Commercial Aircraft Sales

Taiwan/Bae Rj Linked Again?:

The long running, on again/off againand so far unconsummated plannedjoint venture between Taiwan Aerospace Corporation (TAC) and BritishAerospace with the 146/RJ series of regional jets could be resurrected. The reopening of negotiations at some time in the short to medium term has been confirmed by PAC, although these probably won’t take place until a government report on the future ofTaiwan’s aerospace industry has been completed. The previous talks broke down late last year amid a morass of unresolved financial, technological and political issues.

Trees Pay For Planes:

Ongoing development of the new Indonesian IPTN N-250 regional turboprop isbeing paid for by the diversion of$US185m from the country’s reforestation budget. The funds come from interest earned on money originally set aside for replanting the country’s rainforests. Development of the N-250 is being funded entirely by the Indonesian government and a 1993 estimate put the cost at $US560m. The first N-250 will be rolled out in November this year and first flight is scheduled for April 1996. The Indonesian research and technology minister, Dr Bacharrudin Habibie, is also IPTN’s chairman and both he and the company have been criticised by the World Bank for the amount of funding being poured into IPTN. This latest move is almost certainly going to raise more questions about the project. AA Comment: We would have thought that there would have been a better financial return on growing rainforest trees than building airframes!

Stretched Dornier Dropped:

Deutsche Aerospace (DASA) hasdropped plans to market a stretchedversion of its 33 passenger Dornier 328regional turboprop. The planned 50 seater has been abandoned following studies which reveal the existing size is best suited for the potentially lucrative North American market. A stretched version would also be a direct competitor to the established Fokker 50, itself now a part of the DASA stable. A new version of the current aircraft is under development, however. The 328-200 will offer improved airfield performance and is scheduled to fly in mid 1995. The 328 entered service last year and sales have been sluggish in a very competitive market with 44 firm orders received so far. The breakeven point is calculated at 150 aircraft.

Aerospatiale Looks East:

In an attempt to counter US influencein the Asian region, France’s Aerospatiale has approached companies inChina and South Korea with a view tobecoming involved in a 100 seat regional jet project. Agreement on the development of the airliner has already been reached between Aviation Industries of China and Korea’s Samsung Industries but they have been looking for a third partner to share in the estimated $US9bn development cost. Aerospatiale wants to strengthen its position in Asia, spurred on by recent initiatives by Boeing and McDonnell Douglas. Boeing has been talking to Chinese and Japanese industry about apossible 90 seat airliner project, while McDonnell Douglas is looking to expand on its relationship with China which has seen MD-80s built in that country. Analysts predict a world market for 3000 70-120 seat jetliners over the next 20 years, of which about 600 are expected to be sold in the booming Asia Pacific region.

Airbus Optimistic:

In thesetough times it’s nice to report on someoptimism within our industry, and Airbus has done just that, seeing signs ofimprovement in the airliner marketand predicting that annual orders willsoon begin to rise from the depths of1993. Airbus says that net orders for all manufacturers will increase from the low point of less than 100 last year to about 800 in 1998. Airlines will need new aircraft not just to accommodate the predicted 5% annual traffic growth over the next four years but also to replace older and less efficient aircraft now in service which will become increasingly expensive to maintain or be forced out of service by anti noise legislation. Airbus therefore expects that over the next 20 years over half the aircraft delivered – forecast at more than 10,000 – will be for fleet renewal rather than growth. Until now, about 85% of new jetliners have been purchased to provide additional capacity but the future will see more being ordered as replacements. By the end of 1996 a third of the world jet airliner fleet will be over 15 years old and nearly 1000 of these will be 25 or more.

Stamp Of Approval:

No doubtmany of our readers are also avidstamp collectors, a hobby that can alsoprove quite profitable. If so, you will be interested in the latest set of stamps on offer from Australia Post depicting four major aviation feats of the past. The series includes Lawrence Hargrave, Sir Ross & Keith Smith, Stanley Goble and Ivor McIntyre, the first men to fly around Australia and Freda Thompson, first Australian woman to fly solo from England to Australia. Australia Post has won international awards for its excellent stamp designs over the years. For more information on this latest aeronautical series contact 008 33 1794.

Bae 146 Leases On The Up:

British Aerospace’s aircraft sales and leasing division, Asset Management Organisation, announced new or extended leases for 16 BAe 146 regional jets in late July. The main customer is National Jet Systems of Adelaide, which has entered into new or extended leases on 10 aircraft. Eight will be used to expand regional passenger operations for Qantas subsidiary Australian Airlink, while two are extended leases on aAustralia’s Super Constellation should have made its first post restoration flight by the time these words are read. This recent picture of the Connie shows it prior to the fitting of the wingtip tanks, but after removal of the white protective “Spraylat” film from wing and tail leading edges and the nose. An update on the Constellation restoration programme appears in this month’s Traffic column, which begins on page 62. pair of 146QT freighters. After these deliveries National Jets’ 146 fleet will comprise three 146-l00s, three 146- 200s, two 146-300s, one 146-200QT and one 146-300QT. Other new leases put in place are two 146-200s for Sweden’s Malmo Aviation (bringing its fleet to seven), one 146-300 for Crossair of Switzerland (plus extension of leases on two more) and the extension of a lease on a 146 freighter by Johannesburg based Safair.

Centrespread

The famous B-29 lives on. Airbus’ fleet of four Aero Spacelines Super Guppy oversize transports have a direct lineage that traces back to the mighty Boeing 8- 29 Superfortress of WW2. The Super Guppy is based on Boeing’s Model 377, better known in military service as the C-97, which used the wings of the B-29 with a significantly larger double deck fuselage. The ensuing Guppy and Super Guppy took the design one step further with a radically larger fuselage designed to carry oversize cargoes which take up volume rather than weight. The Super Guppy also replaced the original Pratt & Whitney piston radial engines with Allison turboprops. While it is perhaps ironic that Alrbus operates aircraft of Boeing origin, Airbus has hopes of selling its own oversize transport, the A300·600ST Super Transporter to Boeing. Airbus is developing the A300-600ST to replace the ageing Super Guppy fleet, and hopes to sell a small number to Boeing for use in a similar role – ferrying airframe components between manufacturing plants in the USA.

Breath Of Fresh Air:

A studyin the American magazine ConsumerReport says that despite their overallefficiency, newer airliners may makebreathing more difficult for passengers. The problem seems to stem from the fact that in older airliners, 100% fresh air was cycled through the cabin but on the newer models it’s a combination of fresh and recirculated air. The use of recirculated air saves fuel, but means that on 25% of US commercial flights, carbon dioxide levels were found to be higher than the 1000 partsper million ‘comfort threshold’ set by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers. Those with allergies and other respiratory problems suffer most. The magazine lists the Boeing 757 (which recirculates nearly half its ventilating air) as having some of the highest carbon dioxide levels, while the 7 47-400 is at the other end of the scale with a good level of fresh air.

Bagtag Export Success:

Australian company Intag International has scored a major export success with the announcement it hasreceived an order from Deutsche Aerospace (DASA) for its BagTag electronicairline passenger baggage identification system. DASA intends establishing a demonstration facility at a major UK airport to display the system to the world. DASA has acquired a licence to manufacture, market and sell the BagTag system to the world airline industry. Intag will produce and supply the ‘smart’ electronic labels which are integral to the system. The system uses disposable electronic labels which cost less than a dollar each. These are fixed to baggage and communicate with ‘intelligent’ readers at airports. The result is a major step in the eventual full automation of sorting, tracking and tracing passenger baggage and freight for the world’s airlines and cargo terminals. Apart from the efficiency this will impart, it also means greater security for operators and travellers.