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Aviation History
2002
2002 - 2535.PDF
HEADLINES AIR TRANSPORT GUY NORRIS / LOS ANGELES Fix sought as 757 backlog nosedives Production changes mulled as deliveries hit all-time low Boeing is facing a 757 sales crisis, as its backlog falls to an all-time low of 36 aircraft. The manufacturer is putting maximum effort into sales campaigns, particularly for -300 stretch and special purpose ver sions, and is considering produc tion changes in an effort to ride out the order drought. Boeing, which had delivered 21 757s this year by the end of July, is due to complete a further eight air craft in 2002, all of which are -300s for US operators - six for Northwest Airlines and the balance for ATA. Just four of the 36 757s on backlog are the baseline -200 model. Although this year's production supports a rate of almost 2.5 air craft a month, the current backlog for 2003 deliveries will hit an all- time low of 15 aircraft unless new orders are obtained, or delivery positions brought forward. Without these changes, this would cut the rate to around 1.25 a month. Just seven aircraft are presently booked for 2004 deliver ies, five of these being -300s for Continental Airlines that have already been deferred. A further six are booked for 2005, all -300s for Continental. Only four -200 orders are logged, all for Air 2000 which is scheduled to take three in 2003 and the last in 2004. Boeing admits that it is "hurt ing" and acknowledges that the air craft's short-term vulnerability is tied to the uncertain fortunes of its biggest customers, the US majors and larger European charter opera tors. Although the 757-300 is widely seen as the ideal replace ment for 200- to 250-seat widebod- ies such as the 767-200 or Airbus A310, the largest fleets requiring replacement belong to American Airlines and United Airlines, nei ther of which is in a position to consider new equipment. "It will be up to our customers what will happen," says Boeing. The near-term sales picture is expected to become even bleaker in September when the first 11 of 34 US Airways 757-200s are expected to fly into storage in Mojave, California. These aircraft will dou ble the number of 757s already shown to be idle, although accord ing to the Airclaims CASE database 18 of these are ex-British Airways undergoing conversion to freighters or scheduled for conversion. The 757 backlog around August traditionally hovered between 80 and 110 through the 1980s before soaring to 287 in 1990. A gradual decline from 186 in 1993 contin ued until 1999 when the backlog dipped to 68. Thanks to the -300 it recovered slightly to 73 last August, but has since declined. The current 757 orderbook totals 1,050 with 1,014 delivered. BUSINESS & GENERAL AVIATION Cessna readies CJ3 for NBAA Cessna has briefed distributors on the Citation CJ3 light business jet, to be launched at the National Business Aviation Association show in Orlando, Florida, in September. Leaked reports say the CJ3 is a stretch of the CJ2, with a 0.6m (2ft) fuselage plug, more powerful Williams-Rolls FJ44 engines, a 10kt (20km/h) higher cruise speed and 450km (250nm) longer range. Price will be just under $6 million, compared with just over $5 million for the CJ2. The CJ2 is itself a stretch of the original entry-level CitationJet, incorporating the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 large-display integrated avionics of the upda ted CJ1. The CJ2 sits close to the older but larger Citation Bravo in Cessna's business jet line-up, and it is not clear which of the aircraft the CJ3 will replace. Cessna may still build all three and simply let the market decide.The CitationJet family features a laminar-flow wing and T-tail, while the Bravo and larger Encore are the last to use the wing, fuselage and tail of the early Citations. Briefing Co-operation deal set to unite US giants CODESHARE Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines have signed a codeshare deal that will bring three of the largest US carriers together. Delta will join an existing codeshare between Continental and Northwest, possibly bringing the other carriers into the Delta and Air France- led SkyTeam alliance. The US codeshare deal will require regulatory approval, which may not be easy as by passenger numbers such an alliance would be larger than the United/US Airways agreement signed last month. KLM, whose Wings alliance includes Continental and Northwest, indicates that the US airline move may force it towards SkyTeam, and says that it is pursuing talks with Air France. Australia's IAS looks to acquire AzzurraAir DUE DILIGENCE Australian venture capitalist Integrated Airline Solutions (IAS) has begun due diligence on Italy's AzzurraAir in the hope that it can acquire the regional carrier and transform it into a low-fare operator. IAS director Angus Clarke says talks are at a preliminary stage. "We have just had the first look at the numbers. The vision is really to grow it - to put in equity and make it a real low-cost competitor to Alitalia." AzzurraAir operates seven BAE Systems Avro RJ70/85s and five Boeing 737-700s, some on services for Alitalia. IAS would dispose of the regional jets and operate only 737s. The Bergamo-based carrier is 49%-owned by Air Malta. Clarke says the existing owners want to sell out, and AzzurraAir is in need of a capital injection. IAS earlier attempted to take over ailing Greek carrier Olympic Airways, but funding issues led to the bid's collapse. Nepalese Twin Otter crash claims 18 lives A C CID E N T S A Shangri La Airlines De Havilland Canada Twin Otter commuter aircraft crashed in Nepal on 22 August killing all 18 people on board. The 22 August accident happened in monsoon rain conditions. Rescue teams trying to reach the cloud-covered hillside where the crash took place have been hampered by poor visibility. This is the second Nepalese Twin Otter accident in two months: a Skyline Airways aircraft crashed in bad weather on 17 July, killing all four on board. Air China readies for non-stop US services O P E R AT IO N S Air China has concluded a round of test flights over the North Pole between Beijing and New York ahead of its launch of non-stop services next month. The airline carried out the round-trip trial service using a Boeing 747-400 on 16 and 19 August. Air China plans to launch regular services on 27 September, operating thrice weekly. Air China decided to launch the service after codeshare partner Northwest Airlines dropped its only non-stop services between the USA and China, operating on a Detroit- Beijing routing. Northwest's China services now fly only via Tokyo, and Air China is known to have been unhappy about the suspension. The Chinese flag carrier says its direct services will cut flying time between Beijing and New York's Kennedy Airport to 13h from 17h. Air China will be the first Chinese carrier to operate regular commercial flights over the North Pole. Aerolineas Argentina works out deal on debt REPAYMENTS Aerolineas Argentinas is hammering out a deal to pay off up to 40% of its €720 million ($708 million) debt over the next two years. The bankrupt carrier's 600 or so creditors will receive 15% of what is owed to them in the first three months, 30% in the following year and 55% within two years. "The proposal is the best you can get in Argentina right now," says Fernando Dozo, president of Argentinian airline federation JURCA. "Other bankrupt companies here are offering 10-year deals," he adds. The deal must be approved by the bankruptcy judge and creditors. The carrier says it plans to raise up to S50 million in the capital markets in October. Aerolineas Argentinas, the country's largest carrier, was bought by Spanish tour operator Viajes Marsans in February, soon after entering administration. www.flightinternational.com FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 27 AUGUST - 2 SEPTEMBER 2002 7
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