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Aviation History
2003
2003 - 2103.PDF
AIR TRANSPORT LEASING NICHOLAS IONIDES / SINGAPORE Boeing finally finds new homes for ex-SIA A340s China Airlines, Emirates and Gulf Air take bulk of aircraft acquired in a controversial deal Boeing has finally managed to place all 17 of the Airbus A340- 300s that it acquired from Singa pore Airlines (SIA) through a con troversial 1999 trade-in deal. Industry sources say eight of the remaining aircraft will be going to Emirates, three more to Gulf Air, and one to Taiwan's China Airlines (CAL). Gulf Air already leases two ex-SIA A340-300s from Boeing, while Cathay Pacific Airways oper ates three, which Boeing sold with leases attached to other parties. Two of the new placements are aircraft that Boeing had previously leased to the now defunct Khalifa Airways. Boeing agreed in 1999 to buy all of SIA's A340-300s - including two not built - in a deal related to the purchase of 10 777-200ERs. Boeing had until now found it difficult to place the aircraft. Emirates confirmed last week that it was finalising a deal with Boeing to lease eight of the A340- 300s for nine years. The aircraft are expected to start arriving after refurbishment work around the end of February. Sources previously said Emirates was in talks to lease six of the ex-SIA aircraft, and they were only expected to have been on short- term arrangements to meet capacity needs until the carrier's first Boeing 777-300ER arrives in March 2005. But the Dubai-based airline has opted for long-term leases and the nine-year deal covers eight aircraft, all of which will undergo major interior upgrade work. The aircraft will seat 213 in economy class, 42 in business class and 12 in first class. "We are going to make a major investment to refurbish these aircraft to bring them up to Emirates' standard," it says. "This is part of our ongoing development." Gulf Air, which declines to com ment on the deal, is taking three more A340s from Boeing, includ ing one of the new-build aircraft. CAL is believed to be taking the other new A3 40, but the airline will not confirm the deal with Boeing, although it previously said it planned to lease one of the type by year-end. It already operates six A340-300s purchased from Airbus. INCIDENT Fire halts Air Deccan flight Dignitaries including India's civil aviation minister had to evacuate an Air Deccan ATR 42 during the air line's inaugural service from Hyd- / erabad to Vijayawada on 23 Sept ember after fuel vapour around one of the engines ignited. A cloud of smoke appeared as the aircraft tax ied from Begumpet airport in India. The new service, which is the Indian carrier's eighth route, was rescheduled to start this week. INSTRUCTION Delta installs Bombardier flight training device Delta Connection Academy has introduced a Bombardier CRJ flight training device (FTD) to help ab initio students transfer from pis- ton-engined trainers to regional jets. The Frasca International-built FTD is installed at the Academy's Sanford, Florida, campus. Students who have received multi-engine flight training on Piper Seminole piston twins will use the FTD, which simulates the CRJ200's electronic flight instrument, engine information and crew alerting, autoflight and flight management systems, to transition to more com plex regional jets. The device has a three-channel visual system. The former Comair Academy has in stalled an Aerosim CRJ200 desktop trainer for classroom instruction. Over the last two years similar CRJ FTDs have been delivered to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Univer sity and the University of North Dakota (UND), as well as the Airline Training Academy (ATA) and Pan Am International Flight Academy for transition training. UND's Level 6 device was produced by Aerosim- Mechtronix, while the ATA and Pam Am Level 5 FTDs were made by Faros's Wicat division. REGULATION CASA to pass all Australian safety rules The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) of Australia is on course to pass all of the coun try's new aviation safety regulations to the transport min ister for approval by the deadline of 31 December, bringing to an end more than a decade of attempts to reform the country's aviation regulations, The objec tive is to simplify the regulations and harmonise them with International Civil Aviation Organisation requirements, writes Emma Kelly. Of the 57 parts of the regulations, 27 have now been completed, says John Anderson, Australia's deputy prime minister and transport minister. With the exception of regulations covering sport avia tion and enforcement, all the notices of proposed rule making have been issued, Bruce Gemmell, CASA's acting director of aviation safety, told the late September Safeskies conference in Canberra. "This is the point where traditionally we go cold and back away from regulatory reform," says Gemmell, pointing to failed attempts at reform throughout the 1990s. CASA is planning a transition period, with the maintenance package, for example, to be implemented in late 2004 but giv ing existing organisations three years to achieve compliance. The Australian government is also close to calling on parlia ment to reform CASA, says Anderson. This will see the abo lition of the CASA board and introduce increased accountabil ity. It also includes the introduction of a demerit process for minor infringements of aviation regulations, replacing revocation of an operator's licence, which was criticised for being too harsh. The reforms also introduce an appeal process and a voluntary report ing scheme. The latter will be managed by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau. www.flightlnternational.com FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 30 SEPTEMBER - 6 OCTOBER 2003 9
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