News from FlightGlobal – Page 2246
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News
BA snubs 717 and stays with Airbus for short-haul fleet strategy revamp
Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON British Airways' decision to order more Airbus narrowbodies rather than the Boeing 717 for its 100-seat needs is part of a major short-haul fleet strategy revamp. According to sources within the carrier, the three-year-plan, which comes as part of the airline's strategy of reducing capacity and ...
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Air Botswana fleet is wrecked
Linden Birns/CAPE TOWN Air Botswana has wet-leased aircraft from South Africa's SA Express to reinstate services after almost all its aircraft were destroyed in a bizarre pilot suicide crash last week. An enraged pilot, recently grounded for medical reasons by the small southern African airline, apparently vented his ...
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American Eagle starts phasing out Saabs
American Eagle Airlines has begun to phase out its massive Saab 340 fleet, with the entry into service of the new Embraer ERJ-135 and gradual transition to a predominantly turbofan-powered operation by 2005. The AMR-owned regional carrier has put the first nine of its 115 Swedish twin-turboprops on the ...
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Airbus wins more business in USA
Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC The Airbus A318 has received another major sales boost. America West, Frontier Airlines and Air China are to announce orders for 33 aircraft days after British Airways concluded its deal for up to 24 of the new jets. Boeing chairman Phil Condit has publicly conceded ...
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Marketplace
Polar Air Cargo has introduced two additional Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7Q-powered 747-200 freighters and retired one of its older747-100s. Cathay Pacific has ordered two additional Rolls-Royce RB211-524H-powered Boeing 747-400 freighters, for delivery in September 2000 and August 2001. The Hong Kong-based carrier has also concluded its lease deal with Air ...
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Airports
Caracas Maiquetia Airport is undergoing the first phase of a $100 million upgrade project, dubbed "Maiquetia 2000". This will see the airport's main passenger terminal reconstructed within a two-level departure/arrival layout, due to open in 2001. The airport's runway is also undergoing major repairs. Work has begun at Knoxville's McGhee ...
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Purchase moves Aegean up to second
Julian Moxon/PARISGreek start-up Aegean Airlines will be the second-largest airline in the country, after state-owned Olympic Airways, as a result of a forthcoming purchase of a majority share in Air Greece. Aegean has agreed to take over the 54% share of Air Greece held by shipping company Minoan Lines. It ...
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MRO merger talks fade amid legal suits
Chris Jasper/LONDON BFGoodrich and US aircraft maintenance specialist Aviation Sales have held talks about a possible merger, say industry sources, adding that negotiations have petered out as Aviation Sales faces a possible court action over claims that it issued misleading statements on demand for its services and likely earnings. ...
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Atlantic Excellence ends after leaders split
Chris Jasper/LONDON Hilka Birns/CAPE TOWN The Atlantic Excellence Alliance has been wound up, formalising the split between the group's leaders, Delta Air Lines and Swissair, which emerged following the US giant's bilateral agreement with Air France. The alliance was formed in June 1996, bringing together Swissair, Austrian Airlines, Belgium's ...
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Latin America deals to strengthen Wings
Continental Airlines is moving to strengthen the presence of the planned Wings alliance in Latin America through tie-ups with smaller carriers. The plan is to compete for access with oneworld and the Star Alliance. The Houston-based carrier confirms it would like Venezuelan partner Aserca Airlines to join the Wings ...
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Tailored to fit
Airbus has developed a flexible aircraft system, reducing lead times, cutting costs and trimming parts inventories Julian Moxon/TOULOUSE Until recently, the manufacture of aircraft was driven by forces that had little in common with the markets into which the resulting products were sold. Lead times were long and out of ...
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Squabble over Iberia resolved
Spanish flag carrier Iberia is to be privatised on 22 November following the resolution of a dispute between prospective shareholder British Airways and another investor over how much voting control should be granted to the UK major. Although BA is due to take a 9% stake in Iberia, with ...
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Airbus closes on Libya deal
Andrew Doyle/MUNICH Airbus Industrie is set to clinch a major aircraft order from Libyan Arab Airlines (LAA) as the carrier prepares to relaunch its international network after the lifting of United Nations sanctions on Libya. The Libyan flag carrier has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with European ...
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Rockwell wins
Rockwell Collins has been selected over Honeywell to supply a new digital flight control system (DFCS), with Category IIIb automatic landing capability, for the Boeing Next Generation 737 family. Boeing's long-awaited move brings the aircraft into line with the Airbus A320 family, which already has full Cat IIIb automatic landing ...
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Cabin standards hinge on new authority
Emma Kelly/SALT LAKE CITY The boards of the World Airline Entertainment Association (WAEA) and ARINC are expected to consider by the end of this month a proposal for the formation of a new body to develop cabin standards. The new standardisation authority, the International Airlines Cabin Committee, should be established ...
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Air Kenya freezes expansion
Air Kenya's international expansion plans are on hold following Tanzania's announcement that it plans to withdraw from the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) economic grouping of 21 sub-Saharan African states. Air Kenya had hoped to inaugurate flights to Kilimanjaro and Mwanza in Tanzania, from Nairobi, with ...
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Routes
Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has signed its first commercial co-operation agreement with a US carrier, forming a partnership with Northwest Airlines. The agreement entails codesharing on MAS services between Kuala Lumpur and Los Angeles, and on Northwest's Kuala Lumpur-Detroit flights. The carriers say they plan to increase co-operation to US and ...
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China maintenance market attracts joint ventures
New Chinese maintenance company Shandong TAECO Aircraft Engineering (STAECO) plans to expand its capabilities and customer base by mid-2000. The move is part of a wide-ranging expansion of maintenance capacity in China as established companies increase facilities and new entrants join the fray. STAECO carries out maintenance below D checks ...
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BWIA poised for major share sale
Paul Lewis/MIAMI BWIA International Airways is to move ahead with share offerings on stock markets in the Caribbean and USA in an effort to raise up to $100 million in capital to underwrite the acquisition of replacement widebody jets. The Trinidadian carrier plans to make an initial public offering ...
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Boeing launches turnkey initiative with DHL freighter conversion contract
Max Kingsley-Jones/SEATTLE Boeing has raised its interest in aircraft remarketing and support to a new level following the launch of a far-reaching package of services covering DHL International's acquisition of converted 757 freighters. The "turnkey" deal is a departure for US manufacturer Boeing and is expected to be followed ...