Economic conditions in its home country notwithstanding, Southern Winds of Argentina has applied for U.S. Transportation Dept. authority to serve New York and Miami beginning ``as soon as possible'' with daily Cordoba-Buenos Aires-Miami roundtrips, and eventually 12 other destinations in the U.S. The carrier is negotiating to lease two Boeing 767-300s for the flights. Southern Winds also operates six regional jets and six turboprop transports from its hubs at Buenos Aires and Cordoba.
The second prototype launch of Japan's H-IIA rocket will include a new combination of six solid-rocket motors firing in sequence. The launch had been set for Jan. 31, but was delayed slightly due to the need to change out a helium gas regulator and fuel discharge valve on the first-stage Mitsubishi LE-7A engine. The new schedule called for an 11:32 a.m. local time liftoff Feb. 3 from the Yoshinobu launch pad at the National Space Development Agency's Tanegashima Space Center off Kyushu Island. There is a 1 hr. 16 min. launch window.
Beginning Feb. 16, Japan Airlines will offer its new Skysleeper Solo seating on a daily basis to first-class passengers traveling between New York and Tokyo. The leather, 26-in.-wide seat reclines to a 73-in.-long flat position and has a lumbar massage function. There is room for only 11 units in cabins selected for the service. Each seat has a personal TV, built-in telephone, recessed reading lights, a side table and two storage compartments.
Chile is expected to make a formal commitment to buying 10 Lockheed Martin F-16s in the next several days. The country has until late this week to sign a U.S. government letter of offer for the aircraft. The deal has drawn criticism in Chile, but senior government officials last week reaffirmed their intent to buy the F110-GE-powered aircraft.
The ever-elusive prospect of a liberalized U.S.-U.K. aviation regime is back in limbo, now that American Airlines and British Airways have rejected U.S. Transportation Dept. conditions on antitrust immunity for their transatlantic alliance, and the European Commission has won the first round in a European Court of Justice case.
Boeing will install its Connexion satellite broadband system on up to four C-32A transports operated by the U.S. Air Force. The airplanes are Boeing 757-200s specially configured to provide worldwide transportation for the vice president of the U.S., Cabinet members and other high-ranking government officials. The contract, worth about $112 million, revives sales of Connexion, which lost its three core U.S. airline partners after the terrorist attacks.
Dnata, the ground-handling subsidiary of Emirates that won a 10-year license last May to run ground handling operations at some of India's largest airports, has come under suspicion following a ``security check'' that connects it with terrorist groups.
Tom Risley has been named president/CEO of Vought Aircraft Industries Inc. of Dallas. He succeeds Gordon Williams, who will become chairman. Williams will succeed Allan Holt, a managing director of The Carlyle Group, who will remain a director of Vought. Risley was chief operating officer.
The successful hit-to-kill intercept by the U.S. Navy's ballistic missile defense system marks the first step in what is being billed as a meticulous process to deploy a sea-based anti-missile shield. The intercept of an Aries ballistic missile target came in the fourth of a nine-test series. The Jan. 25 mission (FM-2) was billed as merely a ``fly-by,'' but the Pentagon and contractors expected to hit the target. All the key components were involved--from the Aegis radar to the kill vehicle, known as the Lightweight Exoatmospheric Projectile (Leap).
Eutelsat has voiced concern that higher satellite prices and continued U.S. export controls could complicate plans to expand and modernize its global satcom network, and put pressure on future earnings and revenues. The Paris-based telecom satellite operator has enjoyed a long period of steady growth, with its pretax earnings margin running a generous 70%-plus per year. This has allowed the company to fund modernization largely out of cash flow and to drive its debt-equity ratio down to an acceptable 0.9.
A Chinese decision to procure at least two Israeli-built communications spacecraft, and as many as eight other Israeli satcoms downstream, marks a major penetration of the Asian satcom market by Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) versus European competitors. The overall procurement could be worth $500-700 million to IAI.
Italy's civil aviation authority ENAC issued a warning Jan. 30 to airline operators to check their spare parts inventories amid an ongoing investigation into three Italian companies over the supply of potentially fraudulently certified or substandard spare parts. On Jan. 26, police in Rome reportedly seized parts cannibalized from six Airbus A300 jets in a warehouse.
Eurocopter is poised to seek an injunction that would prevent the Irish Defense Dept. from contracting with Sikorsky to supply three S-92 helicopters worth around $50 million to the Irish Air Corps. An official close to the deal said the injunction would be filed if written assurance is not received by the beginning of this week assuring Eurocopter that no contract will be signed until the company has been able to review the details of the tender conditions and tendering process.
Delta Connection carrier Atlantic Southeast Airlines began operating the first 70-seat Bombardier CRJ-700 on Jan. 29. The regional jet is an upgraded version of the smaller CRJ-100/200 series aircraft, and fills a gap between the 50-seat CRJ-200 and the MD-88 operated by Delta Air Lines.
A NEW EASTMAN KODAK COLOR FILM FOR LOW- to high-altitude aerial mapping, reconnaissance, surveying and land management will give twice the resolution with more optimized color and tone reproduction than its predecessor. The Aerochrome III MS 2427 is a color reversal film, which provides positive color transparencies suitable for viewing or projection. It has the same speed as its predecessor.
Ivory Coast-based Air Afrique, under intense pressure from creditors, has slashed its long-haul fleet to only one aircraft while the financially ailing carrier retains 4,000 employees on its payroll. In the absence of a workable rescue plan, 11 participating states are mulling a plan that would force the airline into bankruptcy. It would rapidly reemerge as the ``new'' Air Afrique that would obtain its predecessor's routes and traffic rights but restart operations on a more realistic basis.
Alaska Airlines President William S. Ayer succeeded John Kelly as the carrier's CEO. Kelly will continue on with Alaska as chairman and CEO of Alaska Air Group.
The European Space Agency has modified its budget approach to limit the amount of money used for project contingencies. Introduced as part of a cost-reduction program at the agency, the new approach places part of the money normally appropriated for specific applications such as Earth observation or telecommunications into a general fund, called the Budget Management System, to be drawn only as needed. One billion euros ($880 million) have been earmarked for the BMS this year, out of a total budget of 2.9 billion euros.
Smarting from the airline doldrums, Snecma executives predict a sharp downturn in company revenues and earnings over the next two years, but hope that other activities will help cushion the fall and accelerate recovery. Chairman/CEO Jean-Paul Bechat anticipates that 2002-03 will contrast sharply with last year's solid performance. This year's civil aero-engine deliveries would be down one-quarter to one-third from last year's record levels, he said here late last month (AW&ST Jan. 21, p. 42).
European political leaders are confident that the U.S. will approve plans to shift responsibility for peacekeeping in Bosnia and Macedonia to the European Union. Europe already has a key role in the NATO-run Bosnian operation, and is heading up the effort in Macedonia, under NATO auspices. U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has requested that Washington be allowed to pull back troops from the Balkans so they can be redeployed for antiterrorism duty.
Boeing's interest in the long-term replacement of conventional auxiliary power units (APUs) on commercial aircraft with fuel cell technology took a small step forward last week with the submission of a request for proposals from companies interested in participating in its electric aircraft program. This effort is aimed at proving fuel cell technology as the power source on a powered-glider platform. The company wants to fly the fuel-cell-powered aircraft, coincident with the centenary of the Wright Brothers first flight, in 2003.
Roy H. Norris has been appointed chairman/president/CEO of Advanced Aerodynamics&Structures Inc., Long Beach, Calif. He was president of the Raytheon Aircraft Co., Wichita, Kan. Norris succeeds Carl Chen, who has resigned and will become a consultant to the company. L. Peter Larson has been named chief financial officer, Dale Ruhmel vice president-engineering and J. Nelson Happy executive vice president/general counsel. Larson has been CEO of Telkonet, Annapolis, Md., and was CFO of the Cessna Aircraft Co. of Wichita.
Hong Kong's Dragonair entered the cargo business last year when it put two Boeing 747-300 freighters into service. Dragonair's cargo operations passed a milestone of sorts in late January when it hauled 24 racehorses from the Hong Kong Jockey Club to the Shanghai Equestrian Club. Accommodating racehorses in Airstables containers is a mark of competence because the cargo is precious and can be difficult to handle. But the shipment also was unusual because these horses weren't coming in to satisfy race-happy Hong Kong's appetite for betting.
Robert Crandall, former chairman/CEO of American Airlines, will be a senior adviser to AirTV. The company is developing a broadband network of four S-band satellites to transmit real-time television, audio, Internet, e-mail and information on airline flights. Crandall retired from American in 1998 and was succeeded by Donald Carty.
Boeing Defense and Space Group has chosen Link Simulation and Training to build two full mission trainers and four weapons tactics trainers for the F-22 pilot training program. The six units are scheduled to be delivered to Tyndall AFB, Fla., in February 2003. The full mission trainers will drill pilots in formation flight, aerial refueling, takeoff and landing, emergency procedures and weapons delivery. Weapons tactics trainers will feature controls and displays that simulate the F-22's instrument panel, according to L-3 Communications, parent company of Link.
