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Aviation History
2004
2004-02 - 0014.PDF
AIR TRANSPORT COMMUTER AIRCRAFT JUSTIN WASTNAGE / LONDON & RADHAKRISHNA RAO / BANGALORE Saras twin-pusher testing resumes Thrice-postponed programme set to start again despite weight problems as HAL turns to national laboratory for help India's Saras multirole utility air craft is due to resume flight testing in February despite estimates that the maximum take-off weight of the twin-turboprop will be 20% above the 4,500kg (9,9001b) target. The flight-test programme has been postponed three times since the aircraft's roll-out at last February's Bangalore air show and now Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) is understood to have been asked by the Indian National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL) design bureau to assist in reducing the excess weight. HAL designed the wing and the Thai AirAsia, an associate carrier of Malaysian low-fare airline AirAsia, launches operations on 3 February and will initially compete on two domestic routes in Thailand with just one Boeing 737-300, although it expects to have eight aircraft by year-end. The airline's main competitors will be Thai Airways International and Orient Thai Airlines' recently launched no-frills carrier One-Two- Go, which has its own ambitious expansion plans. Kuala Lumpur-based AirAsia owns 49% of Thai AirAsia while Shin Corp, a Thai telecoms com pany founded by Thailand's prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, con trols 50%. Thai AirAsia's chief exec utive Tassapon Bijleveld has the remaining 1%. Thai AirAsia will begin opera tions on 3 February with one 737- 300 and operate on the Bangkok- Chiang Mai and Bangkok-Phuket routes. By the end of February it expects to have two 737-300s and also be operating from Bangkok to Hat Yai and Khon Kaen. Its aircraft will be subleased from AirAsia (Malaysia). Thai AirAsia also plans to begin operating from Bangkok to landing gear for the 14-seat com muter and has been told to trim weight by at least 1,000kg. NAL dis misses the weight problems, claim ing that all prototypes are over weight at first flight. The programme has suffered several delays since its launch in 1996. Flight tests were originally sched uled to begin in 2000. Sources in the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), which leads the Saras pro gramme, say the aircraft will be rolled out in the next few weeks from the hangars of Bangalore- Singapore at the end of March or early April, says Tassapon. AirAsia (Malaysia) chief execu tive Tony Fernandes is liaising with the Singapore authorities on Thai AirAsia's behalf. Fernandes is also negotiating to acquire nine 737-300s this year in addition to the eight aircraft to which the carrier is committed. AirAsia has 13 aircraft, including the two earmarked for Thai AirAsia. Fernandes says Thai AirAsia's expansion in Thailand depends on how soon he can secure the addi tional nine aircraft. While Thai AirAsia is set to launch, one of its competitors has an expansion plan of its own. Orient Thai's One-Two-Go has two Boeing 757-200s and operates on the Bangkok-Chiang Mai route. It hopes to lease four more 757- 200s for delivery by the third quar ter and have four Boeing MD-82s by year-end, with the first to be delivered around May. In the meantime, One-Two-Go aims to launch services from Bangkok to Hat Yai and Chiang Rai in the first week of February. It will then look to launch services on the Bangkok-Phuket route once it acquires additional 757s. based NAL. The pusher-turboprop is designed to provide efficient short-haul air links on feeder routes that are poorly served by mainline air services. CSIR claims the aircraft will operate comfortably from high-altitude airfields on hot days without compromising take-off weight and will use less fuel compared to similarly sized commuters. HAL will be responsible for pro ducing the Saras, which will have a maximum speed of 340kt (625km/h). Power comes from two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-66 engines driving 2.16m (7ft)-diame- ter, five-bladed propellers at 2,000rpm in a pusher configura tion. The engines are mounted on stub wings on the fuselage rear, resulting in a quieter cabin and undisturbed airflow over the wing. According to Dr R A Mashelkar, director general of CSIR, the Indian air force "is in the process of order ing six Saras" for use as a multipur pose air transport and surveillance carrier. "We have estimated that India may need some 230-250 such small aircraft for serving on short haul routes." Jat Airways plans to standardise its fleet on the Boeing 737 FLEET PLANNING Jat Airways reveals new livery Jat Airways has rolled out the first aircraft in its new livery, as it prepares to standardise its fleet on the Boeing 737. Belgrade-based Serbian flag carrier Jat Airways was previously the national carrier of the former Yugoslavia (JAT - Jugoslovenski Aerotransport - Yugoslav Airlines), and rebranded last year as Jat Airways. The airline will operate a fleet of 11 737-300/400s on routes in Europe and to the Mediterranean this year. It operates nine 737s (eight -300s and one -400), and will take three ex-US Airways -400s on three-year leases next month. These will replace the airline's Boeing 727-200s, most of which have already been withdrawn. Jat Airways' four remaining McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30s will also be retired and offered for lease. Jat's order for eight Airbus A319s, signed in 1997, is on ice and it remains unclear when the aircraft will be delivered, if ever. The airline is believed to have handed over around $23 million in downpayments to the manufacturer. With the beginning of its summer timetable Jat Airways will launch its regional subsidiary Interair link with five ATR 72s. Jat will transfer its four ATRs, and the fifth aircraft is scheduled to arrive in the second quarter. New destinations planned for 2004 include Dubrovnik, Kuwait, Sofia and Tehran. Jat Airways saw its passenger numbers grow 6% during the first 10 months of 2003, to 1,180,000. Operating costs have been reduced and revenue increased 12% on 2002 to $156 million. LAUNCH LEITHEN FRANCIS / BANGKOK Thai AirAsia starts up with domestic services 12 20-26 JANUARY 2004 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.flightinternational.com
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