【宇航新闻】焦点：【航空新闻】“共同董事不同股東” ‧馬航昆達士商嶄新合併

teh_kevin

比较详细的A350XWB的新闻

EADS Gives Green Light For Airbus A350

December 1, 2006
Airbus parent EADS decided on Friday to go ahead with a new mid-sized airliner to compete with Boeing in their fight for market share and restore pride battered by delays to its A380 superjumbo.

The pan-European company said its board had agreed after months of uncertainty to build a re-engineered version of the A350, the "extra-wide-bodied" A350 XWB, after an earlier version proved unpopular in competition with Boeing's 787 Dreamliner.

The market for such 200-350-seat jets is estimated in the thousands, compared with 149 current net sales for Airbus's 555-seat A380 whose deliveries have been delayed for two years.

The gap highlights a sharp reversal in the USD$50 billion cut-throat airliner industry Airbus shares with Boeing.

"EADS has taken the right decision," French Transport Minister Dominique Perbent said in a statement. "The commercial success of European civil aviation depends on maintaining a full range of latest-generation aircraft... to meet very strong growth in traffic expected in coming years."

The go-ahead to build the plane is a victory for Airbus CEO Louis Gallois, who salvaged the project from management turmoil and collateral damage to Airbus finances from the A380 crisis.

EADS said the A350 would enter service in 2013 compared with 2008 for the 787, but promised it would be "a step ahead of its competitor."

The A350 XWB will be wider than a 787 though narrower than Boeing's current 777, another competitor.

EADS did not disclose the cost of the project, which industry analysts estimate at some EUR10 billion (USD$13 billion) compared with an original budget of just over EUR4 billion. Most of the cost will be met from cashflow, EADS said.

Both the cost and the way the project is funded are sensitive issues, given pressure from the United States over state aid and friction among shareholders including the French government, German car firm DaimlerChrysler and French media firm Lagardere.

The United States has complained to the World Trade Organization about the past use of state development loans and has said any launch aid for the A350 is "unacceptable."

The European Union is counter-suing the United States over defense contracts and tax breaks it regards as aid for Boeing.

The Financial Times reported that the financing package to be presented to the board included up to EUR4 billion in financing backed by France, Germany, Britain and Spain.

"We're seeking further information from the European Union. Obviously, the reports of EUR4 billion in state-guaranteed funds are not encouraging," US Trade Representative spokeswoman Gretchen Hamel said.

The earlier design for the A350 called for government loans of a little over EUR1 billion.

Anxious to spread the financing, EADS said the deal would bring new "risk-sharing partners" into Airbus, referring to deals that bring in outside investment in return for a share of the gains and in some cases a share of the workload and jobs.

Airbus has offered China a 5 percent share in the A350.

Airbus chief Louis Gallois said last week the planemaker would also outsource EUR1.8 billion euros worth of work previously done inside its factories to help cut cost.

"The A350 XWB is going to be financed predominantly from company cash flows, with strong contribution from the Power8 program and from risk sharing partners," EADS said.

Airbus is in the midst of a EUR2 billion restructuring plan called Power8 to help overcome cash shortages left by the delay in deliveries of the A380.

Finnair Welcomes Airbus A350 Decision

December 3, 2006
Finnish flag carrier Finnair said on Saturday it welcomed Airbus parent EADS' decision to go ahead with a re-engineered version of the A350 plane, after months of uncertainty.

Finnair has ordered nine A350 planes with options for four more originally for delivery between 2011 and 2013 to help expand long-haul traffic to Asia.

The pan-European EADS said late on Friday it had agreed to build the "extra-wide-bodied" A350 XWB, after an earlier version flopped in competition with Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, due in 2008.

"Our original contract is still in place," Finnair spokesman Taneli Hassinen said.

Airbus decided in July to scrap the first version of A350 it had launched in October 2005, as several would-be buyers demanded more advances over the current, 20-year-old A330 model.

Also, Airbus' difficulties with the development of its bigger A380 plane had cast doubts over the future of A350.

EADS said on Friday the A350 would enter service in 2013.

Airbus did not disclose the cost of the project, which industry analysts estimate at some EUR10 billion (USD$13.2 billion) compared with an original budget of just over EUR4 billion.

"We are in a favorable position in terms of price (of the A350) as we signed the contract before Airbus made the decision for a redesign," Hassinen said.

No Decision On Airbus A350 Funding

December 4, 2006
Airbus confirmed on Monday that its newly approved A350 XWB would be funded by a combination of internal and external market sources and did not rule out taking government development loans.

However, Airbus President and Chief Executive Louis Gallois told a news conference that no decision had been taken, or was imminent, on whether to approach European governments for loans for funding that the United States has attacked for being illegal subsidies.

Confirming the plane's total development cost of EUR10 billion (USD$13.32 billion), Gallois said parts of the project would be shared with outside risk-sharing partners.

"The financial resources must be sufficient and sustainable," Gallois said.

Gallois said that a capital increase was one of the options under discussion and he noted that the financial markets were interested in Airbus parent EADS but there was no big hurry.

Gallois is also co-chief executive at EADS.

Gallois renewed Airbus' criticism of Boeing on the grounds that it too receives hidden government subsidies.

"We are all aware in our hearts that the 787 is based on highly subsidized spending. There is government funding on both sides of the Atlantic. We are discussing with governments future R&D funding but other options are on the table."

"We have no imminent cash needs. We are only asking for a level playing field. No decision has been taken or is imminent."

Gallois said Italy's Finmeccanica could be involved in the production of the A350, if it wanted to, while another Airbus executive said that Chinese and Korean firms could also be involved.

Commercial director John Leahy said he expected some cancellations from one of the 10 airlines which had signed up for an earlier version of the A350.

Earlier on Monday, French Finance Minister Thierry Breton said France did not exclude participating in a capital increase at EADS as part of the financing for the A350 wide-body aircraft.

"The four governments concerned have announced that they would provide guarantees at similar conditions," he said in an interview with La Tribune newspaper published on Monday.

He said the financing for the A350 was not yet finished but half of the amount would come from cost savings and the other half from financing in which all concerned parties, including shareholders, would participate.

"In any case, we will play our role in line with our commitments. We will accompany this financing," he said, noting the peak of financing needs for EADS would be in 2009-2010.

In Germany, a government spokesman said talks over finding investors in EADS were not yet over but would continue.

DaimlerChrysler wants to reduce its 22.5 percent stake but the French and German governments want to maintain a balance between investors of the two countries. Lagardere is the French industrial investor.

Airbus parent EADS decided on Friday to go ahead with a new mid-sized airliner to strike back against Boeing in their dogfight for market share and restore pride damaged by delays to its A380 superjumbo.

The pan-European company said its board had agreed after months of uncertainty to build a re-engineered version of the A350, the "extra-wide-bodied" A350 XWB, after an earlier version flopped in competition with Boeing's 787.

Rolls-Royce To Power Airbus A350 XWB

December 4, 2006
British aero-engine maker Rolls-Royce said on Monday it had signed an agreement with Airbus to provide its next-generation Trent engine for all variants of the European planemaker's new A350 XWB plane.

Rolls-Royce said the contract followed a preliminary agreement announced at the Farnborough International Airshow in July. It did not give a value for the deal.

"The Trent XWB will offer a range of thrusts from 75,000lb to 95,000lb to power all versions of the A350 XWB which is due to enter service in 2013," Rolls-Royce said in a statement.

"The latest noise and emissions reduction technology will ensure that the engine meets all current and proposed environmental legislation with significant margins."

The A350 XB is Airbus's much-delayed attempt to catch up with US rival Boeing, whose own mid-size 787 "Dreamliner" project has been selling rapidly.

(Reuters)

Raptor2468

NASA says it will set up polar moon camp

By SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer
Mon Dec 4, 7:48 PM ET

WASHINGTON -        NASA may be going to the same old moon with a ship that looks a lot like a 1960s Apollo capsule, but the space agency said Monday that it's going to do something dramatically different this time: Stay there.

Unveiling the agency's bold plan for a return to the moon, NASA said it will establish an international base camp on one of the moon's poles, permanently staffing it by 2024, four years after astronauts land there.

It is a sweeping departure from the Apollo moon missions of the 1960s and represents a new phase of space exploration after space shuttles are retired in 2010.

NASA chose a "lunar outpost" over the short expeditions of the '60s. Apollo flights were all around the middle area of the moon, but NASA decided to go to the moon's poles because they are best for longer-term settlements. And this time NASA is welcoming other nations on its journey.

The more likely of the two lunar destinations is the moon's south pole because it's sunlit for three-quarters of the time. That offers a better locale for solar power, plus the site has possible resources to mine nearby, said associate deputy administrator Doug Cooke.

"This is not your father's Apollo," said John Logsdon, director of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University. "I think it's the only way to sustain something like this over decades. This is not a flag-and-footprints. This is the idea of starting an outward movement that includes long stays on the moon."

To get to the moon, NASA will use two vehicles — the Orion exploration vehicle and an attached all-purpose lunar lander that could touch down anywhere and be the beginnings a base camp, said exploration chief Scott Horowitz.

He likens the lander to a pickup truck.

"You can put whatever you want in the back. You can take it to wherever you want. So you can deliver cargo, crew, do it robotically, do it with humans on board. These are the types of things we're looking for in this system," Horowitz said at a news conference in Houston.

In 2004, the year after the shuttle Columbia accident that killed seven astronauts,        President Bush announced a plan to return astronauts to the moon by 2020, and a later mission to Mars. The 16-year-long venture to the moon will take twice as long as NASA's first trip there took in planning.

Last year, NASA said it would cost $104 billion just to get back to the moon for its first trip, but on Monday NASA officials declined to estimate the larger costs of a permanent lunar program. They just said it would stay within NASA's budget.

The estimated time frame for NASA's lunar plans are:

2009 — a first test of one of the lunar spaceships.

2014 — the first manned test flight of the Orion crew exploration vehicle, but no moon landing.

2020 — the first flight of the four-astronaut crew to the moon.

For four years, the lunar base won't be built up enough for long visits, so astronauts will only spend a week at a time. But after that, NASA envisions people living on the moon for six-month stints.

NASA also hopes that hydrogen, oxygen and other moon resources can be used as supplies for the lunar outpost. Eventually, getting oxygen there may be simple enough that it could be turned over to a commercial supplier, Horowitz said.

NASA's vision for the moon is more than just American astronauts — it includes space travelers from other countries and even commercial interests, if possible.

Having other countries sign onto the project would save NASA money, although the United States will design the moon vehicles, NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale said. And while NASA welcomed its current partners on the international space station — Russia, Europe and Japan — the agency was cagey about its most enigmatic space rival, China, which has made noises about going to the moon.

NASA Administrator Michael Griffin was dispatched to China earlier this year, but so far discussions with China are only about earth science and space junk, Dale said. She said including China in lunar plans is "not one of our charges."

The key decision for NASA in its planning was whether to have a permanent settlement, and that drove other decisions, Dale said. Going with a permanent base was an outcome of NASA asking itself and more than 1,000 experts from 14 nations the questions: "Why are we returning to the moon and what we plan to do when we get there?"

Two key themes, according to NASA, were to prepare for future exploration, with Mars the next stop, and expansion of human civilization. Both NASA's science and engineering communities agreed on a permanent outpost, an agreement rare for two conflicting sides of the agency, Horowitz said.

The lunar plan calls for a commitment of money over the next three presidential terms, raising questions about future funding. But University of Texas aerospace engineering professor Hans Mark, a former NASA deputy administrator, gives the new plan an 80 percent chance of getting the money to put people on the moon by 2020.

While a more permanent base on the moon makes sense, American University public policy professor Howard McCurdy, who has written several books about NASA, fears the space program may stop there and not continue with President Bush's plans to continue to Mars.

His concern is based on cost and technology, McCurdy said. NASA doesn't plan to get additional money for its lunar program and will simply use money that had gone to the space shuttle program; much of the technology is based on expensive Apollo hardware, he said. So NASA has vowed to be creative with spending and technology, he said.

"The tooth fairy is not going to drop $500 to $800 billion on NASA," McCurdy said. "Being creative on the moon can sometimes get you confined to the moon."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061205/ap_on_sc/nasa_moon

我现在除了能够幻想想太空旅行外，还可以幻想月球旅行了

pfg1group

http://www.bernama.com.my/aviati ... =235181&lang=en

Five New Airlines To Fly To KLIA Next Year
December 08, 2006 16:46 PM   


KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 8 (Bernama) -- Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) expects five new airlines to fly to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) next year, increasing passenger traffic by seven to eight percent to 25.5 million in 2007.

"Bangladesh's GMG Airlines is expected to fly to KLIA by mid-January next year," MAHB senior general manager (operations), Datuk Azmi Murad, said at a media briefing to announce the signing-on of GMG.

The privately-owned GMG's inaugural flight was scheduled for Jan 24, 2007, he said.

Meanwhile, GMG's director (commercial international operations), Virenda Nautiyal, said the airline would operate three flights weekly using the 153-seater MD82 aircraft.

"We hope to increase to seven flights a week by the first quarter of 2007.

"About 120,000 people travel the KL-Dhaka route per year," he said.

With the inclusion of GMG, the number of airlines operating to KLIA would rise to 48.

For 2006, the number of passengers using KLIA is estimated at 24.2 million compared with 23.3 million last year.

clic3

Picture: Airbus prepares to deliver 3,000th A320 family aircraft, with special commemorative livery prepared for Malaysia's Air Asia
By Justin Wastnage

Airbus is preparing to deliver from Toulouse the 3,000th example of its A320 single-aisle aircraft family.

The example, currently F-WWBC (set to become 9M-AFP) has been painted in a special commemorative livery for customer Malaysia-based low fares airline Air Asia (see picture below).

The wings for the 3,000th A320 left the Airbus UK site in Broughton on 8 November loaded onboard the A300-600ST Beluga, bound for the A320 final assembly line in Toulouse. The 3,000th Airbus single aisle aircraft is set to be delivered to Air Asia, in January next year.

Boeing hit the 5,000 mark for its rival narrowbody, the 737, in February and delivered the 2,000th aircraft from the 737-600/700/800/900 Next Generation family of aircraft in July.

Flight Global




坦白讲，这所谓的“Special Livery”实在太糟了。。。 好像Last-minute赶的功课。。。希望这不是Final的。。。

[ 本帖最后由 clic3 于 14-12-2006 01:38 PM 编辑 ]

cold_spoon

原帖由 blackbird 于 4-1-2007 10:31 AM 发表
不懂大家有留意到印度的廉价航空业发展很快， kingfisher!!!

印度将会是第二个中国，现在全世界的经济都在向亚洲看了。

原帖由 blackbird 于 5-1-2007 01:34 PM 发表


机票价钱是便宜但是加上所抽的税又不懂 多少了，

rm9.99应该只是不到10%，不然亚航亏大本了。而且相信亚航不会降落在LHR,应该会降落在比较偏僻的机场，到时候英国的交通费也是一笔。

pfg1group

http://www.mingpaonews.com/20070108/taa1.htm

明報專訊】英國布里斯托爾國際機場與10家航空公司出現罕見糾紛，引致航空交通大混亂。英航等航空公司不滿機場重鋪跑道後，未及鑿上防滑坑紋，加上近日陰雨綿綿，以致跑道非常濕滑，飛機屢遇煞掣困難、驚險頻生，故拒絕讓航班降落，逾萬乘客出遊計劃受阻。

香港前民航處長樂鞏南指出，航空公司因機場跑道太滑，停用有關機場的做法「相當罕見」，因此舉會令航空公司帶來嚴重損失。

重鋪跑道未鑿坑紋 雨天難降落

布里斯托爾機場最近斥資約2.6億港元維修跑道，惟航空公司憂慮，跑道尚未鑿上坑紋，影響飛機煞掣距離，令機師無把握在雨天降落。廉價航空公司Easyjet、英航的聯營航空BA Connect等10間航空公司，近日有大量航機都因雨天而取消使用該機場降落。

機場當局表示，原訂周日降落機場的航班中，43班如期降落，49班取消，75班改飛伯明翰及加的夫降落。原計劃於上周六降落該機場的航班中，28班取消、98班轉移到其他機場降落。事件導致大量乘客滯留外國和其他國內機場。英航表示，他們不會在雨天使用該機場升降。

萬計乘客受影響 交通大亂

布里斯托爾機場最主要客戶、Easyjet航空上周五取消全部68班在該機場降落的航班。至周六，該航空公司76航班改用加的夫機場，其餘全部航班取消，受影響乘客多達1萬。

Easyjet發言人說：「最近兩周，各航空公司有4架客機的煞掣時間超出可接受範圍。當跑道濕滑，其安全情?令人關注。航機安全是最重要的，我們正與機場商討對策。」Easyjet現將布里斯托爾機場的六成航班，轉移至加的夫，但因乘客先要在布里斯托斯登記，航班平均延誤3小時。千計乘客周六要在雨中排隊輪候專車，接送他們到其他機場。

機場營運總監斯基普向「千計外遊計劃受阻的乘客衷心致歉」，並表明會盡快給跑道鑿上坑紋，讓航空公司最快可於本周如常在機場降落，又堅稱機場過往民航紀錄良好。但據Easyjet的資料顯示，一架Excel客機上周四晚曾滑出跑道；上月底，至少亦有兩架客機滑出跑道，後者更剷上草坪。有機師在網上討論區批評：「跑道中間位置濕滑，降落數次仍未有鑿上坑紋。當局必須在出事前妥善處理。」

英國廣播公司/觀察家報/泰晤士報

-------------------------------------------------------------------
「飛機終能停下 乘客齊鼓掌」

【明報專訊】戴維憶述周三從西班牙加那利群島乘搭客機到英國，降落布里斯托爾國際機場時的險狀。她指客機在跑道上左搖右晃，人人提心吊膽。「女兒緊捉?我手臂，坐在後面的外甥亦很害怕。其他人沒有尖叫，但你從四周的人臉上的表情，可以知道他們非常震驚。在飛機終於停下時，人們都不約而同鼓起掌來。」

許多乘客滯留布里斯托爾國際機場，要??修改行程。英國廉價航空Easyjet的乘客在雨中等候接駁巴士，載他們到其他機場，他們形容情?「混亂」及「令人震驚」。24歲的帕爾默與29歲男友斯坦莫爾準備飛到巴塞隆那，慶祝斯坦莫爾30歲生日，惟兩人遲遲未能出發。帕爾默說：「最惱人的是我們知道得很少。許多人要靠電台廣播，或從打電話來的朋友口中得到消息。」

斯坦莫爾說：「安全第一，我明白，但其實今天只是下毛毛雨罷了。」

英國廣播公司


-------------------------------------------------------------------

港專家：跑道過滑 飛機須減磅?陸

【明報專訊】香港前民航處長樂鞏南估計，布里斯托爾機場跑道被指過滑，可能由於防滑坑紋未完全切割、飛機偈油滴落坑紋，或飛機車轆的塑膠在跑道?陸點溶化所致。

對於跑道未有坑紋卻要在雨天運作，樂鞏南指出，一般機場通常會在旱季重鋪跑道，工程期間跑道會在沒坑紋的情?下繼續升降。鑿坑工程要在跑道重鋪後1至兩個月，待跑道完全硬化才能進行。

他解釋，一般機場每隔10年重鋪跑道，昔日啟德機場跑道因洏帣v高，每8年就要重鋪一次，但啟德當年未嘗因跑道坑紋未完成而停飛。他指出，若沒有下雨，跑道沒坑紋也不會出問題。在下雨的時候，機場會不停測量跑道的摩擦系數，並通知機師。若發現跑道過滑，機師需盡量減低飛機重量，例如將汽油用至最低限度的水平，為飛機減磅進行慢?陸。但有關情?不會對小型飛機構成威脅。

他指出，飛機降落留下的偈油或溶掉的膠都會令跑道變滑，因此一般機場每周均要清洗跑道。

明報記者

pfg1group

http://news.bbc.co.uk/chinese/si ... 6199700/6199707.stm

由于浓雾的关系，英国航空公司(BA)取消从伦敦希斯罗（Heathrow）机场飞出的所有国内航班，许多前往欧洲大陆的航班也受到影响。

周四（21日），从希思罗机场起飞的350班航机取消。当局劝谕准备乘搭国内航班的乘客不要到机场去。

所有从考文垂(Coventry)出发的航班及部分从卡迪夫(Cardiff)起飞的航班已经取消。

考文垂机场的旅客将由公车送往伯明翰，目前伯明翰的航空交通运作正常。

       
英航(BA)取消国内航班
英航乘客可致电0800 727 800，查询自己的航班是否受到影响。
同时，从曼彻斯特机场起飞的航班据报有17班被取消。

英航表示，由于能见度低因此航空控制塔需要限制航班升降。

英航说，前往巴黎与布鲁塞尔的多个航班将会受到影响。

英国机场管理局(BAA)指出，周三（19日）总共有223班航机被取消。

英航从苏格兰起飞的航班已经取消。运输大臣说，目前正想办法把乘客送回家过圣诞节。

BBC的气象中心预测，浓雾天气周五（21日）还是会持续。

《每日邮报》周四在头版发出警告说，圣诞节临近，外出的人潮将受到大雾影响，飞机航班被取消，路面交通阻塞，火车拥挤不堪，圣诞佳节可能会演变成一场大混乱。

clic3

3 budget airlines to form alliance

POSTED: 0356 GMT (1156 HKT), December 31, 2006

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- Three of the world's best-known budget airlines, including Richard Branson's Virgin, will form a Malaysia-based alliance to fly long-distance routes for cut-rate fares, a news report said Monday.

Branson is in discussions with AirAsia's Tony Fernandes and EasyJet's Stelios Haji-Ioannou, a Greek-British tycoon, to form what will be the world's first low-cost global network, The Star newspaper reported.

It quoted unidentified industry sources as saying that the new joint venture will first fly between Kuala Lumpur and Manchester in Britain and Amritsar in India.

Later plans are for flights to Hangzhou near Shanghai, China and Tianjin near Beijing. AirAsia spokespeople were not immediately available for comment because of a public holiday in Malaysia.

The Star, however, quoted Fernandes as saying that AirAsia, Asia's most profitable and largest no-frills carrier, is currently focused on short-haul services "where we have much work to do."

Asked specifically if a long-haul model is being contemplated, he told The Star: "Let's wait and see."

The newspaper quoted a source familiar with the discussions as saying that fares on the long-haul network will be as low as $27 for destinations in China. Fares to Britain will be between $83 and $695, about half the price of a ticket on a regular airline.

The Star quoted industry sources as saying that the alliance -- if it decides to fly to London as well -- could also use the Luton airport as a hub because Virgin already operates a rail link from there to central London.

It said that the alliance will give Virgin and EasyJet access to Kuala Lumpur's low-cost airport terminal, the gateway to a dream Asian hub for their Europe to Australia routes.

AirAsia, which started in 2001 with two planes, now has a fleet of 50 aircraft and flies to destinations in Southeast Asia and China. Virgin Atlantic's network covers the United States, Hong Kong, South Africa, the Caribbean and Australia.

EasyJet, which started in 1995, was one of the first low-cost carriers in the world to sell tickets on the Internet. It flies 224 routes between 67 key European airports including Britain.

It's owner Haji-Ioannou also owns budget cruise ships, hotels and car rental firms.

消息来源：CNN

clic3

印尼亚当航空公司737坠毁，90人罹难。

Survivors found after Indonesian jet crash kills 90

Rescue workers have found 90 bodies and the twisted wreckage of a plane carrying 102 people which crashed into a remote Indonesian mountain, and said the other 12 may have survived.
The Adam Air plane with 96 passengers, including three Americans, and six crew on board slammed into a mountain on the west of the island of Sulawesi after vanishing off air traffic control radar screens on Monday.
The Boeing 737-400 had sent distress signals an hour after taking off from Java island en route to Sulawesi, and an official said it had been flying too low.
It was the second transport disaster in Indonesia withina few days. Late Friday a ferry carrying 600 people sank off Java in an accident blamed on bad weather.

National Search and Rescue Board spokesman Suyatno said none of the bodies from the plane crash had been evacuated yet, the official Antara news agency reported.

He said rescue workers were still searching the region for the 12 people villagers reported had survived.

"We cannot say whether they are safe or killed. We are still looking for them," he said.

The wreckage was discovered on a mountain side in West Sulawesi at a height of 8,000 feet (2,600 metres), national transportation safety commission chief Setio Rahardjo said in Jakarta.

"The question is why was the plane flying at 8,000 feet -- that is what we are trying to find out. The plane was supposed to be flying at 32,000 feet," Setio said, according to the detikcom online news service.

Sulawesi is mostly mountainous rainforest with peaks up to 3,450 metres and several active volcanoes.

Rescue teams helped by local people found the wreckage about 90 kilometres (55 miles) from Polewali town, Antara said.

Suyatno said the bodies would be evacuated by helicopter and flown some 200 kilometres south to Makassar airport, capital of South Sulawesi.

"The search and rescue teams are already on their way there to save the victims. So far we've received information that some 90 people have died," Polewali police chief Andry told ElShinta radio earlier.

It was not known what condition the reported survivors were in.

"The mountainous terrain makes communications quite difficult," Andry said. "We can only use two-wheeled vehicles and it's impossible to use cars and other four-wheeled vehicles because of the dangerous terrain."

The jet was carrying 85 adult passengers, 11 children including four babies, and six crew when it crashed. Three Americans were among the passengers.

"There are three foreign citizens, all American from one family," Adam Air spokesman Ali told AFP, naming them as Scott Jackson and daughters Stephanie and Lindsay.

It was not immediately clear if they were among the survivors.

The Adam Air plane took off Monday at 12:59 pm (0559 GMT) from Surabaya on Java bound for Manado in northeast Sulawesi, but sent distress signals and went off radar screens just over an hour later about halfway through the flight.

The Surabaya airport duty manager has said there were no technical problems with the plane when it took off.

It was not yet known what caused the crash but the area has been hit by bad weather, with high winds since last weekend.

Aircraft accidents are not uncommon in Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation stretching over 5,000 kilometres (3,100 miles).

Public and private Indonesian airlines have been repeatedly criticised over their poor safety records, repeated delays and bad management.

Privately owned Adam Air began operations in 2003 and serves mainly domestic routes. Singapore and Malaysia's Penang are its only international destinations.

The company is a leading low-cost carrier in the competitive Indonesian market, marketing itself as a "boutique airline" placed between traditional budget firms and regular airlines.

The airline has said it expects to handle 11 million passengers in 2007, up from an estimated seven million in 2006.

消息来源：新海峡时报

Lowe

如果没错， AdamAir 好像是才刚开始的航空个公司。
上次有看过他们出现在国际新闻的采访报导。。。



Lowe

blackbird

Aircraft accidents are not uncommon in Indonesia

唉~~~
非洲也一样，飞机年龄普篇高很多而且又是二手的，钱的问题吧！！

clic3

天哪。。。我们都被那些饭桶官员耍了。。。那架亚当航空公司的737原来还没找到

印尼官员：失踪飞机仍然下落不明

Missing airliner not located: Indonesian officials

By Ahmad Pathoni

MAKASSAR, Indonesia (Reuters) - The fate of an Indonesian airliner missing with 102 people on board remained in doubt late on Tuesday after senior officials apologized for erroneously stating that its wreckage had been found.

Officials had earlier said what was left of the plane, a Boeing 737-400 operated by budget carrier Adam Air, had been located in the mountains of Sulawesi island where it had crashed in heavy rain. Reports said 12 people had survived the crash.

"The location has not been found. We apologize that the news that we conveyed was not true," First Air Marshal Eddy Suyanto, commander of Hasanuddin air base in Makassar, told reporters.

"It's not true that the crash location has been found," Transport Minister Hatta Radjasa told the same news conference, held less than an hour after another in which he had talked about difficulties in reaching what was thought to be the site.

"We found nothing when we arrived at the location," Suyanto added.

The plane lost contact with the ground on Monday about an hour before it was due to land in Manado in North Sulawesi, the transport ministry said.

The plane was carrying 96 passengers and six crew. A copy of its manifest showed three passengers as non-Indonesians. The United States embassy in Jakarta said they were Americans.

The plane went missing just two days after a ferry carrying more than 600 people sank in bad weather off the main island of Java. At least 200 were saved and rescuers were still finding survivors on Tuesday, but some 400 were still unaccounted for.

CONFUSION

Suyanto had earlier told Radio Elshinta an air force plane had spotted the wreckage of the Boeing, and a spokesman for Adam Air said 12 people had survived and would be evacuated.

In another twist, transport minister Radjasa had already cast doubt on the survivors' report, saying it was based on comments from villagers and could not be confirmed.

Relatives of passengers anxiously awaiting news in Makassar reacted to the new developments with shock and dismay.

"It was said that the search and rescue team had seen the aircraft. We are confused whom we should trust," Toni Toliu, 48, from Manado told Reuters. His sister and her two children were on the plane.

Sopiana de Fretes, 49, related to an army official on the plane, said: "Since I got here, the news has been conflicting. It's like we don't get the news that we are supposed to get."

Officials said the search would now continue at other sites, concentrating in areas of western Sulawesi from where distress signals had been picked up on Monday before contact with the plane was lost.   

Searchers face bad weather conditions and rough, jungle terrain.

A spokesman for Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had issued a statement in Jakarta, shortly before news broke that the plane had not been found, saying the president wanted a full investigation into what went wrong.

"The president orders the transportation minister to evaluate and investigate this accident. The president also asked for an evaluation and investigation on the airworthiness of the plane and standard procedure on airplane operations," the statement said.

Thus far transport officials have insisted the Boeing was airworthy and had no record of trouble.

The transport ministry said it had last evaluated the plane in December 2005, when it had passed all service checks. The 17-year-old aircraft was due to be checked again in late January.

The Boeing had 45,371 flying hours and, according to Adam Air, was powered by General Electric CFM56-3C1 engines.

Air travel in Indonesia, home to 220 million people, has grown substantially since the liberalization of the airline industry after the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s, which enabled privately owned budget airlines to operate.

Adam Air was established in 2002 by Agung Laksono, speaker of Indonesia's parliament and chairman of the company, and Sandra Ang. It began operations on December 19, 2003.

(With additional reporting by Muklis Ali, Achmad Sukarsono, Mita Valina Liem and Muara Makarim in JAKARTA)

REUTERS

ellist

看看这篇文章，里面讲述了adamair内部的种种问题
其中一项尽然说adamair的全部B732没有气象雷达
然后就是飞机有问题，机师拒飞尽被公司抄魷鱼
过后就是飞机机轮油压出问题，无法转弯，被逼用人力来退飞机！严重炸到连渣都没剩。。
还有很多劲爆料，你们自己去看看

PS:出事的飞机是前马航的飞机

clic3

AirAsia to order more Airbus A320s-WSJ

NEW YORK, Jan 3 (Reuters) - Malaysian airline AirAsia Bhd (AIRA.KL: Quote, Profile , Research) is set to to order 100 Airbus jetliners, increasing its existing order for single-aisle A320s, as it looks to expand its service in Southeast Asia, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing a person it said had knowledge of the decision.

The order would be worth $6.7 billion based on list prices, the Journal said. It would mark a huge win for Airbus, majority-owned by European aerospace group EADS (EAD.PA: Quote, Profile , Research), against U.S. rival Boeing Co. (BA.N: Quote, Profile , Research). The low-cost carrier expects to take delivery of the new planes starting in 2012, the Journal said.

Earlier this year, AirAsia ordered 40 A320s and took options to buy an additional 30. An Airbus spokesman declined to comment on the report. A call to AirAsia was not immediately returned.

REUTERS

话说回来亚航也真是扩展得太快了吧。。。

blackbird

原帖由 clic3 于 4-1-2007 08:09 AM 发表
AirAsia to order more Airbus A320s-WSJ

NEW YORK, Jan 3 (Reuters) - Malaysian airline AirAsia Bhd (AIRA.KL:Quote, Profile , Research) is set to to order 100 Airbus jetliners,increasing its ex ...

这不是已经蛮旧的事吗？
亚航野心不小啊！而且常在放话政府要公平哦~~

blackbird

Indian carrier buys 10 Boeing 787s                        India's Jet Airways has signed an agreement to buy 10 Boeing 787-8 jetliners. The order is worth $1.5 billion based on list prices.

Source: AIA　News

blackbird

不懂大家有留意到印度的廉价航空业发展很快， kingfisher!!!

clic3

原帖由 blackbird 于 4-1-2007 10:31 AM 发表
不懂大家有留意到印度的廉价航空业发展很快， kingfisher!!!

Kingfisher还订购了空巴380。。。 印度的市场已经快要饱和了吧。。。

blackbird

原帖由 clic3 于 4-1-2007 10:49 AM 发表


Kingfisher还订购了空巴380。。。 印度的市场已经快要饱和了吧。。。

饱和？其实大家都只是留意中国的发展，印度的市场也是很大不然买酱多飞机不就亏钱咯！
印度的发展不比中国差，它的人口也是很大，发展机会多得很！

clic3

我想之前说星期五会有主要消息就是这个吧。

AirAsia X London flights from RM9.99

KUALA LUMPUR: Fly Asian Express (FAX) will fly its long-haul operations using the brand Air Asia X, under franchise from AirAsia, starting July.

The flights will have two classes - super economy and economy. In-flight entertainment and food will be available for purchase onboard.

Fares to London will start as low as RM9.99, excluding tax and surcharges.

FAX has been given rights to operate long-haul flights to destinations in Asia, Australia and Europe.

AirAsia CEO Datuk Tony Fernandes has a 50% stake in FAX. The other two FAX shareholders are AirAsia deputy chief executive Kamarudin Meranum (30%) and former AirAsia chief financial officer Raja Azmi Raja Razali (20%), who is also FAX CEO.

星报