Flight International articles from January 2003

Flight International archives from January 2003

cargo; Air Hong Kong to buy new A300 variant.(from Airbus )(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... Air Hong Kong is to be the launch customer for a new variant of the Airbus A300-600F freighter designed to handle general freight. The Cathay Pacific Airways and DHL Worldwide Express-ownedall-cargo airline confirmed the expected deal last...

airports.(includes multiple airport briefs )(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... n Brussels South Charleroi Airport increased its passengers handled by 65% in 2002, mainly as a result of Ryanair operating three Boeing 737-800s to nine destinations. The airport expects to handle 1.7 million passengers in 2003 and is planning...

air traffic control; Albania to modernise.(Lockheed Martin wins contract to modernize country's air traffic control system )(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... Albania has awarded Lockheed Martin a $32 million contract to modernise the Balkan nation's airspace system. An interim upgrade is to be operational by May next year, in time to handle the expected 10% increase in overflights associated with...

design guy norris / los angeles; BWB may lead to Sonic successor; Tests show concept capable of operating at speeds up to Mach 0.93, offering alternative to ditched programme.(Boeing releases test results of high-speed blended wing body aircraft)
January 14, 2003... Boeing has revealed preliminary results of another high-speed blended wing body (BWB) study that indicates a modified variant of the concept can operate feasibly at cruise speeds up to Mach 0.93, well above the baseline version's original...

production; Boeing orders tumble in 2002.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... Boeing's airliner output slumped to its lowest level for five years in 2002 and orders tumbled 25% to 251. Airbus will declare its 2002 figures this week, and although it will have been beaten by Boeing in output, the European manufacturer is...

Government finance; US DoT hamstrung by hold-up in federal department funding.(Department of Transportation )(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... US government transport and aviation officials have begun the new year under uncertainty as funding for federal agencies remains stalled in Congress, which began a new session last week. Lawmakers were unable to pass 2003 budgets for nearly...

communications David Learmount / Brussels; Eurocontrol and FAA look ahead to next datalink; With VDL-2 not even implemented yet, new generation system already being considered.(Federal Aviation Administration)
January 14, 2003... Eurocontrol and the US Federal Aviation Administration say they are already having to consider what controller/pilot datalink communications (CPDLC) mode will follow the embryo VHFdatalink mode 2 (VDL-2), even though they have not yet...

start-up Nicholas Ionides / Singapore; Charter carrier Deccan to offer India's first no-frills operation.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... Indian air charter company Deccan Aviation is planning to launch the country's first "no-frills" airline this year with Bombardier Dash 8s. Managing director Capt G R Gopinath says passenger flights are due to begin in May. He says terms...

airline acquisition Mary Kirby / Washington DC; Restaurateur serves up air services at second try ; Hooters owner gathers Pace in move to provide charter flights to Florida for golfers.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... Popular US-based restaurant chain Hooters has revived its plans to launch air services under the Hooters Air brand, after owner Bob Brooks acquired North Carolina-based charter operator Pace Airlines. Hooters restaurants have become famous...

safety; IAA invests in Tel Aviv airport security.(Israel Airport Authority )(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... Israel Airport Authority (IAA) is investing $70 million in an aviation security system for the new passenger terminal at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport. The move, which represents a switch from a passenger profiling-based system...

start-up; Mekong Airlines to tap Cambodian market with 737 acquisition.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... Cambodian start-up Mekong Airlines has concluded a deal with International Lease Finance (ILFC) to take an ex-Continental Airlines Boeing 737-500 on a three-year lease and remains on track to launch operations in mid-January. The carrier,...

Accident; Elevator cited in 1900 crash.(US Airways Express accident)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... An Air Midwest Beech 1900D twin turboprop pitched up to 521/4 before crashing out of control a few seconds after take-off from Charlotte Douglas Airport, South Carolina. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) member John Goglia says that...

safety Nicholas Ionides / Singapore; Inquiry probes near miss as history almost repeats; Second disaster averted after Airbus strikes electrical wires and narrowly avoids hill.
January 14, 2003... A Philippine Airlines (PAL) Airbus A330-300 struck electrical wires and narrowly avoided hitting terrain while approaching Guam International Airport last month. The incident, still under investigation, bears similarities to circumstances...

safety David Learmount / London; Fog and poor navigation aids hold key to Turkish accident; THY Avro RJ100 destroyed by fire after crashing short of runway in low visibility.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... Visibility appears to be a crucial factor in the THY Turkish Airlines BAE Systems Avro RJ100 crash at Dyarbakir airfield, south-east Turkey, on 8 January. Statements from the Turkish prime minister's office confirm conditions at the...

diplomatic relations; China re-opens its doors to Taiwan.
January 14, 2003... Taiwanese carriers are preparing to make their first flights to China in over 50 years amid an easing of tensions between the two countries. China considers Taiwan a renegade province and there are no diplomatic relations or non-stop...

powerplants; Lufthansa opts for R-R.(Rolls Royce engine for new aircraft)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... Lufthansa has selected the Rolls-Royce Trent 700 over rival offerings from General Electric and Pratt & Whitney to power the 10 Airbus A330-300s it has on order. The 72,000lb (320kN) Trent 772B-powered A330s will be delivered to the German...

ROUTES.(new airline routes)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... n On 30 March, Virgin Express will introduce a daily return service between Brussels and Bordeaux, and a four-times weekly service to Palma, Majorca. The latter route will be served daily from July. UK regional airline Flybe British European...

expansion ; Aerolineas to launch subsidiaries.(Aerolineas Argentinas )(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... Aerolineas Argentinas will spend $30 million on launching four subsidiaries in neighbouring countries from September, chief executive Antonio Mata says. The carriers will operate from Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay, the first of...

cutbacks; Alcoa orders another round of redundancies.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... Aluminium producer Alcoa is to cut 8,000 jobs - 6% of its workforce - as it struggles to cope with low prices and weak demand for gas turbine components. The job losses will come from businesses serving the aerospace, automotive and...

Helicopters Paul Lewis / STRATFORD, Connecticut; Protect US industry says Sikorsky; As Europeans make in-roads, domestic market should be off-limits to competitors, manufacturer tells government.
January 14, 2003... Sikorsky president Dean Borgman has called for the US government to consider measures to protect the US helicopter industry from foreign competition. Without protection, in particular in the domestic military market, he says the USA risks a...

restructuring Brendan Sobie / Washington DC; Court to study US Airways plans; General Electric and The Retirement Systems of Alabama emerge as key backers of stricken carrier's bid for survival.(US Airways Inc.'s restructuring plan)
January 14, 2003... US Airways hopes to secure bankruptcy court approval this week which will allow it to complete its financial and fleet restructuring by the end of March. A federal bankruptcy court will review the carrier's reorganisation plan at a 16...

restructuring Christina Mackenzie / Paris; Air Lib hopes to write off its debts.(Air Lib's restructuring plan includes investment from IMCA, debt write-off)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... The fate of French private airline Air Lib will be sealed this week when the French government will decide whether to write off the troubled carrier's debts. Last week the French secretary of state for transport, Dominique Bussereau,...

Forecasts CHRISTINA MACKENZIE / PARIS; EADS aims to dominate market.(EADS N.V.)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... EADS is positioning itself to be undisputed European leader in the aerospace and defence sector in 2003 and will take over other companies to do so, says co-chief executive Philippe Camus. But he warned that 2002 sales will probably remain...

recovery; IATA predicts 2004 return to profits - if all stays quiet.(International Air Transport Association's forecasts for global air transportation industry)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... After falling for two years, world passenger traffic should recover strongly in 2003, according to the International Air Transport Association. Total international scheduled passenger traffic fell by 2.5% in 2002, but will rise by 6.4% in...

forecasts Alexander Campbell / London; Outlook remains tough for European carriers.(airlines face fewer passengers, higher oil prices, deteriorating economy)
January 14, 2003... High oil prices, a slow recovery and growing fear of war in the Middle East have led to gloomy forecasts from European airlines, with KLM and British Airways warning that the market remains difficult. KLM says that "deteriorating economic...

people.(executive appointments in aircraft, airline industries)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... n James May is to succeed Carol Hallett next month as president of the USairline lobby group, the Air Transport Association. May was formerly executive vice-presidentof theNational Association of Broadcasters. British Airways chief executive...

Mutual assistance.(lessons not learned from airline safety errors)
January 14, 2003... Airlines do not seem to be learning from each other's safety errors. Is it their fault, or is there something lacking in the industry? Crews flying into Agana Airport, Guam, have been alerted again to the fact that the approach can be...

unmanned systems Guy Norris / Los Angeles; NASA primes pumps for automatic UAV fuelling ; Analytical model will help UCAV makers define requirements for air-to-air tanking.(National Aeronautics and Space Administration, unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned combat air vehicles)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... NASA has completed the initial phase of a flight-test programme using a modified Boeing F/A-18 aimed at developing analytical models for an automated aerial refuelling (AAR) system for unmanned air vehicles (UAV). The flight-test...

Development Paul Lewis /WashingtonDC; US Marine Corps buoyed by H-1 upgrade solutions; Overhaul irons out programme's aerodynamic, structural and avionics problems.
January 14, 2003... The US Marine Corps believes fixes are in place for the aerodynamic, structural and avionics problems that have plagued development of the Bell AH-1Z/UH-1Y. The difficulties forced a restructure of the $6.2 billion modernisation programme in...

Missile defence ; Arrow takes on multiple targets.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... The Israel Aircraft Industries(IAI)Arrow anti-tactical ballistic missile system's capability against multiple launches has been proved following a test earlier this month. The 5 January test was the fifth test of the entire Arrow system,...

fleet improvement Paul Lewis /STRATFORD; Sikorsky eyes helicopter upgrade path for USMC ; CH-53E modernisation to include re-engining with options to build new airframes.(US Marine Corps)
January 14, 2003... Sikorsky is studying an evolutionary approach to modernising the US Marine Corps' CH-53E heavylift helicopters, starting with re-engining the existing fleet to address the most immediate need for additional payload range with later options to...

Procurement; Brazil shelves F-X plans.(fighter aircraft)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... One of the first acts of new Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was to shelve the F-XBRfighter procurement until next year as the incoming administration concentrates on meeting an election pledge to battle famine in the country. ...

Air Defence; PAC-3 output stepped up.(US Army's Patriot Advanced Capability)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... Production of the USArmy's Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC-3) tactical ballistic missile interceptor is being ramped up. Lockheed Martin has received a $341 million contract for 88 missiles, up from the 72 planned for fiscal year 2003, and an...

Flight trials; Poland to test PGM adaptor kit on Su-22.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... The Polish air force is set to start flight tests of a bolt-on wing adaptor kit developed as part of a package to convert unguided bombsto precision-guided munitions. The flight tests, to be conducted using a Sukhoi Su-22M4, are expected...

Exports Arie Egozi / Tel Aviv; UK export restriction grounds Israeli Phantoms.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... Israel's air force has started to ground its McDonnellDouglas F-4-2000 Phantom fighters because the UK is refusing export licences for the pyrotechnic cartridges in the Martin Baker-built ejection seats. Unmanned air vehicles...

Procurement; Watchkeeper decision time moves closer.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... Companies competing to be downselected for the UK's Watchkeeper intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance programme expect a decision by the end of this month. Industries sources say the decision could accompany...

Test&Evaluation Guy Norris /Reno; 'Virtual' spoiler promises easier weapon release; Joint USAF/RAAF trial will compare effect of active separation control on trajectories.(United States Air Force, Royal Australia Air Force)
January 14, 2003... Preparations are under way for joint US Air Force/Royal Australian Air Force flight tests of an active separation control (ASC) system intended to bea "virtual" spoiler and improve weapons bay acoustics as well as enhance weapon separation. ...

Weapons ARIE EGOZI / Tel Aviv ; IMI takes aim with Light Defender.(Israel Military Industries )(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... Israel Military Industries (IMI) is planning the first firing of the Light Defender stand-off loitering weapon system next year. IMI has teamed up with Lockheed Martin to develop the Light Defender from the Israeli company's Delilah...

contracts.(defense, aerospace industry contracts)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... n BAE Systems has received a $45.8 million contract for six Theater Airborne Reconnaissance Systemspodsand two ground stations for the Egyptian air force's Lockheed Martin F-16 fleet. RADAElectronic Industries is to upgrade its FACE flight...

corps; values.(new aircraft for the United States Marine Corps)
January 14, 2003... The US Marines aim to renew their entire ageing fleet over 30 years. The corps' new aviation chief explains how he plans to do it paul lewis / washington dc The US Marine Corps (USMC) has a busy period ahead with the planned...

health check.(use of information technology in aircraft maintenance)
January 14, 2003... IT is finding its way into the traditional overalls and oilcan world of the maintenance industry and is set to transform working practices Michael Phelan / London Information technology (IT) is finally being embraced in the aircraft...

launch Jackson Flores / Rio de Janeiro; Aerolineas in $4m move to tap corporate market ; Recently-bankrupt airline to refit 737s as it sets sights on expansion outside Argentina.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... Argentinian flag carrier Aerolineas Argentinas is to launch a corporate aviation subsidiary, Aerolineas Executive Jet, later this year, as it recovers from bankruptcy. The plan, disclosed late last year by Aerolineas Argentinas' chief executive...

helicopters; Eurocopter EC135T2 joins Paris ambulances.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... The Greater Paris air ambulance service has taken delivery of the first Eurocopter EC135T2 light twin helicopter. The T2, which is powered by the 475kW (640hp) Turbomeca Arrius 2B2, will be operated by French emergency medical service operator...

Security ; US private charter rule weighs in.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... Industry has welcomed changes to the US Transportation Safety Agency's (TSA) final rule on private charter security, which takes effect on 1 February. The rule has been revised to increase the threshold for compliance to a maximum take-off...

light aircraft JustinWastnage / London ; Germans reject security kneejerk ; Association says rogue pilot's threat to crash stolen motor glider led to "unrealistic" calls to tighten procedures.
January 14, 2003... Light aircraft proponents in Germany have rejected calls for tighter security measures at general aviation airfields as an over-reaction to an incident earlier this month when a man stole a motor glider at gunpoint. The German branch of...

in brief.(aircraft industry news briefs)
January 14, 2003... DIRECTORY CALL Entries are closing for free inclusion in the Flight International 2003 Helicopter Directory. If you have not received an entry form, or have not yet replied, please contact Brandon Nothnagel at Air Transport Intelligence as...

Air transport Nicholas Ionides / Singapore; Boost for Airbus as MASselects A380 ; Six aircraft on firm order; delivery planned for 2007-08.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... Airbus has landed its first A380 customer for over a year with a commitment from the parent of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) to acquire the type for the state-owned carrier. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) covers six A380s to be taken on...

Briefing.(aircraft industry news briefs)
January 14, 2003... Embraer 170 wins LOT deal Order LOT Polish Airlines has ordered 10 Embraer 170s and taken a further 11 options for either the 170 or the larger 190 model, in a deal valued at an estimated $200 million. The aircraft will be delivered from...

Defence PAUL LEWIS / Washington DC; Super heavylift rotorcraft pitched to replace CH-47; Three-engined compact aircraft would be able to transport twice the load of CH-53E.
January 14, 2003... Sikorsky has unveiled its concept for a future super heavylift rotorcraft that would be capable of transporting twice the load of a CH-53E, yet would be smaller than a UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopter. The machine is being pitched to meet...

General aviation Graham Warwick / Washington DC; P&WC picked to power Mustang.(Pratt and Whitney Canada, Citation Mustang)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... Cessna has selected the Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) PW615F engine to power the Citation Mustang entry-level business jet. Selection over the rival Williams International FJ33 is a strategic win for P&WC, which last year lost the competition...

Air transport; Fokker F28 goes down.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... Air traffic controllers lost contact with a Transportes Aereos Nacionales (TANS) Fokker F28 Mk1000 as it approached Chachapoyas Airport in the mountains of north-east Peru at 08.43 local time on 9 January, about 3min from its destination. The...

DEFENCEPaul Lewis / WashingtonDC; ITT aims to sell low-cost avionics to USArmy as Greece buys British.
January 14, 2003... ITT Industries is in discussions with the US Army to supply a lower-cost derivative of the ALQ-211(V)1 suite of integrated radio frequency countermeasures (SIRFC) to upgrade its fleet of Boeing AH-64 Apaches. The move comes as Greece looks set...

defence; US special operations to get budget injection.
January 14, 2003... Donald Rumsfeld, the US secretary of defence, has announced major changes in the US Special Operations Command (Socom), including increases to its size and budget. The changes are expected to lead to the acquisition of additional Lockheed...

DEFENCEGraham Warwick / WashingtonDC; Real-time imaging hits the target; Internet technology used to send visual data from command and control aircraft to fighter's weapon system operator.
January 14, 2003... Boeing has demonstrated collaborative in-flight planning of an air strike via an internet-like connection between a command and control aircraft and a fighter. The test involved Boeing's 737 avionics flying laboratory and F-15E technology...

general aviation; Z-11 helicopter gets go-ahead.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... China's indigenously developed Z-11 light helicopter has been cleared for commercial use. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has awarded Changhe Aircraft Industries the country's "first permit for civil helicopter production",...

launchers tim furniss / london; Ariane 5 ECA to try again but doubts over Rosetta ; Cooling problem identified in Vulcain exhaust nozzle, while 5G mission may miss window.
January 14, 2003... Arianespace hopes to fly the Ariane 5 ECA again within six months, after an inquiry board concluded the launcher's 11 December first flight failed due to a cooling problem in the exhaust nozzle of the uprated Vulcain 2 main engine. The launch...

crewed mission; China plans first manned spaceflight.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... Completion of the Shen Zhou 4 mission has cleared the way for China to attempt its first manned spaceflight later this year. The unmanned Shen Zhou 4 re-entry capsule landed on 5 January in snow-covered Inner Mongolia after a seven-day,...

Space shuttle; Security tight for Israeli astronaut.(Illan Ramon)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... Already-tight security at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, has been stepped up further for the planned 16 January launch of Space Shuttle Columbia on mission STS 107, carrying the first Israeli astronaut, payload specialist Illan Ramon, an...

airport safety; Air France in security tests.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... Air France has tested a Sagem-developed fingerprinting security technique at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. The week-long test was conducted on flights to Tel Aviv, and aimed to ensure all passengers who checked baggage also boarded the...

in brief.
January 14, 2003... bae/DDC-I system BAE Systems has teamed with DDC-I to create a development environment for safety-critical software. Combining BAE's CsLEOS Arinc 653-compliant real-time operating system with DDC-I's SCORE multi-language development...

Maintenance; On board fault checks promise health boost.(Airplane Health Management system)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2003... Boeing aims to revolutionise preventative line maintenance with the commercial launch of its Airplane Health Management (AHM) system in 12 months' time. Boeing AHM programme manager Robert Manelski says the real-time onboard fault...

Combustors Michael Phelan / London; Swirling thruster to shrink ramjets ; Technology promises to reduce size of missiles and offer high-performance combustion for hypersonic projects.(new compact swirl-augmented thruster )
January 14, 2003... Boeing is developing compact, high-performance combustors that it hopes will greatly reduce the size of ramjet-powered missiles and aid hypersonic projects and third-party engine developers. The compact swirl-augmented thruster (CoSAT),...

fit for; service.(North American aircraft maintenance operations)
January 14, 2003... Can maintenance centres survive in the current economic climate? Regional jet growth offers hope amid the 'sold' and 'for sale' signs graham warwick / washington dc Signs saying "under new ownership" have appeared over several North...

Straight & Level roger.bacon@flightinternational.com.(US Air Force equipment)
January 14, 2003... History shock To those nieces and nephews who are under the impression that 2003 marks the centenary of powered, controlled flight, I have some sobering news. Nephew Ibrahim Dashti has unearthed evidence (via Yahoo) that air travel was...

Fractionals Graham Warwick / WashingtonDC; HeliFlite plans charter.(helicopter fractional-ownership sector)
January 14, 2003... US helicopter fractional-ownership company HeliFlite Shares plans to launch a block charter programme in a bid to stimulate sales. It operates two Bell 430 intermediate twins based at New York Newark and wants to add two more before expanding...

Letters.(Joint Aviation Authorities' air transport pilot licencing training rules, program)(Letter to the Editor)
January 14, 2003... Training Dive into the talent pool I am a pilot nearing the end of my self-funded Joint Aviation Authorities Frozen air transport pilot's (ATPL F) licence training, having resigned from an established career on 10 September 2001. I...

orders and deliveries/ LONDON; Airbus beats Boeing for hollow win; Gloomy forecast for 2003 puts cloud over European manufacturer's victory over US rival in last year's order race.
January 21, 2003... Airbus defeated Boeing in last year's commercial aircraft order battle, but is drawing little comfort from its victory, warning that the bleak trading conditions endured over the past 12 months look set to deteriorate further in 2003. The...

manufacturing/ paris & Nicholas Ionides / Singapore; China is next A380 sales target; Airbus confident two of the country's airlines will buy aircraft before 2008 and courts other carriers in the region.(Malaysia Airlines signs for six A380s)
January 21, 2003... Airbus expects two Chinese airlines to be among the next batch of A380 customers as it targets more Asian carriers for the ultra-large aircraft. Malaysia Airlines signed for six A380s earlier this month, taking total orders and commitments...

acquisitions; Air China increases A319 order.(Brief Article)
January 21, 2003... Air China is to raise its recent Airbus A319 order from eight to 12 aircraft, to allow it to replace its ageing BAe 146s. Industry sources in China say the airline has taken an internal decision to increase its firm deal to 12, for delivery...

Output/ Paris; Airbus fears uncertainty in Middle East will worsen outlook for airlines.
January 21, 2003... Airbus is hoping for a quick decision on possible hostilities in the Middle East amid concerns that uncertainty could turn an already bleak 2003 into a crisis for airlines. Revealing its 2002 results last week, Airbus president Noel...

Security/Washington DC; Task force looks at SAM protection for airliners ; Silence surrounds cost issue, while White House says threat to US airlines is remote.(Brief Article)
January 21, 2003... A US government task force is looking at how airliners might be protected from potential surface-to-air missile (SAM) attacks, but the issue of costs is drawing a curtain of silence around the subject. Since the November 2002 incident in...

expansion; German carrier flies A330-200.(Lufthansa)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2003... Lufthansa has introduced the first of five secondhand Airbus A330-200s it is acquiring as part of its widebody fleet expansion. The airline leased five ex-Swissair and Sabena -200s after an order with Airbus for 10 new A330-300s. The -200s are...

start-up; SIA considers Thai link-up.(Singapore and Thailand ponder setting up a joint-venture airline )(Brief Article)
January 21, 2003... Singapore and Thailand are considering setting up a joint-venture airline to operate short-haul international services from the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai. Thailand has been seeking to expand Chiang Mai into an aviation hub in the...

integration/ SINGAPORE; China Southern absorbs carriers.(Brief Article)
January 21, 2003... China Northern Airlines and Xinjiang Airlines have begun operating all domestic services under the China Southern Airlines name, after the major carrier launched an ambitious programme to integrate the two into its own operation. China...

communications/ ON BOARD LH418; Lufthansa set to make Connexion ; Broadband internet access system starts three-month trial but revenue potential impresses German flag carrier.
January 21, 2003... Lufthansa Group is now almost certain to commit to equipping its 80-strong long-haul fleet with Connexion By Boeing's broadband internet access system. Speaking on the carrier's first flight of a three-month trial of Connexion in revenue...

action/London; Pilots in safety protest.(Brief Article)
January 21, 2003... Airline pilots, led by the European Cockpit Association (ECA), have planned an "action day" on 21 January for a public protest against the draft flight-time limitations (FTL) legislation being prepared for European Union transport ministers at...

Fleet renewal/ Madrid; Iberia abandons BA 747-400 plan and studies new-build aircraft.(Brief Article)
January 21, 2003... Iberia hopes to finalise its long-haul fleet-renewal order by next month, having dropped a plan to take secondhand Boeing 747-400s from British Airways as an alternative to new-build aircraft from Airbus or Boeing. Iberia needs eight new...

legislation/ Nairobi; Technicality leaves Kenyan airlines without AOCs.(Brief Article)
January 21, 2003... Kenyan airlines are facing a further period of operation without air operator's certificates (AOC) after the country's transport ministry cancelled a meeting planned earlier this month to issue new AOCs. The newly elected Kenyan parliament is...

construction; Moravian maintenance site delayed.(Brief Article)
January 21, 2003... Construction of a Ckr620 million ($20.6 million) maintenance complex at the Czech airport of Ostrava-Mosnov in north Moravia has been suspended until March, according to Icelandic company European Central Aviation (ECA), which is co-ordinating...

marketplace.(various transactions in the industry)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2003... Kuala Lumpur-based low-cost AirAsia has taken delivery of an ex-Regional Air Boeing 737-300 from Ansett World-wide on a long-term lease. Lauda Air has reached agreement with Boeing to cancel its fourth General Electric GE90-powered Boeing...

certification; CASA threatens not to renew Papua New Guinea AOCs.(Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority warns Air Niugini and four PNG charter operators on air operator's certificates)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2003... Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has warned that the international air operator's certificates (AOC) of Papua New Guinea (PNG) flag carrier Air Niugini and four PNG charter operators may not be renewed beyond 31 January, which...

accident Jackson Flores / Rio de Janeiro & David Learmount / London; CFIT probed as factor in Peruvian Fokker crash; Airline cites windshear as likely cause of F28 loss on approach to Chachapoyas.
January 21, 2003... Controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) or windshear have emerged as two possible factors in the crash of a Transportes Aereos Nacionales (TANS) Fokker F28 during approach to Chachapoyas, north-east Peru on 9 January. Local pilots familiar with...

engines; Snecma and NPO set to power RRJ.(with SM146 turbofan engine)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2003... Snecma and partner NPO Saturn are set to win the competition to power the Russian Regional Jet (RRJ) with the proposed new SM146 turbofan. An announcement of the engine's selection by Sukhoi in concert with partner Boeing was due last week, but...

Expansion; Virgin Blue sets sights on international routes.(following 737 purchase from Boeing)
January 21, 2003... Australian low-cost carrier Virgin Blue will use its $3.1 billion order for up to 50 Boeing 737s to help it launch international services. The deal, which was signed on 16 January ending 10 months of cross-dealing with Airbus and Boeing,...