The deal gives the group its first customer in the lucrative American market for the disputed long-haul jet program.

The plane touched down on a runway that was lengthened in September to accommodate long-haul jets from Europe.

Air Lanka provides generally good quality on well-maintained aircraft, including new Airbus 340 long-haul jets.

American and United put most of their efforts into their premium seats, in business and first class, especially for long-haul jets on lucrative international routes.

He confirmed Airbus would outsource more than half the production of its new A350 long-haul jet to low-cost countries and could move even more.

The same month, the airline placed an order for up to four Vickers VC10 long-haul jets costing £2.8 million apiece.

In contrast, the Concorde used about twice as much fuel per passenger as the long-haul jet it was built to compete with, the Boeing 747.

Last year British Airways completed replacing the usual 18 first-class seats in its long-haul jets with a dozen semi-private "pods."

He said that planes on the New York-London route would be converted first, followed by the rest of its Boeing 747 and 777 long-haul jets.

The company has been outpacing its rival Airbus in selling wide-body and other long-haul jets, including the 787, which is scheduled for initial deliveries next year.

Laker also placed an order for Vickers VC10 series 1103 long-haul jets on behalf of British United.

Last year, Virgin Atlantic wired up four long-haul jets for e-mail-only service through Tenzing Communications, with plans to expand it to its entire fleet.

The McDonnell Douglas Corporation is considering building a 400-seat long-haul jet to compete with the Boeing 747, The Financial Times reported in today's issue.

Because international routes are increasingly fragmenting away from major hubs, airlines have been making greater use of smaller long-haul jets, such as the Boeing 767, which seats as many as 250 passengers.

It is graduating two classes of a dozen or so flight attendants, including some Americans, every six weeks, and plans to put a new wide-body, long-haul jet into service nearly every month this year.

Due to Congonhas' short runways, unable to accommodate most long-haul jets, intercontinental flights required changing planes at Rio de Janeiro-Galeão or were operated at Viracopos airport.

The early 1970s saw the acquisition of a pair of Boeing 707 long-haul jets for use on affinity group and Advance Booking Charter flights to Canada and the United States.

Lloyd's new long-haul jet operated affinity group flights across the North Atlantic to the United States and Canada as well as passenger and freight charters to the Far East.

The state airline cited its order for 45 Standard and Super VC10 long-haul jets and an earlier ministerial promise not to permit another British competitor on this route in support of its appeal.

Not confining pyrotechnics to his mountainside home, the irascible journalist is rallying Aspenites to vote on Tuesday against a proposal to widen and strengthen this remote resort town's airport runway to accommodate long-haul jets.

Finmeccanica, the Italian aerospace and defence group, is in talks with its European rival EADS about building part of the composite airframe for the new Airbus A350 long-haul jet, executives have revealed.

The airline is outfitting 45 of its Boeing 747 and 777 long-haul jets with the sleepers, and Mr. Boyd said that within 12 months all North American flights are scheduled to feature the new accommodations.

An unsuccessful bid for transatlantic scheduled traffic rights in 1967-68 was followed by the airline's resumption of long-haul jet operations to the Caribbean on a charter basis in February 1968, the highlight of its 20th year of existence.

At the Munich airport, the chefs are taken to Lufthansa's catering facilities where their next challenge is to create the ultimate first class meal for passengers, to be finished and presented to the first class cabin of a long-haul jet.

This scenario undermined the board's case for additional shareholder funds to finance the purchase of new long-haul jet equipment to replace the remaining Britannias and caused growing anxiety among shareholders, who threatened to withdraw their support unless there was a marked improvement in the airline's long-term prospects.