News from FlightGlobal – Page 2237

  • News

    Acquisition complete

    1999-11-24T00:00:00Z

    SAirGroup has completed its purchases of substantial minority stakes in Polish flag carrier LOT and South African Airways (SAA). It will hold 37.6% of Warsaw-based LOT, which becomes a full member of the Qualiflyer Group on 1 January, 2000, and 20% of SAA. Qualiflyer Group carriers and SAA will carry ...

  • News

    UK plans partial ATC sell-off

    1999-11-24T00:00:00Z

    David Learmount/LONDONUK air traffic control (ATC) is on course for partial privatisation by the middle of next year, with the government last week announcing plans to put a bill transforming the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) into a "public private partnership" before parliament during the 1999/2000 session. As the government ...

  • News

    Guesstimation

    1999-11-24T00:00:00Z

    Accident investigation is in danger of getting a bad name. The three US authorities - the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) - associated with the EgyptAir flight 990 investigation deserve some understanding given the ferocity of the media ...

  • News

    LHT Middle East

    1999-11-24T00:00:00Z

    Lufthansa Technik (LHT) is aiming to announce a maintenance, repair and overhaul operation in the Middle East in conjunction with a local airline by the end of the year. The operation would be similar to AMECO Beijing in China, which is a joint venture with Air China. Source: Flight International

  • News

    CAL ready for launch

    1999-11-17T00:00:00Z

    New Israeli freight carrier CAL (Cargo Air Lines) will start operations on 1 December using a Boeing 747-200 freighter acquired from Atlas Air and taking up extra capacity on other cargo airlines operating to Israel until it introduces a second freighter. Established in the 1970s by Israeli agricultural organisations ...

  • News

    USA pressures El Al over Airbus buy

    1999-11-17T00:00:00Z

    El Al is coming under increasing political pressure from the USA to rethink its selection of the Airbus A330, and re-evaluate the Boeing alternative. Last month El Al decided to split its medium capacity fleet order between Boeing and Airbus, ordering three Boeing 777-200ERs and announcing plans to buy ...

  • News

    Europeans think radically

    1999-11-17T00:00:00Z

    Julian Moxon/TOULOUSE Airbus Industrie and its partner companies have begun looking at configurations that could lead to the introduction of radical designs for new airliners in the next century. The first of a series of meetings to consider future concepts takes place in Toulouse, France, this week. "We are examining ...

  • News

    LTU starts fleet update with A320s

    1999-11-17T00:00:00Z

    Andrew Doyle/MUNICHGerman charter carrier LTU International Airways is acquiring 12 Airbus A320s in the first stage of a fleet restructuring that will lead to the selection of a new widebody type to replace its Boeing 767-300ERs. The company, 49.9%-owned by the SAirGroup, is also considering concluding a sale and leaseback ...

  • News

    Boeing looks at 757 slowdown

    1999-11-17T00:00:00Z

    Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Falling order backlogs are forcing Boeing to study a production slowdown of the 757 earlier than expected next year. Boeing plans to deliver 53 757s next year, and has been preparing to cut the rate from the present five per month to around 4.5. But now ...

  • News

    Long-range workout

    1999-11-17T00:00:00Z

    How has the latest long-range A330 performed since its entry into service? Andrew Doyle/ZURICH Max Kingsley-Jones/LUTON Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC In its latest market forecast, Airbus Industrie predicts that 210/250-seaters like the A330-200 will make up one-fifth of the 14,800 new aircraft to be delivered over the next 20 years. The ...

  • News

    KAL boss arrested on tax evasion charges

    1999-11-17T00:00:00Z

    Andrzej Jeziorski/SINGAPORE South Korean police have arrested Korean Air (KAL) chairman Cho Yang-Ho on charges of tax evasion and embezzlement. Cho was arrested on 11 November. Prosecutors have reportedly charged him with evading 62.9 billion won ($54 million)of taxes and embezzling billions of won in company funds. ...

  • News

    Air Canada prepares new takeover bid

    1999-11-17T00:00:00Z

    Air Canada is set to make a formal offer for Canadian Airlines, after a Quebec judge declared the rival Onex bid to buy Air Canada violated federal law prohibiting any shareholder from owning more than 10%. The failure of Toronto-based Onex to acquire Air Canada and merge it with ...

  • News

    Tu-334 production set to take off

    1999-11-17T00:00:00Z

    MAPO aims to reach a production rate of 24 Tupolev Tu-334 twinjets a year by 2007, but will need over $300 million to fund the production programme. It plans to utilise cash earned from its military export contracts to fund the production launch. The Moscow-based production plant was recently ...

  • News

    Marketplace

    1999-11-17T00:00:00Z

    Singapore Aircraft Leasing Enterprise has firmed up a commitment for 23 more A320 family aircraft, taking the Singapore Airlines/Boullioun Aviation joint venture's Airbus narrowbody orders to 41. The deal includes 20 A320s and three A321s for delivery between early 2001 and 2008. Engine selections have not been announced. Malaysia Airlines' ...

  • News

    Air safety rift puts PNG air link at risk

    1999-11-17T00:00:00Z

    Key transport links between Papua New Guinea's (PNG) capital, Port Moresby, and nearby North Queensland (Australia) are threatened by a rift between Qantas and its codesharing partner Air Niugini, over air safety events. At the same time, Brisbane-based Flightwest Airlines is terminating its Australia-PNG services, due to poor traffic ...

  • News

    Routes

    1999-11-17T00:00:00Z

    British Airways is launching a new three times daily route from London Gatwick to Hanover, operated by franchise partner CityFlyer Express. United Airlines is introducing 20 new daily nonstop flights to key Californian business destinations, including Santa Barbara, Medford, Reno, Palm Springs and San Diego, from its Los Angeles hub. ...

  • News

    Workshop

    1999-11-17T00:00:00Z

    Lease management provider C-S Aviation Services has entered into a five-year tripartite agreement with Air India and Aviation Sales Distribution to perform maintenance on its General Electric CF6-50C2 engines on an exclusive basis. The contract, worth $100 million, stipulates a five-year option to extend the agreement. Air India will perform ...

  • News

    British Midland deal helps boost Star's presence at Heathrow

    1999-11-17T00:00:00Z

    Laura Hailstone/LONDON British Midland (BM) has confirmed its much-anticipated entry into the Star alliance. This follows Lufthansa's acquisition of a 20% stake from partner SAS for £91.4 million ($150 million). The deal, which will see SAS' shareholding reduced to 20%, gives Star more than a quarter of all movements ...

  • News

    US Eximbank drops its opposition to PAL plan

    1999-11-17T00:00:00Z

    The US Export-Import Bank (Exim-bank) has abandoned its opposition to the rehabilitation plan for debt-ridden Philippine Airlines (PAL). The move effectively clears the last significant hurdle on PAL's route to recovery from near-bankruptcy this year. Eximbank had been petitioning the US bankruptcy court to withdraw protection from the carrier, ...

  • News

    Belgian Government to decide on future of its stake in Sabena

    1999-11-17T00:00:00Z

    Herman De Wulf/BRUSSELS Belgian transport Minister Isabelle Durant is pushing the government for a policy statement on whether it plans to sell its stake in national flag carrier Sabena. The new Belgian Government came to power in June but has yet to reach a conclusion about whether to hold ...