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Aviation History
1996
1996 - 3184.PDF
AtR TRANSPORT NEWS IN BRIEF • FOAM ARRESTERS A new aviation-safety device, designed to terminate run way overruns, has been installed at New York's JFK International Airport. The arrester system, located at the end of Runway 4R-22L, uses as many as 2,000 2.4 x 1.2m foam Mocks of aerated, cellular cement to stop a widebody aircraft. JFK is the first site for the installation, developed jointly by the US Federal Aviation Adminis tration and the Port Author ity of New York and New Jersey. The safety device will cost $2.6 million to install on Runway 4R, and up to five more are planned. • CHINESE SPARES CFM International has opened a spares service cen tre at Beijing Capital Airport in co-operation with China Aviation Supplies. The 500m2 centre will provide line maintenance for more than 350 CFM56-3 powerplants in service with 19 Chinese carriers. It will initially stock 600 parts, increasingto 1,500 line items with the entry into local service of larger num bers of CFM56-5s. • LUFTHANSA MAINTAINS SAS has awarded an engine maintenance and overhaul contract to Germany's Luf thansa Technik (LHT). The contract, which was signed on 22 November, covers the International Aero Engines V2500-D5 engine, which powers SAS' McDonnell Douglas MD-90 fleet. IL-76 HITS MOUNTAIN A Russian air force Ilyushin I1-76T, carrying out a com mercial cargo flight, crashed into a mountain in the Kras noyarsk region of Siberia on 27 November, killing all eight crew and 21 passengers on board. The aircraft had just taken off from Abakan airport, at 20:00 local time, carrying some 30t cargo. AMRAI opposes IPTN plans for jet-powered N250 AMERICAN REGIONAL Aircraft Industries (AMRAI) is urging IPTN to focus all of its efforts on certificating the N250 turboprop, warning that any re- engining of the aircraft with a turbofan will serve only to delay the programme further. The Indonesian firm launched a study into re-engineing the planned stretched N270 soon after Con tinental Express announced its order for up to 2 00 50-seatEmbraer EMB-45 regional jets. "This was a turning point in the US market, and there is no doubt that it is sliding towards turbofans," acknowledges an IPTN official. The study may be focusing on re designing the planned 70-seater around a 62.3kN (14,0001b)- thrust-class powerplant, such as the Allison AE3012, General El ectric CF34-8C or Pratt & Whit ney Canada/Snecma SPW14. AMRAI is concerned that any changes would detract its parent company, IPTN, from die princi pal goal of gaining US Federal Aviation Administration airwor thiness approval for the N2 50-100. The aircraft is not expected to be type certificated before the end of 1998, as the result of continuing conformity problems with proto type PA2 (Flight International, 20-26 November, P12), which will have its first flight on 12 December. AMRAI says that it must be able to guarantee delivery of the first US-customised variant of the air craft by early 2000, otherwise, it warns, "... market penetration will prove too difficult". FAA type cer tification of the Allison AE2100C- powered N270 is scheduled to follow 12 months behind that of the 64- to 68-seat N2 50-100. "We cannot afford one more month of slippage," cautions AMRAI marketing vice-president Jean-Mark Eloy. He adds: "It would be great to have a turbofan, but we should focus on one aircraft at a time and get the N2 5 0 type cer tificated by a reputable authority." Re-engineing the N270 would involve a change in the aircraft's wing design for there to be any sig nificant improvement in perfor mance. The aircraft already flies at the top of the turboprop range, with a maximum design speed of 330kt(600km/h). Re-engineing will be on the agenda of a programme review meeting to be held between IPTN and AMRAI, scheduled for 12 December, where the direction of the yet-to-be launched N270 will be discussed. J Alitalia fined for anti-competitive actions ITALY'S COMPETITION authority has fined Alitalia for using unfair tactics in its fight against two new national airlines Air One (formerly Aliadriatica) and Meridiana, which have been at tempting to make inroads into the Italian domestic market. The L415 million ($280,000) fine was less than expected because of Alitalia's critical financial posi tion. The authority found that Alitalia "systematically" timetab led its own flights to conflict with the new competitors, blocked their request for airport slots and attempted to use its influence with travel agents to hamper the issue of Air One tickets. In response, the Italian transport ministry has now relieved Alitalia from slot-allocation responsibili ties, which will be given to an inde pendent agency. Alitalia's anti competitive actions, says the auth ority, were a key factor in the deci sion of the domestics to withdraw from several routes being operated in direct competition. • See Business, P24. Royal Brunei Airlines receives first of two used Fokker 100s ROYAL BRUNEI AIRLINES HAS TAKEN DELIVERY of the first of two used Fokker 100s it is introducing to upgrade services to Bali, Balikpapan, Denpasar, Jakarta, Kuching, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore . The second was also delivered in late November from previous owner Swissair. They replace two Fokker 50s which have been phased out. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 4 -10 December 1996
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