All air transport news – Page 2301
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News
Clinton approves Iridium launch
Andrezj Jeziorski/PARISUS President Bill Clinton has approved the 7 June launch of an Iridium communications satellite from China, despite fears of a fresh US clampdown on Chinese launches of US spacecraft. White House officials have hastened to deny any link between this decision and the furore between the USA and ...
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$3.6 billion project aims to build Internet in space
Lockheed Martin is joining TRW and Telecom Italia to develop a $3.6 billion global broadband multimedia and Internet satellite system. Lockheed will invest $400 million in the new Astrolink system, while Telecom and TRW will each contribute $250 million. The first satellite is planned for 2002 and three more ...
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Euroconsult predicts healthy future for commercial satellites
Industry consultancy Euroconsult predicts healthy growth in demand for commercial satellite launches over the next decade. Speaking at the First World Summit on the Space Transportation Business, in Paris on 10-11 May, Euroconsult's executive vice-president for space and communications, Rachel Villain, predicted that demand will average 132-163 satellite launches ...
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Rotary Rocket holds Virgin funding talks
Andrzej Jeziorski/PARIS California's Rotary Rocket is in talks with UK millionaire and Virgin founder Richard Branson on funding for its Roton re-usable launch vehicle (RLV) programme. Rotary Rocket chief executive Gary Hudson is understood to have met Branson to discuss the programme. The company needs about $150 million ...
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Rising Star
Global alliances are in style, but their benefits are only now becoming clear Chris Jasper/SYDNEY Global airline alliances are the height of fashion, with two major groupings operating and possibly two more hurrying to enter the fray. Yet despite this scramble, the true importance of alliances has been ...
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European airlines' profits slip
Julian Moxon/BRUSSELSEuropean airlines remained profitable last year and ordered record numbers of aircraft, but it was a "black" year for punctuality, according to the Association of European Airlines (AEA) Operating profits, at $1.94 billion, were $400 million lower than for the previous year. Although 1997 figures were a record, much ...
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Delta completes acquisition of Atlantic Southeast
Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) has become a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines following the approval of a shareholders' meeting of ASA Holding, the parent company of the regional airline. Delta and ASA have announced schedule changes, beginning on 1 June, that will include ASA jet service to ...
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AlliedSignal plans structural realignment to reduce costs
AlliedSignal Aerospace will complete a major restructuring of its organisation by the end of this month, in a move designed to reduce costs and complexity, and to simplify supply chains and improve market focus and profitability. "We've organised our businesses in the way our customers buy," says AlliedSignal Aerospace ...
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BFGoodrich goes for growth
Guy Norris/SAN DIEGOBFGoodrich's newly enlarged Aerospace business is forecasting continuous growth from this year, thanks largely to sustained high volumes, fresh acquisitions and special diversification initiatives at its California-based Aerostructures Group, formerly known as Rohr. The growth strategy hinges on staying closely allied to Boeing and its future airliner programmes. ...
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R-R sharpens blade business with Israeli venture
Rolls-Royce is expanding control over manufacture of compressor blades for its engines with the setting up of a joint venture in northern Israel with two local companies and a large investment at its own factory in Scotland. The new company, Techjet (Israel), will be 50% owned by the UK ...
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Older E-2Cs may be sold
Paul Lewis/BETHPAGE Northrop Grumman and the US Navy are discussing offering older Northrop Grumman E-2C Hawkeye airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft for sale on the international market, while also negotiating to place retired A-6E Intruders with at least one potential operator. The US Navy is starting to phase ...
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Fairchild Aerospace predicts business boom
Buoyed by its recent Lufthansa 728JET launch order, Fairchild Aerospace says its option and order backlog will exceed $10 billion by the end of 1999. The company predicts "substantial" new business for its 328JET/428JET family, particularly in North America, where scope clauses changes are expected. "We think it's the ...
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Embraer expands ERJ designs
Embraer has revealed a surprise, 108-seat, stretch of its ERJ-190 regional jet which effectively provides the Brazilian manufacturer with a direct competitor to Bombardier's proposed BRJ-X. The move comes in response to input from Embraer's recently completed airline advisory board survey which helped freeze the smaller ERJ-170 design at ...
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GE outlines development plans for CF34-8 family
General Electric is finalising development plans for a 17,000-18,000lb-thrust (75.6 -80kN) growth derivative of the CF34-8D, dubbed the -8XX, for Fairchild's 928JET programme. The engine is expected to make its first test flight in mid-2003, and could be certificated by the US Federal Aviation Administration as early as the fourth ...
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Finances hinder BAe/Saab merger
Efforts to integrate the commercial leasing and product support activities of British Aerospace and Saab have been held up by the financial aspects of the proposed deal. Stephen O'Sullivan, executive vice-president of BAe's Asset Management (AM) division, says that he had hoped an agreement would be concluded in time ...
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Embraer leads race for Mesa regional jet order
Mesa Air Group is close to finalising a deal for a new batch of 50-seat regional jets, but the carrier is seriously considering switching aircraft supplier to Embraer from the incumbent Bombardier. The Phoenix, Arizona-based independent regional airline operates 24 Bombardier Canadair Regional Jets (CRJ) on franchises for America ...
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Time starts to run out for AeroPeru
Paul Lewis/MIAMI Time for grounded national carrier AeroPeru is fast running out. The airline is struggling to enlist the financial backing of a foreign carrier before a government decision this month on granting operating licences to would be start-up successors. "If we can establish a new strategic partner ...
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Air Namibia leases SAA 747SP
Air Namibia is operating a Pratt & Whitney JT9D-powered Boeing 747SP leased from partner South African Airways (SAA) on its services from Windhoek, Namibia, to Frankfurt and London. Later this year the Namibian flag carrier will take delivery of a General Electric CF6-powered 747-400 Combi from the manufacturer. Air Namibia ...
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Marketplace
ILFC has placed an A320-200 powered by IAE V2500-A5s with German operator LTU for five years. The aircraft was handed over late last month. The leasing concern has also secured deals with Brussels International Airlines for a A321-100 to be delivered in June. Polynesian Airlines is taking a Boeing 737-800 ...
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Smoke study reveals safety advantages of head-up display
Marconi Electronic Systems and Embry Riddle University plan to release by 21 May the results of a safety study which shows that head-up-display (HUD) systems can significantly increase safety in the event of smoke and poor visibility on the flight deck. The study, undertaken after the Swissair Boeing MD-11 accident ...