All Airframers articles – Page 1561
-
News
Ilyushin Il-96T flies for first time
The Ilyushin Il-96T freighter had its maiden flight on 16 May at the VASO Voronezh production plant. The aircraft, powered by Pratt & Whitney PW2337 engines and equipped with Rockwell-Collins avionics, was flown for 21min. It has now been ferried to the Zhukovsky flight-test centre where it will be flight-tested ...
-
News
Boeing increases rates - again
BOEING IS TO raise production to 43 airliners a month by mid-1998 - the sixth rate increase announced over the past 14 months - citing its 1,389-aircraft firm-order backlog and the signing of long-term exclusive agreements with American Airlines and Delta Air Lines. Continental Airlines reportedly has agreed an exclusive ...
-
News
ARIA claims selecting Western aircraft was 'mistake'
Aeroflot-Russian International Airlines (ARIA) made a "mistake" in attempting to base its fleet around Western-built aircraft, says Valery Okulov, the airline's general director. "In the past, we thought we could work on the basis of Western aircraft, but we now know that was a mistake. We cannot base ...
-
News
All change
The final countdown has begun to tick over Chinese rule over Hong Kong. With the clock ticking away, senior airline executives in the colony have been engaged in a last-minute game of musical chairs, before the Union Jack is hauled down on 30 June. The end-of-year departure of ...
-
News
FAA grounds Great Lakes Aviation
GREAT LAKES Aviation suspended flights on 16 May in the face of a US Federal Aviation Administration-imposed shutdown because of alleged deficiencies with maintenance operations. The action forced codeshare partners United Airlines and Midway Airlines to accommodate stranded passengers. Great Lakes served 82 cities in 21 US states ...
-
News
BFGoodrich plans to expand Skywatch
BFGOODRICH PLANS to begin shipping its Skywatch traffic-advisory system in June, following USFederal Aviation Administration approval of the system. The company says that it has taken 65 orders since launching the Skywatch, which is aimed at the general-aviation market, at the beginning of April. Flight International was given ...
-
News
British Midland plans a foray into third-party maintenance market
British Midland is planning a major expansion into the third-party maintenance market, with the formation of British Midland Engineering, a new subsidiary company based at East Midlands Airport in the UK. The airline is also setting up a separate ground-handling company to expand its services in this area. ...
-
News
SIA results hit by high costs and strong dollar
Rising costs and a strong Singapore dollar which weakened passenger yields undermined Singapore Airlines' (SIA) financial performance for the year ending 31 March. The lacklustre results included only a marginal profit rise of 0.6% and an increase in net profit to $1.032 billion ($714 million) from a revenue of $7.22 ...
-
News
Delta opts for fire-protection
Delta Air Lines has decided to fit its entire narrowbody fleet with cargo-bay fire-protection systems well ahead of an expected US Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness directive. Walter Kidde Aerospace, a division of Kidde Technologies, is Delta's chosen supplier of cargo-hold smoke-detectors which, together with Kidde's central cargo electronic-monitoring unit and ...
-
News
Japan plans Hawkeye upgrade
The Japan Air Self-Defence Force (JASDF) is planning a $400 million avionics upgrade for its fleet of Northrop Grumman E-2C Hawkeye airborne early-warning (AEW) aircraft, to improve interoperability with the US military. The US Defense Department has notified Congress of the proposed Japanese upgrade project. The modification work ...
-
News
CAE reveals C$100 million sales
CAE ELECTRONICS has revealed commercial flight-simulation orders exceeding C$100 million ($72 million), including its first sale to Airbus Industrie. The Canadian firm is predicting increased sales over the next two years, based on strong aircraft orders over the past year. The new orders include seven full-flight simulators, for ...
-
News
Embraer introduces long-range EMB-145
EMBRAER has launched development of a long-range version of the EMB-145 regional jet. The 50-seat aircraft will have a range of 3,000km (1,600nm), compared with 2,400km for the current EMB-145, and is to become available in April 1998. The Brazilian manufacturer says that it has no customers yet ...
-
News
MDC opens MD-17 'window' with two white tails
McDonnell Douglas (MDC) has authorised production of two additional "white-tail" (unsold) C-17 transports in 1998, providing the first opportunity for the sale of a commercial MD-17 or foreign-military-sale C-17 versions. The US company says: "We think there's a good chance we are going to sell them commercially or ...
-
News
Singapore's 777-200s start rolling
Singapore Airlines' first 288-seat Boeing 777-200 was delivered on 6 May, and was flown non-stop to Singapore for arrival ceremonies the following day. The airline, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, holds orders and options for a total of 77 Rolls-Royce Trent 800-powered 777s, worth $12.7 billion. Source: ...
-
News
Allison expects decision on C-27J engine in June
ENGINE SELECTION for the improved version of Alenia's G222 turboprop transport, dubbed the C-27J, is to be decided by the middle of June, according to Allison Engine. Italy is expected to commit to buying 18 four-engined Lockheed Martin C-130J tactical transports before the Paris air show in June, ...
-
News
Allison revises growth plans for AE3007
Allison Engine is revising growth plans for its AE3007 turbofan, to tackle the thrust requirements of the projected Embraer EMB-170, a possible stretched version of the EMB-145 now being studied by the Brazilian manufacturer. "The growth version would use the fan from the Tay engine," says Allison large-commercial-engines ...
-
News
AVIC/Airbus sign AE31X agreement
Aviation Industries of China (AVIC) and Airbus Industrie Asia (AIA) have signed a framework agreement covering the joint development of the proposed AE31X family of regional jets, formerly known as the AE-100/A318. The memorandum, signed in Beijing on 15 May by French president Jacques Chirac and Jian Zemin, ...
-
News
Airbus prepares for growth versions of A340-500/600
Airbus is preparing to brief airlines on its plans to develop heavier, longer-range growth derivatives of the A340-500 and -600, as it enters the final phase of commercial negotiations with Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce to decide whose engine will be offered on the baseline aircraft. The growth ...
-
News
FSI expands Toronto site for Dash 8-400
FLIGHT SAFETY International (FSI) is expanding its Toronto, Canada, training centre to accommodate a simulator for the Bombardier de Havilland Dash 8-400 high-speed regional turboprop. The simulator is scheduled to enter service in 1998. The expanded centre, to be completed in July, will also house a Dash 8-100/200/300 ...
-
News
MMS wins $600 million LEO deal
Matra Marconi Space (MMS) has been awarded a $600 million contract by Constellation Communications of Reston, Virginia, to be prime contractor for the space segment of a low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite system, including delivery in orbit and insurance. The 12-satellite system, operating in 2,000km equatorial orbits, will provide voice, ...