Aircraft News - Europe

Airguide Online, August 20, 2007

Aug 20, 2007

Aer Lingus

Aer Lingus said it had secured a number of leased aircraft to provide a limited service for around 8,000 passengers out of an expected 45,000 to 50,000 travellers at a peak time of year. The company has been battling with unions to cut overheads since its privatization last year. Aer Lingus Chief Executive Dermot Mannion travelled on Friday to Shannon to meet local leaders to discuss the airline's decision. Despite protests, the government, which controls just over a 25 percent stake in Aer Lingus said it would not intervene. Aug 17, 2007

Aer Lingus

Bomb Hoax Delays Aer Lingus Plane In Spain. Passengers were asked to leave an Aer Lingus flight on Thursday after a bomb threat shortly before it was due to leave Malaga Airport for Dublin, the airline and Spain's airport authority said. Police found nothing on the plane when it was towed to a secure site in the popular tourist destination's airport after the call from a Spanish public telephone, a spokeswoman for Spain's airports said. The 303 passengers and 10 crew were reboarding the plane, which was originally due to arrive in Dublin at 3 pm Irish time, she said. Aug 17, 2007

Airbus

Airbus appeared to underestimate the potential of the 787 at first and made a couple of false starts in determining how to respond to the Boeing challenge in the mid-size market, says the report. The European manufacturer also ran into significant schedule delay with its 525-passenger A380. However, Airbus is well on its way to resolving the A380 program, with the first commercial flight set for October 15 on the Singapore-Sydney route, while the all-new A350 XWB is designed to take on not only the 787, but the 777 as well. Aug 17, 2007

Airbus

Pakistan's private airline Airblue plans to buy between eight and 14 new passenger jets, with the company choosing between Airbus A320s or new generation Boeing 737s, the airline said Thursday. Aug 17, 2007

Airbus

Two commercial jets, including one Northwest Airbus, nearly collided on the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport Thursday Aug 16, 2007

Eurocopter

US DoD weapons testers find flaws with new light utility helicopter. The Army's new light utility helicopter is not suited for operations, especially in hot environments, DOD weapons testers said. The Army plans to buy 322 of the aircraft, the UH-72A Lakota, a modified version of the Eurocopter EC-145. The testers said the helicopter's cockpit electronics systems could fail because its air conditioning is inadequate. Aug 15, 2007

Lufthansa Systems

Lufthansa Systems signed a five-year-contract with Italian cargo carrier Ocean Airlines for its FMS database. Ocean already uses the flight planning services of LHS's Lido OC solution. Aug 13, 2007

Lufthansa Technik

Lufthansa Technik signed a 12-year Total Component Support contract with LAN Airlines covering up to 129 A320s and up to eight A340s. The agreement expands a TCS agreement already in place and has an added value of more than $200 million, according to LHT. Aug 17, 2007

United Aircraft

Russia aims to revive aircraft manufacturing industry. Russian manufacturers plan to build about 4,500 aircraft by 2025, said Alexei Fyodorov, president of state-controlled United Aircraft. The Russian government has said it will support the $250 billion project. "Russia must become one of the global leaders in aircraft making," Fyodorov said at a news conference. Aug 15, 2007

United Engine

Russia looks to compete in global helicopter, aircraft engine markets. Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to see his country's aerospace industry on a competitive footing in the global market. The United Engine-Building Corp. and a unified helicopter research and production base have been created to advance that goal by providing government support and pooling the resources of Russian manufacturers. Aug 14, 2007

Virgin Atlantic, Boeing

Boeing and Virgin Atlantic Airways said today that the airline will use Boeing's Airplane Health Management system to monitor the in-flight condition of its 747-400 fleet. The announcement adds momentum to a growing partnership focused on reducing the environmental impact of air travel. In April, Boeing and Virgin Atlantic said they will work together to reduce fuel burn and cut aircraft emissions on the ground as well as developing sustainable biofuels suitable for commercial jet engines and the aviation industry. Aug 15, 2007

Virgin Atlantic, Boeing

Virgin Atlantic's 13 Boeing 747-400s will use Boeing's Airplane Health Management to gather and evaluate critical in-flight data on the real-time flying condition of the airplanes, information that can be used across the enterprise to identify and address efficiency issues. Airplane Health Management gives airlines significant insight as to the condition of airplanes in the sky, providing in-flight access to fuel-burn information so airlines can identify and correct problems that might be wasting fuel. Aug 15, 2007

ZZ

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