Spirit Airlines and IAE International Aero Engines have inked a 15-year aftermarket agreement under which the engine maker will support the V2500 powerplants used by the low-fare carrier on the Airbus A320 family. The airline has purchased 15 A320s, plans to lease 20 from ILFC and holds options for 50.
NASA's space shuttle fleet is nearing its return to flight with a complex mission on board Discovery that will combine tests of new hardware and procedures adopted in the wake of Columbia's loss with urgent repairs and resupply for the International Space Station.
Russia and China have reached an agreement covering the purchase of 100 Klimov RD-93 engines for the Chengdu FC-1, according to financial daily Kommersant. The deal reportedly bars re-export of the engines.
The continuing inability of underwriters to make money, despite sky-high rates and tough limitations on coverage, is setting the insurance industry, satellite operators and manufacturers increasingly at loggerheads.
China Southern Airlines has signed the announced agreement to buy five Airbus A380 transports as part of a larger set of orders by Chinese carriers. The deal comes as Airbus prepares for first flight of the mega-transport as early as Apr. 25. The 30 Airbus-aircraft deal with China also sees China Eastern Airlines purchase five A319s, 11 A321s and four A320s, while Shenzhen Airlines has signed with China Aviation Supplies Import & Export Group Corp. and Airbus to take three A320s and two A319s.
Industry proposals for the Crew Exploration Vehicle that NASA plans as a replacement for the space shuttle are due next week, but the agency's new chief says it might be necessary to slow the CEV procurement at first to speed it up later. After a quick trip to Kennedy Space Center for briefings on getting the space shuttle back in operation (see p. 49), Michael D. Griffin sat down with his growing staff last week to begin work on modifying the CEV procurement.
Lockheed Martin will produce 900 semi-active laser-guided Hellfire II metal augmented charge warhead missiles and another 180 high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) missiles under a new, $90-million order from the U.S. Army. The order also calls for conversion of 100 HEAT variants to the MAC warhead.
Troubled Italian flag carrier Alitalia is accelerating its cost-reduction efforts to meet its target of reaching break-even by the end of 2006. Even though Alitalia has managed to slow its financial burn rate, competition from low-fare carriers and high oil costs have forced the company to update its business plan only six months after launch.
A leading-edge flap between the No. 2 engine and fuselage of a Japan Airlines Boeing 747-300 broke away on an Apr. 14 flight from Honolulu to Tokyo, prompting a fleet-wide inspection scheduled to be completed by last week. The incident follows a recent reprimand by Japan's Civil Aviation Bureau to JAL regarding safety lapses (AW&ST Apr. 18, p. 43).
The 2004 Laureate Awards sponsored by Aviation Week & Space Technology honored more than 40 people from around the globe for their outstanding achievements in aviation and aerospace.
The Homeland Security Dept.'s inspector general blames "wasteful or inappropriate decision-making" at the Transportation Security Administration for lavish spending on artworks, decorative furnishings and $3,000 refrigerators, at the $19-million Transportation Security Operations Center in Herndon, Va. The building, which also houses a Federal Air Marshal Service facility, has 55 offices, more than 150 workstations, 12 conference rooms, seven kitchens and a fitness center for 79 federal workers and 57 contract employees.
The U.S. Transportation Dept. made final its selection of Ryan International Airlines to serve the Milwaukee-Cancun market in competition with Northwest Airlines. USA 3000 Airlines also applied for authority and the department had to make a choice because no more than two U.S. airlines can serve any given U.S.-Mexico city-pair. Ryan, which has operated Milwaukee-Cancun charters but has never flown scheduled service in Mexico, plans seasonal service next winter of four flights per week using 183-seat Boeing 737s, starting in November with two flights per week.
Eclipse Aviation last week completed engine nacelle icing tests for its Eclipse 500 very light jet. The program, conducted with Canada's National Research Council Institute for Aerospace Research (NRC Aerospace) in Ottawa, centered on icing tests of the nacelle itself as well as the engine/nacelle combination as required for certification, which is planned for 2006. The Eclipse 500 is powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW610s. Pratt had conducted a series of icing tests on the PW610 at NRC Aerospace in February.
Helicopter maker Kamov has signed a contract with Rolls-Royce to take delivery of 24 Model 250-C20R/2(SR) turboshaft engines later this year. The engines are to power twin-rotor Ka-226s ordered by Gazprom and the Russian Civil Defense Ministry.
Frank Parrella (see photos) has become director of operations, Thomas Mancuso director of maintenance and Ken Siegel director of human resources, all for Avantair, Fairfield, N.J. Parrella was a captain for American Eagle. Mancuso was director of maintenance at Mac Dan Aviation, while Siegel has been a corporate human resources executive.
Thales and CalAmp Corp. are teaming to expand the capabilities of Thales' TopSeries inflight entertainment system, which is available on Boeing and Airbus aircraft including the A380. CalAmp will support Thales with studies, design and testing of software applications.
When Boeing and Airbus come together to conduct flight demonstrations of advanced air traffic control operations, it sets an example for the cooperation needed to avoid gridlock in Europe and the U.S. over the next 20 years. The American/European/Australian team that made the tailored-arrival flight trials happen at Sydney and Melbourne over a six-month period last year signifies that many organizations see cooperation as the path to the future.
While celebrating delivery of the first F/A-18E/Fs equipped with the APG-79--which has the resolution to spot and target stealth cruise missiles--Boeing and Navy officials said Switzerland, Japan and India are looking at the advanced fighter. Boeing officials said they are proposing a $53- million variant for export.
The new China-Canadian bilateral will allow the two countries "to realize tremendous opportunities for growth" in passenger and freight air transport, says Air Canada President Montie Brewer. The new pact, which was concluded Apr. 19, triples the number of passenger and cargo services now permitted as well as increases city-pairs and code-shares, According to Canada's International Trade and Transport Ministries, the agreement also includes "strong" security and safety provisions, although they were not defined.
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center is testing solar sail deployment and structural support concepts through July, using advanced inflatable and lightweight materials technologies from two companies. The tests will be conducted in a vacuum chamber at the Plumb Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio, which is part of Glenn Research Center. Solar sails would use the flow of photons from the Sun to accelerate future deep-space payloads without any other propellant. Both designs would use sails up to 66 ft. wide.
A strong second quarter following a healthy first quarter has improved Nav Canada's financial position and restored a positive balance in its rate stabilization account for the first time in three years. Revenues in the second quarter rose C$30 million ($24.2 million) to C$259 million ($209 million), compared with the same quarter a year ago. A 7.9% increase in customer service charges, implemented last September, and a 5.2% increase in air traffic, account for the increase. Expenses rose due to higher pension and compensation levels from C$188 million to C$207 million.
Governments must "rethink the way they tax the industry and give us the freedom to run our businesses as businesses." So says International Air Transport Assn. Director General Giovanni Bisignani in an address to the 54th Pacific Asia Travel Assn. annual conference in Macau. Bisignani says airports now constructing dedicated low-cost terminals must be open to all carriers to ensure fair competition because legacy airlines deserve the same opportunities to cut costs.
The exhaust nozzle for the LE-7A first-stage engine on the Mitsubishi H-IIA space launch vehicle will be lengthened to 2 meters (6.5 ft.) for its next mission in September, which is to loft the Advanced Land Observation Satellite (ALOS). The nozzle is now 1.5 meters long, and the Japanese space agency JAXA says lengthening it will increase payload lift from 3,900 kg. (8,600 lb.) to 4,000 kg. for a polar-orbit insertion. About 10 burn tests are scheduled beginning in May.
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