News from FlightGlobal – Page 2362

  • News

    AirTran assures Boeing of 717 fleet intentions

    1998-06-17T00:00:00Z

    Boeing's roll-out of the first 717-200 on 10 June was accompanied by public reassurances from launch customer AirTran Airlines that it still intends to buy a fleet of up to 100 aircraft. To date, the AirTran deal for 50 firm orders and 50 options makes up the bulk of the ...

  • News

    IATA seals Afghanistan deals

    1998-06-17T00:00:00Z

    Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE The Afghanistan Government and national carrier Ariana Afghan Airlines have concluded a series of wide ranging agreements with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to overhaul local air traffic communications as well as to improve aircraft and airport safety. Under an $8 million deal concluded with ...

  • News

    Air Djibouti takes A310-200 for long haul services

    1998-06-17T00:00:00Z

    Airbus Industrie has placed a secondhand A310-200 with Air Djibouti, which the airline will use to relaunch operations next month. The carrier has signed a deal with Airbus' Dublin-based Financial Services (AIFS) division to lease a 14-year-old ex-Kuwait Airways A310-200, powered by Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7R4s. The 194-seater ...

  • News

    BA demands give Airbus and Boeing delivery headaches

    1998-06-17T00:00:00Z

    Max Kingsley Jones/LONDON British Airways is entering final negotiations with Airbus and Boeing to acquire its new short haul fleet, but the two manufacturers are having to discuss deals with leasing companies to help them meet the airline's requirements for early delivery slots. The UK carrier is aiming ...

  • News

    Asian crisis prompts Boeing to slow production

    1998-06-17T00:00:00Z

    Boeing has confirmed that production of the 747 and 777 will slow next year in response to the economic downturn in Asia. The expected axing of some 12,000 jobs is also beginning as the company overcomes the worst of its fraught production ramp-up. Boeing's official production rate announcement for ...

  • News

    Business Air ponders ERJ-145 acquisition

    1998-06-17T00:00:00Z

    Business Air is examining the Embraer RJ-145 as an alternative to the Saab 2000, which it had been planning to introduce as part of its expansion under British Midland (BM) ownership. The Aberdeen, Scotland-based regional wants a 50-seater to operate alongside its Saab 340s, and was close to a ...

  • News

    Cimber picks ATR 72s in fight to win Danish rail travellers

    1998-06-17T00:00:00Z

    Julian Moxon/SONDERBORG Danish regional airline Cimber Air is to expand its fleet with the purchase of ATR 72s and, eventually, regional jets. The plan follows the airline's sale of a 26% stake to SAS. The carrier has been linked with SAS since October 1995, operating feeder services into ...

  • News

    Corsair moves to Airbus from all-Boeing fleet

    1998-06-17T00:00:00Z

    French charter airline Corsair has confirmed its purchase of two Airbus A330-200s, with Rolls-Royce Trent 700s. The decision in favour of the European consortium was taken, says Corsair president Jacques Maillot, "-because Airbus reacted most quickly" to the request for proposals and "-presented the best financing package". The ...

  • News

    Garuda is in 'critical condition'

    1998-06-17T00:00:00Z

    Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE The situation at cash-strapped Garuda Indonesia looks set to deteriorate further, with debts mounting and warnings that the airline could face repossession of leased aircraft. Indonesian state enterprise minister Tanri Abeng has described the airline's condition as "critical", with reports that the carrier has $200 million ...

  • News

    Aer Lingus wet-leases MD-11 to boost summer capacity

    1998-06-17T00:00:00Z

     Aer Lingus has introduced a Boeing MD-11 on a six-month wet-lease from World Airways. The tri-jet is being used to supplement the airline's long haul fleet of Airbus A330-300s on transatlantic services during its 1998 summer season. It will be used mainly on services from Ireland to New York ...

  • News

    Lufthansa looks at cargo version of Tu-204

    1998-06-17T00:00:00Z

    Sirocco Aerospace demonstrated the Rolls-Royce RB211-powered Tupolev Tu-204-120C to Lufthansa in early June as a potential medium haul freighter for the airline's cargo division. Lufthansa is the technical advisor to the Sirocco programme, but wanted to check the freighter version's capacity to load/unload the containers and pallets used by ...

  • News

    Marketplace

    1998-06-17T00:00:00Z

    -Air Macau is subleasing an Airbus A320 and five crews to TAP Air Portugal for six months during the period of the Lisbon Expo. The airline, in which TAP holds a 25% stake, has been suffering from falling demand on some Asian routes. -US Airways has accelerated deliveries of its ...

  • News

    Qantas picks RB211 power for 747-400s

    1998-06-17T00:00:00Z

    Qantas has selected the improved Rolls-Royce RB211-524GT turbofan for its three recently ordered Boeing 747-400 passenger aircraft, clearing the way for a decision on a powerplant retrofit to the Australian carrier's 18 747-400s. The airline opted for the R-R engine after a competition involving the General Electric CF6-80C2 and ...

  • News

    Routes

    1998-06-17T00:00:00Z

    -Iberia and Royal Air Maroc have signed a code-sharing agreement. -Swissair has added four new destinations to its route network, with the introduction of scheduled services from Zurich to Malabo (once weekly) and Skopje (four flights a week), as well as daily flights to Bologna and Venice in co-operation with ...

  • News

    Workshop

    1998-06-17T00:00:00Z

    -Gulf Aircraft Maintenance (GAMCO) and Pratt & Whitney Eagle Services have signed a memorandum of understanding to "-further define business arrangements" to incorporate GAMCO into its global engine support operation. -Rotables management specialist Arinmar has signed a three-year agreement with British Aerospace RegionalAircraft to manage the repair and overhaul of ...

  • News

    Xian signs Y-7 deals with five Chinese domestic airlines

    1998-06-17T00:00:00Z

    Xian Aircraft (XAC) has signed initial sales agreements with five domestic airlines for 11 Y-7-200A passenger aircraft, following recent Chinese airworthiness certification of the improved twin-turboprop development. China's Changan Airlines, Guizhou Airlines, Sichuan Airlines, Swan Airlines, and Zhongyuan Airlines have each signed letters of intent to take two to ...

  • News

    Airline comeback disguises Asian crisis

    1998-06-17T00:00:00Z

    Kevin O'Toole/LONDON Airline profits rebounded strongly to near record levels last year, says the International Air Transport Association (IATA),but director general Pierre Jeanniot again warns that margins remain too low and that the headline figures disguise the crisis still unfolding in Asia. The detailed figures, issued in the ...

  • News

    Thai puts aircraft deliveries on hold as financial woes bite

    1998-06-17T00:00:00Z

    Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE Thai Airways International has been forced to place on hold the delivery of seven new Airbus and Boeing aircraft as it struggles to secure $700 million in financing. At the same time, the state-owned carrier has moved a step closer to partial privatisation with Thai Government approval for ...

  • News

    Ailing Tigers

    1998-06-17T00:00:00Z

    Anyone still nursing hopes that the Asian downturn would prove to be a short, albeit sharp, shock to the region's once buoyant airline industry, will have struggled to retain their optimism in the face of the extraordinary news pouring out over the past fortnight. Perhaps most ominous was the ...

  • News

    Ageing airliner census 1998

    1998-06-17T00:00:00Z

    SUPERSONIC Aerospatiale/BAe (BAC) Concorde Of the 20 Concordes built, 14 were delivered to Air France and British Airways between 1975 and 1980, and 13 remain in service. The remaining six aircraft - two prototypes, two pre-production aircraft and two production aircraft - were used for testing and not ...