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Aviation History
2003
2003 - 1698.PDF
AIR TRANSPORT LOW-COST CARRIERS AirAsia plans cash infusion and fleet expansion Malaysian low-fare carrier AirAsia is finalising plans for a capital injection from new investors while preparing to expand its Boeing 737-300 fleet with seven more leased exam ples and four others purchased from GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS). Senior advisor and 5% share holder Conor McCarthy says AirAsia will on 27 June confirm the identity of new investors who will take a sizeable minority stake, allowing for a further expansion. He adds that while no firm decisions have been taken on moving into the interna tional market, AirAsia is continuing to study this, and ser vices to Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand are under consideration. The fleet expansion was revealed just days after Singa pore Airlines announced it was studying the establishment of an all-new no-frills carrier rather than keeping open the option of converting regional arm SilkAir into a low-cost unit. Many observers see AirAsia as a potential threat to SIA, as it could operate international flights from Senai airport near Johor Bahru, a town in southern Malaysia just across the border with Singapore. AirAsia will take delivery of the four purchased and seven leased 737-300s from GECAS over the next 12 months. Three of its seven current 737-300s are leased from GECAS, although one will be returned. The four it is buying will be the first purchased aircraft in its fleet. AirAsia has expanded quickly since new owners took over in December 2001 and re-launched the former loss- making full-service airline in January 2002. It has since become profitable, while its fleet has grown from just two 737- 300s and many new domestic destinations have been added. AIRCRAFT DEVELOPMENT VLADIMIR KARNOZOV / MOSCOW Sukhoi woos designers in bid to speed RRJ project Efforts under way to attract Beriev and Tupolev to lend experience to programme Sukhoi wants more Russian design houses to join its Russian Regional Jet (RRJ) project to meet its tight development schedule. The family comprises six models - three sizes seating 60, 75 and 95 passengers, each offered as standard and long-range versions. Ilyushin and Yakovlev are already members of the Sukhoi-led programme along with Boeing, and efforts are under way to enlist Beriev and Tupolev. "We are working with Beriev to include it in the RRJ team and use its experience in civil design to a maximum," says Sukhoi general director Mikhail Pogosyan. "Tupo- lev's participation is also possible." Meanwhile, Sukhoi has unveiled a shortlist of RRJ supplier partners for major components: • auxiliary power unit: Honey well, Hamilton Sundstrand, Salyut and Saturn; • environmental control system: Liebherr, Honeywell and Teploob- mennik; • flight controls: Aviapribor, Elek- tropribor, Liebherr, Moog, Curtiss Wright, Thales and Voskhod; • fuel system: Abris, FR-HiTemp, Tekhpribor and Zodiac; The RRJ is expected to cost $650 million and break-even in eight years • hydraulics: Eaton, Hamilton Sundstrand, Parker Aerospace and Rubin; • landing gear: Gidromash, Liebherr and Messier-Dowty; • oxygen system: EROS, NPP Zve- zda, Reispirator and Scott Aviation. Selection of an avionics vendor has not been made, but talks are being held with Russia's Aviapribor and France's Sagem and Thales. Honeywell did not bid, while Rockwell Collins has been cool tow ards the project after the losses it sustained in the cancelled Ilyushin I1-96M/T project. "The French companies came into consideration after the Honey well and Rockwell responses," says Pogosyan, adding that major part ners will be selected by September. The RRJ project is expected to cost $650 million and reach break even within eight years. Develop ment is divided into the Phase 1 product definition stage, now under way and running until 2005, with Phase 2 development and certifica tion in 2006-7 and Phase 3 produc tion from 2007. First flight is due in early 2006 and certification by year- end, with first deliveries in 2007. ATC DAVID LEARMOUNT / LONDON Fining NATS for delays 'dangerous' UK air traffic controllers say an eco nomic penalty imposed on National Air Traffic Services (NATS) for delays is dangerous. The main reason for delays, says the controllers' union Prospect, is a shortage of controllers. The penalty, imposed by the UK Civil Aviation Authority, is meant "to strengthen the incentives for NATS to reduce air traffic flow man agement delays", says the CAA. It applies to delays that exceed an average of 1.2min per flight in a cal endar year, and the CAA has tight ened the formula for determining the penalty. The maximum imp osed reduction in the NATS unit charge has more than doubled from £0.49 to £1 ($1.67), and the penalty is immediate instead of delayed. Prospect says the CAA's target is "unattainable except in abnormal circumstances", and will put pressure on controllers to "increase the hourly flow of flights through busy sectors". The union says "economic regu lation of NATS should not be con sidered in isolation from safety reg ulation", and that this will place further financial pressure on NATS, claiming that it could face up to £10 million in penalties. The CAA says the rule is meant to put pressure on the company to "achieve the appropriate level of capacity", including providing suf ficient controllers. It is not intended, the CAA says, to "influence the flow control process at a tactical operational level". NATS responds: "The CAA has set a tough target, but they know we would never compromise our safety standards by going all out to achieve it." It observes, however, that "this target is a crude measure of perfor mance because it does not take into account the changing complexity of the business." 32 24-30 JUNE 2003 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.fliqhtinternational.com
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