All air transport news – Page 2270
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Profits on a plateau
Kevin O'Toole In the final analysis, the airline industry's financial results for 1998 were once again a mix of the encouraging and the depressingly familiar. Overall profitability came out at almost identical levels to the year before. The industry should perhaps take heart from that fact, given the dire ...
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Stormy weather
Carole Shifrin WASHINGTON DC Air traffic delays are not unique to Europe. The USA is also being forced to look hard at upgrading services After some fierce attacks by several top airline officials on the Federal Aviation Administration's running of the US air traffic control system, airline and FAA ...
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Union blues
Jane Levere NEW YORK For all the talk of change in the airline industry, contentious pilot-management relations seem to many to be set in stone. Industry observers believe two imminent contract negotiations - at Delta and United - will set the benchmarks for labour relations generally. When the ...
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BA reins in again
Lois Jones LONDON British Airways may have stayed profitable through the last recession but it is now fighting to stay out of the red For over a decade British Airways has been the shining example of how a profitable airline should look. But it could be about to fall from ...
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CAL goes on spending spree
Nicholas Ionides ATI SINGAPORE Taiwan's China Airlines (CAL) has finalised a long-awaited fleet renewal plan with $5.6 billion worth of orders for up to 36 aircraft from Airbus Industrie and Boeing. The split order, the largest in the history of Taiwanese civil aviation, covers firm orders for 13 Boeing ...
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Air India on the offensive
Ravi Prasad NEW DELHI India's state-owned carriers, Air India and Indian Airlines, are clashing over the right to fly routes from the subcontinent to the Persian Gulf. Loss-making Air India is lobbying the civil aviation ministry to wrest these lucrative routes from its domestic rival, which is fighting back ...
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Philippines toughs out 'protectionist' attack
Nicholas Ionides ATI SINGAPORE The Philippine Government has come under attack for growing protectionism in its air services policy, but mounting criticism appears only to have toughened its stance. Accusations of protectionism were lodged by Taiwan in July when its national carrier, China Airlines (CAL), was hit with a 30-day ...
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Better times beckon in the South Pacific
David Knibb SEATTLE Airlines of the South Pacific islands have had one of their best years ever, led by Fiji's Air Pacific. Two of the region's chronic losers are showing profits, but the scene at Air Niugini stays turbulent. Fijian flag carrier Air Pacific had a record year, posting ...
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Sun Air to close?
A row has erupted over plans by South African Airways (SAA) to close down Sun Air, shortly after having agreed to acquire a controlling 75% stake in its domestic competitor. At the end of August, SAA apparently gained control of Sun Air and promptly announced plans to wind it ...
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American opens door for Latin alliance
David Knibb SEATTLE A common alliance with a US partner has spawned a ground-breaking venture between two Latin American airlines. LanChile and Aerolineas Argentina have launched an air cargo joint venture, citing their common connections with American Airlines as a catalyst for the deal. "The relationship with American Airlines ...
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United offers more business legroom
Jane Levere NEW YORK Battling, like every other carrier, for the higher-yield market, United Airlines is installing improved seating at the back of the cabin in its domestic fleet in order to reward its most frequent or full-fare economy passengers. The carrier is reconfiguring the first six to 11 rows ...
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Brazilians refute merger speculation
Brian Homewood RIO DE JANEIRO Brazil's four major airlines have described reports that they are considering merging into two as "mere speculation". But the Brazilian airline industry remains awash with rumours that Varig, Vasp, Transbrasil and Tam could join forces. Varig says that company president Fernando Pinto, who went on ...
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Passenger seat restraint
Kevin O'Toole Continuing fall-out from Asia's economic crisis reverberated around markets last year as is clear from the latest passenger airline rankings. But it is concerns over falling yields rather than traffic that are now taking centre stage. Last year posed something of a test of resolve for airline ...
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Commercial Aircraft Directory: Part 2
Boeing and Airbus keep the new airliner developments flowing as the Russian industry struggles due to lack of funding Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON While Airbus Industrie has busied itself with the detailed definition of its new A3XX and launched production of the A340-500/600, Boeing has been quietly introducing major derivatives. ...
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Comsat shareholders give thumbs up to merger
Shareholders in US satellite communications service provider Comsat have approved its proposed merger with Lockheed Martin, removing one barrier to the complex deal. Regulatory approval and legislation are still needed before the merger can go ahead, but the move has been helped by a recent US Senate vote to deregulate ...
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Fokker cash will finally flow to ordinary creditors
The trustees of bankrupt aircraft manufacturer Fokker expect to make initial payments to ordinary creditors in September - more than nine months later than originally planned - following settlement of a legal dispute with the Dutch tax authorities. Trustees have also reached agreement with American Airlines and US Airways ...
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Tree planting role planned for C-130
Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems hopes to demonstrate a new environmentally friendly application for the C-130 military transport as a potential airborne reforestation platform. The US aerospace firm, with Boston-based Aerial Forestation (AFI), is researching development of a C-130 to drop large numbers of tree seedlings. ...
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US Airways Express seeks up to 400 small regional jets
Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC US Airways Express has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for up to 100 small regional jets and options for up to 300 larger aircraft for its subsidiary and affiliate regional operators. The RFP specifies a firm requirement for an initial 100 regional jets seating ...
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Rafael to help build missile plant for Singapore
Israeli weapons specialist Rafael will help Singapore build a missile assembly plant as part of a deal to sell the country its Spike and NT-Danti-tank missiles. The Singapore army has selected the Spike while the air force is evaluating both missiles for use with its combat helicopters, including recently ...
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New fuel
NASA's Glenn Research Center has made the first step towards developing new rocket fuels that could revolutionise propulsion technology. Researchers immersed liquid hydrogen in liquid helium, forming tiny hydrogen ice particles, in studies designed to develop atomic fuels from the energy of the chemical recombination of atoms into molecules. Source: ...