FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
2003
2003 - 1045.PDF
HEADLINES DEFENCE PAUL LEWIS / WASHINGTON DC USA blasts A400M engine choice Politicians and industrialists claim political intervention blocked cheaper P&WC offer in favour of European rival The US Congress and United Technologies (UTC) are outraged at EADS's selection of Europrop International (EPI) rather than Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) to power the Airbus Military A400M transport. They claim the decision was politically rather than price- based after Airbus had earlier stated the PW180 offer was 20% cheaper. The EPI TP400-D6 turboprop choice has exacerbated already strained transatlantic political rela tions and threatens to rekindle an aerospace trade war with talk of rule violations and retaliatory action. "It's not an economic deci sion, a rational decision, but a political decision that will make the relationship between France and the USA even more difficult," Representative John Larson told the AFP news agency. Although EADS's decision was made in line with an Airbus recom mendation, US anger is directed at French President Jacques Chirac and his alleged insistence on a European engine being selected. UTC chairman George David believes the PW180 was Airbus's first choice. "We had a compliant, solid, really good winning pro posal, where Airbus seemed like they wanted to select us and where it got deselected at the 11th hour and 59th minute," says David. A complaint could now be lodged with the World Trade Organisation. Senator Joe Lieberman says: "This blatant pro tectionism threatens the confi dence necessary for free trade to flourish and invites similar tactics." Over the past few weeks, the engine choice had become highly political in Europe and, as a result, EPI was given a last chance to match P&WC's price. Snecma chief Jean- Paul Bechat says the P&WC offer "incited us to lower our own hopes on this programme", and that recent declarations by Airbus chief executive Noel Forgeard favouring the Canadian engine because it was cheaper "pushed us into making a few additional efforts". MTU, Rolls- Royce and Snecma each have a 28% stake in EPI, with Spain's ITP hold ing the remainder. Bechat admits that EPI "will probably not earn a great deal" on the contract. "We had political logic on our side but we were against very tight price objectives," he says, adding that the choice of a European engine "is extremely log ical and a choice that should not have come as a surprise". The decision clears the way for the pan-European procurement agency OCCAR to sign the A400M contract with Airbus Military, once the seven participating nations have signed the memorandum of agreement. EPI intends to have the first engine in test in the third quarter of 2005. ADDITIONAL REPORTING CHRISTINA MACKENZIE IN PARIS BUSINESS AVIATION Beechjet 400A gets reinvented Raytheon has ditched the Beechjet 400A brand, renaming its light jet the Hawker 400XR The move is part of Raytheon's strategy of strengthening its business aircraft range and re establishing the "brand values" of its Hawker and Beechcraft lines. Raytheon says it plans upgrades to its entire business aircraft range and the Hawker Horizon could also be renamed. The Hawker 400XP offers as standard much equipment previ ously available on the 400A as an option, says Brad Hatt, presi dent of the Hawker division. These include thrust reversers, vapour-cycle air conditioning, Traffic Alert and Collision and Avoidance System II, an elec tronic locator transmitter, a 90kg (2001b) increase in payload to accommodate a ninth passen ger and an expanded five-year warranty. US certification was received in late April and European approval is expected shortly, says Hatt. SEE EBACE SHOW REPORT P27 AIR TRANSPORT AARON KARP / WASHINGTON DC Regionals face capacity squeeze Average weight calculations for passengers have been shown to be too low A survey prompted by the crash of an Air Midwest Raytheon Beech 1900D in the USA earlier this year reveals that average weight calcula tions for passengers are too low, prompting some carriers to reduce the number of people they carry. Twelve US regional carriers have discovered they are carrying more weight than they believed, and have been forced to alter opera tions to account for the difference. For some carriers, this means using less fuel, carrying less bag gage and, in certain instances, car rying fewer passengers. Following the January crash of an Air Midwest Raytheon Beech 1900D in Charlotte, North Carolina, the US FAA ordered oper ators of 10-19 seat aircraft to survey the weight of passengers being car ried. While US carriers had been calculating weight by factoring in an average of 80kg (1751b) per pas senger, 12 regionals found their average passenger weighed more - significantly so in some cases. Several carriers have dramati cally raised their their average pas senger weight estimates, says US Regional Airline Association (RAA) vice-president of technical services Dave Lotterer. He adds that at least one of the 12 carriers is now carrying a maxi mum of 17 passengers rather than 19. With the FAA considering offi cially raising the average weight of passengers, other carriers worry they too will be forced to reduce the number of seats they offer. "It does stand to reason that if you do lose two seats, and the whole operation is based on 19 seats, it's going to have an impact," says Lotterer. "But if carriers see that their weight numbers aren't right, they'll make appropriate changes. We're not in denial here." The FAA says details of a new regu lation are "still being determined". US regional Gulfstream Inter national Airlines, operating Beech 1900Ds in Florida and the Bahamas, found its average passenger weighs 88kg rather than 80kg, and the aver age weight of total baggage is 14kg rather than the assumed 11kg. Previously, Gulfstream aircraft generally carried enough fuel to go from destinations in Florida to points in the Bahamas and back. Now the carrier refuels in the Bahamas and sometimes has to make "alternative arrangements" to carry some passengers' baggage. 4 13-19 MAY 2003 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.fliqhtinternational.com
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
