Friday, July 06, 2012
AviTrader Daily Aviation News Alert
This is an overview of all articles linked within the selected daily newsletter.
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Rolls-Royce wins order from CIT to power 23 aircraft
May 22, 2013
Rolls-Royce has won an order from US leasing company CIT Aerospace for Trent XWB engines, to power ten Airbus A350 XWB aircraft and Trent 700 engines to power 13 Airbus A330 aircraft. The Trent XWB engines will power ten CIT A350 aircraft that were announced in January 2013 which were in addition to five A350 XWB aircraft already on order. The Trent XWB, specifically designed for the Airbus A350, is the fastest selling Trent engine ever, with more than 1,200 already sold. The engine variant that will power the A350-800 and -900 was awarded European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) type certification in February. The engine will power the first flight of the Airbus A350 XWB this year and the aircraft’s first in-service flight in 2014.
Direct Maintenance receives EASA Part 145 approval for A380
July 4, 2012
Direct Maintenance received EASA Part-145 approval to perform A380 line maintenance, issued by the Civil Aviation Authority of The Netherlands (ILT). The extension of the Direct Maintenance EASA Part-145 scope of work with the A380, brings the total number of aircraft-engine combinations the company is approved on to 40. Launch customer for Direct Maintenance in this project is Emirates, who will perform its inaugural A380 flight into Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport (AMS) on 1st of August 2012, the first commercial flight into The Netherlands of an A380.
Delta reports operating performance for June
July 4, 2012
Delta released that June consolidated traffic increased 0,4% year over year while capacity decreased 1.7%. The load factor was 88.1%, up 1.8 points year over year.
Virgin America reports first quarter 2012 operating loss of $49m
July 4, 2012
Virgin America reported its financial results for the first quarter of 2012. With overall fuel costs higher by 47% year-over-year, the financial pressure of the airline’s industry-leading capacity growth and a revenue shortfall associated with the carrier’s transition to a new reservations system, Virgin America reported a first quarter operating loss of $49 million on revenues of $267 million. Top line growth continued to outpace the expanding airline’s capacity growth. Year-over-year, total revenue grew by 33% for the first quarter on a 29% increase in Available Seat Miles (ASMs). The airline ended the quarter with $111m in unrestricted cash.
Bombardier Business Aircraft appoints new Sales Director for Brazil
July 4, 2012
Bombardier Aerospace has appointed Fernando Lacerda Da Silva as Sales Director of New Aircraft responsible for Brazil. Fernando joins Bombardier with a 25-year sales career that includes 12 years of Latin American business aircraft sales experience, as well as previous sales successes with Bombardier jets in Brazil.
Michael Colberg appointed new COO of Premium AEROTEC
July 4, 2012
As the new Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Premium AEROTEC, Michael Colberg will in future be responsible for the aviation supplier’s entire production. His new role also makes him a member of the Premium AEROTEC Board of Management. Colberg is currently Production Director at Daimler AG in Düsseldorf and will assume his new position as of 1 October 2012. Michael Colberg will take overall charge of Premium AEROTEC’s manufacturing organisation at the German sites in Augsburg, Nordenham, Bremen and Varel and in Brasov, Romania.
Volvo Aero passes important milestone with delivery for new engine type
July 4, 2012
Volvo Aero has delivered its first components for the new PurePower PW1100G-JM engine for the Airbus A320neo family of aircraft, scheduled to enter service in 2015. The components have been sent to Pratt & Whitney in the USA where they will be installed in the first engine to be tested this autumn. This is a major milestone that Volvo Aero has now passed. Most of the machining was performed in the multitask cell in Trollhättan with surface treatment, assembly and final machining then performed by colleagues in Newington. “This demonstrates that Trollhättan and Newington can work very well together,” says Project Manager Magnus Berglund who is well aware of the enormous pressure on Volvo Aero to deliver on time. “Therefore, this really is a prestigious delivery.” The engine manufacturer, Pratt & Whitney, will now assemble the components in a PW1100G-JM for its first tough engine test which the industry terms ‘FETT’ – First Engine To Test.
Finnair and SR Technics sign 10-year contract on engine and component services
July 4, 2012
SR Technics and Finnair have signed an agreement for engine and component services. The deal follows a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the two companies on April 11, 2012. Finnair will source all Engine Services for its A320 and A340 aircraft and Component Services for its Airbus and Embraer fleet from SR Technics. The work will start in July 2012 for engine services and in September 2012 for component services. As a part of the agreement, SR Technics’ affiliate will also acquire related tangible assets and inventories from Finnair. Finnair expects the cooperation to result in significant cost savings for the company.
AerCap and AerDragon to purchase five new A330-300s for lease to Singapore Airlines
July 4, 2012
AerCap and AerDragon, its Chinese joint venture, have signed purchase agreements for the acquisition of five new Airbus A330-300s which will be leased to Singapore Airlines. AerCap will lease four of the aircraft and AerDragon will lease one of the aircraft to Singapore Airlines. Aengus Kelly, CEO of AerCap, said:”This transaction with Singapore Airlines and our joint venture partner AerDragon provides us with a very attractive business opportunity to further strengthen our presence in the fast-growing Asia Pacific region.”
Virgin Australia orders 23 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft
July 5, 2012
Virgin Australia announced an agreement with Boeing to order 23 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, the first in Australia. The fuel-efficient aircraft will join Virgin Australia’s fleet between 2019 and 2021. The agreement includes four additional delivery options, ensuring flexibility to respond to market conditions. To align with its current capacity plan for the next three years, Virgin Australia has delayed the delivery of some of its Boeing 737NG aircraft to after 2016, leaving 31 scheduled deliveries of Boeing 737-800 aircraft between 2013 and 2016. This gives the airline flexibility to develop the appropriate mix of narrow-body and wide-body aircraft. Virgin Australia expects that by the end of 2013, all of its Boeing 737-700 aircraft will have exited the fleet. Virgin Australia CEO John Borghetti said: “Virgin Australia is committed to maintaining a young and flexible fleet of modern aircraft. In the past year alone, we have reduced our average fleet age from 4.9 to 4.2 years.
Air Transat and maintenance and store personnel agree on renewal of collective agreement
July 5, 2012
Air Transat and its maintenance and store personnel, represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW), approved on June 29 the agreement-in-principle for the renewal of their collective agreement. The new five-year contract will come up for renewal in April 2016. As with the pact reached between the airline and its pilots and flight attendants, the collective agreement with Air Transat maintenance and store personnel calls for a deferment of planned wage increases in exchange for a variable compensation formula based on the attainment of certain financial targets.
CAE awarded contracts for three full-flight simulators, training devices and updates
July 5, 2012
CAE reported that it has sold three full-flight simulators (FFSs) including an Airbus A330 FFS to Aeroflot, a Boeing 787 FFS to Air Canada and a Boeing 737NG FFS to Kunming Aviation Safety Training Centre in China. CAE also sold two integrated procedures trainers (IPTs) and two virtual maintenance trainers (VMTs) to Air Canada, as well as various flight training devices and simulator updates to other customers. The contracts are worth a total of more than C$50m at list prices and bring the total number of FFS sales that CAE has announced to date during fiscal year 2013 to seven.
WestJet reports strong June traffic results
July 5, 2012
WestJet announced June 2012 traffic results with a load factor of 79%, up 3.3 points compared to June 2011. Traffic increased 6.7% year over year, and capacity grew 2.3% over the same period.
Porter Airlines reports June load factor of 62%
July 5, 2012
Porter Airlines registered a 62% load factor in June, down 2.6 points compared to June 2011. Traffic increased 4.1%, while capacity was up 8.5% compared to the same period in 2011.
Wesco Aircraft Holdings closes acquisition of Interfast
July 5, 2012
Wesco Aircraft Holdings, a leading provider of comprehensive supply chain management services to the global aerospace industry, completed the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Interfast Inc. on July 3, 2012 pursuant to the definitive agreement announced on May 24, 2012. The CDN$134m acquisition was funded via a combination of cash and borrowings under Wesco Aircraft’s existing revolving credit facility. Interfast is a Toronto-based value-added distributor of specialty fasteners, fastening systems and production installation tooling for the aerospace, electronics and general industrial markets. Interfast has a global presence working with both OEM (original equipment manufacturers) and MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) businesses to deliver proactive and innovative fastener-based solutions for a broad base of applications.
US Airways reports June traffic results
July 5, 2012
US Airways Group announced June 2012 traffic results. Mainline traffic for the month was up 1.7% versus June 2011, while mainline capacity was up 2.3% versus June 2011. Mainline passenger load factor was 86.5% for the month of June, down 0.6 points versus June 2011.
Nexcelle successfully tests thrust reverser for next-generation Integrated Propulsion Systems
July 5, 2012
Nexcelle, the nacelle systems joint venture of GE’s Middle River Aircraft Systems and the Safran group’s Aircelle, has completed a successful test program for the advanced thrust reverser element of its next-generation Integrated Propulsion System (IPS) technology. The thrust reverser was validated with Nexcelle’s new nacelle demonstrator, called PANACHE (Pylon And Nacelle Advanced Configuration for High Efficiency), which logged a combined total of more than 47 hours in operation on Test Stand 3E at GE Aviation’s Peebles, Ohio facility. PANACHE was installed on a CFM56-5C jet engine, which represents one of the propulsion system categories for which Nexcelle is developing its integrated nacelle designs. Test runs with PANACHE – involving 200 cycles representing normal deployments, rejected take-off deployments and aborted landings – were completed a week ahead of schedule, demonstrating the maturity of Nexcelle’s IPS design and hardware.
Emirates first airline to serve the U.S. with twice daily A380 flights
July 5, 2012
Emirates Airline is set to become the first airline to serve a U.S. city with a second-daily A380 service. Having been the first airline to offer an A380 commercial service to the U.S. in 2008, Emirates will increase the capacity on one of its daily flights from Dubai to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), starting January 1, 2013. The service, currently operated by a Boeing 777-300ER, will be replaced by the ultra-modern A380 aircraft, offering almost 1,000 additional seats in both directions every week. “Emirates is experiencing very high demand for its New York flights and the start of twice daily A380 service to JFK will enable us to offer more choice for our customers to benefit from the Emirates A380 experience,” said Thierry Antinori, Executive Vice President of Passenger Sales Worldwide.
Republic Airways reports June load factor up 5.0 points
July 5, 2012
Republic Airways Holdings reported that traffic for the month of June 2012 was in line with the same month last year, on a 5% decrease in capacity. Consolidated load factor was 86% in June of 2012 versus 81% in the same month last year.
Alaska Air Group reports June operational results
July 5, 2012
Alaska reported a 10.6% increase in traffic on a 7.5% increase in capacity compared to June 2011. This resulted in a 2.5-point increase in load factor to a June record 87.9%.
Horizon reported a 5.2% increase in June traffic on a 3.6% increase in capacity compared to June 2011. This resulted in a 1.2-point increase in load factor to 79.0%.
IAG Group traffic up
July 5, 2012
In June 2012, IAG Group traffic rose by 8.9% versus June 2011, while Group capacity was up 5.8%. Group load factor was up 2.3 points to 84% compared to the previous year.
Norwegian reports June load factor down 4 points
July 5, 2012
Nowegian Air Shuttle reported June 2012 traffic increase of 15% compared to June 2011, while capacity for the month increased 21%. The load factor was down 4.0 points to 77%.
GKN acquires Volvo Aero for £633m
July 5, 2012
GKN reported its agreement to acquire Volvo Aero (the aero engine division of AB Volvo). Volvo Aero designs, engineers and manufactures components and sub-assemblies for aircraft engine turbines. It supplies all the major aero engine manufacturers and has positions on most major civil aerospace platforms that are set to increase as aircraft build rates ramp up. Volvo Aero employs some 3,000 people based in Sweden, Norway and the USA. Nigel Stein, Chief Executive, GKN plc, said: “This is a highly attractive acquisition for GKN creating a market leader in aero engine components. With excellent technology and strong life-of-programme positions on most civil aero engines, Volvo Aero will significantly enhance GKN Aerospace’s engine components business.” The acquisition enterprise value is SEK6.9bn (£633m) comprising SEK5.6bn (£513m) of equity value (consideration) together with an anticipated Volvo Aero pension settlement (£50m) and working capital refinancing (£70m). The acquisition is expected to complete during the third quarter, subject to regulatory approvals. It will be funded by new debt and a £140m placing of new ordinary shares, representing approximately 5% of GKN’s current market capitalisation.
