Thousands of visitors complained it swayed, and it was closed for more than 18 months for modifications costing £5m.
But converting to carbon dioxide-based climate control systems, which require high operating pressures, would entail hardware modifications costing around $130 per vehicle, according to Jürgen Resch, director of the watchdog group German Environmental Aid, based in Berlin.
Under the new rules, an extra $100 earned by the borrower at the time of modification costs her $31 a year for 24 years, which amounts to a total of about $390 in present value.
The modifications cost about $3,000 and were worth it, she said.
The latest version of the F-16, heavily laden with complex electronics and other expensive modifications, costs about $60 million, twice its original price - in today's dollars.
The modifications cost A$8.5 million, and included an overhaul of the hull and machinery, strengthening of the flight deck, improvements to the catapult and arrestor cables, modification of the aviation fuel systems and flight control arrangements, and upgrades of the navigational aids and radar.
Assistive devices and aids, home modifications, costs for healthcare services such as home-based nursing or nursing home placements were the major contributors to direct non-medical costs (table 3).
Mark Reuss, the president of G.M.'s North American operations, declined to say how much the modifications would cost.
General Motors declined to say how much the modifications would cost.
At the same time, the airports have no choice, and if past practice is any guide, they almost certainly will pass many of the modification costs on to the airlines in the form of higher landing fees.
A 1997 study by the F.A.A. estimated the modification costs for handling large planes at the 22 largest domestic airports at $3.8 billion, but that number largely reflects a few huge projects: new runways at San Francisco ($2.8 billion) and St . Louis($576 million), where the layout is too cramped to accommodate changes required for the new aircraft.
