Delta bypasses federal loan option – pledges loyalty program to raise US$9 billion

©Delta Air Lines

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines (Delta) has announced it is to raise US$9.0 billion, up from a previous estimate of US$6.5 billion, through a series of bonds and loans which will be backed by its SkyMiles loyalty program. The carrier is currently burning through US$27 million on a daily basis and the capital is being raised to help it weather the storm of the coronavirus pandemic, with estimates of a return to normal air travel not happening for several years. Having announced earlier this week that Delta would not be looking to take up a federal loan of US$4.6 billion under Read more

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Boeing appoints Marc Allen Chief Strategy Officer, names Chris Raymond as company’s first Chief Sustainability Officer

Marc Allen (l) and Christopher Raymond (r)

Boeing has named B. Marc Allen as Chief Strategy Officer and Senior Vice President, Strategy and Corporate Development, reporting to President and CEO David Calhoun. The company also announced Christopher Raymond as the company’s Chief Sustainability Officer, a newly created position reporting to Executive Vice President, Enterprise Operations and Chief Financial Officer Greg Smith. The appointments are effective October 1. Allen, first appointed to the company’s Executive Council in 2014 as president of Boeing International, will now take on responsibility for the enterprise’s overarching strategy, including long-term planning; global business and corporate development; and strategic investments, acquisitions and divestitures. He Read more

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GA Telesis signs commitment for second freighter conversion with AEI

GA Telesis (GAT) has exercised an option for a second 737-800 passenger to freighter conversion with Aeronautical Engineers (AEI). This follows the recent announcement in July 2020 of GA Telesis’ entrance into the Passenger-to-Freighter (P2F) market. The second 737-800 (MSN 28826) will begin P2F conversion in January 2021, with completion scheduled for early May 2021. The freighter conversions will again be performed by the authorized AEI Conversion Center, Commercial Jet, in Miami. In addition, GA Telesis is currently evaluating additional 737F conversion slots for 2021, as well as Boeing 757F, 767F, 777F as well as the Airbus A321F and A330F.

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Spirit Airlines announces closing of private offering by loyalty and brand subsidiaries

©Spirit Airlines

Spirit Airlines announced the closing of a private offering of US$850 million in principal amount of 8.00% senior secured notes due 2025 offered by two newly-formed Spirit subsidiaries. The notes are guaranteed by Spirit and secured by Spirit’s customer loyalty programs and brand intellectual property. “We’ve spent the past six months confronting the COVID-19 crisis head on and taking major steps to ensure our financial viability. We owe that to our valued Team Members, Guests and investors,” Spirit President and CEO Ted Christie said. “Our low fares and top-class reliability present a great value to consumers as travel demand builds Read more

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SR Technics launches Quick Turn Line

SR Technics has launched its Quick Turn Line (QTL) on September 1, 2020. Besides covering quick turn services (hospital shop repairs and post-lease inspections), the new line also covers engine change and loan tooling. Besides significant savings and minimal turnaround times, customers benefit from the full engine shop capability and experience they have come to expect from SR Technics. With QTL services, customers can obtain faster unscheduled engine maintenance while optimizing their fleets’ readiness, reducing operating costs and reliably avoiding heavy and time-consuming engine repairs. Engine repair services offered on the QTL include the CFM International CFM56- 5B, 5C and Read more

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AeroMates goes for AMOS

©Aeromates shop floor

AeroMates a Part-145-certified start-up company that specializes in maintenance, repair and overhaul of aircraft components including wheels (MRO) has decided to go for AMOS, the comprehensive, fully-integrated MRO software solution. Since the two founders both have gained vast AMOS experience from their former careers, the decision was quickly taken in favour of AMOS. This valuable know-how has also allowed AeroMates to implement AMOS in an extremely quick and streamlined approach according to the special needs of a start-up with a limited number of users and a lean set-up. AeroMates is an MRO-shop located close to Cologne, Germany. The company offers Read more

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“Culture of concealment” and “repeated and serious failures” led to 737 MAX crashes

©Boeing 737 MAX

US congressional investigators have released a 239-page report on the 737-MAX crashes where it identifies both Boeing Co (Boeing) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for “repeated and serious failures”, together with a culture of “concealment” instigated by Boeing to withhold important information from the FAA. The report identified Boeing’s sense of urgency to launch the 737MAX to compete with the Airbus A320. “Our report lays out disturbing revelations about how Boeing – under pressure to compete with Airbus and deliver profits for Wall Street – escaped scrutiny from the FAA, withheld critical information from pilots and ultimately put planes Read more

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FAI Technik completes Ku-band prototype installation on Challenger 850

FAI Technik, the maintenance division of Germany’s FAI Aviation Group, has installed its first Collins ultra-high-speed Ku-band inflight connectivity system on a Bombardier Challenger 850 aircraft on behalf of a corporate client. FAI Technik, which specializes in base maintenance and modifications for Bombardier aircraft, worked together with EASA-Part 21 organization S4A from Spain to obtain an EASA-STC for this modification.    In 2018, FAI Technik was appointed an authorized Collins dealer enabling it to sell, install and maintain Collins’ avionics and cabin electronics equipment from its headquarters at Albrecht Dürer International Airport in Nuremberg.

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Qatar Airways to launch four weekly flights to Accra

©Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways will operate four weekly flights to Accra, Ghana via Lagos from September 29, 2020, becoming the fourth new destination launched by the national carrier of the State of Qatar since the start of the pandemic. The Accra service will be operated by the airline’s state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliner featuring 22 seats in Business Class and 232 seats in Economy Class. The airline’s variety of modern fuel-efficient aircraft has meant it can continue flying by offering the right capacity in each market. Due to COVID-19’s impact on travel demand, the airline has taken the decision to ground its fleet Read more

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First ever purpose-built regional freighter takes flight

First flight of ATR's new purpose-built regional freighter aircraft ©ATR

Regional aircraft manufacturer ATR has reported the successful first flight of its new purpose-built regional freighter aircraft. The flight took off at its Saint-Martin site and lasted two hours. During the flight, crew onboard performed several tests to measure the new aircraft’s flight envelope and flight performance. The first aircraft will be delivered to FedEx Express, one of the world’s largest cargo airlines and express transportation companies, which placed a firm order for 30 aircraft, plus 20 options, in November 2017. The brand-new straight-from-factory cargo aircraft will offer a number of unique advantages to operators. With a large cargo door Read more

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