World
Aviation in 2000
4 April
United States Department of Defence gives approval for
$3.1 billion of Engineering and Manufacturing Development
work on the RAH66 Comanche attack helicopter. The
helicopter is due to enter service with the United States
Army in 2006.
19 April
An Air Philippines Boeing 737-200 crashes on approach to
Davao International Airport, killing all 131 passengers
and crew.
30 April
Emirates Airlines announces that it will become the
launch customer for the A3XX 'double deck' airliner, with
an order for ten aircraft.
28 April
Lockheed Martin delivers the 4,000th F16 aircraft. The
F16C is delivered to the Egyptian Air Force as part of an
order of 21 machines.
16 May
Singapore Airlines announces it is 'in talks' with Airbus
with a view to purchasing up to sixteen A3XX aircraft.
June
Four MiG27 'Flogger' ground attack aircraft are delivered
to the Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) for use in the ongoing
conflict against the insurgent group the Tamil Tigers of
Tamil Elam (LTTE).
July
United Airlines buys its rival, United States Airways, in
a $11.6 billion deal. The deal strengthens the Star
alliance, a group of airlines that includes United and
Lufthansa, and puts pressure on British Airways to
consolidate its rival OneWorld grouping.
July
Negotiations are finalised by the Indian Navy for a
further six Tupolev Tu142M maritime surveillance aircraft
from Russia, costing approximately $200 million.
25 July
An Air France Concorde crashes onto a hotel shortly after
take-off from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, killing
114 people, including the crew and passengers of the
aircraft. It is the first crash involving Concorde. The
crash is later attributed to a debris from another
aircraft causing an explosive tyre puncture that ruptures
a fuel tank in the wing.
August
Airbus Industrie announces its reorganisation from a
consortium of companies to a single corporate entity
called the Airbus Integrated Company. The reorganisation
comes as a means to acquire sufficient funding for the
A3XX programme and the new company will formally exist
from 1 January 2001.
September
Syria test launches two Scud-D missiles. The missile has
a range of 700 kilometres (435 miles) and is similar to
the No Dong-1 developed by North Korea, which provided
technological assistance to Syria.
29 September
Singapore Airlines (SIA) announces an order worth $235
million, for ten 550-seat Airbus A3XX aircraft, with an
option for fifteen more.
October
A report from a Russian defence analyst announces that
the once feared Russian Air Force has been reduced in
size to such an extent that it would nno longer gain air
superiority over a force the size of Turkey's.
October
Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer invests $150
million to erect a new factory in São Paulo, to carry out
flight testing and final assembly of aircraft for defence
and corporate aviation markets.
October
A Gulf Air Airbus S320 crashes into the sea near Bahrain
whilst on a flight from the Egyptian capital, Cairo. The
crew had reportedly made two failed attempts to land at
Bahrain and crashed on the third attempt.
October
The United States Government Senate Commerce Committee
opposes a $11.6billion bid to buy the United States
Airways group, from the UAL Corporation, owner of United
Airways. The committee decides that the deal, which would
combine United States Airways and United Airlines, would
harm competition.
October
Lufthansa announces that it will place an order for ten
Airbus A3XX aircraft by the end of the year.
16 October
Routes between North America and Asia are approved by a
year long joint study conducted by Canadian and Russian
Federal Aviation Authorities. A flight between New York
and Hong Kong would save 5 hours flying across the North
Pole and cost $33,000 to run.
31 October
A Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-412 crashes on take-off
from Taipei Chiang Kai Shek airport, on a flight bound
for Los Angeles. 81 of the 159 passengers and 20 crew
lose their lives when the aircraft inadvertently attempts
to take off from a closed runway and collides with a
barrier
November
Coinciding with its 80th anniversary, Qantas announces an
order for twelve Airbus A3XX aircraft and six Airbus
A330-200 airliners. The order means Airbus has 44 of the
50 aircraft orders needed before it can commit to
production. Qantas is traditionally one of Boeings most
loyal customers.
6 December
The Australian Government announces major boosts in
funding for its armed forces. A 10 year programme to
boost spending on defence by 25% to $16 million will see
an increasing emphasis on peace-keeping operations such
as those recently conducted in East Timor.
11 December
A second fatal accident in the V22 Osprey Tiltrotor test
programme causes the United States Marine Corps (USMC)
fleet of MV22 aircraft to be grounded. The next day a
panel is appointed by the Defence Secretary to look at
the whole programme.
19 December
Airbus Industrie gives final approval to build the Airbus
A3XX, now renamed the A380. Customers placing orders for
the aircraft include Virgin Atlantic and Air France.
Talks with British Airways, Fedex and Cathay Pacific are
reported to be underway. |