Flight International articles from June 2004

Flight International archives from June 2004

Fuel safety measures.
June 1, 2004... The prospects of further steep rises in the price of oil have already seen several carriers add fuel surcharges to ease the pain, writes Chris Tarry of CTAIRA The airline industry's tentative recovery over the past year has taken place...

Singapore's low-fare battle begins.(airlines)
June 1, 2004... The first of several new Singapore-based airlines planning to launch services this year has begun commercial operations - and major incumbent carriers have already declared war on it. Valuair launched commercial services on 5 May with an...

Failures raise prospect of consolidation.(airlines)
June 1, 2004... The grounding of two independent carriers in May has raised the spectre of consolidation within Europe's increasingly overcrowded air market. UK-based Duo Airways suspended operations in May, with administrators Deloitte & Touche swiftly...

Legacy load.(major airlines compete with low-cost carriers)
June 1, 2004... The message coming out of this year's Phoenix symposium was clear - cost reduction is paramount if the major UScarriers are to survive the low-cost onslaught. And life is likely to get worse before it gets better "Run, man, run" was the comment...

Groundings hit small Pacific carriers.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Australia's call for a single South Pacific airline may fall on deaf ears in larger island nations such as Fiji and French Polynesia, but recent events suggest that the smaller and poorer nations in the region need a new approach to...

Special report.( Airports, recovery of losses and investment in new technology)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... AirportsWith the world economy poised to slow in 1999 Optimism is rising as airport traffic finally looks set to regain the losses of the past three years. Recovery in Asia and the low-cost boom are both helping the trend. Optimism also...

Independence.(plans for Independence Air)
June 1, 2004... day Kerry Skeen is leading an ambitious plan to free his airline from its role as a United Airlines feeder and reinvent it as a low-cost carrier flying regional jets. Can this unconventional vision succeed? When Kerry Skeen chose a...

Turning.(airport passenger numbers increase )
June 1, 2004... Turning the cornerOptimism is flooding back into the sector as the world's airports saw passenger numbers grow to within touching distance of 2000 levelsAfter three years of gloom, optimism is once more on the rise among the world's airports as...

FAA studies Peru's performance.(United States. Federal Aviation Administration)(Airlines)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The US Federal Aviation Administration has decided not to downgrade Peru to Category 2 status under its International Air Safety Assessment (IASA) programme, but asked Peru officials to block AeroContinente from flying to the USA. As a result,...

RAA briefs.(Airlines)(Aircraft industry)(Regional Airline Association)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Airport coalition proposal BACK Aviation Solutions' Tulinda Larsen has proposed a coalition for disadvan-taged airports to represent the interests of 340 of the 420 major US airports that account for only 4% of the nation's passengers. The...

Regionals act to raise the public image of their jets.(Regional Airline Association)(Regional airlines)
June 1, 2004... Executives at the recent Regional Airline Association (RAA) annual assembly spent much of their time refuting claims that regional jets are causing problems within the air traffic system. Wall Street may love the US regional airline...

Worldspan loses Expedia.(Expedia Inc.)(Worldspan Travel Agency Information Service L.P.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Worldspan has suffered a blow to its strategy of backroom domination. Expedia, part of internet mogul Barry Diller's online travel empire, is shifting some of its business away from Worldspan to the Sabre Travel Network. Worldspan has...

In brief.(Airlines)(Aerospace industry)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Fuel surcharges imposed The early lead set by Continental Airlines, British Airways and Qantas in imposing a passenger fuel surcharge has so far been followed by Air New Zealand, KLM, Singapore Airlines and Virgin Atlantic. BAannounced in...

Smith calls for separate cargo talks.(Smith, Fred)(FedEx Express)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Federal Express founder Fred Smith has an idea for loosening clogged-up aviation negotiations: break air cargo out of the larger talks. Air cargo has different enough issues that it can achieve agreement when dealt with separately, he...

Service proposition.(Airlines)(airport and air traffic service charges)
June 1, 2004... The airline campaign to cut airport and air traffic service charges has been a bruising experience, but there are encouraging signs that it has opened up a more fundamental debate over the relationship between airlines and their infrastructure...

Deutsche Bank backs Air Canada creditors deal.(Deutsche Bank AG (Frankfurt, Germany))
June 1, 2004... Potential investor Victor Li is gone and Deutsche Bank has agreed to back an expanded rights offering to Air Canada creditors that will put them firmly in control. Under this new deal, Deutsche Bank will guarantee a rights offering that is...

US Airways reinvented.
June 1, 2004... USAirways is moving towards more non-stop service and must reduce its costs still further to remodel itself as a low-fares airline. New US Airways chief executive Bruce Lakefield declared that he had not taken office to preside over the...

US-EUdeal still elusive.(European Union. European Commission)(Negotiation, mediation and arbitration)
June 1, 2004... European Commission (EC) officials came to Washington in May for a fifth round of aviation talks on transatlantic open skies filled with fire and brimstone, but went home with a new offer that clearly fell short of their expectations. ...

Testing; Boeing reaches 7E7 wing innose-to-tail refinement.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Boeing is working aft from nose-to-tail during the design refinement phase of the 7E7 programme, which is scheduled to be completed with a design freeze in mid-2005. The company says most of the work on the nose, forward fuselage and forward...

Structures Guy Norris / Los Angeles; Toray to supply 7E7's primary composites.
June 1, 2004... Tokyo-based Toray Industries, a key supplier of composite structures for the 777, has been selected by Boeing to provide prepreg composites for the primary structure of the 7E7. Composites will make up more than 50% of the structure of the...

Airports Guy Norris / Los Angeles; Airbus queries commitment of Los Angeles to giant A380; Order deferral by launch customer Virgin partly blamed on airport readiness doubts.
June 1, 2004... Airbus is expressing concern over Los Angeles International's (LAX) commitment to meeting extended plans to prepare for the A380 in the wake of the recently announced 18-month deferral by launch customer Virgin Atlantic. Airbus North...

accident Christina Mackenzie / Paris; Terminal collapse will not delay deliveries.(not expected to delay deliveries of the ultra-large aircraft)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The partial collapse of SkyTeam's new g750 million ($920 million) terminal 2E at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport - which was to have included two boarding gates for Air France Airbus A380s - is not expected to delay deliveries of the...

Air traffic management David Learmount / London; Pilots prepared for self-separation; Controlling spacing from the cockpit is one of the aims of Eurocontrol's Cascade programme, to be completed by 2020.
June 1, 2004... Air traffic management (ATM) automation with aircraft separation ultimately carried out by pilots is the objective of a just-launched Eurocontrol programme. The agency says existing technologies and ATM methods are reaching their...

Fleet renewal ; Cebu Pacific eyes 717s.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Philippine carrier Cebu Pacific has narrowed down its McDonnell Douglas DC-9 replacement choice to the Airbus A319 and Boeing 717 and has begun exploring financing options for a 14-aircraft deal. The airline has long been considering...

Manufacturing; Deliveries rest on new airport.(Harbin Embraer ERJ-145s await new Baiyun airport in Guangzhou)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Chinese joint venture company Harbin Embraer has completed production of its first two ERJ-145s, but the aircraft will not be delivered to launch customer China Southern Airlines until the new Baiyun International Airport is opened in...

investigation David Kaminski-Morrow / London; Engine flame-out remains mystery; Probe into emergency landing at London Heathrow after power anomalies on Evergreen freighter finds no clues.
June 1, 2004... An investigation into the emergency diversion of an Evergreen International Airlines Boeing 747-100 freighter to London Heathrow, UK has so far failed to determine why one of the aircraft's engines flamed out and the other three, according to...

strategy Murdo Morrison / London; Gulf Air to outline its expansion ambitions.
June 1, 2004... Gulf Air managers will this month tell the board how they plan to grow the airline's fleet from 35 to as many as 60 aircraft by 2010. The expansion will include widebody replacements for its nine Boeing 767s and probably the airline's first...

Expansion Nicholas Ionides / Singapore; Indian carriers in bid to lease more aircraft as purchases remain stalled.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... India's state-owned carriers, Air India and Indian Airlines, plan to lease more aircraft to meet capacity shortfalls as applications to purchase new aircraft remain frozen at governmental level. Air India wants to lease an additional Boeing...

Start-up ; Take-off for Ocean Airlines.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Cargo airline start-up Ocean Airlines plans to launch flight operations in the third quarter of 2004 using a fleet of Boeing 747s, writes Pino Modola. The company, set up in September 2003 by Italian and Austrian investors, is based at...

Testing Vladimir Karnozov / Moscow; RRJ goes into the windtunnel.(Russian Regional Jet)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Windtunnel tests on scale models of the final Sukhoi/Boeing Russian Regional Jet (RRJ) configuration have started at two sites: TsAGI, the Central Aerohydrodynamics Institute, in Zhukovsky near Moscow, and SibNIA, the Siberian Scientific...

Grounding Tolga Ozbek / Istanbul; THY grounds Avro RJ fleet and disputes liability; Turkish carrier in spat with BAESystems after corrosion found in wing fuel tanks.(THYTurkish Airlines)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The discovery of corrosion damage in its fleet of Avro RJ70s and RJ100s has prompted THYTurkish Airlines to ground the aircraft and launch negotiations with BAESystems over remedial work. The airline says it removed the aircraft from...

in brief.(Air Tahiti ordering more ATR aircraft)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... air tahiti order French Polynesian domestic carrier Air Tahiti has ordered five more ATR turboprop aircraft from the manufacturer for delivery from November. The airline is taking one more ATR 42-500 and four ATR 72-500s, and has an option...

Air traffic management David Learmount / London; BALPA urges UK to phase out uncontrolled airspace; Move follows investigation into a 2002 near-miss in north-east of England.
June 1, 2004... Uncontrolled airspace in the UK - about half of the total UK flight information region - should be phased out, says the British Air Line Pilots Association (BALPA). Sparking BALPA's demand is a recommendation by the UK Air Accidents...

disposal; BCC to sell $2 billion non-core financing assets.(Boeing Capital)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Boeing Capital (BCC) has agreed to sell about $2 billion in non-core financing assets, including loans and leases on business aircraft, to GE Commercial Finance. In January, BCC announced it would to sell or wind down its commercial financial...

bankruptcy; End of road for Fokker.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Fokker's eight-year bankruptcy process has finally ended, with the announcement by the company's trustees that the last of its liquid assets, totalling c69 million ($81.8 million) will be divided among creditors this week. The final settlement...

disposal alexander campbell / LONDON; GKN share price boosted by sale of AgustaWestland stake ; Analysts surprised at [pounds sterling]1 billion paid by Finmeccanica for 50% of helicopter manufacturer.
June 1, 2004... GKNwill receive over [pounds sterling]1 billion ($1.79 billion) from Finmeccanica for its stake in AgustaWestland, in a deal that furthers the Italian group's policy of concentrating on aerospace and defence markets. Finmeccanica was previously...

restructuring ; Intelsat reverses plans for flotation and seeks takeover proposals.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Satellite operator Intelsat confirmed on 24 May that it no longer plans to float on the New York Stock Exchange by the former deadline of 30 June, and will instead start to explore takeover offers. But a buyout could damage the company's...

capital increase ; Lufthansa raises cash to finance A380 deal.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Lufthansa shares fell sharply last week after the airline announced an unexpected fundraising move to pay for its Airbus A380 order. Issuing 76.3 million new shares to existing shareholders will raise up to c750 million ($901 million), the...

Sell-off; Pakistan to reduce its stake in PIA by 10%.(Pakistan International Airlines)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Pakistan's government has decided to sell a further 10% stake in Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and will be offering the shares to private and institutional investors. "Currently 87% of the total shares of the airline are owned by...

forecast alexander campbell/ LONDON; UK suppliers 'need to co-operate'; Report says small aerospace firms vulnerable to overseas competition and most doomed to fold within two years.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Foreign competition will drive half the UK's aerospace suppliers out of business in two years and could permanently damage the entire industry, despite government and industry groups' best efforts. This is the conclusion of a report...

people.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... n Yair Shamir has succeeded Michael Levi as chairman of El Al. He is expected to stay in the post until the airline is privatised at the end of the year. America West Airlines has promoted America West Vacations president Travis Christ to...

strategy ; Charter operators tackle losses.(business jet charter operations in China)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Air China is reviewing its business jet operation following an unprofitable first seven months and may return its Gulfstream IV when the lease expires in October. The carrier is instead looking at switching to smaller aircraft, which may...

In brief.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Cirrus searches Cirrus Design plans to appoint a sales agent for China by the end of 2004. The manufacturer has hired FKS Consulting of France to assess the Chinese market and screen potential agents. Cirrus aims to find agents for other...

China GA Forum.(China General Aviation Forum 2004 )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The China General Aviation Forum 2004 in Beijing, billed by organiser Uniworld as the first event bringing together the Chinese and international general aviation communities, attracted over 100 participants on 25-28 May. Around half were from...

deregulation ; China vows to relax restrictions; Tough regulations governing the country's general aviation market are set to be lifted with help from FAA.(Federal Aviation Administration (US government))
June 1, 2004... China last week pledged it is ready to work with local and foreign general aviation companies to open up business opportunities in its heavily restricted general and business aviation sectors. "We've decided to make China number three in...

in brief.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... AUSTRALIAN DELAY The release of tenders for Australia's Joint Project 129 tactical unmanned air vehicle requirement has again been delayed, with the competition now expected to commence in September. The revised schedule will call for...

munitions; Lethal Broach gets US Navy backing.(military contracts)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Nearing the end of an operational evaluation phase, the US Navy has signalled its intention to award a full-rate production contract for BAE Systems' Lethal Broach penetrator warhead. Navy plans call for the purchase of 173 Lethal Broach...

contracts.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... n Serco Defence &Aerospace will provide continued maintenance, engineering and support services at the UKRoyal Air Force's Northolt and Uxbridge bases under a follow-on contract worth [pounds sterling]55 million ($98 million). To initially run...

Exchange igor bozinovski / SKOPJE; Macedonia and Ukraine in jets-for-transport swap deal.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Macedonia appears set to return its four Sukhoi Su-25/25UB ground-attack/trainer aircraft to Ukraine later this month, under an exchange deal which will see its air force take delivery of an Antonov An-32 twin-turboprop transport modernised to...

Procurement shyam ravindram / DELhI; India plans $3bn revamp; Delhi considers uprated missile defence, fire-control radar and reconnaissance systems.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The Indian government is to float global tenders worth $3 billion in an effort to boost the combat effectiveness of its air force. Delhi's shopping list includes precision-guided munitions and "beyond visual range" air-to-air missiles. A...

DELAY Stephen Trimble / Washington DC; US Navy to guide JPALSback on track.(Joint Precision Approach Landing System)
June 1, 2004... The US Navy is working to get a $2.3 billion project to develop a GPS-aided landing system for aircraft on ship decks back on track after funding shortfalls delayed initial fielding by six years. Interested companies will be briefed on the...

joint strike fighter CRAIG HOYLE / LONDON; Lockheed Martin tours with JSF demonstrator; Four European partners test cockpit simulator, as Norway mulls continued involvement.(Lockheed Martin Corp.)(Joint Strike Fighter)
June 1, 2004... Lockheed Martin has concluded a four-nation European tour with its F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) cockpit demonstrator, providing project partners with an opportunity to conduct simulated flights with the next-generation aircraft. The...

maintenance ARIE EGOZI / TEL AVIV; Israel cuts costs in outsourcing deals; Ministry moves towards a series of key support contracts.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The Israeli ministry of defence has selected Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) to maintain its air force fleet of McDonnell Douglas TA-4 Skyhawk trainers, in a move that reflects its increasing trend towards outsourcing key support contracts to...

trainers; Bolivia studies AT-63 Pampa buy in natural gas agreement.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The proposed sale of 12 Lockheed Martin Aircraft Argentina (LMAASA)-built AT-63 Pampa advanced trainer/light attack aircraft to Bolivia is expected to be the subject of forthcoming discussions between Argentinian president Nestor Kirchner and...

development vladimir karnozov / moscow; New Su-30MK3 flight tested; Sukhoi scheduled to deliver aircraft to Chinese naval aviation units from next year.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Sukhoi has completed an initial series of flight tests of its advanced Su-30MK3 multirole fighter, which is scheduled for delivery to the Chinese navy's aviation units from next year. A further development of the Su-30MK2 first delivered to...

RELEASE TO SERVICE CRAIG HOYLE / LONDON; Eurofighter allowed off the leash; Typhoon receives formal release to service certificate, freeing the aircraft from restrictive flight limitations.
June 1, 2004... The Royal Air Force's Eurofighter Typhoon has received its formal release to service (RTS), freeing the UK's first Tranche 1, Batch 1 production aircraft from restrictive flight limitations imposed late last year under its Case White...

surveillance; Czech Vera-E radar export order to China halted.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The Czech Republic's Ministry of Industry and Trade has revoked a licence under which local company Omnipol could have exported six advanced Vera-E surveillance radars to China under a deal worth Ckr1.5 billion ($57 million). The radar's...

DISPOSAL STEPHEN TRIMBLE / WASHINGTON DC; Bulgaria may snap up former US Navy Vikings.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The US Navy has retired two West Coast-based squadrons of Lockheed Martin S-3B Viking tanker/strike aircraft, launching a five-year plan to divest the entire 107-aircraft fleet. Meanwhile, Bulgaria's military has stepped forward as a possible...

Product development; Airbus enlarges A320 VIP family.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Airbus has unveiled yet another VIP variant of the A320 family, as it works to refine its strategy for the head-of-state market. Saudi charter operator National Air Services (NAS) has ordered two A319 Executives from Airbus for its...

Selection; Ibis Ae270 to get Apex.(Ibis Aerospace)(integrated flightdeck)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Ibis Aerospace has chosen Honeywell's Apex integrated flightdeck as an optional upgrade for its Ae270 single-engine turboprop. Apex avionics have already been selected as standard on the Extra EA-500 and Grob G160 turboprop singles, with...

Trial; BBJ uses FANS to cross Atlantic for EBACE debut; First transatlantic flight by non-commercial operator using navigation technology.(Boeing Business Jet)(European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition)
June 1, 2004... The Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) has become the first non-commercial aircraft to cross the North Atlantic using future air navigation system (FANS) technology. The BBJ demonstrator flew from Boeing's Gary, Indiana-based flight department to EBACE...

Certification; EASA signs pact with Brazil and Canada, but US deal stalls.(European Aviation Safety Agency)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Bombardier and Embraer were given a temporary advantage overtheir US competitors Cessna, Gulfstream and Raytheon last month, when agreements to recognise certification data were signed between the new European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and...

Launch; Dassault mulls mid-size move.(mid-sized business jet considered)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Dassault Aviation could return to the mid-size cabin market within three years, but says it will not offer a product below the $15 million price mark. "We have received a lot of interest from our customers in a smaller-cabin business jet...

EBACE 2004.(European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... An upbeat international business aviation community gathered in Geneva last week for the fourth and largest European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE). The demand for Europe's only dedicated business aviation event, which this...

Support; Lufthansa Technik looks to non-core opportunities; FBOs, small aircraft interiors and aircraft management feature in future plans.
June 1, 2004... Lufthansa Technik (LHT) has held talks with business aviation service providers as part of its strategy to broaden its support provision for owners to cover all aspects of aircraft management and operation. A joint venture between the...

in brief.
June 1, 2004... SOVEREIGN DEBUT Cessna's Citation Sovereign mid- size business jet made its debut outside North America at EBACE. The aircraft received provisional US certification late last year and full approval is pending, following completion late...

outlook ; Confidence rises as demand returns ; Manufacturers decidedly more upbeat than at last year's show, but concerned at terrorism threat and rising fuel prices.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Manufacturers at EBACE delivered upbeat messages on recent industry performance and prospects - several saying the first quarter had been the healthiest for business aviation since 9/11. The mood was in marked contrast to EBACE last year,...

Evaluation; Raytheon studies baby for Beechcraft range.(smaller aircraft considered)
June 1, 2004... Raytheon Aircraft is studying the market for very light jets and suggests a smaller aircraft to fit under its Premier I light business jet would complement its Beechcraft product line. "The typical progression [for pilots] is from a piston...

Certification; Supersonic business jet faces stiff challenges.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Tough regulations governing take-off noise, sonic boom suppression and high-altitude emissions are likely to present major challenges for manufacturers attempting to produce supersonic business jets, warn UKregulators. Robert Gardner, air...

turning the tide.(travel companies face competition from low-cost airlines)
June 1, 2004... Europe's package travel giants know they need to respond to the low-cost airline threat and are employing a range of strategies to fight back. But is it too late? Max Kingsley-Jones / London & Brussels Ninety million Europeans may have...

low cost ; The battle for Germany.(low cost airlines)(Industry Overview)
June 1, 2004... alexander campbell / london One part of Europe where low-cost carriers (LCC) have had a significant impact on traditional inclusive-tour operators as well as more business-oriented regional airlines is Germany. A powerful economy, 82...

sales; On the export trail.(Eurofighter prospects)
June 1, 2004... Beyond a joint commitment from Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK to acquire 620 aircraft (plus options for a further 90 to cover attrition losses), the Eurofighter partners have secured their first export customer, and are involved in...

taming; typhoon.(Eurofighter development)
June 1, 2004... The two leading customers for the Eurofighter have different strategies to prepare their pilots for frontline operations with the new-generation strike aircraft CRAIG HOYLE / BERLIN & WARTON As negotiations continue on a Tranche 2...

flight testing; Chanute ready for launch.(Cascade Aircraft Development flight testing a two-seat, carbonfibre-composite, aerobatic aircraft)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Cascade Aircraft Development (Cadcor) is flight testing a two-seat, carbonfibre-composite, aerobatic aircraft. Testing of the Chanute passed the 50-flight mark in late May, and the Bend, Oregon-based company plans to offer the...

training graham warwick / washington dc; SimTrain to install Cirrus simulators.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Buyers of Cirrus light aircraft will soon be able to receive simulator training under a programme launched by SimTrain. The new Atlanta, Georgia-based company has purchased three Cirrus-specific full-motion simulators from Fidelity Flight...

Firefighting Stephen Trimble / Washington DC; US Forest Service steps up search for new airtankers ; With 30 aircraft approaching retirement, ex-USN Vikings may be long-term solution.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The US Forest Service has accelerated a four-year plan to replace 30 aging multi-engine airtankers to as early as next summer. Under review are retired regional airline turboprops and a mixture of phased-out military aircraft, from LockheedS-3B...

DELIVERIES; High sales figures for new arrivals.(new general aviation aircraft)
June 1, 2004... The new arrivals in general aviation could dominate deliveries for the first time this year, based on their sales so far. Diamond Aircraft has joined Cirrus Design in reporting strong orders for the first quarter, traditionally a slow period...

Air Transport Nicholas Ionides / Singapore; China's big four seek 7E7 bulk buy; Government approval needed for purchase by four dominant airline groupings of at least 10 aircraft each.
June 1, 2004... Leading Chinese airlines are seeking government approval to become launch customers for Boeing's 7E7 with a bulk order that could be for more than 50 aircraft. Industry sources say Boeing hosted a 7E7 conference in Beijing on 25 May that...

Business ; Adams wins air-taxi order.(for A700 very light jets)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Adam Aircraft has received a 75-aircraft, $150 million order for A700 very light jets from a US air-taxi company led by airline industry veterans Donald Burr and Robert Crandall. The four-passenger aircraft are to be delivered over 18 months,...

defence; Completed ASTOR aircraft takes to the sky for first time.( Airborne Stand-off Radar battlefield reconnaissance aircraft )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The UK's first mission-equipped Raytheon Sentinel R1 Airborne Stand-off Radar (ASTOR)battlefield reconnaissance aircraft pictured during its 26 May flight debut from L-3 Communications' Greenville plant in Texas. The modified Bombardier Global...

Business Aviation Brendan Sobie / Beijing; China plans world's largest FBO.(fixed-based operation )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... China's Capital Jet plans to open a new super large fixed-based operation (FBO) at Beijing International Airport by the 2008 Olympics. The general manager of Capital Jet and parent company Capital Airport Holding's VIP department Zhao Qijiang...

Air Transport; Bombardier sees sales of regional jets slacken.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Prospects for a record regional jet output this year dimmed after Bombardier on 27 May disclosed a plan to trim 20 CRJ200s off production in the third quarter. Regional airline demand for Bombardier jet deliveries slowed in the first...

Defence; DHS unifies security agency fleet replacements.(US Department of Homeland Security )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The US Department of Homeland Security is creating a unified aviation modernisation strategy that is expected to draw heavily on the Deepwater re-equipment programme for the US Coast Guard. The goal is to unite the fleet replacement...

Defence Graham Warwick / Washington DC; F-35 set for August 2006 first flight; JSF office poised to seek approval for delayed schedule.(Joint Strike Fighter )
June 1, 2004... The Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme office will this month seek formal approval from the US Department of Defense for the revised, delayed schedule for development of the Lockheed Martin F-35. A one-year extension to the development...