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Aviation History
2003
2003 - 2426.PDF
AIR TRANSPORT INCIDENT Security scare leads to El Al 767 diversion An El Al Boeing 767 operating between Israel and Los Angeles was forced to divert from a planned stop in Toronto last week after intelligence warned of a threat to the aircraft. The incident occurred on 23 October, while the aircraft was preparing to land at Toronto with 193 people on board. Air traffic control instructed the crew to divert to Montreal. El Al presi dent Amos Shapira says the decision to divert the flight was made after intelligence data pointed to "a possible threat". After landing and refuelling, the 767 flew to Toronto's secondary airport, Hamilton, and then con tinued to Los Angeles. START-UP GERALD BUTT / NICOSIA Gulf carriers to get fresh rival with Etihad launch Government-backed UAE flag carrier makes surprise entrance as new long-haul player The battle between the Gulf carriers will intensify in November with the launch of Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways, which has been designated the United Arab Emirates' national flag carrier and will compete directly with Emirates and Gulf Air. Owned by the government of Abu Dhabi, which holds a one-third share of Gulf Air, Etihad has been set up under the orders of UAE pres ident Shaikh Zayed, who is the ruler of Abu Dhabi. "We are completely independent of Gulf Air and will be in competi tion with it," says Etihad's manager of communications and product development, Richard Bate. Asked about the contradiction inherent in Abu Dhabi having ownership roles in two competing carriers, Bate says: "This is true, but it's an area I'm not at liberty to comment on." The emergence of Etihad Airways as a new long-haul player with gov ernment backing has led to specula tion that Abu Dhabi might give up its equity stake in Gulf Air to focus on its own airline. Etihad's business plan reveals the extent to which it will be competing for the same routes as its rival. It will start operations on 12 November using two Airbus A330-200s leased from Brazil's TAM on services to Beirut and Cairo, followed shortly afterwards by Karachi and Mumbai. Four more A330s will arrive next year when the airline will add London services as well as Bangkok, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Manila. Bate says Etihad Airways is not positioning itself "as a premium air line as such" but has no plans to op erate a low-cost subsidiary to com pete with Gulf Air's Abu Dhabi- based low-fare operation Gulf Trav eller or Sharjah-based Air Arabia. CARGO NICHOLAS IONIDES / JEJU IAI in line for conversion contract for 747-400s Korean Air (KAL) is planning to have up to seven Boeing 747-400 passenger aircraft converted into freighters with Israel Aircraft In dustries' (IAI) Bedek Aviation Group the frontrunner in the race to carry out the modifications. KAL is also evaluating the freighter version of the Airbus A380 following confir mation last week of a deal for up to eight passenger aircraft. The airline's 747-400 conversion plan is to meet its growth needs, and to replace ageing Boeing 747- 200Fs and MD-llFs. Speaking to Flight International at last week's Association of Asia Pacific Airlines meeting in Jeju, South Korea, KAL's senior vice-president of the SkyTeam Alliance carrier's cargo business division, Ken Choi, said SUBCONTRACTS KAL says it will consider taking some A380s as freighters that the contract is likely to go to Bedek, rather than Boeing. Choi says IAI is asking around $17 million for a 747-400 conver sion - far less than Boeing. IAI has launched its programme, backed by two undisclosed customers, while Boeing is seeking customers for its as yet unlaunched modification. The first re-deliveries for each conver sion are expected in 2005. KAL operates 26 747-400 passen- Boeing to outsource 737 empennages to KAI Boeing plans to outsource production of its 737 empennages to South Korea to help meet an offset requirement stemming from the country's purchase of F-15K fighters. Industry sources say Boeing and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) are negotiating a contract covering the supply of vertical fins and horizontal stabilisers for 737-600/700/800/900s which could be signed next week at the Korea air show in Busan. Boeing now sources these parts in the USA and China. Shanghai Aircraft and Xi'an Aircraft will continue to produce 737 horizontal stabilisers and vertical fins, but Boeing is con sidering phasing out in-house production of these parts. The empennage contract is the last piece of offset work Boeing is awarding KAI as part of the $4.2 billion F-15K pur chase. KAI also supplies fuselages for Apache helicopters and forward fuselages and wings for F-15Ks. It will also pro duce fuselages and wings for other F-15s sold in Asia. ger aircraft, and is already a major freighter operator, with 10 747- 400Fs, one 747-400ERF, five 747- 200Fs and four MD-llFs. Choi says the carrier plans to have 747-400 passenger aircraft converted into freighters as the aircraft reach 15 years of age. Current plans call for either six or seven of the type to be converted from 2005. KAL also has four additional 747-400ERFs on firm order and all will be delivered by the end of next year. In addition, two 747-200Fs have been bought back by Boeing, says Choi, and these will be withdrawn from KAL's fleet before the end of this year. "We also plan to have a sale and leaseback for the remaining three 747-200Fs," he says, adding that the ultimate plan is to stop operating this older variant. The MD-llFs will also be retired over the next two years - two next year and the remaining two in 2005. Having firmed up an order last week for five A380s, plus three options for delivery from 2007, Choi says KAL will consider taking some as freighters. He says KAL has the option to convert some of the A380 passenger orders into freighter orders by giving Airbus 36 months' notice. 8 28 OCTOBER - 3 NOVEMBER 2003 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.flightinternational.com
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