Airframers – Page 1512
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News
Extra expects approval for 330 aerobatic aircraft in March
Andrzej Jeziorski/MUNICH German light aircraft manufacturer Extra Flugzeugbau expects to complete certification of work on its new Extra 330 aerobatic aircraft by the end of March. The aircraft, an upgraded version of the Extra 300, has a more powerful engine and "much better manoeuvrability" for competition flying, says ...
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AE31X partners launch pre-development work
Airbus Industrie Asia (AIA) and Aviation Industries of China (AVIC) have agreed to launch pre-development work on the AE31X project in March, before any final joint venture business agreement and without the active participation of Singapore Technologies Aerospace (ST Aero). A joint team is to be established in Toulouse ...
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BA to fund new orders with refinancing deal
Max Kingsley-Jones and Kevin O'Toole/LONDON British Airways is in talks with engine manufacturer General Electric over a wide ranging aircraft refinancing package which would see the carrier take more GE-powered Boeing 777s in place of some of its outstanding 747-400s. GE is understood to have made an approach to ...
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Boeing lines up more buyers for new 717
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Boeing is close to signing orders and options for almost 200 717-200s, with leasing companies the main focus of interest. According to company sources, by far the biggest single impending sale of the 100-seater is to leasing giant International Lease Finance, which is understood to ...
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Boeing investigation
An in-depth US Federal Aviation Administration examination of Boeing 737 horizontal stabiliser manufacturing and assembly found no problems which would affect flight safety, but the audit uncovered minor quality control violations which the US aircraft manufacturer corrected immediately. The inspections, at plants in Renton, Washington, and Wichita, Kansas, were prompted ...
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NASA delays X-34 first flight
The first flight of the Orbital Sciences X-34 air-launched re-usable spaceplane technology demonstrator has been delayed from December 1998 to March 1999. NASA has also ordered a second X-34 to reduce risk and increase project flexibility. The test objectives of the $67 million programme are also being expanded. The ...
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Future fighter needs
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE Fighter pilots have long jested that Singapore measures only four minutes by four minutes in terms of flying time. The island's diminutive size, however, belies its strategic importance. Situated at the tip of the Malaysian peninsular Singapore occupies an economic and geographic crossroads between the Eastern and Western ...
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Ryanair closes on narrowbody fleet decision
Ryanair is in final negotiations with Airbus Industrie and Boeing for up to 50 narrowbodied aircraft, and expects to finalise an order by the end of March. The Irish low fare airline, which operates its main hub from London Stansted, revealed last October that it was examining various options to ...
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Workshop
-Air Jamaica has hired Pemco World Air Services to maintain its fleet of six Airbus A310-300s until the end of the year. The work will be carried out at Pemco's Dothan, Alabama, centre and will include D check heavy maintenance. -Field Aviation has received a contract from Air Ontario for ...
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Boeing to sell civil helicopters
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC Boeing has taken a strategic decision to leave the commercial helicopter market, which will lead to the disposal of the business it acquired through its merger with McDonnell Douglas, along with the transfer of its 49% stake in the Bell Boeing 609 civil tilt rotor to ...
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Malaysia offers its unwanted 777s to Brazilian carrier VASP
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE Malaysia Airlines (MAS) is offering its unwanted Boeing 777-200 delivery positions to Brazilian carrier VASP, following the collapse of similar talks with Delta Air Lines. At the same time, Thai Airways International says that it is looking to defer some of its later deliveries. The Malaysian ...
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Egypt's Lotus is ready to blossom
New Egyptian charter airline Lotus Air is preparing to launch services with its first Airbus A320, following maintenance on the aircraft carried out by Gulf Aircraft Maintenance (GAMCO) in Dubai. The A320, which was previously operated by Onur Air, is being leased from International Lease Finance, and will be ...
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GE prepares engine for CRJ-700
General Electric plans to run the CF34-8C1 engine for the first time this month, following assembly at its Lynn plant of the initial powerplant destined for Bombardier's Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ)-700. The first engine-to-test stage marks the start of an intensive test phase, with 15 full engines due to ...
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ICAO urges Asian action on airline safety
Asian states must improve their airline safety oversight standards, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has urged, following a spate of fatal accidents in Asia. "The Asia-Pacific region is increasingly, though regrettably, becoming owner of a series of catastrophic aircraft accidents," notes ICAO regional representative Lalit Shah. Specific regional ...
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BAe ponders RJ cockpit and engine changes
Kevin O'Toole/MANCHESTER British Aerospace Regional Aircraft is studying further developments for its Avro RJ family, including new avionics and engine options, with the intention of improving the aircraft's economics and keeping the programme up to date. Although the RJ is now effectively alone in the 85- to 100-seat regional ...
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Routes
-Sabena has signed a partnership with French airline AOM covering routes between Brussels and the French cities of Toulon, Nice and Marseille, but extending also to French overseas territories, enabling both airlines to offer more frequencies and co-ordinate schedules. -Japan Airlines (JAL) plans to launch a twice weekly non-stop ...
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Highest-thrust 777 has maiden flight
The first Boeing 777-300 powered by the 436kN (98,000lb)-thrust Pratt & Whitney PW4098 engine had its maiden flight from the company's Everett site on 4 February. The engine is the most powerful yet developed for the 777, although it will initially be operated in the tests at a derated ...
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US Airways' MetroJet will launch in June
US Airways will launch its new low cost airline, dubbed MetroJet, on 1 June, with service from Baltimore, Maryland, to four cities in the eastern USA. MetroJet, which had been known as US2, will initially connect the Baltimore hub to Cleveland, Ohio, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Manchester, New Hampshire and ...
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Fairchild Dornier wins corporate 328JET orders
Fairchild Dornier has won six orders from four customers for its 328JET in executive jet and air ambulance configurations. Tyrolean Jet Service of Innsbruck, Austria, has become the launch customer, with an order for one aircraft in its corporate version, plus one for an air ambulance, to be delivered ...
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New stretch of 747 defined
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Boeing has revised its future 747 growth studies to include a 500-passenger stretch version with a larger wingspan, known as the -400Y Stretch, while dropping another long range variant dubbed the -400ERY. The company stresses that the only new version of the 747 being formally ...