing, seat inventory and depar ture information for introduction in 2004. The system could replace eight different platforms being used by its 12 member airlines. ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY MURDO MORRISON IN LONDON Austrian is to transfer four of its Fokker 70s to Tyrolean, which will form the backbone of its regional operational MD900 BULLETIN MD Helicopters has issued a service bulletin for the MD900 Explorer requiring operators to check for cracks in the top 25mm (1in) of the main rotor support static mast, following the discovery of cracked compo nents on helicopters in Europe. IL-62 CRASH A Tretyakovo Air Transport llyushin II-62M freighter crash- landed at Manas Airport, near Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, last week. The nine crew escaped with only one seriously injured. Around 300m before the runway the crew said they would abort the landing, but the aircraft ran into a concrete fence and caught fire. AIR TRANSPORT PAUL LEWIS / WASHINGTON DC & ANDREW DOYLE / SINGAPORE Airlines seek additional QLR range In response to airline feedback, Boeing is mulling further refine ments to its proposed 747-400X Quiet Long Range (QLR) model that would provide extra range and a marginal increase in capacity without affecting the demand for stringent QC2 noise compliance at London Heathrow Airport. Airlines are asking for 14,800km (8,000nm) range to ensure eco nomical non-stop flights between the US East Coast and Asia. Changes would focus on adding up to 3,790 litres (l,000USgal) of fuel to an expanded horizontal sta biliser fuel tank and a new fuel tank housed in the vertical fin. The fuselage forward of the wing lead ing edge would be stretched by 2m (80in) or four frames, to offset the shift in centre of gravity while pro viding space for an extra row of business class seating and extra lower deck cargo. The 747-400XQLR configured with the General Electric CF6- 80C2B9F engine and a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 396,900kg (875,0001b) would meet QC2 compliance but with a maxi mum range of only 13,900km. Boeing has opened talks with Rolls- Royce to also offer the aircraft with the Trent 600, which, the manufac turer claims, would meet demands for QC2 compatibility at the 747XQLR's 420,000kg MTOW (Flight International, 3-9 September). Major challenges for Boeing will be to strip weight out of the aircraft elsewhere to stay within the QLR's upper MTOW limit and strike a deal with R-R to harness the Trent 600's promised improved operating performance. Talks between the two companies have been ongoing since early September, with little sign of progress. A key considera tion for R-R is the potential size of the QLR market in the face of com petition from the new Airbus A380. Cathay Pacific Airways is under stood to be leading the group of potential 747-400XQLR launch customers, with a requirement for up to 10 passenger and freighter versions. Other interested carriers are Cargolux, Korean, Qantas and Singapore Airlines. 4 29 OCTOBER - 4 NOVEMBER 2002 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.fliqhtinternational.com
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