All Ops & safety articles – Page 1446
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News
Merger plan draws blank
Yet again political expediency is muddying the debate over Air Inter's future, as its merger with Air France Europe looks set to be sidelined to minimise social unrest. Christian Blanc, who took over the chair of Air Inter when Michel Bernard unexpectedly resigned in mid-May, has proposed an ...
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Boom conditions shift to slowdown
It was only 12 short months ago that the global financial markets were gripped by fear of overheating and inflation. Robust economic growth, particularly in the United States where output soared to 4.7 per cent in 1994, sent the yields on government bonds round the world sharply higher and the ...
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SAA boosted by Lufthansa
The cooperation agreement between South African Airways and Lufthansa is a major boost for the African carrier, while the pact nearly completes the German flag's global net of alliances. SAA has sought a European partner for more than two years and senior general manager John Hare says few ...
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KLM cagey over Garuda
Indonesia and the Philippines are heading in opposite directions on state ownership of flag carriers, but neither is making progress. Jakarta cannot find a buyer for Garuda Indonesia and Manila is still waiting for a ruling as to whether it can reassert control over Philippine Airlines. On-again off-again ...
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Taiwan takes direct route
Conceding the inevitable, Taiwan has taken the first fateful steps that could lead to direct air links to China within two years. But Beijing's willingness to facilitate such flights will depend on whether CAAC pragmatists prevail over policy ideologues who hope to capitalise on Taipei's recognition that direct links are ...
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Euro pilots strike out
Continuing management efforts to cut the European majors' operating costs are resulting in clashes with pilots at KLM, SAS and Alitalia. If pilots do not concede the need to reduce costs, carriers may seek alternatives. KLM is insisting on a longterm programme to cut its aircrew costs, which ...
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The yen factor
The strength of the Japanese yen is having major repercussions throughout the airline business. David Knibb looks at the impact.The Japanese even have a word for it. Endaka describes the inexorable rise in the value of the yen. It's not a new phenomenon; the yen has been appreciating for at ...
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Financial results
Air Canada cut its operating loss from C$12m to C$7m. Passengers and yields both rose 6%. There were C$40m of non-operating gains in 1994. Operating income trebled to US$162.2m, moving ANA into the black. Boosted by the Kobe earthquake and the strong yen, traffic rose 6.1%. ...
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News
Ghosts, phantoms and funnel flights
Some airlines are manipulating schedules to get improved marketing visibility.When is a new route not a new route? Answer: When it's a codeshare, funnel flight, ghost flight, change of gauge, or yet another figment of a marketing executive's fertile imagination. The intention behind the survey of new route developments in ...
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Sino thaw is set to grip
Chinese aviation appears to be experiencing a thaw as two recent events show that both outsiders and the CAAC have growing confidence in China's airlines. China's transition from bank-guaranteed to asset-based financing received a boost with the recent decision of an operating lessor to commit aircraft to a ...
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Routing for growth
Airlines have added and abandoned new routes at a substantial rate in the past two years, but US carriers and those based in more liberal markets dominated the picture. Report by Reed Travel Group Market Analysis and Airline Business. Market expansion is one of the most pertinent ways to ...
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US-UK slow movement
Although the early June US-UK 'interim' agreement found favour with United Airlines and British Airways, the US Department of Transportation now faces considerable pressure from rivals American Airlines, Continental Airlines and TWA to broaden Heathrow rights in the next round of negotiations. However there has at least been ...
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FAA approves FANS-1 package
THE US FEDERAL Aviation Administration has issued a formal type certificate for Boeing's future air-navigation system (FANS-1) installation package for Rolls-Royce-powered Boeing 747-400s. The system provides for automatic position reporting and other operational communication by satellite from anywhere in the world. The FANS-1 incorporates a comprehensive flight-management-system ...
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Atlas to deal second ACE after crash
ATLAS AVIATION is to build an improved ACE turboprop trainer following the crash of the prototype in February. The new ACE II, is scheduled to be flown, in the second half of 1996. The aircraft will differ from the original principally in its use of the more powerful ...
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ValuJet adds four more
DC-9s to fleet US LOW-FARE operator ValuJet Airlines has purchased four additional McDonnell Douglas (MDC) DC-9s. The total cost of the aircraft, including installation of hushkits and completion of ValuJet and federal-mandated modifications, is expected to be about $18 million. The previous operators were Alitalia and ...
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Africa's Alliance prepares to launch scheduled services
Kevin O'Toole/LONDON ALLIANCE, THE NEW African long-haul venture led by South African Airways (SAA), is gearing up for the launch of scheduled services in July, and says that new routes and aircraft are likely to follow. The venture has its origins in protracted talks between ...
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NASA tests Pathfinder airbag
NASA LEWIS RESEARCH Center's Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, is conducting tests of an airbag landing-gear system which will provide the Mars Pathfinder spacecraft with a soft, upright landing when it lands on the rugged terrain of Mars in 1997. The Mars Pathfinder is the first ...
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IATA forecasts record airline profits
Kevin O'Toole/GENEVA THE international airline industry could be on course to turn in the highest profits in its history if over-capacity continues to decline, according to predictions from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). IATA estimates that its members made a net profit of $1.8 ...
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Row delays FedEx Subic Bay opening
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC FEDEX HAS DELAYED by 30 days the scheduled 3 July opening of its Subic Bay, Philippines, hub because of a bilateral-air-services dispute between the USA and Japan After a hiatus in talks between the two nations over Japan's refusal to let FedEx ...
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FAA seeks windshear-detector change software
THE US FEDERAL Aviation Administration, is proposing that, new software be introduced for Honeywell-made airborne wind-shear detectors. The proposed airworthiness directive (AD), which follows a US National Transportation Safety Board recommendation, would require new software which eliminates delays in the warning systems of the Honeywell standard wind-shear-detection and ...