News from FlightGlobal – Page 2325
-
News
BA closes on RB211 'hybrid' retrofit deal
Andrew Doyle/SEATTLE Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON British Airways is finalising a deal with Rolls-Royce to upgrade the engines on half of its 50-strong fleet of RB211-powered Boeing 747-400s, as it finalises a plan to phase out the remainder of its "classic" 747 variants within the next four years. The proposed contract, which ...
-
News
British Midland to outline fleet expansion for long haul services
Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON British Midland (BM) will this week outline plans to acquire a fleet of long-haul aircraft, as well as new deals for additional short-haul aircraft. In February, the UK airline unveiled plans for transatlantic services from London Heathrow in anticipation of a UK/US "open skies" accord, and ...
-
News
US Airways takes first of up to 400 Airbuses
US Airways has begun operating its first of up to 400 Airbus Industrie A320 family aircraft, an A319. The airline selected the type for its future short-haul fleet, and holds firm orders for 124 aircraft and options on another 276. All the aircraft will be powered by CFM International CFM56-5 ...
-
News
Japan Air Lines ramps up efficiency plan
Japan Air Lines plans to accelerate efficiency improvements across the airline including a reduction of up to 10 aircraft in its fleet acquisition planning. Measures in the new"strategic business plan" include: achievement of a 10% cost reduction is to be brought forward from March ...
-
News
Air Canada loss
Air Canada suffered a net loss of C$61 million ($40 million) during the third quarter, down C$242 million on the same quarter in 1997. The airline warns that the worsening performance of certain international and domestic routes will require fundamental changes to its business plan for 1999, possibly including order ...
-
News
PAL resumes service as courts order aircraft to be returned
Brent Hannon/TAIPEI Philippine Airlines (PAL) was able to relaunch international flights on 29 October, following a US court decision ordering the US Exim bank to return its seized Boeing 747-400s to the struggling carrier. The airline has also received approval from Manila's Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to return ...
-
News
Qantas suspends regional services
Paul Phelan/CAIRNS Australian flag carrier Qantas suspended regional services to several eastern New South Wales provincial centres on 30 October, because of safety concerns over a trial of proposed new flight information and communication rules in uncontrolled "Class G" airspace. Up to 41 incidents reported in the first ...
-
News
SAA secures bilaterals ahead of sell-off
Hilka Birns/CAPE TOWN South African Airways (SAA) has secured bilateral agreements with Swissair and Singapore Airlines (SIA) and has extended its alliance with Lufthansa as part of its streamlining process ahead of privatisation. The airline is also negotiating similar alliances in the Middle East, North America, South America ...
-
News
ACI takes second stab at fee hike
US airports will launch another massive campaign - the second this year - to garner support for a $1 increase in the passenger facility charge (PFC). Smarting from the recent defeat of the PFC increase by an 11-8 vote in the Senate aviation subcommittee, directors of the Airports Council ...
-
News
Deluge of troubles flood Peru
Peruvian aviation was never for the fainthearted, but its current turmoil is volatile even by Lima's standards. The chief executive of bankrupt local carrier Faucett Peru is the apparent victim of a behind-the-scenes power struggle even with his airline in receivership. A new law allowing foreign carriers to operate domestic ...
-
News
FLEETS
Long commitment The world's fourth-largest regional airline, Comair, has signed a 10-year agreement with Bombardier to acquire 50 more CRJs, comprising 30 CRJ-200s and 20 CRJ-700s. The deal includes a further 115 options. Wayout west America West has taken delivery of two more Airbus A320s, ...
-
News
Mesa unveils new look
As part of its uphill battle to regain its reputation and its financial feet, US regional Mesa Airlines unveiled a new livery in mid October, as well as a new corporate logo for the carrier's parent company, the Mesa Air Group. Jonathan Ornstein, who took over as president and ...
-
News
ROUTES
Boston direct United Airlines is to open a direct service between Boston and London Heathrow from April 1999. Boston-London is the third-largest route to Europe. European expansion American Airlines is strengthening its European operation with the launch of services to Amsterdam and Frankfurt from Chicago ...
-
News
Regional jets prompt runway campaigns
The regional jet phenomenon is prompting some small US airports to campaign for funds to extend their runways so that they do not find themselves left out in the cold. Managers at Salisbury-Wicomico County Regional Airport in Maryland are the latest to have grown nervous over their inability to ...
-
News
End of the road for Southern
Having failed to find a rescuer, Southern Air Transport (SAT) ceased operations at the end of September. The US cargo carrier, which had operated for more than 50 years, was largely hampered by its fleet of Lockheed L-100 Hercules, which left it as an oddball in today's freighter market and ...
-
News
China freezes new fleet orders
In response to China's worsening markets, Beijing will approve no more aircraft orders for China's airlines, says Liu Wanming, planning division chief for the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) Liu stresses that the CAAC's freeze does not affect existing orders, but several carriers are already trying to defer ...
-
News
FLEETS
Jet convenience Ansett regional operator Kendell Airlines is to acquire 12 new 50-seat regional jets to upgrade its network in Eastern Australia. The new aircraft will be introduced from November 1999, but no decision has been made between the Bombardier Canadair CRJ-200 and Embraer RJ-145 models. ...
-
News
Indian Airlines raises fares
Burdened with a depreciating rupee and rising operating costs, Indian Airlines has again hiked its fares, this time by just over 11%. The latest rise, which took effect at the start of October, is the tenth since 1990 and comes less than a year after the airline last announced a ...
-
News
as sell-off row surfaces
India's mercurial foreign ownership rules are again causing controversy, with an apparent split between ministries over whether airline partners will be allowed to buy shares in either Air-India or Indian Airlines as they come up for privatisation. Civil aviation minister Ananth Kumar plans strict enforcement of the domestic aviation ...
-
News
Japanese react to recession
Japan Airlines (JAL) and All Nippon Airways are both accelerating plans to restructure in response to falling yields. As the two carriers prepared to announce first-half results at the end of October, neither was expecting to hit previous forecasts. "Japan's recession is JAL's fundamental problem," says Isao Kaneko, the ...