News from FlightGlobal – Page 2386

  • News

    Pierson warns on A3XX costs

    1998-03-04T15:55:00Z

    Airbus president Jean Pierson has warned that the A3XX 550-650 seat airliner should not be launched until the consortium is satisfied that the programme can meet its promised target of delivering significantly better economics than those offered by the Boeing 747. Speaking at his last official press conference before ...

  • News

    Pan Am suspends airline operation

    1998-03-04T15:49:00Z

    Pan American World Airways filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on 26 February and "temporarily" ceased operations while the parent company seeks debtor-in-possession financing. The company is in default on aircraft lease payments of around $4 million and failed to make a $3.3 million security payment to Airline Reporting, which ...

  • News

    BA allies with Finnair

    1998-03-04T15:40:00Z

    British Airways agreed an alliance deal with Finnair on 27 February which will initially see codesharing between London, Helsinki and Swedish capital Stockholm. Deutsche BA and the Finnish airline will also codeshare. The deal came at the end of a busy week for the UK carrier, which started with ...

  • News

    Airbus examines A319 shrink

    1998-03-04T15:36:00Z

    Max Kingsley-Jones/SINGAPORE Airbus Industrie is working on a secret study into a 100-sear A319 which could provide the consortium with a quick response to the recent Boeing decision to launch the rival 717. The studies centre around a five frame "shrink" of the A319 fuselage, which would bring ...

  • News

    Fairchild Dornier examines 728JET partners

    1998-03-04T11:39:00Z

    From Flight International Principal risk-sharing partners in Fairchild Dornier's proposed new 728JET family of regional aircraft should be known by the end of the month. The main design configuration is expected to be frozen by May. The company's regional and business aircraft president Earl Robinson says that a total ...

  • News

    Asian crisis hits airline profits

    1998-03-04T09:31:00Z

    Andrew Chuter/LONDON Economic turbulence in the Asia-Pacific region will wipe an estimated $2 billion off airline profits this year, according to figures from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The losses estimates have been released as part of a revision of the region's traffic growth forecasts to 2001 ...

  • News

    AirTran aims for 'fresh start' after making heavy losses

    1998-03-04T09:29:00Z

    US low fare airline AirTran says that it is "positioned for a turn-around", despite posting heavy losses for last year. The former ValuJet has reported a net loss for 1997 of $96.7 million, more than double its 1996 loss, on operating revenues that fell slightly, to $211.5 million. One-time ...

  • News

    Lufthansa cargo loads profits

    1998-03-04T09:25:00Z

    Andrzej Jeziorski/MUNICH Lufthansa Cargo has revealed a "turnaround after two difficult years" in 1997, but warns that the air freight market remains uncertain. Profits for 1997 are expected to exceed DM100 million ($61.7 million) while yields in the fourth quarter showed a 10% improvement on the previous year. ...

  • News

    AIA 98 FINALIST:Alenia Difesa and Swedavia (Infrastructure)

    1998-03-04T00:00:00Z

    The FarAway project, co-ordinated by Italy's Alenia Difesa, represents another step in the development of the future air traffic management concepts that Europe will have to adopt if growth is to continue in its overcrowded airspace. The project, financed by the European Commission, aims to validate the benefits of ...

  • News

    AIA 98 WINNER:Airport Authority Hong Kong (Infrastructure)

    1998-03-04T00:00:00Z

    First landing at Chep Lap Kok Airport Hong Kong's new international airport at Chek Lap Kok passed a major milestone on 20 February, 1997 when the first aircraft touched down. Admittedly, the flight was only a short hop by a Raytheon Beech Super King Air from Hong Kong's existing ...

  • News

    AIA 98 WINNER:AMECO-Beijing (Maintenance & Modification)

    1998-03-04T00:00:00Z

    AMECO-Beijing took its first important steps into the international market for heavy aircraft maintenance in 1997, showing how far the Chinese joint venture has come over the past eight years. AMECO was set up at Beijing's Capital Airport in 1989 as a joint venture between Air China and Lufthansa, ...

  • News

    AIA 98 FINALIST:British Aerospace Aviation Services (Maintenance & Modifications)

    1998-03-04T00:00:00Z

    British Aerospace Aviation Services set out just over two years ago to produce a realistically priced passenger to freighter conversion for the Airbus A300B4. In 1997 its plans became reality as the first three freighters left for customers. Last year's first milestone came in June as the conversion won ...

  • News

    AIA 98 WINNER:CFM International (Propulsion)

    1998-03-04T00:00:00Z

    Increasing life cycles and lowering costs with the new CFM56-7 When Boeing delivered the first of its new generation 737 family towards the end of 1997, the event also marked the entry into service of CFM International's latest CFM56-7 engine, bringing with it significant advances in operating and maintenance costs. ...

  • News

    Eastern premise

    1998-03-04T00:00:00Z

    The abiding lesson from the recent Singapore air show is not the magnitude or nature of the present economic unrest in the Asia-Pacific region, but the vulnerability of the aerospace community in the region to such a crisis. Much as time and effort needs to be expended in countering the ...

  • News

    Range, range...range

    1998-03-04T00:00:00Z

    Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Confused over Boeing's plans for future 747 derivatives? Take heart. For two years since the cancellation of the ambitious 747-500X/600X development, Boeing appears to have been as perplexed as anybody. Devising a strategy for product development is, at best, an inexact science. Boeing knows this ...

  • News

    Embraer chief confirms plan for international flotation

    1998-03-04T00:00:00Z

    Embraer president Mauricio Botelho has confirmed that the company is on course for a share flotation on international markets later this year, raising cash for new product development, but also underlining the Brazilian manufacturer's ambitions to increase its world presence. Botelho, speaking at the show, said that it is ...

  • News

    Asians sign up for Trent work

    1998-03-04T00:00:00Z

    A memorandum of understanding for a proposed joint venture to undertake Trent engine overhaul and maintenance in Asia- Pacific has been signed by Rolls-Royce, Singapore Airlines Engineering (SIAEC) and Hong Kong Aero Engines Services (HAESL). HAESL, a joint venture between R-R and Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering, is the only ...

  • News

    FAA seeks further FANS funding

    1998-03-04T00:00:00Z

    The US Federal Aviation Administration is seeking Congressional approval to divert more than $100 million in 1998 funding towards future air navigation system (FANS) modernisation of US air traffic control centres (ATCCs), following complaints that it was not moving fast enough. Funding is needed to upgrade 20 US continental ...

  • News

    France will retain majority stake in Air France

    1998-03-04T00:00:00Z

    Julian Moxon/PARIS The French Government has opted for a progressive reduction in its 94% stake in Air France, but will retain a 53% stake in the carrier, leaving it as one of the last in Western Europe to remain state controlled. The move, which comes as Air France ...

  • News

    IAE lands massive Latin Airbus deal

    1998-03-04T00:00:00Z

    Karen Walker/SINGAPORE International Aero Engines is believed to have secured a $1 billion deal from Latin America with the selection by LanChile, TACA and TAM of V2500-A5 engines to power the long awaited order for up to 200 Airbus A320 family aircraft. Rival CFM International responded by announcing it ...