tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66193568159616251912024-02-21T08:32:30.231+08:00life beyond expectationFZ777http://www.blogger.com/profile/14764877602678370453noreply@blogger.comBlogger247125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619356815961625191.post-91930611351488321372013-07-22T11:59:00.002+08:002013-07-22T11:59:49.794+08:00Firefly Received Its First ATR-72-600 Turboprop<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Airline operator Firefly has welcomed its first ATR72-600 (9M-FIA), a more eco-friendly and fuel-efficient aircraft, to its existing fleet.</div>
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The first ATR72-600 was received at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang and the airline was expected to receive 20 more deliveries starting this month and for the next six years.</div>
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The ATR72-600 used significantly less fuel. It had 50% less carbon emissions than other regional jets. The new aircraft also featured the latest innovations with the award-winning Armonia cabin which was designed by world-renowned Italian design house Giugiaro Design, equipped with new slim-line seats with soft leather, larger overhead bins and LED lighting.</div>
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Firefly is the second ATR-72-600 operator in Malaysia after Malindo Air who had received its first ATR-72-600 on May. Both airlines are operating their respective ATR-72-600 from Subang Skypark.</div>
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FZ777http://www.blogger.com/profile/14764877602678370453noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619356815961625191.post-42077908041262383992013-07-22T11:56:00.000+08:002013-07-22T11:56:12.224+08:00A330 deliveries reach four figures with Cathay handover<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Handover of a -300 model to <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Cathay%20Pacific.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cathay Pacific</a> Airways makes the <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Airbus%20A330.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Airbus A330</a> the first European-built widebody to reach the 1,000-deliveries milestone.</div>
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Following launch of the <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Airbus%20A330.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A330</a>/<a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/A340.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A340</a> programme in 1987, first flight of the baseline <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Airbus%20A330-300.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A330-300</a> took place in 1992, and the type entered service with Air Inter two years later. Cathay Pacific received its first aircraft in 1995 and has since placed a total of nine follow-on orders, taking the Hong Kong-based group's total firm commitments to 54 aircraft, of which 44 have been delivered, including today's landmark handover.</div>
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Total A330-family orders stood at 1,252 at the end of June. The bulk of these are accounted for by the -300 and the reduced-capacity, longer-range -200 passenger models. The rest is made up of -200F freighters, VIP ACJ330s and military MRTT tanker/transports.</div>
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Airbus head of twin aisle product marketing Crawford <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Hamilton.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Hamilton</a> says the A330 has continued to sell in significant numbers even since the launch of the <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Boeing%20787.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #333333; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Boeing 787</a>, logging 800 additional commitments since the new-generation US competitor twinjet entered the market 10 years ago. The A330 operator base stands and 101 and the production rate is running at 10 per month, with a further increase under study, says Hamilton.</div>
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FZ777http://www.blogger.com/profile/14764877602678370453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619356815961625191.post-28151252331993411612012-10-10T13:11:00.005+08:002012-10-10T13:11:54.939+08:00Qatar allies with Oneworld<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Qatar%20Airways.html" style="border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Qatar Airways</a> plans to join the Oneworld alliance within the next 18 months, after being elected as a member designate by International Airlines Group (IAG).</div>
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The Doha-based airline will be the alliance's 14th member, including fellow member designates<a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Malaysia%20Airlines.html" style="border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Malaysia Airlines</a> and <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/SriLankan%20Airlines.html" style="border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">SriLankan Airlines</a>, and second in the Middle East after <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Royal%20Jordanian.html" style="border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Royal Jordanian</a>.</div>
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Qatar chief executive Akbar Al Baker made the announcement with other Oneworld member airline chief executives in New York on 8 October.</div>
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"Alliances are playing an increasingly important role in the airline industry today--and that will continue long into the future," he says. "Qatar Airways has carefully reviewed its strategic options and it is very clear that joining Oneworld is by far the best way forward."</div>
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Al Baker says that the airline will expand and add destinations in cooperation with its new Oneworld partners. In the USA, he notes that the carrier will launch service to American's hub at Chicago O'Hare in April 2013 but declines to comment on whether it is planning service to American's hubs at either Dallas-Fort Worth or Miami.</div>
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"We carefully assessed all potential options in the region," says Bruce Ashby, chief executive of Oneworld, at the event. "This detailed analysis indicated clearly that Qatar Airways is the best overall fit for Oneworld and can deliver the biggest benefits to the alliance."</div>
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He says that Qatar will increase the alliance’s market share in terms of revenue passenger miles in the Middle East to 10% from 4%, between Asia and Africa to 15% from 5%, between Asia and South America to 10% from 5% and between Asia and Europe to 21% from 7%.</div>
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The airline brings 15 new destinations and three new countries to the Oneworld map.</div>
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Qatar's entrance into Oneworld could raise pressure on the Gulf's two other major unaligned carriers,<a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Emirates%20Airline.html" style="border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Emirates</a> and Etihad. Etihad has recently signed a codeshare deal with <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Air%20France.html" style="border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Air France</a> and <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/KLM.html" style="border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">KLM</a>, both SkyTeam members. Emirates has remained outspoken as an opponent of the three global airline alliances, but recently announced a wide-ranging partnership with Qantas Airways, a Oneworld member.</div>
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FZ777http://www.blogger.com/profile/14764877602678370453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619356815961625191.post-41999564035372022062012-10-10T13:11:00.002+08:002012-10-10T13:11:18.581+08:00ATR marks entry into Japan with start-up airline deal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Airframer ATR has finally entered the Japanese market with Link, a new regional carrier that will commence service in 2013.</div>
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The agreement for three ATR 72-600s, which will be leased to Link, was announced at the Japan Aerospace show in Nagoya.</div>
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Link, which was formed in April 2012, plans to operate the turboprop aircraft on services between major and local airports in Japan as well as short-haul international routes.</div>
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"Today is a really important day for ATR," says ATR's chief executive Filippo Bagnato. "We are entering a new and huge market which may bring us substantial commercial opportunities in a country with some 130 million inhabitants."</div>
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FZ777http://www.blogger.com/profile/14764877602678370453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619356815961625191.post-28275836311950020372012-10-10T12:40:00.002+08:002012-10-10T12:40:42.120+08:00Qatar still keen on CSeries order<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Qatar%20Airways.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Qatar Airways</a> hopes to conclude an order with <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Bombardier.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Bombardier</a> for the CSeries in the near future, says chief executive Akbar Al Baker.</div>
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"CSeries is an aircraft of great interest to us," he said on the sidelines of the ceremony announcing Qatar's proposed entry into the Oneworld alliance in New York on 8 October. "We hope that in the not to distant future we will be sitting down with Bombardier and concluding a deal."</div>
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He said the airline was interested in the CSeries but had to delay negotiations due to being "very busy", in May.</div>
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Qatar is interested in the aircraft for both its own fleet and for that of its leasing company.</div>
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The Gulf carrier was expected to sign to become the CSeries launch operator two years ago, but Al Baker's concerns about the maintenance costs of the Pratt & Whitney PW1500G engines delayed a final decision.</div>
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Qatar subsequently ordered the <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Airbus.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Airbus</a> A319neo, but insists that order has not lessened its interest in the CSeries. Last May, Al Baker said he would make a decision on the CSeries within six to 12 months, a timeframe that begins in November.</div>
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The CSeries is still scheduled to complete its first flight by the end of the year, but Bombardier executives say a minor delay of up to a few months is possible. Bombardier says first flight is a critical milestone for potential customers, exceeded in significance only by first delivery at the end of 2013.</div>
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FZ777http://www.blogger.com/profile/14764877602678370453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619356815961625191.post-38284788919479507782012-10-04T13:15:00.002+08:002012-10-04T13:15:04.091+08:00Thai Airways announces A380 route plans<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Thai Airways will take delivery of its first <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Airbus%20A380.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Airbus A380</a> today and has announced the routes on which it plans to deploy the aircraft.</div>
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The Star Alliance carrier will first operate the <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Airbus%20A380.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A380</a> on one of its daily services on the Bangkok-Hong Kong and Bangkok-Singapore routes from 6 October to 14 December.</div>
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On 15 December, the aircraft will then be deployed on a daily Bangkok-Frankfurt service.</div>
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Thai expects to receive its second A380 in November, says a spokeswoman.</div>
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In 2013, the A380s will be deployed on flights to Tokyo Narita from 16 January, to Paris on 16 February, to Osaka Kansai on 16 August and to Sydney on 16 September. All of the four services will be operated daily, says the airline.</div>
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Thai Airways has six A380s on order.</div>
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FZ777http://www.blogger.com/profile/14764877602678370453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619356815961625191.post-40713904135258872562012-10-04T13:14:00.001+08:002012-10-04T13:14:23.520+08:00Thai receives first A380 at Toulouse ceremony<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Thai Airways International has taken delivery of its first <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Airbus%20A380.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Airbus A380</a>, becoming the ninth airline to operate the type.</div>
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The aircraft was handed over to Captain Montree Jumrieng, executive vice-president technical, Thai, at a special ceremony in Toulouse on 27 September.</div>
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Thai has a total of six Rolls-Royce Trent 900-powered engines on order, configured in a three-class layout to seat 507 passengers.</div>
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The carrier will inaugurate commercial service with the <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Airbus%20A380.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A380</a> in early October on the Bangkok-Hong Kong and Bangkok-Singapore routes. As more aircraft are delivered, it will begin service to Frankfurt at the end of the year, followed by Tokyo and Paris early in 2013 and Osaka and Syndey in late summer.</div>
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FZ777http://www.blogger.com/profile/14764877602678370453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619356815961625191.post-65714091956521792412012-10-04T13:10:00.002+08:002012-10-04T13:10:34.797+08:00Gol orders 60 737 Max aircraft<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Brazilian low-cost carrier Gol has placed an order for 60 <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Boeing%20737%20Max.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Boeing 737 Max</a> 8 aircraft, to be delivered from 2018.</div>
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The new aircraft will help the airline renew its fleet, says the carrier, which adds that it will be the<a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/South%20American.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">South American</a> launch customer for the <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Boeing%20737%20Max.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">737 Max</a>. Gol is an all-737 operator.</div>
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"The decision to order the <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Boeing.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Boeing</a> <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Boeing%20737.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">737</a> Max is in line with our commitment to maintaining a modern and safe fleet that will allow us to sustain our competitive advantage in the future," says Gol chief executive Paulo Kakinoff. "The new aircraft will have one of the best cost-benefit ratios in the market due to its unique operational economy, so it is also fully compatible with our low-cost model."</div>
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Noting its relationship with Boeing, the airline says it is working with the airframer to launch a 737 Max short field performance aircraft. The airline had previously worked with Boeing to develop a 737-800NG to operate on short runways, and received the first of that aircraft type in 2006.</div>
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Gol operates 100 737s, comprising the -700 and -800 variants, Flightglobal's Ascend Online database shows. It holds orders for 92 additional 737-800s.</div>
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FZ777http://www.blogger.com/profile/14764877602678370453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619356815961625191.post-90801432448168004222012-10-04T13:09:00.002+08:002012-10-04T13:09:57.230+08:00GECAS signing breaks 800-order mark for 737 Max<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Boeing.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Boeing</a>'s firm order count for the <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Boeing%20737%20Max.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">737 Max</a> climbed to 821 aircraft today after finalising a three-month-old commitment from General Electric Capital Aviation Services (GECAS).</div>
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The deal with GECAS includes 75 firm orders for the <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Boeing%20737.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">737</a> Max 8 and 10 orders for the next-generation Boeing 737-800. The agreement allows for up to 15 737-800 options. The order, previously announced at the <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/http://www.flightglobal.com/farnborough" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Farnborough air show</a> in July, raises this week's order total for the 737 Max to 135 aircraft when including Gol's order for 60 of the narrowbody jets.</div>
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The 737 Max, which is powered by the <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/cfm.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">CFM International</a> Leap-1B engine, will enter service in five years. The GECAS order begins deliveries in 2018. The US-based lessor ordered the 737 Max 8, but has the option to convert the orders to the larger 737 Max 9.</div>
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For the Max configuration, Boeing also added a split-tip winglet, an improved tail cone tail cone and an extended landing gear.</div>
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FZ777http://www.blogger.com/profile/14764877602678370453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619356815961625191.post-77365571626822514022012-09-25T23:22:00.004+08:002012-09-25T23:22:25.172+08:00Boeing insists ‘illegal’ A350 launch aid still flowing to Airbus<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The long-running Airbus versus Boeing transatlantic trade war over government subsidies for airliner development has flared up again, with Boeing proclaiming US compliance with a March 2012 World Trade Organisation ruling to redress "relatively small" subsidy infractions - of $5.3 billion or more, ranging from NASA and defence department research grants to Washington state government tax breaks - while redoubling its insistence that Airbus has continued to "thumb its nose at the WTO".</div>
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Speaking for the Airbus side of the dispute - technically a pair of counterclaims before the WTO by the USA and European Union going back to 2004 - EU trade spokesperson John Clancy countered: "We will now immediately review their compliance package to check whether the US have taken the necessary steps to end these subsidies and their adverse effects."</div>
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According to Boeing, US government action has addressed subsidies that the WTO in March identified as inconsistent with its rules.</div>
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"Unfortunately," Boeing continued, "the same cannot be said of Airbus and its government sponsors, which have thumbed their noses at the WTO. Despite a crystal clear ruling against launch aid subsidies, European governments have continued the practice by providing Airbus with billions of taxpayer euros and pounds for its next new product, the A350. What is more, the European governments have yet to remove the very substantial subsidies, including those propping up the A380, which the WTO's ruling in June of last year requires them to do.</div>
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"The illegal subsidies to Airbus, most importantly the pernicious, market distorting practice of launch aid, must stop. The US government remains committed to ending these subsidies, and Boeing fully supports the actions the US government has taken to ending them."</div>
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Court action to date has resulted in rulings against both sides and subsequent appeals, with both sides declaring victory at each step of the process.</div>
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In its March 2012 ruling the WTO dismissed some of Boeing's appeal against a March 2011 ruling that it could not have launched an aircraft as sophisticated as the <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Boeing%20787.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">787</a> for delivery as early as 2008 without subsidies in 1989-2006 that fell foul of WTO rules.</div>
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That earlier ruling - initially finding $19.1 billion in illegal subsidies - also found that the resulting quality of the <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Boeing%20787.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">787</a> did serious damage to sales of the Airbus A330 and the original A350.</div>
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In December 2011, Airbus and the European Union claimed to have put themselves in compliance with the WTO ruling in the US-Boeing case against the EU-Airbus, that some aspects of launch aid from France, Germany, Spain and the UK for the development of some earlier Airbus models should not have been allowed.</div>
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However, one lawyer familiar with the cases notes that unless the two sides either walk away from the dispute or press for resolution via a global agreement on airliner subsidies, the dispute is likely to involve several years of compliance arbitration and subsequent appeals.</div>
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For a full report on the subsidy dispute see flightglobal.com/wto</div>
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FZ777http://www.blogger.com/profile/14764877602678370453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619356815961625191.post-5740171669333523792012-09-24T23:08:00.000+08:002012-09-24T23:08:04.648+08:00AirAsia close to ordering 100 Airbus aircraft<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/AirAsia.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">AirAsia</a> is close to placing an order for 100 Airbus aircraft to aid its international expansion.</div>
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A plan to acquire the additional aircraft will be submitted to its board in about two weeks, says group chief executive Tony Fernandes.</div>
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The 100 aircraft to be ordered will be narrowbodies including the Airbus A320neo, sources say.</div>
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The low-cost carrier already has 200 A320neos and 70 A320-200s on order. More aircraft, however, are needed for the expansion of its affiliates in Indonesia, Thailand, Japan and Philippines.</div>
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"Fleet roll out meeting now. Lots of growth. As been saying need more planes. Especially in Indonesia," says Fernandes in a tweet today.</div>
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Last month, AirAsia was also given the green light to acquire Indonesia's Batavia Air. Batavia operates five A320s, one A321, two A330-200s and 25 737s. Part of AirAsia's plan is also to replace Batavia's older Boeing aircraft with new ones from Airbus.</div>
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AirAsia Indonesia operates 19 A320s. Fernandes had previously said that the affiliate needs six aircraft in 2012, but "we don't have enough to give them".</div>
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AirAsia Philippines and AirAsia Japan were also launched this year</div>
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FZ777http://www.blogger.com/profile/14764877602678370453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619356815961625191.post-16915293357855164142012-09-19T12:27:00.003+08:002012-09-19T12:27:12.226+08:00Air France revamping 777s to compete with Gulf carriers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Troubled carrier <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Air%20France.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Air France</a> plans to refurbish its entire fleet of long-haul Boeing 777s in a bid to respond to the competitive threat, and perceived higher quality service, of Gulf and Asian airlines.</div>
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Launching the initiative at a Paris press conference on 18 September, Air France chief executive Alexandre de Juniac said the airline would invest "hundreds of millions of euros" to improve its offering to passengers.</div>
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"The next three years will see a very big investment, considering we are in an austerity period," he says. "But it will dramatically improve the level of service and product. By 2015 we will be at the best, world-class standard."</div>
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He admits the refurbishment programme is a direct response to the higher level of service provided by new entrants to the market: "Gulf and Asian carriers have set higher standards than we had previously and we must do better."</div>
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From 2014 the SkyTeam carrier will fit completely new interiors, configured in a four-class layout, to its fleet of 19 <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Boeing%20777-300.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">777-300</a> and 25 -200 long-range twinjets. This will be followed in late 2015 by a complete refurbishment of its fleet of 10 Airbus A380s, two of which will only have entered its fleet this year.</div>
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Following the arrival of the final A380s this year, no new long-haul aircraft are scheduled to enter the fleet before Boeing 787-9s ordered by parent company <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Air%20France-KLM.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Air France-KLM</a> begin to arrive - initially with the Dutch carrier in 2016.</div>
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These will be followed from 2017 by A350s, says de Juniac, although he points out that negotiations to firm its 25-unit order with Airbus and Rolls-Royce, the type's sole engine supplier, are still ongoing. Maintenance of the powerplants is the sticking point, says de Juniac, although he is confident the parties can still hammer out a deal "in the next few months".</div>
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"I would rather take three or four months and come up with a good agreement rather than rush things and arrive at a bad one," he says.</div>
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Also launched at the same event was a new joint-venture partnership with telecoms firm Orange to provide voice and data connectivity on Air France's short- and medium-haul fleet. Trials of the service will begin, however, on two 777s, one operated by Air France and the other by sister carrier <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/KLM.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">KLM</a> in 2013.</div>
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FZ777http://www.blogger.com/profile/14764877602678370453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619356815961625191.post-5610488185060444912012-09-19T11:16:00.000+08:002012-09-19T11:16:07.545+08:00Top 100 aerospace companies 2012<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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For a quick summary of the aerospace industry financial situation today, think three words: civil versus defence. The 2011 financial data analysed by PwC to compile our latest Top 100 report on the following pages highlights the beginning of the end of the post-9/11 military spending surge, but the economic impact on defence-focused companies will not really hit hard until 2013.</div>
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Indeed, next year threatens to open with US military spending - the motor behind much industry growth - dropping off a so-called "fiscal cliff" of automatic cuts set for 1 January. Between now and then it would take an extraordinary outbreak of bipartisan collaboration to resolve this budget impasse, and even November's elections may fail to break Washington's political deadlock.</div>
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At companies where business is balanced between civil and defence, rising civil sales are typically more than offsetting declines on the defence side, and programmes such as the <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Boeing%20787.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Boeing 787</a> and <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Boeing%20737.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">737</a>, or Airbus A320 and - soon - A350 are starting to drive revenue growth along their supply chains. But for those heavily reliant on defence, the response to this market schizophrenia is going to be the defining story of the aerospace industry for the next several years.</div>
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PwC strategy director Anna Sargeant, who leads the Top 100 analysis team, says the industry needs to recognise that the current round of military spending cuts is not a cyclical budget squeeze that will be reversed in time. Governments, she says, are changing their attitudes to risk and may not return to the market with deep pockets: "The wave is not really there to be ridden any more."</div>
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FZ777http://www.blogger.com/profile/14764877602678370453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619356815961625191.post-42239915682358500302012-09-17T12:43:00.001+08:002012-09-17T12:43:06.831+08:00NTSB urges grounding for certain GEnx-powered 787 and 747-8s<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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US aircraft safety investigators have called for grounding certain Boeing <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Boeing%20787.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">787s</a> and 747-8s powered by General Electric engines until they are inspected for cracks and also revealed that a cracked fan midshaft was discovered on a third engine last month.</div>
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The recommendations issued by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) offer the clearest explanation yet for the rash of zero- or low-time GEnx engine failures since 28 July.</div>
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The NTSB letter sent to the Federal Aviation Administration also reveals that an analysis of the fan midshaft fractures do not point to metal fatigue as a likely cause. The fan midshaft connects the low pressure turbine to the fan and booster stages at the forward end of the engine.</div>
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Instead, the cracks in the critical engine component are "typical of environmentally assisted cracking of certain high strength alloys such as that used on the GEnx [fan midshaft]", the NTSB letter says. The NTSB is continuing to investigate what is triggering the environmentally assisted cracking. According to GE, such metals crack as a result of galvanic corrosion caused by a moist environment with the presence of hydrogen.</div>
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A potential trigger of the galvanic corrision could have been revealed earlier this week. In a statement issued by GE on 11 September, the company said it has changed the coating process for the fan midshaft on the production line as a result of the engine failures. GE says today that the new coating process changes the dry film applied to the midshaft, and replaces the lubricant used when a retaining nut is clamped to the midshaft.</div>
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The NTSB's letter to the FAA indicates all three engine failures discovered to date could be linked to the same cause.</div>
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The latest engine failure to be revealed actually was discovered during an ultrasound inspection on 13 August, but it was not disclosed to the public until now. The ultrasound check on the engine, which was installed on a 787 that had not been flown, revealed an indication of a "similar" crack on the fan midshaft.</div>
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The first such incident occurred on 28 July. An engine on an Air India <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Boeing%20787.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Boeing 787</a> in Charleston, South Carolina, failed in low-speed taxi test. The crew was accelerating the aircraft through 40kt when the low-pressure speed rolled back on the No. 2 engine. The crew aborted the test and a visual inspection revealed the first stage of the low pressure turbine had shifted backward, colliding into trailing stages.</div>
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Six weeks later, a Boeing 747-8F operated by Air Bridge Cargo with about 1,200 flight hours and 240 cycles experienced a similar problem. As the aircraft accelerated through 50kt, the low-pressure turbine speed of the No. 1 engine dropped. The crew rejected the take-off and an inspection revealed "extensive damage" to the low pressure turbine, the NTSB letter says.</div>
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The NTSB highlighted the potential safety danger of repeated failures on low-time engines. The board's letter highlighted the "possibility that multiple engines on the same airplane could experience a [fan midshaft] failure".</div>
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In the event of an extended twin-engine flight over water, for example, the aircraft would have to operate on only a single engine for up to 5.5h, the NTSB letter says.</div>
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In response, GE says in a statement that it has already recommended repetitive inspections to the FAA and is close to completing ultrasonic inspections of the fan midshaft for all GEnx engines in service.</div>
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Boeing adds that is working with GE to inspect nine 747-8Fs within a "few days" to complete ultrasound inspections on the operational GEnx fleet.</div>
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[<em style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Updated at 21:45 in inlcude Boeing statement.</em>] </div>
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FZ777http://www.blogger.com/profile/14764877602678370453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619356815961625191.post-40107621551640461252012-09-17T12:41:00.003+08:002012-09-17T12:41:52.344+08:00Boeing trims vacated 787 delivery slots to reduce risk<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Boeing has trimmed the pace of future <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Boeing%20787.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">787</a> deliveries to reduce the risk of over-burdening the production system as it executes a swift and critical ramp-up.</div>
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Ray Conner, president of Boeing Commercial Aircraft, also is reviewing plans to ramp up to two <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Boeing%20747-8.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">747-8</a>deliveries per month, and taking a less strident approach than his predecessor on speeding up delivery rates.</div>
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But Conner remains "cautiously optimistic" that the company's across-the-board production increases can still be executed. The ramp-up is the basis for the company's guidance for revenue and profitability.</div>
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"If we hit these ramp rates we're going to do very well, and we're going to hit them," Conner said at a Morgan Stanley conference on 14 September.</div>
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Qantas Airways' decision on 23 August to cancel delivery slots for 35 787-9s created rare vacancies on Boeing's production skyline, but the airframer has chosen not to accept requests for those slots from other customers.</div>
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"I've been getting calls all the time to get those positions," Conner says. But "we're using that as an opportunity to de-risk our rate ramp," he added.</div>
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Making Boeing's task more of a challenge is the company's schedule to introduce the 787-9 variant in 2014, he said.</div>
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By the end of 2013, Boeing plans to deliver 10 787s per month from three assembly lines and the engineering modification centre, or twice the output today. Only 3.5 787s were delivered per month less than a year ago.</div>
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Over the same period, Boeing also is increasing monthly output on the <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Boeing%20777.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">777</a> from seven to 8.3, and the <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Boeing%20737.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">737</a> from 35 to 42. Jim Albaugh, Conner's predecessor, indicated in May that he wanted to push output even faster, complaining that a seven-year order backlog is "too much".</div>
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Conner, however, declined an invitation by a Morgan Stanley aerospace analyst to echo Albaugh's philosophy. Instead, Conner spoke of maintaining rates for the 737 at 42 per month and for the 777 at 8.3 per month at least for a certain period.</div>
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But Conner seemed less optimistic about prospects for maintaining plans to grow the 747-8 output to two per month.</div>
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"The cargo market has flattened," he said.</div>
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But he added that high fuel costs are driving cargo carriers to park less-efficient freighters, and continue taking delivery of 777Fs and 747-8Fs.</div>
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FZ777http://www.blogger.com/profile/14764877602678370453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619356815961625191.post-48788961176477990222012-09-17T12:40:00.001+08:002012-09-17T12:40:46.764+08:00India to allow 49% foreign ownership of domestic carriers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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India will allow foreign carriers to own up to 49% of domestic carriers, as it seeks to support its ailing airline sector.</div>
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In an announcement on 14 September 2012 that took the industry by surprise, India's ministry of commerce and industry said foreign airlines can now buy up to 49% in the country's scheduled and non-scheduled air transport services.</div>
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"Removing the existing restriction on investment by foreign airlines would assist in bringing in strategic investors into the civil aviation sector," the ministry said in a statement.</div>
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"Higher foreign investment inflows are necessary at the present juncture, in order to strengthen the sector. Introduction of global best practices, concomitant with the induction of FDI [foreign direct investment] from foreign airlines, is expected to lead to higher service standards, international best practices and induction of state-of-the-art technologies, in the air transport sector."</div>
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The statement added that the government has been considering this decision "for some time" to improve the financial and competitive position of Indian carriers, which have suffered from a price war and excess capacity in recent years.</div>
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"Denial of access to foreign capital could result in the collapse of many of our domestic airlines, creating a systemic risk for financial institutions, and a vital gap in the country's infrastructure," the statement said.</div>
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Indian media reports suggest that airline executives and industry observers welcome the change.</div>
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Long-suffering Kingfisher Airlines, which has struggled to continue operations in 2012, was quick to issue a brief statement welcoming the government's decision.</div>
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"The changes will open up a wide range of opportunities for both Indian carriers and foreign carriers who wish to participate in the strong growth potential for civil aviation in our country," the airline said in the statement. "Kingfisher will now be able to re-engage with prospective airline investors in a more meaningful manner and move towards re-capitalisation and ramp up of operations."</div>
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FZ777http://www.blogger.com/profile/14764877602678370453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619356815961625191.post-79946876500930365562012-09-17T12:39:00.003+08:002012-09-17T12:39:07.793+08:00Bombardier completes assembly of first CSeries fuselage<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Bombardier confirms the final section for the CSeries structural test aircraft will be delivered to the Montreal factory by the end of the month, and final assembly should be "pretty much complete" by the end of October.</div>
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With the first flight test vehicle (FTV-1) following in production, finishing the complete airframe static test (CAST) aircraft is a critical step towards reaching first flight in less than 107 days.</div>
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Bombardier is encouraged that its CSeries manufacturing team completed assembly of the CAST fuselage more than 50% faster than expected, says Rob Dewar, vice president and general manager for CSeries.</div>
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"This was the first time we used a manufacturing team to assemble a structural test article and the reason we did that was for them to get the learning," Dewar says. "They did it in less than half the time planned."</div>
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The schedule appears to have slipped slightly from dates provided by programme officials in late June. At that time, Dewar said the CAST would be assembled in September and static testing would begin in October.</div>
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Although Bombardier's schedule still calls for first flight by end-year, top executives have said that a three to six-month slip would not be considered a true delay by customers.</div>
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Mike Arcamone, president of Bombardier Aerospace, has instead focused attention on the entry-into-service milestone with an undisclosed launch customer by the end of 2013.</div>
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The entry-into-service date is usually expected to follow about 12 months after first flight, but Bombardier has invested heavily in ground simulation systems that could shorten the timeline to achieve airworthiness certification.</div>
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In August, Bombardier fully activated the integrated systems test and certification rig (ISTCR), which the company considers the most advanced "iron bird" ground simulator ever built in the aerospace industry. Running simulations on the ISTCR could validate airworthiness tests that would otherwise have to be validated in flight tests. The amount of the credit will depend on continuing negotiations with Transport Canada, the certification authority for the CSeries.</div>
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"It's all contingent on the correlation of the representation of how the systems test on the ground versus how it works in the air," Dewar says. "So, if they correlate, then we'll be able to get credit for the various tests."</div>
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FZ777http://www.blogger.com/profile/14764877602678370453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619356815961625191.post-2847092481202746382012-09-17T12:36:00.003+08:002012-09-17T12:36:47.361+08:00KLIA 2 to commence with 10 airlines in May 2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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KUALA LUMPUR: The new low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT), KLIA 2 in Sepang, is set to host 10 frills-free airlines once it is operational in May 2013, according to <span about="http://archives.thestar.com.my/search/?q=Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB)" class="knx-annotation" content="Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB)" property="foaf:name" typeof="foaf:Organization" xmlns:foaf="http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/"><a href="http://archives.thestar.com.my/search/?q=Malaysia%20Airports%20Holdings%20Bhd%20(MAHB)" rel="foaf:homepage" style="color: #003399; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB)</a></span> <span about="http://archives.thestar.com.my/search/?q=Faizal Mansor" class="knx-annotation" content="Faizal Mansor" property="foaf:name" typeof="foaf:Person" xmlns:foaf="http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/"><a href="http://archives.thestar.com.my/search/?q=Faizal%20Mansor" rel="foaf:homepage" style="color: #003399; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">chief financial officer Faizal Mansor</a></span>.</div>
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He said the airport operator was still open to more airlines to use KLIA 2, as the airport was capable of serving 45 million passengers per year.</div>
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“Once the airport is operational, MAHB will have about 10 low-cost carriers. Among them are Zest Airways, Lion Air, Tiger Airways, Cebu Pacific Air and definitely, <span about="http://archives.thestar.com.my/search/?q=AirAsia" class="knx-annotation" content="AirAsia" property="foaf:name" typeof="foaf:Organization" xmlns:foaf="http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/"><a href="http://archives.thestar.com.my/search/?q=AirAsia" rel="foaf:homepage" style="color: #003399; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">AirAsia</a></span>,” Faizal said in an interview.</div>
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“We would love to welcome more airlines to KLIA 2. Five years ago, there were only five low-cost carriers but now there are about 30 to 40 budget carriers.”</div>
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He added that KLIA 2 was designed to accommodate all types of airlines, but it was best suited for airlines with low-cost business model.</div>
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He said the latest to join the group of airlines is Malindo Airways, which was introduced on Tuesday, through a joint venture between National Aerospace and <span about="http://archives.thestar.com.my/search/?q=Defence Industries Sdn Bhd" class="knx-annotation" content="Defence Industries Sdn Bhd" property="foaf:name" typeof="foaf:Organization" xmlns:foaf="http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/"><a href="http://archives.thestar.com.my/search/?q=Defence%20Industries%20Sdn%20Bhd" rel="foaf:homepage" style="color: #003399; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Defence Industries Sdn Bhd</a></span> and <span about="http://archives.thestar.com.my/search/?q=PT Lion Grup" class="knx-annotation" content="PT Lion Grup" property="foaf:name" typeof="foaf:Organization" xmlns:foaf="http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/"><a href="http://archives.thestar.com.my/search/?q=PT%20Lion%20Grup" rel="foaf:homepage" style="color: #003399; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">PT Lion Grup</a></span>.</div>
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On Malindo Airways, Faizal said MAHB would commence detailed discussion with the new budget carrier soon, particularly on the level of space and facilities that it needed at the new airport.</div>
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“We have very plain understanding and have not gone to the details yet. MAHB welcomes the new airline to Malaysia as well as to KLIA 2. For an airport, the more competition, the better,” he added.</div>
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KLIA 2 is being constructed at a cost of nearly RM4bil to replace the temporary LCCT, which was constructed in 2006.</div>
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The new airport, located just two km from the main Kuala Lumpur International Airport terminal, would be the largest LCCT in the region upon completion, with a total area of 242,000 sq metres.</div>
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The opening of KLIA 2 will also help make Malaysia one of the aviation hubs in South-East Asia.</div>
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Meanwhile AirAsia Malaysia <span about="http://archives.thestar.com.my/search/?q=Aireen Omar" class="knx-annotation" content="Aireen Omar" property="foaf:name" typeof="foaf:Person" xmlns:foaf="http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/"><a href="http://archives.thestar.com.my/search/?q=Aireen%20Omar" rel="foaf:homepage" style="color: #003399; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">CEO Aireen Omar</a></span> said AirAsia was set to work hand-in-hand with MAHB to discuss and resolve outstanding issues between them with regard to the new LCCT in Sepang.</div>
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“Our airline is a low-cost carrier, so we are working with Malaysia Airports to make sure that the airport is ready for a low-cost business structure,” she said. – Bernama</div>
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FZ777http://www.blogger.com/profile/14764877602678370453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619356815961625191.post-3442869872927881162012-09-17T12:21:00.003+08:002012-09-17T12:21:41.470+08:00Samy Vellu has a scare in the air<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Sudden loss of cabin pressure on his fight from India to KL forces pilot to drop from 39,000 feet to 10,000 feet and make an emergency landing at the Penang International Airport</div>
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<a href="http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2011/01/03/mahasiswa-unisel-cadang-prof-khoo-ganti-rosmah/attachment/samy-vellu-1/" rel="attachment wp-att-2719" style="border: 0px; color: #e00000; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-2719" height="227" src="http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/samy-vellu-1-300x227.jpg" style="border: 0px; float: left; height: auto; margin: 5px 15px 5px 0px; max-width: 598px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: justify;" width="300" /></a></div>
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PETALING JAYA: Former MIC president S Samy Vellu had a fright of his life when a Malaysian Airlines (MAS) flight from Chennai to the Kuala Lumpur developed technical problems this morning, forcing the aircraft to drop from 39,000 feet to a mere 10,000 feet in matter of minutes.</div>
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The drop, due to sudden loss of cabin pressure, occurred at about 7.30 this morning on flight MH181, which was carrying Samy Vellu, the country’s special envoy to India and South Asia.</div>
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Realising massive loss of compressed air, the pilot made a public announcement asking crew and passengers to enter into an emergency defence mode while the pilot made the drop.</div>
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“There were 120 passengers on the flight, and everyone panicked on seeing the sea coming up at them,” E Sivabalan, the principal secretary to the former Works Minister, told FMT.</div>
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“Everyone thought the plane was heading for trouble, and many of passengers were screaming, even the person next to me was crying,” he added.</div>
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Samy Vellu was flying back home after an official assignment in Chennai.</div>
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Sivabalan said passengers of the flight were not told the real reason for the aircraft’s nosedive throughout the half-an-hour ordeal.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; color: #993366; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">Several flight delayed</strong></span></div>
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The whole experience was made more traumatic when it was found that many emergency masks on the aircraft were not functioning.</div>
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“The oxygen masks which was supposed to drop from the overhead compartment did not come out. Many passengers found that they did not have masks. The oxygen mask at my seat did not come down, and I was asked to move to another seat,” he said.</div>
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The pilot made an emergency landing in Penang at about 8am. Though Samy Vellu had a scare, Sivabalan said the former MIC president did not plan to pursue the matter.</div>
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“In fact he met the captain later and congratulated him for managing to control the plane,” Sivabalan said.</div>
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Meanwhile, Bernama quoting Penang International Airport senior manager Mohd Arif Jaafar, said the flight landed at 8.04am after the pilot informed the control tower that the aircraft was experiencing technical problems.</div>
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“The flight departed from Chennai, India to KLIA. Enroute, the pilot reported technical difficulties. We gave permission to land in Penang out of safety concerns of the passengers,” he said.</div>
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Mohd Arif Jaafar said the minor scare resulted in several flights being delayed at the Penang International Airport. Passengers of MH181 were transferred to another aircraft to continue their journey.</div>
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FZ777http://www.blogger.com/profile/14764877602678370453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619356815961625191.post-40063256528878330122012-09-17T12:18:00.001+08:002012-09-17T12:18:37.457+08:00Air Asia has strong barriers to react to Malindo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="line-height: 18px;">KUALA LUMPUR: AirAsia Bhd has formed several natural entry barriers in the low-cost aviation business since its inception 10 years ago, to keep many competitors out of the frills-free carrier’s ring, says CEO Aireen Omar.</span></div>
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She said AirAsia has one of the best cost structures for an airline in the Asian region, while possessing a strong brand and image as well as a sound safety record.</div>
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“This is something difficult for anybody to try to compete with us. However, this is something that we are ready, if there is any challenge to come,” she said, referring to the newly launched low-cost carrier, Malindo Airways.</div>
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She said even though Malindo Airways was formed through a joint venture between National Aerospace and Defence Industries Sdn Bhd (Nadi) and PT Lion Grup, it is still a fresh player in the low-cost aviation industry.</div>
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“We have seen many competitions since the inception of AirAsia as a low-cost airline. Malindo Airways is not an issue for us.</div>
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“As far as AirAsia is concerned, Malindo Airways is a value-based airline. It is in the middle of low-cost and premium class,” she said.</div>
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Malindo Airways is expected to begin operations on May 1 at the new low-cost carrier terminal, KLIA2 in Sepang, taking off with a fleet of 12 Boeing 737-900ER aircraft to destinations between big cities in Malaysia and Indonesia before expanding to other Asian countries.</div>
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The new airline is also considering offering low fares, even lower than AirAsia, in addition to the in-flight entertainment systems and in-flight connectivity in all of its aircraft.</div>
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Asked whether the new airline will create a price war, Aireen said she does not expect a very aggressive price war.</div>
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“At the end of the day, the companies must ask themselves whether their cost structure allows them to do so [price war],” she added.</div>
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On the sudden drop of AirAsia’s share price upon the announcement of the new low-cost airline, Malindo Airways, Aireen said: “We are not worried. It is just an over-reaction.”</div>
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AirAsia’s stocks, which closed at RM3.19 on Tuesday (the day of the announcement), shed 17 sen to RM3.02 on Wednesday and fell another seven sen to RM2.95 yesterday.</div>
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It rebounded today to close 15 sen higher at RM3.10</div>
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FZ777http://www.blogger.com/profile/14764877602678370453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619356815961625191.post-37379784211719033802012-09-13T15:30:00.002+08:002012-09-13T15:30:39.859+08:00Airbus expects to deliver 200 sharklet A320s in 2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Airbus expects some 200 A320-family aircraft to be delivered next year with sharklet wing-tips.</div>
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While this figure is less than half of recent annual delivery totals, the airframer says this is primarily because of supply limitations.</div>
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"I wish I could ramp it up further," says chief operating officer for customers John Leahy. "It's more of a supply constraint than demand constraint at this point."</div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; font-size: xx-small; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> A320 with the sharklet wing-tips</strong></span></div>
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The first sharklet-equipped A320 will be delivered to <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/AirAsia.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">AirAsia</a>. Leahy predicts the airframer might achieve more than 650 orders this year, despite passing the initial rush for A320neos.</div>
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The manufacturer has secured orders for 415 jets so far this year but Leahy says that while Airbus is "on track" for 650 orders, the year-end total "may be a little bit more than that".</div>
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FZ777http://www.blogger.com/profile/14764877602678370453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619356815961625191.post-36571824298668678602012-09-13T15:29:00.002+08:002012-09-13T15:29:43.254+08:00Airbus defends sales pace of A330-200F<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Airbus has defended the slow pace of sales for its <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Airbus%20A330-200.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A330-200</a> freighter, insisting the cargo twinjet's business is comparable to the <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Boeing%20767.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Boeing 767</a>'s when the backing of the major freight integrators is discounted.</div>
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Customers have ordered 52 of the Airbus type but the airframer had previously secured several more agreements which have gradually been eroded from the backlog.</div>
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New freighter marketing manager Oliver von Tronchin says the popularity of the A330's passenger version - particularly in the wake of delays to the <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Boeing%20787.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Boeing 787</a> programme - has sapped a number of orders from leasing companies which converted away from the freighter.</div>
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He adds that the demise of Flyington Freighters, one of the first customers, also accounted for a large number of cancellations, but points out that the shake-up has left a more robust customer base featuring the likes of <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Etihad%20Airways.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Etihad Airways</a>, <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Malaysia%20Airlines.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Malaysia Airlines</a> and Turkish Airlines.</div>
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"They know what they're doing with the aircraft," he says. "The total number [of orders] might be lower but it's much stronger now."</div>
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The <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/Boeing%20767.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">767</a> is approaching the end of its life, whereas the A330 is still a mid-life aircraft, he says, claiming there is plenty of business scope to offer carriers an alternative in parts of the world where a "one-size-fits-all" approach is taken and where, for example, Boeing 747s are being "misused" on particular routes.</div>
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"We're offering an aircraft with a long-range capability at 70t which is much easier to fill," he says, adding that he expects the A330-200F to attract two or three customers, each ordering two to five aircraft per year.</div>
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EADS EFW's plans to convert A330 passenger aircraft into freighters will "open up a new market segment" and "complement" the new-build A330-200F, he claims.</div>
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"We've had good discussions with airlines," says von Tronchin. "We're confident of positive news over the coming year."</div>
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Airbus's passenger market is "core" while the freight market is "opportunistic", he adds, but the A330-200F could eventually benefit from measures to raise the A330's maximum take-off weight to 240t.</div>
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FZ777http://www.blogger.com/profile/14764877602678370453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619356815961625191.post-25424272311873783032012-09-13T15:25:00.002+08:002012-09-13T15:25:52.825+08:00ILA: AirAsia closes in on 'bring your own device' IFE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/AirAsia.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">AirAsia</a> believes the technological strides being made in tablet devices means that within three years its passengers will be able to bring their own entertainment gadgets on board to keep them entertained.</div>
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"Within two years screens will be A4 flexible pieces of paper," says Zaman Ahmad, <a href="http://www.flightglobal.com/landingpage/AirAsia.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #1b5ddd; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">AirAsia</a> head of customer experience and technology, speaking at ILA. "The unit cost per device will come down and everyone will own one."</div>
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AirAsia wants to be at the forefront of providing in-flight entertainment via the concept of "bring your own device" (BYOD). The airline has signed a deal with Tune Box to be system integrator for its IFE solution, says Ahmad. Tune Box is the digital media arm of Tune Group - a shareholder in AirAsia.</div>
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Tune Box, which was unveiled at the Paris Air Show in 2011, will work separately with IFE content providers and technology suppliers to deliver AirAsia's BYOD solution, says Ahmad.</div>
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Tune Box is already in discussions with vendors such as Panasonic and last year announced a partnership with Samsung to turn its Android-powered Galaxy tablet into a portable IFE solution.</div>
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As it looks to improve the passenger experience for its customers, Ahmad says AirAsia is convinced a BYOD solution is the only one that is cost-effective or practical for a low-cost operator to introduce IFE. "It makes no sense to invest in a fixed [IFE] system," he adds.</div>
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FZ777http://www.blogger.com/profile/14764877602678370453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619356815961625191.post-65543356609308934332012-09-12T11:40:00.002+08:002012-09-12T11:40:25.614+08:00Firefly may revive jet ops next year<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">GEORGE TOWN: Firefly, a subsidiary of Malaysian Airline System Bhd (MAS), is believed to be returning to its jet operations as early as next year.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">It had to abandon its money-making routes to Sabah and Sarawak following the nowaborted MAS-AirAsia strategic collaboration exercise.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">Business Times has learnt that Firefly is considering Canadian aircraft maker Bombardier Aerospace as a potential aircraft supplier to diversify from its current fleet of French-Italian-made turbo-propeller planes ATR.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">“It is not known if Firefly will reinstate the East Malaysia routes, but other routes being considered when the community airline expands into jets are Myanmar and Vietnam,” aviation sources said.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">Responding to Business Times’ query, MAS Sdn Bhd (formerly known as FlyFirely Sdn Bhd) chief executive officer Ignatius Ong said: “We are looking at all turboprop options on the table which can cater to our existing network for increases in frequencies, as well as a longer range within Asean to give us more potential destinations.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">“I will not focus on any specific manufacturer for now until we are more finalised in our approach,” he added.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">MAS had, since early 2011, used Firefly to compete against AirAsia by launching competitively-priced flights from Kuala Lumpur to Sabah and Sarawak.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">In October last year, the national carrier said the Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by Firefly will be redeployed into the parent company’s operations, effective December 4 2011.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">MAS had, at the time, cited heavy losses being incurred by Firefly’s jet operations, although the community airline’s financials such as profit and loss statements have never been disclosed by the parent company.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">Bombardier has been in the aerospace industry for 25 years and is touted as the world’s third largest civil aircraft manufacturer.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #282828; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">In recent years, the aircraft maker has won more new contracts around the world after it moved beyond the production of executive jets and entered the regional jet market.</span>
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FZ777http://www.blogger.com/profile/14764877602678370453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6619356815961625191.post-35688708823676298742012-09-12T11:27:00.000+08:002012-09-12T11:27:10.670+08:00AirAsia to become first Airbus A320 ‘Sharklets’ operator<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<img alt="Zaman Ahmad, AirAsia Group Head Customer Experience and Technology, and John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers, celebrating AirAsia to become the first Sharklet operator, in front of the first A320 Family aircraft to flight test the fuel-saving wing tip devices. (c) Airbus" class="mediaImage" id="mediaItem_36e25bb0-645e-43f9-87f5-52bf904348b0" src="http://www.eads.com/dms/Press-DB/EADS/Financial_Communication/2012/September/AirAsia-to-become-first-Airbus-A320--Sharklets--operator/airasia_sharklet_1_490_318.jpg" style="display: block; float: left; margin: 0px 0px 20px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 490px;" /></div>
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Zaman Ahmad, AirAsia Group Head Customer Experience and Technology, and John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers, celebrating AirAsia to become the first Sharklet operator, in front of the first A320 Family aircraft to flight test the fuel-saving wing tip devices. (c) Airbus</div>
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Airbus and the world’s largest A320 customer AirAsia announced that the airline will become the first operator of the A320 with ‘Sharklets’ when they take delivery of the first A320 equipped with these fuel-saving wing-tip devices at the end of this year. The aircraft exhibited on static and flying display at the ILA Berlin Air Show is the flight test aircraft for CFM engines and will also be delivered to AirAsia in 2013.</div>
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"The A320 has played a key role in our success, enabling us to offer our passengers the lowest fares possible and completely redefine short haul travel in Asia.” said Tony Fernandes, AirAsia Group CEO. “Now we are looking forward to become the first airline in the world to start operating this most fuel-efficient aircraft.”</div>
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“AirAsia is one of the fastest growing, most innovative and well-respected brands in the airline industry” said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers. “It is a great endorsement that they have chosen our latest, fuel-saving aircraft of our successful A320 Family”. <br style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" /> </div>
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Sharklets will be fitted on previously ordered, newly-built A320s for AirAsia, scheduled for delivery from the end of 2012. They will result in close to 4 percent fuel savings on longer sectors, corresponding to an annual CO2 reduction of around 1,000 tonnes per aircraft.</div>
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Altogether, AirAsia, the largest Low Cost Airline in Asia-Pacific has ordered a total of 375 single aisle aircraft, comprising 200 A320neo and 175 A320ceo, of which 103 have been delivered to date.</div>
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FZ777http://www.blogger.com/profile/14764877602678370453noreply@blogger.com0