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Aviation History
2004
2004-00 - 0012.PDF
AIR TRANSPORT SYSTEMS GUY NORRIS / SEATTLE Boeing packs more into flight bag Manufacturer speeds designs for Next Generation 737 and 747 families in anticipation of growing market requirement Boeing is accelerating designs for new production and retrofit appli cations of its electronic flight bag (EFB) on the Next Generation 737 and 747 families, as well as several Airbus models as Pakistan International Airlines prepares to put the device into service on its new 777s. "We are coming up with designs for the 737 and the 747, and we are getting interest for several Airbus applications," says EFB project manager, flightcrew applications, Kevin Gosling. "We will work those [Airbus models] through a third party like Lufthansa Technik, which is why it is branded under the Jeppesen name," he adds. Developed with Jeppesen, the EFB entered commercial service on a KLM-operated 777-200ER in late 2003. It provides a large-format electronic flightdeck display of air port maps, aircraft performance, electronic documents and video pictures from cabin door and other security cameras. New modes are also in development for the base line EFB, adds Gosling. These include terminal charts and fault reporting and, further into the future, a direct interface with the flight management computer. "It is also designed to interface with ACARS [datalink], and another option is a compatible link to the Connexion by Boeing system which allows you to look at more real-time weather data," he adds. Boeing has mocked up the EFB in a 737 engineering development simulator to iron out any potential interference issues with the current configuration. "We had to swap over the location of the oxygen mask with the display, but that was about all," says Gosling. Although work on the 737 is well advanced, Gosling adds that the next most likely application will be on a 747. These, however, will be retrofit only, he adds. The company is also confident of a growing market requirement in Europe in particular "because European airlines realise they're going to need video surveillance at some point, and it is a kind of dual- use application", Gosling says. The EFB is available on the 777 and is being developed for other aircraft LOW-COST CARRIERS HILKA BIRNS / CAPE TOWN South Africa heads for no-frills price war as start-up prepares to launch A new South African no-frills carrier, ltime, will launch services this month after securing an air ser vice licence. According to chief executive Glenn Orsmond, details of the start up date and fares, expected to be the lowest in the South African market, will be announced this month. The airline has acquired two Boeing MD-82s from US-based Centec Aviation to operate three return flights a day between Johannesburg and Cape Town seven days a week. It plans to add another service to Cape Town and a daily flight to Durban later this year, ltime will sell its fares exclusively on the internet and via a call centre. The company's management hails almost entirely from South Africa's only other low-fare carrier Kulula.com, a subsidiary of Comair, where Orsmond had been financial director. Black empowerment com pany Mogwele Investments, co- owned by former Transnet exec- pilots and crew, and we're taking advantage of the window of oppor tunity offered by the stronger rand and cheaper aircraft after 9/11." Meanwhile, South Africa's avia tion regulator and the Association of South African Travel Agents issued a warning to consumers and travel agents after another start-up, Maiden Air, advertised flights from Johannesburg and Cape Town to London Stansted without having the necessary air service licence. utive director Zukile Nomvete, has acquired a 20% stake in the start-up. South Africa's domestic market is already overcrowded, with six other domestic carriers struggling to sur vive and ltime's entry is expected to spark a price war. Orsmond aims to keep the com petitive edge thanks to lower over heads than his competitors: "We can start with a clean slate because we're not locked into union agree ments governing the wages of START-UP Flight Centre, Alliance Airlines enter Australian charter market Australasian travel agent Flight Centre has launched a domestic Australian charter operation in conjunction with Alliance Airlines, with plans to add char ters from New Zealand in the new year. The company launched charter flights between Brisbane and Cairns in mid-December, operated by an Alliance Airlines' Fokker 100. Services to Hamilton Island will be added in the new year. Pending government approval, services will also be introduced between major New Zealand cities and Nadi, Fiji, in conjunction with New Zealand charter company Airworks. PRODUCTION China cuts ARJ21 metal China has cut the first metal for its indigenously developed ARJ21 large regional jet, which it hopes to fly in 2006 and deliver to its launch customer late in 2007. Programme company AVICI Commercial Aircraft (ACAC), a subsidiary of China Aviation Industry Corporation I, says man ufacturing work began on 20 December at its plants in Cheng du, Shanghai, Shenyang and Xian. The baseline ARJ21 will seat 78-85 passengers, and a stretched variant is planned. Final assembly will be carried out at Shanghai Aviation Industrial Group facilities, with the first flight scheduled for 2006. Entry into service is planned for late 2007. Although Chinese media say deliveries are due for 2008, ACAC vice-president Tao Zhi Hui denies this. Three launch customers hold orders for 35 ARJ21s: Shandong Airlines (10) Shanghai Airlines (five), and Shenzhen Financial Leasing (20). 10 6-12 JANUARY 2004 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.flightinternational.com
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