Category: Top Stories

Air Canada to take stake in Heart Aerospace and orders 30 ES-30 electric-hybrid aircraft

ES-30 hybrid-electric aircraft in Air Canada livery ©Heart Aerospace

As part of Air Canada’s commitment to become a net-zero carbon emissions operator by 2050, the flag-carrying airline has agreed to purchase 30 ES-30 hybrid-electric aircraft from Sweden’s Heart Aerospace. In addition, as part of Air Canada’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions, it is also acquiring a US$5 million equity stake in the Gothenburg, Sweden-based regional aircraft manufacturer. The ES-30 hybrid electric aircraft will be used by Air Canada for local and regional flights and should be in service by 2028. Operating on battery power alone, the 30-passenger aircraft will have a range of 200 km. Using the reserve hybrid Read more

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Major boost for Gulfstream 400 programme as P&W Canada PW812GA gets type certification

©Pratt & Whitney Canada’s PW812GA engine has received type certification from Transport Canada

Pratt & Whitney Canada, an offshoot of Pratt & Whitney, has announced it has received Type Certification from Transport Canada Civil Aviation for its PW812GA engine. This engine was chosen in in October 2021 to power the latest Gulfstream G400TM business jet. Once operational, the G400 will be the third Gulfstream jet to be powered by Pratt & Whitney engines. The Gulfstream G500 is powered by the PW814GA and entered into service in 2018, while the G600 is powered by the PW815GA which entered into service in 2019. GA stands for ‘General Aviation’ and the PW800 engines share multiple commonalities Read more

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Lufthansa and OMV sign significant MoU for supply of 800,000 litres of SAF

©Lufthansa Group

The Lufthansa Group (Lufthansa) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Österreichische Mineralölverwaltung Aktiengesellschaft (OMV), the global chemicals and energy group, for the supply of in excess of 800,000 litres of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) over a seven-year period between 2023 and 2030. The already existing partnership between the two companies will now be further enhanced through the addition of new locations for the production and off-take of SAF as well as the addition of new technologies. As of March 2022, OMV has been supplying SAF to Lufthansa’s Austrian Airlines at Vienna International Airport. Currently Lufthansa is the largest Read more

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Continued staffing problems sees Schiphol Airport forced to further reduce flight numbers

Schiphol Amsterdam Airport ©AirTeamImages

In June and unable to deal with the rapid increase in passenger numbers, Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport decided that for the summer ahead it would cap passenger numbers to 70,000 a day, approximately 16% or 13,500 seats below capacity. Two of the principal areas where staff shortages were having the greatest impact were security and baggage handling. Schiphol was not alone, and many airports had felt confident that increase in demand for air travel would increase slowly and this would allow sufficient time to recruit new staff to replace those who lost their jobs during the COVID pandemic and air travel Read more

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Scandinavian Airlines gets all-clear for US$700 debtor-in-possession financing

©SAS

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), the flag-carrying airline of Norway, Denmark and Sweden, has successfully obtained U.S. court approval of its proposed US$700 million (£603 million) debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing credit agreement. DIP financing is a specific form of financing used when a business has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a U.S. court and is also going through a re-organisational process. The funds will enable the carrier to still meet its financial obligations as an operating airline. The carrier’s restructuring has been detailed in its SAS FORWARD business transformation plan. The US$700 million credit agreement is with Apollo Global Management, a Read more

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United investing further US$15 million with purchase agreement for up to 400 Eve eVTOLs

eVTOL ©United Airlines graphic

As the first major U.S. airline to create a venture fund dedicated solely to support its green commitment to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, United Airlines (United) has agreed to purchase 200 electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft from Eve, with an option for a further 200 aircraft. The deal will involve an initial investment of approximately US$15 million and deliveries are anticipated to commence in 2025. Additionally, as part of the agreement, United and Eve will collaborate on future projects such as studies on the development, use and application of Eve’s aircraft and the urban air mobility (UAM) Read more

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IATA reveals air cargo demand back to near pre-pandemic levels for July

Cargo handling ©Swissport

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released figures for global air cargo demand for July, indicating a return to near pre-pandemic levels. As a consequence, the figures provided are predominantly a year-on-year comparison as opposed to previous comparisons with the 2019 period. Demand continued to track at near pre-pandemic levels in July (-3.5%), but below July 2021 performance (-9.7%) while global demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometres (CTKs), fell 9.7% compared to July 2021 (-10.2% for international operations). Demand stood at -3.5% compared to July 2019. Capacity was 3.6% above July 2021 (+6.8% for international operations) but still 7.8% below Read more

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Austria’s ASQS joins Germany’s Volocopter with focus on UAM safety

VoloConnect ©Volocopter

Austrian software company ASQS GmbH, the global provider of aviation safety and quality management solutions, has announced it is joining forces with Volocopter, the German Urban Air Mobility (UAM) pioneer. Through the integration of ASQS’ IQSMS quality and safety management system, Volocopter is looking to create a proactive safety culture in all its areas of operation. Founded in 2011, Volocopter is the first and only eVTOL developer to receive both Design Organization Approval (DOA) and Production Organization Approval (POA) from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), enabling the company to design and produce electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft Read more

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Safran looks to acquire Thales’ aeronautical electrical systems activities and expand role in electrical power generation

©SAFRAN

International high-technology group Safran Electrical and Power (Safran) has announced its intention to acquire Thales aeronautical electrical systems business which plays a role in power generation and electric motors in the civil and military aeronautics sector. The intended purchase will include Thales Avionics Electrical Systems and Thales Avionics Electrical Motors companies in France, with sites in the Paris region in Chatou, Meru, and Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, as well as the support, maintenance and production activities for aeronautical electrical equipment in Orlando (USA) and Singapore. The acquisition will see Safran Electrical & Power pursue its strategy as an equipment manufacturer positioned across the Read more

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Rolls-Royce breaks ground at French production support centre for Pearl 10X

Rendering of new Rolls-Rolls production facility at Le Haillan, France ©Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce has announced that it has broken ground on the construction of a brand-new production support for its Pearl 10X engine. The 2,000 ft² facility is located at Le Haillan, near Bordeaux, France. Currently the 10X will be found exclusively on the new twin-engine Falcon 10X flagship Dassault ultra-long-range business jet which will have a top speed of Mach 0,925 and a range of 7,500 nautical miles (13,900 km). The jet is due to enter into service in 2025. Construction of the new unit will commence later this year and will house offices, a workshop and warehouse. It is anticipated Read more

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