All news – Page 6794
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News
Long wait
Hungary is struggling to perk up its air force in the face of a hostile economic climate Rene VanWoezik/BUDAPEST Poor economic conditions have forced Hungary's politicians to repeatedly delay the tough long term decisions necessary to revive the country's air force. The flying units form one of two ...
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Indian delay
The Indian Space Research Organisation has delayed first flight of its new Geostationary Satellite Launch Vehicle until next year. The project is over a year behind schedule. The launcher will be powered by a solid propellant first stage with strap-on motors, a liquid propellant second stage, based on the operational ...
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Singapore joins Joint Strike Fighter programme
Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC Singapore has become the latest country to join the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme, with Turkey and Israel expected to follow shortly. According to local defence sources, Singapore signed a letter of acceptance on 23 March to join the JSF's ongoing demonstration phase as a ...
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Storm Shadow wins Italian contest
Andrew Doyle/MUNICH Andrea Nativi/GENOA Italy has selected the Matra BAe Dynamics Storm Shadow for its modular stand-off missile requirement, dealing a blow to the rival German-Swedish Taurus KEPD 350 programme. The Italian air force decision, approved by the defence ministry, has sparked a last-ditch lobbying effort by Germany, ...
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Air China joins prospective A318 launchers
Air China has signed a tentative agreement with Airbus Industrie and Pratt & Whitney to order eight PW6000-powered A318 twinjets as a trade-in for four Boeing 747SPs. A second potential launch customer, Air France, has asked CFM International to offer the CFM56-5A as an alternative powerplant (Flight International, 21-27 ...
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Shorts boss takes on NATS privatisation task
Sir Roy McNulty, chairman of aerospace manufacturer Short Brothers, has been appointed by the UK Government to steer the country's state-owned National Air Traffic Services (NATS) through its impending partial privatisation. McNulty becomes chairman of NATS on 1 May on a contract running for two-and-a-half years and has been ...
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Old pals act
Just when it seemed that Philippine Airlines was on a plausible road to recovery, the road has been spiked by the carrier's major shareholder. Controversial beer and tobacco mogul Lucio Tan is one of the wealthiest men in the Philippines. He already owns about 70% of the Philippines national ...
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Herculean task
The European Commission's air transport liberalisation programme can justly claim to have succeeded with its legal framework to allow airline competition. To critical observers, the results can be clearly seen through improved attitudes to the passenger and to quality of service, aircraft condition and operational efficiency. The architects ...
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New York's New Air aims for new year start with Airbuses
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC New Air, which plans to launch low-fare services from New York Kennedy International in January, has ordered 25 Airbus Industrie A320 family aircraft worth an estimated $1 billion. The new US entrant also holds 25 options and 25 purchase rights on A320 family aircraft, with ...
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Varig shakes up aircraft plans as economy bites
Paul Lewis/RIO DE JANEIRO Varig has dropped plans to lease two new Boeing 777s and is negotiating with the manufacturer to reschedule deliveries of other newly ordered aircraft. The airline is also planning to restructure further its ancillary operations in the face of Brazil's recent economic difficulties. The Brazilian flag ...
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African Star ships in aircraft as it claims licence approval
Hilka Birns/CAPE TOWN South Africa's first independent and majority black-owned international airline, African Star, may have jumped the gun by announcing that the government has granted it an international air service licence. According to sources at the country's transport department, Pretoria's Air Services Licensing Council has given only ...
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European airlines call for ATC rethink
Emma Kelly/LONDON The Association of European Airlines (AEA) has called for a radical rethink on European air traffic control (ATC), after the latest capacity and delay predictions. European air navigation organisation Eurocontrol had originally targeted accommodating 8% more traffic this year, compared with the previous year, with a ...
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Boeing 717 set for European tour
Boeing is studying the possible demonstration of the 717-200 at London City Airport during its forthcoming European tour with the second production aircraft, P-2, immediately following the Paris air show in June. Following an initial series of flight demonstrations at the show, P-2 will perform customer demonstration flights at ...
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Cargolux takes stock exchange route for fleet recapitalisation
Freight airline Cargolux plans to go to the stock exchange later this year, with the aim of raising $100-$150 million to help fund the expansion of its fleet from seven to 12 Boeing 747-400Fs by 2002. The Luxembourg carrier's vice-president for strategy, Lucien Schummer, says the cash will be raised ...
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$5 billion war chest for Kosovo brings defence industry boom
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC The Clinton Administration's $5.1 billion request for extra defence spending to support the air war in Yugoslavia could become only a down payment to the long term cost of the conflict. The supplemental spending is needed for US air operations until 30 September since the air war ...
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Finalists face Paris industry awards showdown
A panel of independent aerospace industry experts has selected the finalists for this year's Flight International Aerospace Industry Awards. The judges considered a record number of entries in the 11 categories. The winners will be announced at a gala dinner on 14 June during the Paris air show. Finalists ...
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Italy lifts ban on air strikes as campaign targets government
The Italian Government has lifted operating restraints on Italian air force strike aircraft, allowing them to take part in the NATO air war against Yugoslavia, after almost a month of debate over whether to allow such action. The restrictions on the air force, which has previously only been operational ...
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Humbled Korean Air stages management upheaval
Andrzej Jeziorski/SINGAPORE After the latest of a string of air safety disasters, Korean Air (KAL) is undergoing a management shake-up in an attempt to convince politicians, passengers and partners that it is turning over a new leaf. Chairman and founder Cho Choong-Hoon has resigned, "taking the entire responsibility ...
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Alliance attacks US pilot scope clauses
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC Pilot contract scope clauses, which limit the number of regional jets US airlines can operate, are to come under attack from a widely based alliance to be unveiled at the US Regional Airlines Association meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, in May. The "Proposition RJ" alliance plans to lobby ...
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Subduing the shunto
With crisis gripping Japan's airlines, even the trade unions are unwilling to fight cost-cutting measures Andrzej Jeziorski/TOKYO Springtime in Japan is traditionally marked not only by the flowering of cherry blossom, but by the stirrings of industrial unrest. This year's strike season, known locally as "shunto", should be well under ...