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Aviation History
2004
2004-09 - 2218.PDF
HEADLINES AIR TRANSPORT NICHOLAS IONIDES / SINGAPORE Virgin Blue eyes Embraer 170/190s Boeing operator could require up to 20 regional jets Australian low-cost carrier Virgin Blue has been assessing Embraer 170/190 regional jets and may be close to making a business case for an order. Industry sources say the Boeing 737-700/800 operator has been assessing the large regional jets for some time and could potentially be interested in between 10 and 20 aircraft. In early April the manufac turer demonstrated its 70-seat 170 to the airline at its Brisbane base. A regional jet order would repre sent a departure for the four-year- old carrier from most low-cost car riers' age-old strategy of operating a single type of aircraft. There is a precedent, however, as last year US- based JetBlue Airways broke from tradition and ordered 100 Embraer 190s to operate alongside its Airbus A320-family aircraft. The sources say Virgin Blue's business development unit has looked at several different types of aircraft seating fewer passengers than its 737-700/800s and may be close to making a business case that could result in a future Embraer order. The key concern is that introducing a second aircraft type would increase maintenance and pilot training costs, however, and the sources stress that the airline may ultimately decide against it. But if acquired, regional jets would be used to increase frequen cies on some of Virgin Blue's thin routes to secondary destinations, and enable it to open new services to small points that either cannot be served with 737s or where demand is not enough to justify operations with larger aircraft. No Embraer regional jets are cur rently flying in Australia, although several of the manufacturer's cus tomers in the country operate its older turboprops. Embraer declines to comment on discussions with Virgin Blue and the airline insists it is "not looking at any other aircraft type at this time other than the 737s currently on order that have been approved by the board". It adds that it has four 737-700/800s due for delivery next year. DEFENCE CRAIG HOYLE / LONDON Typhoon deal close to signing Europe's long-running crisis on the four-nation Eurofighter programme appears set to end next month, with the consortium reporting that all par ties are "within weeks" of approving a draft contract for the Tranche 2 production of 236 aircraft. EADS chief financial officer Hans Peter Ring says the Eurofighter part ner companies "expect to sign the contract in December" with the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency. "Everybody is now ready to sign," he says. Budgetary difficulties in the UK had prevented the planned signature of the Tranche 2 deal earlier this year, but Eurofighter partner BAE Systems and the UK Ministry of Defence say outstanding issues are close to being resolved and that an agreement will be in place soon. If completed before year-end, the milestone will significantly boost the Eurofighter Typhoon's prospects of success in Singapore's new fighter contest, a decision on which is expected from early 2005 (Flight International, 5-11 October). The UK will later this month provide Singapore with detailed pricing and techni cal information on the Typhoon as outlined in the current draft contract. The Tranche 2 approval will also enable partner nations Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK to deliver their first 18 export aircraft to Austria in accor dance with Eurofighter's production contract, which is worth around €2 billion ($2.5 billion). ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY MURDO MORRISON IN LONDON Briefing EU and USA start WTO subsidy talks TRADE DISPUTE The European Commission and the US Department of Trade spent two days at the end of last week detailing subsidies, state aid and loan guarantees given by both sides to civil aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing. The talks, held in Geneva, Switzerland, are part of 60 days of negotiations to find a bilateral solution to the two parallel legal cases brought to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) by each side alleging abuse of subsidy rules. The EC says it provided "clarification" of the terms under which it provides programme launch loans to Airbus and has asked the US side to detail how military development funds lead to advances in civilian programmes at Boeing. The disputes were lodged on 6 October and the Geneva-based WTO says both sides could agree to changes in the 1992 agreement on large commercial aircraft subsidies without taking the dispute through the organisation's legal channels. Pentagon approves JSF changes ENHANCEMENT Lockheed Martin has received the go-ahead to alter the design schedule for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) and to build a lighter version of the short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) variant, dubbed the B1. The new design sheds 2,100kg (4,600lb) from the baseline configuration and improves thrust performance and aerodynamic qualities. The US Defense Acquisition Board also has approved a plan to award a transition contract to prepare the JSF's alternative powerplant - the General Electric-led F136-for development and demonstration. DART to rendezvous LAUNCHES The launch of NASA's Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft aboard an Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL rocket, already delayed once to 4 November, is now due to take place on 9 November, from Vandenberg AFB, California with a 7min launch window open. Hainan Airlines signs for eight A319s ORDER Chinese private carrier Hainan Airlines has firmed up its long- awaited order for eight Airbus A319s as it continues to expand its medium- and short-haul network. The airline, with bases in Beijing, Haikou and Xi'an, is a new customer for Airbus and will take delivery between 2005 and 2007. Pack of Beagles for 2009 mission MARS Professor Colin Pillinger, the creator of the Beagle 2 Mars lander that was lost on the Red Planet on 25 December 2003, has unveiled a "Beagle 3", which could be part of a European Space Agency (ESA) Aurora programme technology demonstration flight to be launched in 2009. Dubbed Beagle 2- Evolution, it is described as an evolved version that is 25% heavier than its predecessor Under ESA plans, at least two landers would go to the planet. SEE SPACEFLIGHT P27 GE picks Woodward for GEnx fuel system E N CIN E S General Electric has selected Woodward Governor as the fuel system integrator for the new GEnx that will power the Boeing 7E7 Under the $400 million 25-year deal, Rockford, Illinois-based Woodward will be responsible for the specifications, development, certification, production and support of the fuel system. Raytheon wins $9m ATC technology deal AIRSPACE Raytheon has won a three-year, three-stage, $9 million contract from NASA to continue developing the Air Concepts Evaluation System (ACES), which will assess new air traffic management technology for US air space. Awarded by NASA's Ames Research Center, ACES assesses software tools that would support a national airspace system that could handle more aircraft and do it more efficiently. It was created by Raytheon under a previous deal. www.fliqhtinternational.com FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 9-15 NOVEMBER 2004 5
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