1.   Corti said the banks had stonewalled, preventing him from using funds to keep the carrier flying.

2.   Fear of kamikaze attacks had led Nimitz and Halsey to keep their carriers at sea until after the surrender.

3.   For six to eight months of the year, it also keeps a carrier in the Mediterranean.

4.   Keeping two carriers in the Gulf would maintain pressure on Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, who has resisted giving UN inspectors full access to suspected weapons sites.

5.   After the Qantas announcement, Air New Zealand said it had asked the Australian government to underwrite Ansett temporarily to enable it to keep the carrier flying.

6.   Airline representatives said they were not seeking a return to the days when European governments kept their carriers aloft with state funding.

7.   Spanish airports returned to normal Tuesday after management and unions at the cash-strapped Iberia airline thrashed out a preliminary agreement to keep the carrier flying.

8.   The capital infusion, however, will only keep the carrier in business for less than a year.