All air transport news – Page 2578
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News
Dornier signs up to develop Envisat instruments
Dornier Satellite Systeme (DSS) has signed a DM1.5 billion ($1 billion) contract with the European Space Agency to develop the instrument payload for the Envisat 1 polar-orbiting environmental satellite, which is scheduled to be launched by an Arianespace Ariane 5 in 1999. The 8,000kg spacecraft - being built ...
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Jordan signs F-16 lease with USAF
JORDAN HAS signed an agreement to lease 16 ex-US Air Force Lockheed Martin F-16A/Bs from the USA, which will pay for the bulk of the $220 million deal. Most of the funds will go towards structural and engine upgrades for the aircraft, which have 25% of their 4,000h lives remaining. ...
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US airlines exploit the boom
Kevin O'Toole/LONDON THE MAJOR US AIRLINES have followed up their latest round of record profits with predictions that their spectacular performances will continue into the second half of the year. The airlines turned in their best-ever net profit - of more than $1.5 billion - ...
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PAL will make regional-jet decision soon
Paul Lewis/MANILA PHILIPPINE Airlines (PAL) wants to finalise the selection of a new regional jet by the end of the year, as a replacement for its fleet of loss-making Fokker 50 turboprops. Domestic fares on routes operated by turbprops are limited, but the introduction of ...
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Delta orders Nordam hushkits for 737s
DELTA AIR LINES has finalised its Boeing 737 hushkit plans, placing an order with Nordam for Stage 3 sets for up to 55 aircraft, which will enable its entire 737-200 fleet to be equipped. The airline has placed a firm contract with Nordam for 25 hushkit sets, plus ...
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SAS ends Saab 2000 order drought
Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDONRamon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC SAS COMMUTER has ordered up to six Saab 2000s, which ends the aircraft's two-year new-customer drought. This comes as Saab concludes a three-week sales tour of the aircraft in the USA, where it is still seeking its first airline customer for the 50-seat ...
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Lufthansa introduces the A319
LUFTHANSA HAS PUT THE FIRST of 20 Airbus A319-100s on to its European network, making it the third operator of all three Airbus single-aisle models. The 126-seat aircraft is mainly being operated on scheduled services from Frankfurt to Vienna and Istanbul, and on domestic routes. The new type, which will ...
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Boeing settles baseline for 747-500X/600X designs-
Andrew Doyle/LONDON BOEING HAS INCREASED the range of its 747-600X and reduced the size of the -500X following consultations with its airline working group. The revised configurations are now being offered as the baseline aircraft to potential customers. The move follows the US manufacturer's recent ...
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Merpati leases A310s for use on services to Australia
MERPATI NUSANTARA Airlines is to introduce its first widebodied aircraft, on services to Australia. The Jakarta-based airline is adding three Airbus A310-300s on lease, as part of its network expansion to new destinations in Asia and Australia. The first A310, believed to be an ex-Kuwait Airways aircraft, is ...
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Aviastar Asia opens up for Tu-204 business
AVIASTAR ASIA (AAC), a new joint venture involving Russian aircraft-production company Aviastar and several South-East Asian financial institutions, opened its office in Taipei on 24 July. The consortium will provide leasing, financial and technical support for the Tupolev Tu-204, which is assembled in Ulyanovsk. AAC is planning to ...
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Costly contests
THE UK'S RECENT AWARD of a clutch of key defence contracts has raised many questions. Not least of those is whether the present system of competitive tendering has had its day. The political realities and mounting development costs in today's defence market suggests that it has. Competitive tedering may have ...
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GATX investment partnership orders 737s and 757s
AN INVESTMENT partnership formed by GATX Capital has placed $1.2 billion-worth of orders and options for up to 23 Boeing 737-800s and 757-200s. GATX Capital's Air Group will manage the partnership, which includes Heller Financial and Kanematsu. Additional partners will be named at a later date, says ...
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Westpac order
Western Pacific Airlines (WestPAC) has ordered 12 Fairchild Dornier 328 turboprops, with options for 12 more, for its new commuter unit, Mountain Air Express. Source: Flight International
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ValuJet puts fleet on sale
VALUJET AIRLINES is trying to sell or lease the bulk of its McDonnell Douglas DC-9s and MD-80s. The low-cost carrier was operating 51 aircraft when it was grounded on 17 June, but plans to resume service by mid-August with a maximum of 15 DC-9-32s. The airline plans ...
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Macau has recorded 400,000
Sir - I refer to the article about Macau International Airport, "Slow start" (Flight International, 5-11 June, P26). Macau InternationalAirport was officially opened on 8 December, 1995, and one could not expect to see a lot of aircraft on the runway - especially when a ceremony for about ...
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Malaysia seeks EGPWS change
Brent Hannon/HONG KONG MALAYSIA AIRLINES is seeking to be launch customer for AlliedSignal Aerospace's new enhanced ground-proximity warning system (EGPWS) on the Boeing 777. There may not be time, however, to incorporate the system into aircraft in production. Malaysia has requested a change to its 777 ...
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Turnaround in Mexico
Mexicana is 75 years old this year Geoffrey Jones/MEXICO CITY MEXICANA, THE OLDEST airline in North America, celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. Under the new leadership of chief executive Fernando Flores, Mexicana has an optimistic vision for the future as it consolidates its market strengths, both ...
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Indian Airlines subsidiary to acquire 50-seat turboprops
ALLIANCE AIR, the new low-cost regional subsidiary of Indian Airlines, is planning to acquire a fleet of 50-seat turboprops for domestic feeder routes. Alliance Air, previously dubbed Airline Allied Services, had an April launch with the first of 12 Boeing 737-200s to be transferred from its parent ...
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Shorts hands over composite rudder
SHORTS HAS DELIVERED the first all-composite rudder for the Boeing 737-600/700/800 family. The component is around 1m longer than the 737-300/400/500 composite rudder, contains fewer structural components and requires fewer man hours to manufacture. Belfast, UK-based Shorts supplies parts for all of Boeing's commercial aircraft programmes, including undercarriage doors for ...