Word: fleetly
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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Taking off from an air base five miles from the Taj Mahal at Agra, a fleet of Soviet-built Il-76 jet transports streaked southward across the subcontinent and then out over the Indian Ocean. When the planes landed four hours later on one of the 1,200 coral atolls that make up the Republic of Maldives, hundreds of elite Indian troops charged out onto the tarmac, rifles at the ready. But the mere sight of the Indian planes had struck panic among a band of mercenaries trying to bring off a coup d'etat against the government of President...
Recognizing the growing concern among passengers and Washington lawmakers, the aviation industry issued a report last week calling for a sweeping overhaul of its older planes. The $800 million renovation would help rejuvenate the 3,300-jet U.S. fleet, which averages 13 years of service per jetliner and is the oldest in the non-Communist world. The industry report, prepared by a task force of public and private experts, urged carriers to repair or replace critical parts on 1,300 vintage Boeing aircraft. The study, launched after a large section of fuselage ripped off an Aloha Airlines 737 last April...
While the latch problem may not have been directly related to the plane's age, newer aircraft generally need less maintenance than older jets. Most of the major carriers, especially the profitable ones, are upgrading their fleets as fast as the aircraftmakers can build them. United took delivery of 23 new Boeing 737-300s in the second half of 1988, thus lowering the average age of its 400-jet fleet from 14.9 years in July to 13.5 years as of Jan. 1. The American fleet, which averaged 10.8 years old last July, has been reduced to 9.4 years currently...
...purchase new jets. ! Instead, the airline is overhauling its 35 747s. But keeping older planes in good running order is also costly. Pan Am spends an average $815 in maintenance costs for every hour that a plane is carrying passengers, vs. $377 for Delta, which has a newer fleet and advanced maintenance equipment. Some experts and airline employees have contended that cash-strapped airlines will be tempted to skimp on maintenance. But when the FAA conducted an intensive probe of one such carrier, Eastern, no serious faults were found...
...contrast to the U.S. fleet, many foreign carriers are flying newer planes. Some airlines can well afford the investment because they can charge regulated airfares, as in Europe, or because their business has been booming, as in Asia. Lufthansa's fleet averages 7.7 years old, Swissair's 8.5 years, KLM's 8.4 years and Singapore's 4.5 years...