All air transport news – Page 2423
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Dornier Seastar plans India restart
Dornier Seastar is hoping to resume production of its Seastar multi-role amphibious aircraft in India with manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL), eight years after the programme was halted. The German company, headed by Conrado Dornier, has submitted a proposal to HAL chairman Krishnadas Niar to set up a joint venture, ...
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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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P&W prepares for geared fan launch
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES An advanced technology geared turbofan that will form the basis of a new family of engines in the 107-156kN (24,000-35,000lb) thrust range is to be launched by Pratt & Whitney. P&W will use the new engine to challenge the market dominance of CFM International's CFM56. ...
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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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4098 fan spacers
Dow-United Technologies has delivered the first composite fan spacers for Pratt & Whitney's PW4098 turbofan. Manufactured using resin-transfer moulding, the spacers are "substantially more complex" than those supplied for the PW4090. The one-piece fan spacers are lighter than aluminium components. Source: Flight International
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Sabreliner RVSM
Sabreliner is in the final stages of reduced vertical-separation minima (RVSM) certification for the Sabreliner 65, with flight tests under way of an altitude correction module required to meet altimetry accuracy requirements. Source: Flight International
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Utilicraft negotiates first Freight Feeder orders
American Utilicraft (AUC) says that it is negotiating a 50-aircraft launch order for its FF-1080-200 Freight Feeder with an unnamed US air cargo operator. Funding for the programme is tied to securing a launch customer for the twin-turboprop aircraft, says AUC president John DuPont. "We are in pretty strong ...
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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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United and Mesa part at Denver
United Airlines is to terminate its codeshare agreement with Mesa Airlines at Denver, Colorado, on 22 April, ending its relationship with US regional Mesa Air Group. The move follows earlier decisions to end agreements under which Mesa subsidiary WestAir Commuter Airlines provides United Express services in California and the ...
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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 ...