Airframers – Page 1458
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News
Airbus may ditch A3XX thrust reversers to slow down costs
Andrew Doyle/LONDON Airbus Industrie is discussing with airlines a plan to remove the thrust reversers from its A3XX ultra-high capacity airliner design as part of efforts to further reduce the aircraft's direct operating costs. Airlines have generally reacted favourably towards the idea of dropping the system from the outboard engines ...
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A330s head for Brazil after currency hiccup
Joe Sims/MIAMI TAM expects to take delivery of its first two Airbus A330s by the end of the month after a delay of over a month caused by a currency crisis in Brazil. The carrier, based in Sao Paulo, had been due to receive its first of five Pratt & ...
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Boeing aims to fund F/A-18 active array work for the US Navy
Boeing plans to co-fund initial development of an active-array radar for the F/A-18E/F, in the absence of US Navy funding. The move will bridge the gap until the navy can find funding and "...get the radar into the fleet as early as possible," says Paul Summers, manager F/A-18 new product ...
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Tupolev carries on with cryogenic fuel research
Tupolev is continuing research on cryogenic fuel tanks for its Tu-204 and Tu-334 twinjet airliners. It is also researching an innovative design of a twin-turboprop Tu-136 transport, with the layout determined by cryogenic fuel considerations. It is planned to conduct aerodynamic tests of the Tu-136 model in the TsAGI ...
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PanAmSat and Iridium satellites launched
An ILS International Launch Services Proton booster was launched from Baikonur on 4 November carrying the PanAmSat 8 communications satellite into orbit. It was followed by a Boeing Delta II, from Vandenberg AFB, California, on 6 November, carrying five more Motorola Iridium satellites. The five Iridium satellites comprise one replacement ...
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717 initial tests reveal unexpected benefits
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Early results from the Boeing 717-200 flight test effort are indicating "nominal or better" drag and specific fuel consumption (sfc) performance, leading to expectations that the baseline range and payload may be increased, says the company. The build-up of 717 test hours and sorties is ...
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Airports
-The long-awaited start of construction of the Guangzhou New Airport in China has moved closer with the award of the initial design contract for the passenger terminal to Parsons Greiner of the USA. The deal, worth about $10 million, represents one of the first significant contracts to be awarded since ...
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British Midland goes regional with ERJ-145s
Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON British Midland (BM) has confirmed its expected move into regional jet operations, with a $200 million order for up to 15 Embraer RJ-145s. The airline, however, has not yet finalised its fleet plans for long haul aircraft, but has held delivery positions with Airbus Industrie and Boeing ...
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First Tu-204s delivered to Air Cairo
New Egyptian carrier Air Cairo became the first airline to take delivery of the RB211-535E4-powered Tupolev Tu-204-120 on 2 November. Two aircraft were delivered to Cairo - one passenger model and one freighter - at the start of a seven-year lease. They are the first new generation Russian aircraft ...
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GB Airways follows BA with A320 family deal
GB Airways has followed the lead of its franchise partner, British Airways, and decided to drop its Boeing 737 fleet in favour of the Airbus A320 family, with a deal for up to 14 aircraft. The airline, which operates franchise flights for BA to North Africa and the western ...
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Equity purchase puts Texas Pacific in GPA driving seat
GPA shareholders have approved an equity purchase which looks set to put US group Texas Pacific in control of the Irish leasing company. If, by the closing date of 19 November, there has been no valid objection to the deal, Texas Pacific will own 62.63% of the Shannon, Ireland-based company's ...
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Marketplace
-Debonair has signed a lease purchase agreement with Air Atlantic parent IMP for the acquisition of three British Aerospace 146-200s, which have become available following the closure of the Canadian regional carrier. The first aircraft will arrive at the end of this month, with the second following in December and ...
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Boeing's Mulally details 'better plan' for profits
Andrew Doyle/SEATTLE New Boeing Commercial Airplanes president, Alan Mulally, has pledged to get the manufacturer's troubled airliner production lines back on track within the next 12 months as part of what he calls his "better plan" for restoring the company's flagging profitability. Mulally, brought in to replace Ron Woodard, ...
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Royal Brunei is forced to delay A319s by new management
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA) has been forced to postpone taking delivery of two Airbus A319s in the wake of a senior management shake-up within the company, and after having failed to meet payment deadlines to the manufacturer. RBA had been scheduled to take delivery of the ...
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Routes
-Dutch carrier Transavia is to become the first non-Greek airline to operate scheduled domestic services between Greek territories when, from 2 November this year to 27 March 1999, it sets up flights between Rhodes and Heraklion, Crete. -Martinair Cargo will increase both routes and capacity in the Latin American region ...
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Financial troubles force Transaero to cut back
Paul Duffy/MOSCOW Transaero, Russia 's third largest carrier, has scaled back its operations by about 30%, with further reductions expected to follow in the face of continuing financial problems at the airline and the worsening domestic economy. Among the first services to be dropped are flights on the Moscow-Riga-London ...
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BAe woos Denel in SAAF fighter deal
Jonathan Rosenthal/JOHANNESBURG British Aerospace is offering to consolidate the South African defence industry alongside the emerging single European defence company, as part of its bid to sell Saab/BAe JAS39 Gripen fighters and BAe Hawk lead-in fighter trainers to the South African Air Force (SAAF). Sources in the South ...
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Calm down
A new and unsettling problem for the airlines - dubbed "air rage" by the media - has been emerging over the last few years. The problem is unsettling because it appears to be global and growing rapidly, and although the airlines can describe it, they cannot define it. This intractable ...
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Muscular Malibu
Dave Higdon/WITCHITA In developing the Meridian, a turboprop derivative of its Malibu high-performance piston single, New Piper Aircraft is counting on the fact that customers will find the transition to turbine power both attractive and manageable. To test this premise, Flight International evaluated the Malibu turboprop conversion developed by JetProp ...
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Airbus steps up its efforts to market A319 Corporate Jet
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC Airbus Industrie is to dedicate up to 12 A319 delivery positions a year to its Corporate Jet, in a bid to convince customers that it is serious about the business aviation market. The European consortium has booked commitments for 12 aircraft since launching the A319CJ ...