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| Air Transport and Cargo |
Rolls still bullish despite climbing jet-fuel prices
July 14, 2008
Given the skyrocketing price of oil, the global financial crisis and gloomy forecasts from the travel industry, one might be forgiven for anticipating a message of gloom and doom from a manufacturer of a substantial proportion of the world’s aero engines. Not so at Rolls-Royce. While admitting openly that the aviation industry is heading for a “period of...
moreATR mulls options for larger turboprop
July 14, 2008
French-Italian regional turboprop manufacturer Avions de Transport Régional (ATR) is considering a new aircraft to complement its 46/50 passenger ATR 42 and 68/74-seat ATR 72 regional turboprop aircraft. CEO Stéphane Mayer confirmed that the airframer is studying a larger turboprop, probably to seat between 90 and 100 seats, and options including a two- or...
moreBA Takes Over Last All-biz-class Transatlantic Carrier
July 10, 2008
British Airways announced it is taking over France-based L’Avion, the last remaining all-business-class carrier on a transatlantic route. The 18-month-old startup airline will be merged with BA subsidiary OpenSkies. The two operators have been code-sharing for less than one month between Paris Orly and New York. OpenSkies and L’Avion use JFK and Newark...
more787 Horizontal Stabilizer Passes Fatigue Tests
July 01, 2008
Alenia Aeronautica has completed destructive testing on the horizontal stabilizer of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the companies announced today. The test took place at Alenia’s Pomigliano plant in Naples, Italy, in the presence of Boeing engineers and representatives of the FAA and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Alenia manufactures the stabilizer at...
moreAnother 'boutique' airline goes under
July 01, 2008
Britain’s “boutique” air carrier Silverjet ceased operations in May, becoming the third such airline to collapse within the last six months. MAXjet launched service in November 2005 and by Christmas Eve 2007 had ceased operations. Competitor Eos, which began service just a month before MAXjet, lasted just four months longer, filing for bankruptcy in April....
moreRegional News Update: Bombardier 'regrets' Q400 accident
July 01, 2008
Bombardier expressed “regrets” about a March 13, 2007, accident involving a Q400 turboprop at Japan’s Kochi Airport after the Japanese Aircraft and Railway Accidents Investigation Commission (JARAIC) in late May found that a missing bolt caused the airplane’s nose landing gear door to jam, forcing a gear-up landing. None of the 60 passengers and crew aboard...
moreRegional News Update: Delta seeks break from Pinnacle
July 01, 2008
Delta Air Lines notified Pinnacle Airlines last month that it intends to dissolve their Delta Connection contract effective July 31. Delta cited Memphis-based Pinnacle’s failure to meet contractually guaranteed on-time performance rates for its decision. In late May a federal judge blocked Delta’s attempts to end its contract with Mesa Air Group’s Freedom...
moreRegional News Update: IslandAir returns EAS award
July 01, 2008
Hawaiian de Havilland Dash 8 operator IslandAir withdrew from a newly awarded Essential Air Service (EAS) contract to serve four mainland communities from Kansas City last month after deeming its plans to start operations in September “unrealistic” due to rising fuel costs and a shortage of trained personnel. The Honolulu-based regional in March bid for...
moreRegional News Update: SkyWest withdraws bid for ExpressJet
July 01, 2008
SkyWest last month withdrew its offer to buy Houston’s ExpressJet after concluding that a new seven-year capacity purchase agreement entered by ExpressJet and Continental Airlines rules out any deal. “Although we continue to believe our offer represented a favorable opportunity for ExpressJet stakeholders, the execution of a new ExpressJet capacity purchase...
moreRegionals feeling the pain of systemwide service cuts
July 01, 2008
For the first time in recent memory the U.S. regional airline industry could experience a drop in passenger boardings during the second half of this year as skyrocketing fuel costs prompt the nation’s major airlines to reconsider the use of their partners’ most fuel-thirsty assets. Several of the country’s largest regional airlines have already begun to...
moreCustomers adjust to Superjet slip
July 01, 2008
While the first prototype of the Sukhoi Superjet 100 continued its initial round of flight testing over Komsomolsk-upon-Amur in Russia’s Far East early last month, back in Moscow launch customer Aeroflot decided to lease 35 Boeing 737-500s to address delivery delays.According to Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company (SCAC) president Victor Subbotin, SSJ100...
moreFirst A320 Parts Head to Tianjin
June 24, 2008
Airbus has started sending the first aircraft sections to the new A320 assembly line in Tianjin, China, the company announced today. Plans call for assembly of the first aircraft to start in August. Airbus expects launch customer Sichuan Airlines to take delivery of the first airplane by the end of June next year. Six jigs loaded with the forward and rear...
more787 Fatigue Airframe Departs Factory
June 23, 2008
Boeing last Thursday moved the 787 prototype designated for fatigue testing (aircraft No. 4) from the final assembly factory in Everett, Wash., to another production bay at the facility, where assembly work will continue. The move paves the way for the second flight-test airplane (aircraft No. 3) to advance to the next position in the production line today....
moreBoeing Completes 787 Power-on
June 20, 2008
Boeing has completed the power-on sequence for the first 787 Dreamliner, the company announced today. The process began early this month with a series of pre-test continuity checks to verify proper wiring connections. Upon completion of those checks, the Boeing team plugged in an external power cart and slowly began to bring full power into each segment of...
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