Stop Press

Airlink also plans to boost its seat capacity by replacing its fleet of four BAe 146-100 aircraft with three 146-200s and two 146-300s, as foreshadowed in our April edition. Airlink will offer 38% more seat capacity network wide from November 5, with capacity on the Canberra/Brisbane route jumping by nearly 200% or more than 1800 seats per week. Alice Springs/Perth services will jump from four flights a week to 14 – a 250% increase in capacity. Other routes will also benefit, with capacity on the Cairns/Gove and Gove/Darwin routes up by 90% and Cairns/Ayers Rock capacity up 70%.

The schedules provide for daily flights between Perth and Ayers Rock and Perth and Cairns via Alice Springs and are aimed at promoting additional tourism opportunities into the region. The new Canberra/Brisbane services will mean better connections for business travellers and a greater choice for leisure travellers with a total of 18 direct services being offered each week. Increases in capacity on the Brisbane/Mackay, Brisbane/Rockhampton and Brisbane/Proserpine routes will also allow for better connections to the Whitsundays and the Queensland north coast. Qantas owns five Whitsunday resort islands: Dunk, Great Keppel, Brampton, Lizard and Bedarra. Meanwhile seat capacity on the Brisbane/Proserpine route has increased by 17%, while the Brisbane/Mackay route will get an 18% increase in seats while Brisbane/Rockhampton will get a 4% increase.

Airlines Respond To Chunnel

Britain’s airlines are developing strategies designed to counter the competition which will come from the Channel Tunnel – its high speed rail service in particular – when it opens to the public later this year. Both British Airways and British Midlands are planning to operate new services between London and Paris Orly to compete with the trains, but imaginative Virgin Atlantic boss Richard Branson is planning an entirely different approach.

Branson sees the trains as a natural extension of his airline’s trans-Atlantic services and will incorporate their use as a link between Europe and his airliners at London Gatwick, which is closer to the channel than is Heathrow. Virgin will join forces with one of the five bidders for the fast rail link between London and Folkestone on the south coast (the point of entry to the UK from the tunnel), the decision as to which one being made as this issue goes to press. Branson says that Virgin has no intention of taking on the short haul European airline market but sees the trains as having the potential to gain a substantial slice of the market.

New Russian Trainer

Russia has ordered the new Sukhoi Su-32 primary trainer for its air force, with up to 1500 examples needed to replace the ageing Yakovlev Yak-52. The Su-32 is a tandem two-seater powered by a 355hp (250kW) Vedeneyev radial piston engine. Fitted with a retractable undercarriage, the Su-32 will have a top speed of around 200 knots (370kmh) and a maximum takeoff weight of 1300kg.

A version with hardpoints for external stores is planned and the aircraft will be fitted with an interesting crew escape system which ejects the pilots without their seats on diverse trajectories through the canopy. The first Su-32 is scheduled to fly this December and entry to service is planned for 1996. Russia is also looking for a new turbofan powered subsonic advanced trainer to replace the Czech built L-39 Albatros. Designs have been submitted by both Yakovlev and MiG.

Anz Shares Shuffle

Air New Zealand’s major shareholders have been in the news recently, with Brierley Investments Ltd reported to have increased its stake to 37.9% while at the same time there have been suggestions that Qantas will sell all or part of its 20% shareholding. Brierley sold a 7.5% parcel of shares in late 1992 but has now purchased 10 million overseas held shares at a cost of $NZ49.5m (approx $A39m) to boost its stake in the airline.

Qantas’ move to offload its interest in ANZ has not been officially confirmed, and although ANZ is making money, Qantas regards its interest as a non core asset. The purchase of ANZ shares was done mainly to keep British Airways out, but subsequent events (BA’s 25% stake in Qantas) have removed the need for that strategy.

Australia Air Fails To Raise Cash

It appears would-be international operator Australia Air International has failed to raise the capital required to commence operations. The airline has been trying to raise the necessary $A32m through a share float which was to have opened in May this year, but at the time of writing it appeared efforts had been unsuccessful and no prospectus had been lodged with the Australian Securities Commission.

The airline was awarded Australia’s only air rights to China by the International Air Services Commission (IASC) with operations originally scheduled to begin last March. This was not possible as the airline did not have its finances in place but a 90 day extension (to June) was granted. The IASC has already said there would be no further extension. The planned float was underwritten by Turnbull and Partners and County NatWest Securities. Assuming Australia Air International does not take off, it is likely that Qantas will bid for the route, having inexplicably failed to do so when the rights to fly to Beijing were first offered.

Airbus To Set Up Own Finance Company

Airbus has announced that it intends establishing its own finance and leasing company by the end of the year. The Airbus Finance Company (AFC) was announced by Charles Masefield, Senior Vice President – Head of the Commercial Directorate, at a recent press briefing in Toulouse. He noted that the new company would not repeat the failings of previous leasing companies in the past and only finance firm customer orders and that AFC will be set up to minimise any financial liability to Airbus. The Airbus Finance Company will operate financially independently of the parent company. It is intended as a new alternate finance source for Airbus customers, rather than a replacement for existing lessors.

Wrong Airline

We hope we didn’t confuse you when in our last issue Stop Press we inadvertently referred to Oxley Airlines when we naturally meant Monarch Airlines. Though the error was made only in the opening paragraph, and Monarch was correctly referred to from there on, we thought it only fair to what was Oxley that the situation be clarified.

Super Connie To Fly Soon

According to the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society, the first post restoration flight of the Super Constellation ‘Southern Preservation’ was imminent as we went to press. The Society had initially hoped for a first flight on May 15 but this was delayed due to difficulties in sourcing tyres. New tyres have now been delivered and the aircraft has performed undercarriage retraction tests, engine runs and taxi tests.

The aircraft had been moved from the Pima Air Museum to Davis Monthan Air Force Base from where it will make its first post restoration flight. This flight will be a short hop to Lockheed Aeromod at Tucson International Airport, where ‘Southern Preservation’ will be repainted in Qantas colours and fitted with wingtip tanks. Following this the Connie will complete about 20 hours of proving flights within the USA before ferrying to Australia in late August. This delivery flight will route through Honolulu/Kiribati/Suva/Brisbane to Sydney.

Airbus Settles On A3xx Design

Airbus Industrie has selected a double deck and single tail for its preferred Very Large Aircraft A3XX configuration. The new fuselage cross section would seat nine abreast in economy class in A320 style seats on the main deck and seven abreast on the upper deck. In a single class high density arrangement the A3XX could seat as many as 840 pax, but more typically in three classes between 530 to 570, depending on pitch and class arrangement, 30 to 40% greater than the Boeing 747-400.

The A3XX would have a maximum takeoff weight of 471 tonnes (over 1,000,000lb) and a maximum passenger range of 7400nm (13,710km). The design would also be easily stretched by 6.5m to seat 630 to 680 in three classes or 1000 in a single class SR configuration. The new design is being developed independently of Airbus and its partners’ participation in the Boeing led Very Large Commercial Transport (VLCT) programme (which is due to come to a decision in mid 1995) in case the VLCT partnership falls through. If Airbus proceeds with the A3XX predevelopment work would begin from late 1995, with an in service date of 2003.

Gapan Hosts Refresher Course

The Guild of Air Pilots & Navigators is to hold a one day aviation safety seminar on August 14. The seminar, which includes interesting speakers from Qantas, CAA, BASI and the commuter airlines, will be conducted at the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra. Lunch and refreshments are provided in the modest $25 fee. For further details contact Michael Mason.

Rockwell Wins Sydney Comm Upgrade

Rockwell Systems Australia has been awarded the contract to supply an upgraded air traffic control communications system at Sydney Airport. Rockwell’s new DSN-3000 digital switching network will be installed, a system which allows for the rapid interconnection of any number and combination of radios, telephones, intercoms and data terminal equipment with a simple, digitally controlled and touch screen activated operation. Up to 20 operators will have simultaneous access to the system. The DSN-3000 system was developed in Australia at Rockwell’s research and development section at Lilydale, Victoria. The system has already been exported to Indonesia and more overseas sales are anticipated.

Asian Discounts For Travel Industry

A special offer promoted by British Airways in June this year provided a very good deal for people in the travel industry. Part of BA’s ‘Discover Asia’ campaign, the deal allowed appropriate people to fly from Australia to Singapore with up to three friends or relatives for just $350 return. Other benefits included a 12% discount on accommodation. The deal ended June 30 and was used primarily to give local agents a better feel for the Asian market.

More From Singapore

Singapore Airlines will start three new Boeing 747-400 services between Sydney and Singapore from November, increasing capacity on the route by 42%. The new flights are in addition to the existing seven services and will depart Sydney on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday afternoons, allowing connections with the airline’s afternoon services from Singapore to other parts of Asia. The current flights leave Sydney in the afternoon and passengers going on from Singapore require a stopover.

Back To The Future

From Aviation Week magazine, proof there is still a place for old technology in some areas of modern aviation. On a recent fact finding tour of US air traffic control facilities, a Transportation Department official was dumbfounded to discover what he described as an “archaeological dig” of antiquated electronic equipment being used to control aircraft.

Controllers at the Los Angeles tower told the official they use its 1950s vintage airport radar occasionally, but only when absolutely necessary, otherwise the primitive vacuum tubes which make it work would only last about six months. The tubes are made in Britain and cost $US2000 each. Perhaps the most amazing find was a 1950s Univac computer with 272 kilobytes of memory still plodding away at Washington National Airport’s approach control facility. The official praised FAA personnel for their dedication in keeping this museum quality equipment operating, some of which dates back as far as the late 1940s.

Cathay Pilots Best Paid

Pilots flying for Cathay Pacific are the best paid in the world according to a recent survey of aircrew salaries. Senior captains with about 20 years’ experience are paid the equivalent of approximately $A420,000 per annum, and when housing, pension and other items are added, the yearly package comes up to about $A700,000. Hong Kong also has one of the lowest tax rates in the world.

Despite this, the airline has been involved in a lengthy pay dispute with its pilots, new ones joining the airline being subject to a so called ‘B scale’ which just about halves this. Cathay has been trying to cut its cockpit wage bill, and as about 100 pilots join the airline each year, a substantial saving is in the offing.