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Aviation History
2004
2004-00 - 0011.PDF
AIR TRANSPORT EXPANSION HERMAN DE WULF / BRUSSELS DHL gets tough in bid to secure Brussels growth Carrier threatens to move to Germany if Belgium cannot ensure unrestricted expansion Express package carrier DHL has warned the Belgian government that unless it can guarantee un restricted expansion at Brussels, it will relocate its main European air hub to Germany. The company, which has been based at Brussels since 1985, is preparing for major expansion and is demanding an increase in the airport's night-time movement cap and a guarantee that it will be allowed to operate there for at least 30 years. DHL, which is Brussels airport's biggest operator, says it is in talks with Stuttgart and Leipzig airports in Germany about potentially relocating its main hub. With the express market grow ing at 5-8% annually, DHL says it needs to undertake an initial investment in 2007 to expand its hub to meet demand. By then the company will be operating at least 75 aircraft in its European network. This will initially be achieved by redeploying aircraft from DHL's worldwide fleet. The company expects the expansion will see its employment at the hub increase from 3,500 to 9,300 initially and to 12,000 after 2012. The Belgian government has recently vowed that night opera tions at Brussels airport will be frozen at 25,000 movements annually, due to environmental pressure. DHL wants this to be increased to 30,000 and beyond and says if this is not agreed it will have to relocate. The announcement was a bombshell for the Belgian govern ment, which only recently imple mented new noise legislation for the airport. Some observers say the loss of the country's largest operator could bring the govern ment down. The situation is complicated by the structure of aviation regulation in Belgium, with it being jointly controlled by the federal govern ment and the country's regional governments and also involving the country's judicial system. One proposed solution was to offer DHL the use of Chievres air base in western Belgium, but this was dropped as the investment required to provide the necessary infrastructure was too great. AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL Eurocontrol and EC sign for Single Sky The European Commission has taken another enabling step toward the creation of a Single European Sky (SES) by signing a memorandum of co-operation with Eurocontrol. This comes immediately after the political go-ahead for the SES granted by the European Union Council of Ministers in mid-December (Flight International, 23 December 2003-5 January). Now, says Eurocontrol, it and the commission "will extend their co-operation to other areas such as research and development, technical information, data col lection and analysis in the air traffic and environmental areas, global satellite navigation sys tems [Galileo] and international co-operation with a view to building a unified European vision of future air traffic man agement systems". MANUFACTURING VLADIMIR KARNOZOV / SAMARA Samara An-140 roll-out marks the start of production at Aviacor plant The Aviacor factory in Samara, Russia has become the third plant to undertake series production of the Antonov An-140, rolling out its first aircraft on 25 December. The first aircraft will undergo ground and flight tests ahead of entry into service with Samara Airlines in March. The airline will receive a second Aviacor-built air craft in June. Unlike the first air craft, the second and subsequent aircraft will be built as the improved An-140-100 variant that was speci fied by Iran for its local assembly line. The -100 features a strength ened centre wing-box and a lm (3.3ft) increase in wingspan to pro vide improved field performance. Aviacor has five airframes in vari ous states of construction, and plans to complete four An-140s this year and eight in 2005. Konstantin Titov, the governor of the Samara region, says "the region is in talks with 30 Aviacor's first An-140 was rolled out in a ceremony on 25 December operaters" about An-140 orders. The 52-seat twin-turboprop is being built in Ukraine by the Khar kov State Aircraft Production Enter prise (KhAPO), while an Iranian- built version - the IrAn-140 - is assembled by HESA in Isfahan. However, Antonov general des igner Piotr Balabuev has hinted that Aviacor could become the sole An-140 producer in the CIS. "It would make sense, given that KhAPO is being overloaded with the An-74, An-140 and An-148 pro grammes," he says. KhAPO has delivered five An-140s to Odessa Airlines, Aeromost-Kharkov and Motor-Sich Avia Airlines, while HESA has assembled three IrAn-140s. MARKETPLACE • Korean Air (KAL) has placed a follow-on order for nine more Boeing 777-200ERs, with deliv eries due to start in June 2005. The airline's existing 777- 200ERs are equipped with Pratt & Whitney PW4090s, although KAL says no firm contract has yet been signed with the engine manufacturer for the new aircraft. • Qantas has confirmed its expected order for 20 Internat ional Aero Engines V2500- powered Airbus A320s with 40 options for its Jetstar low-fare subsidiary. Deliveries will begin in October. The airline will also lease three more A320s. Meanwhile the airline's QantasLink arm has ordered six Bombardier Dash 8 Q300s. • Cathay Pacific Airways has ordered a single Boeing 747-400 freighter for delivery in early 2005. • China Airlines has pur chased four 747-400s and one MD-11 off lease from Taiwan's Civil Aeronautics Administration for NT$6 billion ($179 million). www.flightinternational.com FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 6-12 JANUARY 2004 9
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