Airframers – Page 1459
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News
Carriers unite for airframe standard
Several leading international airlines have agreed to study the possibility of standardising aircraft configurations to cut the costs associated with customisation. Introducing the initiative in Washington DC on 5 November, United Airlines chairman Gerald Greenwald said: "Standardisation can save airlines a lot of money." Customisation adds 3-4% to aircraft ...
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Embraer gears up for the massive regionsl jet production boost
Guy Norris/Palm Springs Embraer plans to deliver more than 470 RJ-135/145s over the next five years as it rushes to boost regional jet production to 12 a month by May 2000. The company, however, is still not convinced that it wants to enter the 70-seater market. The Brazilian manufacturer revealed ...
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Bombardier refines 90-seater
Guy Norris/PALM SPRINGS Bombardier has refined its plans for the proposed BRJ-X regional jet family and says a launch decision is likely to be taken around October 1999, pending the conclusion of a solid business case. Bombardier is now outlining plans for two main family members, a 90-seater ...
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Marketplace
-Frontier Airlines is leasing a Boeing 737-200 from Interlease Aviation Investors, and two new 737-300s, one from Air New Zealand and another from Heller Financial. The -200 has been delivered, while the two 136-seat -300s will go into service with the Denver-based airline in December. -TransAer has introduced its tenth ...
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ATR targets January launch for regional twinjet
An ATR Jet study team has submitted its final proposals to Aerospatiale and Aeritalia, parent companies in the ATR consortium, which could pave the way for the launch of its planned regional twinjet in January 1999. ATR marketing president Antoine Bouissou, speaking at the Speednews regional and corporate aviation ...
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Routes
-Transavia will begin year-round, scheduled services from Amsterdam Schiphol to Seville and to Rhodes in its 1999 summer season. -LTU resumes weekly non-stop flights between Munich and Cape Town on 6 November with a Boeing 767-300ER. The airline temporarily suspended flights to Cape Town six months ago, quoting less demand ...
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SIA wants slice of China Airlines
Brent Hannon/TAIPEI Singapore Airlines (SIA) wants to buy an equity stake of up to 30% in China Airlines (CAL), but the Taiwanese flag carrier will insist upon taking an equal share of SIA in return, according to CAL vice-president-commercial Sandy Liu. SIA has indicated a willingness to consider the 30% ...
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BAe insures itself against lease portfolio losses
British Aerospace has finalised a novel plan to protect itself financially from any dramatic swings in the regional aircraft market, with the setting up of its "financial risk insurance programme" . BAe has a portfolio of some 600 aircraft, including BAe 146 regional jets and turboprops such as Jetstreams ...
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Boeing bullish on cargo expansion
Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON Boeing continues to predict a near-doubling of the world's jet freighter fleet by 2017 despite a short term slowdown in growth in the Asian market because of the spread of the current economic crises. The company's biennial world air cargo forecast says 75% of the growth ...
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Winners and losers
Brent Hannon/MANILA New carriers launched since aviation was deregulated in the Philippines in late 1994 have enjoyed rapid growth as a result of the prolonged crisis at Philippine Airlines (PAL). The crisis, which came to a head with a pilots' strike in June this year and a two-week cessation ...
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Boeing tests 747-X trailing edge wedge
Boeing has begun flight tests of a trailing-edge wedge wing modification on a 747-400 as the first element of a potential package of changes that could be applied to future 747 derivatives. The modification consists of a triangular-shaped wedge on the lower surface of the wing trailing edge, and ...
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BA closes on RB211 'hybrid' retrofit deal
Andrew Doyle/SEATTLE Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON British Airways is finalising a deal with Rolls-Royce to upgrade the engines on half of its 50-strong fleet of RB211-powered Boeing 747-400s, as it finalises a plan to phase out the remainder of its "classic" 747 variants within the next four years. The proposed contract, which ...
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British Midland to outline fleet expansion for long haul services
Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON British Midland (BM) will this week outline plans to acquire a fleet of long-haul aircraft, as well as new deals for additional short-haul aircraft. In February, the UK airline unveiled plans for transatlantic services from London Heathrow in anticipation of a UK/US "open skies" accord, and ...
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PAL resumes service as courts order aircraft to be returned
Brent Hannon/TAIPEI Philippine Airlines (PAL) was able to relaunch international flights on 29 October, following a US court decision ordering the US Exim bank to return its seized Boeing 747-400s to the struggling carrier. The airline has also received approval from Manila's Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to return ...
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SAA secures bilaterals ahead of sell-off
Hilka Birns/CAPE TOWN South African Airways (SAA) has secured bilateral agreements with Swissair and Singapore Airlines (SIA) and has extended its alliance with Lufthansa as part of its streamlining process ahead of privatisation. The airline is also negotiating similar alliances in the Middle East, North America, South America ...
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Engine problems delay first flight of X-33
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Development problems with the linear aerospike engine have forced Lockheed Martin to delay the first flight of the X-33 reusable launch vehicle (RLV) prototype by four months to December 1999. Longer range tests will now not be conducted until 2001. Despite the delay, Lockheed Martin says it ...
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Daewoo starts work on modified KT-1
Daewoo Heavy Industries (DHI) is to start development of the KOX forward air control (FAC) version of the KT-1 turboprop basic trainer in 1999, following successful completion of operational testing of the aircraft by the South Korean air force. The South Korean manufacturer plans to modify its fifth and ...
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Samsung wins first order for licence-built Bell 427 helicopter
Seoul-based helicopter operator Heli Korea has placed the first firm order with Samsung for the Samsung-Bell SB427 eight-seat utility helicopter. Apart from this order for three aircraft, Samsung says that it has letters of intent (LoIs) covering 25 further potential sales, including five in China. Among possible Chinese customers ...
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Pegasus undergoes hypersonic test
An Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL booster originating from Cape Canaveral, Florida, was launched from its Lockheed L-1011 mother ship over the Atlantic on 22 October, carrying Brazil's SCD-2 commercial satellite into low earth orbit. The XL was also equipped with a NASA aerodynamics experiment, the Wing Glove, which was ...
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FLEETS
Long commitment The world's fourth-largest regional airline, Comair, has signed a 10-year agreement with Bombardier to acquire 50 more CRJs, comprising 30 CRJ-200s and 20 CRJ-700s. The deal includes a further 115 options. Wayout west America West has taken delivery of two more Airbus A320s, ...