All air transport news – Page 2460
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Air Malta strategy rethink leads to Avro RJ disposal
Air Malta has abandoned the hub strategy pursued by its previous chairman, and is undertaking a fleet shake-up which will see its Aero International (Regional) Avro RJ70s transferred to Italian subsidiary AZZURRAair, replacing RJ85s. In 1994, under the leadership of the then chief executive Joe Tabone, Air Malta ...
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Alitalia brings A320s into Airbus contract
Marco Massela/ROMEJulian Moxon/PARIS Alitalia is negotiating with Airbus Industrie for the conversion of its 23 outstanding A321 orders to include some smaller A320s, which would be the Italian carrier's first order for the 150-seat member of the Airbus narrowbodied family. The airline is also examining its longer-term strategy ...
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Smog causes air chaos in Asia
Dense smoke from massive forest fires in Borneo and Sumatra is severely disrupting air transport across much of South-East Asia, forcing the closure of some smaller airports and the cancellation or delay of many domestic and regional flights. A thick haze generated by the fires has blanketed Brunei, ...
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Condor prepares for low-cost subsidiary
Andrzej Jeziorski/MUNICH Condor Flugdienst, the charter subsidiary of Lufthansa, is expected to found a Berlin-based subsidiary airline within weeks. According to Condor, plans are being finalised for a low-cost airline, to be called Condor Berlin, which will compete against rivals such as Aero Lloyd and Air ...
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Fairchild advances preliminary design work for stretched 528JET
Fairchild Dornier is close to completing the preliminary design of its stretched 50-seat 528JET derivative, with the outstanding issue of engine selection expected to be resolved soon. Earl Robinson, Fairchild Dornier's senior vice-president for product development, says that the company hopes to select a powerplant by early December. ...
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BA waits on Russian approval for FANS go-ahead
British Airways is ready to equip up to 40 Boeing 747-400s with Future Air Navigation System (FANS) avionics to take advantage of new cost-saving routes across Russia - but may walk away from the project if there is no sign of funding for ground infrastructure by the end of this ...
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Air Liberte signs allies in major consolidation
Julian Moxon/Deauville France's second-largest airline, Air Liberté, has signed deals with American Airlines, Regional Airlines and three smaller French regionals in what company president Marc Rochet describes as the "first steps" in a major consolidation aimed at "strengthening our position in an extremely tough operating environment". ...
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Garuda is forced to defer 737 deliveries
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE Garuda Indonesia has been forced to postpone taking initial deliveries of 17 new Boeing 737-300/500 passenger jets on order, because of continuing problems in raising lease finance. The Indonesian carrier had been due to take delivery of the first 737 in August, but the ...
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Hokkaido finalises fleet for April 1998 start-up
Hokkaido International Airlines, Japan's new domestic carrier, is finalising its fleet plans as it aims to start in April 1998. The airline has signed a letter of intent with Ansett Worldwide Aviation Services for the lease of a Boeing 767-300ER, to be delivered in February. It has also ...
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R-R offers local investment to win SAA deal
South African Airways' (SAA) order for seven Boeing 777s, which has been in limbo for nearly two years, is back in the spotlight following an offer by Rolls-Royce to invest in a repair centre in return for a firm deal to power the aircraft. The move comes as SAA is ...
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AECMA uses figures to urge European shake-up
Kevin O'Toole/LONDON The European Association of Aerospace Industries (AECMA), making its debut as official provider of Europe's aerospace statistics, has added its weight to growing efforts to accelerate restructuring in the region. AECMA was relaunched and retitled in 1996 in an attempt to give European industry ...
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Cathay warns of a terrible year
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE Leading finance houses are cutting their year-end profit forecasts for Cathay Pacific Airways by as much as 30% after a fourth month of sharply curtailed passenger traffic for the Hong Kong carrier which has coincided with its hand-over to China at the end of June. ...
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A new vision in Rome
Kevin O'Toole/ROME It was something of a homecoming for Dominico Cempella when he was asked to take up the reins at Alitalia in March 1996. Having started out as a check-in agent at Rome Airport 40 years ago, he was now returning as chief executive charged with leading ...
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EC may relax rules on competition
The European Commission's (EC) industry commissioner, Martin Bangemann, has proposed relaxing the EC's tough anti-competition rules to help drive the "essential restructuring of the European aerospace industry". In an unprecedented move, which is seen as a further response to the recent merger of Boeing and McDonnell Douglas, Bangemann ...
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Lauda prepares to introduce its first Boeing 777
Niki Lauda, chief executive of Austrian carrier Lauda Air, took delivery of the airline's first Boeing 777-200 on 25 September. The aircraft, which is the first of four 777-200IGWs (increased gross weight) to be delivered to Lauda, is equipped with General Electric GE90 engines. The cabin is fitted with a ...
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Garuda Indonesia A300 crashes in hill smog
A Garuda Indonesia Airbus Industrie A300B4 carrying 222 passengers and 14 crew has crashed on its approach to Medan Airport, northern Sumatra, in bad visibility. There are no reports of any survivors. Flight 152 is reported to have crashed about 45km (25nm) south of the airport at around ...
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Boeing hints at MD-95 family commitment
Boeing has hinted strongly that it is committed to continuing with the former McDonnell Douglas MD-95 and is likely to introduce derivatives of the 100-seat aircraft. The news comes as ValuJet - the only MD-95 customer so far, with 50 on firm order - says that it expects to exercise ...
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European JAA agrees to assist with certification of N250 turboprop
The European Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) has reached an agreement on working with the Indonesian Directorate General of Air Communications (DGAC) to validate airworthiness certification of the IPTN N250. Following a 12-month audit of DGAC procedures and regulations, the JAA has endorsed the Indonesian system and has agreed ...
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Northwest Airlines confirms Airbus A319 order
Northwest Airlines has confirmed the commitment it signed in June with Airbus Industrie at the Paris air show for its A319, with a firm order for 50 aircraft, plus options for a further 100 A319s and A320s. The 124-seat A319s will be used for growth, rather than to ...
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BFGoodrich emerges as buyer in on-and-off Rohr take-over
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC The mystery of Rohr's "on-again, off-again" merger talks was resolved in late September when BFGoodrich agreed to acquire the nacelle specialist for $792 million in stock and $424 million in assumed debt. The deal, expected to be completed early in 1998, will almost ...