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Monday, March 26th, 2018
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LATEST NEWS
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Never before has there been a non-stop scheduled flight between Australia and Europe - until now: Flight QF9 will connect Perth and London without a stopover. It is one of the longest scheduled flights in the world.
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Flight QF9 took off from Perth on the west coast of Australia at 6.49 pm. Around five in the morning it landed at London-Heathrow - after about 17 hours in the air. During this time, the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner from Qantas Airways has covered 14,498 kilometres without a stopover.
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The first non-stop scheduled flight between Australia and Europe marks a "historic day for aviation," says Qantas CEO Alan Joyce. He recalled the first Qantas connection to London in 1947: At that time the journey had taken four days, nine stops had been necessary.
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Measured by the distance on the earth's surface, this is the second longest scheduled flight in the world. The only longer connection between Auckland and Doha is the 14,529 km offered by Qatar Airways. Measured by flight distance, Air India declares its flight from Delhi to San Francisco with 15,300 kilometers as the longest scheduled flight in the world.
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With this connection passengers save three hours of travel time, which would otherwise be required for stops in Singapore or the Emirates, for example. The 787-9 Dreamliner, which is twice as fuel efficient as a Boeing 747, has been equipped with technology designed to ensure better air quality and a quieter cabin. In addition, the capacity of the aircraft was reduced from 300 to 236 seats to provide more legroom.
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Rolls-Royce’s demonstrator engine, featuring a new lean-burn and low-emissions combustion system for future jet engine programmes, has started icing tests. The ALECSys (Advanced Low Emissions Combustion System) demonstrator successfully started the tests in Manitoba, Canada, at temperatures of -20C, one month after its first ever test run in Derby.
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Technology from the system features in both the Advance3 and the UltraFan® demonstrator engines and also plays an important part in delivering the IntelligentEngine, Rolls-Royce’s vision for the future, which combines pioneering technology and digital capabilities to deliver important benefits for customers.
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By constantly monitoring environmental conditions and the pilot’s thrust requirement, ALECSys alters the mixture of fuel and air delivered to various injection points to minimise NOx and other emissions. Tests have so far shown a halving of NOx at cruise, compared to today’s levels.
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ALECSys, which has received funding from the European Union’s Clean Sky SAGE (Sustainable And Green Engine) programme, is carrying out the tests housed in a Trent 1000 “donor” engine.
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Avolon, the international aircraft leasing company, has released that Sapphire Aviation Finance I Limited and Sapphire Aviation Finance I (US) LLC (collectively the “Issuers“ or “SAPA 2018-1”), newly established special purpose companies, closed a total of US$768.4m of Fixed Rate Secured Notes (the “Issue”).
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The Issue comprised of US$633m of 4.250% Series A Fixed Rate Secured Notes (the “Series A Notes”) issued at a 4.30% yield; US$97m of 5.926% Series B Fixed Rate Secured Notes (the “Series B Notes”) issued at a 6.00% yield; and US$38.38 million of 7.385% Series C Fixed Rate Secured Notes (the “Series C Notes”) issued at a 7.50% yield (collectively, the "Notes").
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The Issuers also offered E Notes and S Certificates (together the “Equity Notes”) representing the equity interest in SAPA 2018-1, a majority of which were purchased by a third party and a minority of which were purchased by Avolon.
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The Notes are backed by a portfolio of 41 aircraft, with an appraised value of US$962.4m, which will be acquired by SAPA 2018-1 from Avolon using the proceeds of the issuance. The Portfolio comprises a mix of narrowbody and twin-aisle aircraft leased to 30 lessees based in 19 countries. As of February 9, 2018, the Portfolio had an average weighted age of 12 years.
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Avolon will act as servicer with respect to the Portfolio and any additional aircraft acquired by the Issuers.
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Husam Zayed has informed Joramco of his intention to retire from his position as Chief Commercial Officer effective April 1, 2018.
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Husam joined Joramco in 2011 and during his tenure, he assisted in turning Joramco into a leading profitable 3rd party MRO.
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Under his leadership he has cemented a clear customer footprint in the key markets of the Middle East, Europe and Asia, in addition to securing long term partnerships with strategic partners for the future.
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Sichuan Services Aero Engine Maintenance Company (SSAMC), the joint venture between Air China and CFM International (CFM), has inaugurated a new 43,880 ft² expanding its maintenance, repair, and overhaul capability for CFM56 and LEAP engines to 300 engines per year.
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The brand-new facility, located in the Chengdu Free Trade Zone, benefits from the latest standards in terms of equipment and lay out, is the largest CFM engine maintenance facility in Asia.
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SSAMC was officially established as a 60/40 joint venture between Air China and CFM in 2010. Since then, the company has serviced more than 1,000 CFM56-3, CFM56-5B, and CFM56-7 engines for more than 40 customers throughout China and Asia.
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Honeywell has announced that its GoDirect® Flight Efficiency software is being deployed by International Airlines Group (IAG) across its fleet of more than 500 aircraft. The parent company of Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, LEVEL and Vueling will use the Connected Aircraft flight data analytics platform, which uses flight analysis tools to cut carbon emissions, to enhance efficiency and reduce fuel costs.
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By adopting Honeywell’s software across its airlines, IAG will take advantage of advanced flight data analytics that allow airlines to make data-driven decisions on fuel usage. IAG is the first airline group to partner with Honeywell in the development of a central group platform to enable benchmarking across its fleet.
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Through its user-friendly interface, Honeywell GoDirect Flight Efficiency software integrates with existing systems to produce more than 100 analysis reports. These reports improve flight-planning capabilities and empower pilots with unprecedented levels of insight, helping to expand their knowledge of operations and allow them to learn from previous flights.
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Airbus Helicopters has received a contract modification valued at approximately US$116m to deliver 16 additional UH-72A Lakotas for the United States Army. The contract is the company’s second this year, highlighting the U.S. Army’s confidence and growth capability of the Lakota program.
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The UH-72A is a twin-engine utility helicopter used for a wide range of military operations including troop and light cargo transport, MEDEVAC, VIP transport, border security, and Homeland Defense.
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Airbus has delivered more than 423 UH-72A Lakota aircraft from its facilities in Columbus, Miss., since the award of the first contract in 2005. The new contract enhances the Lakota fleet and its training mission. With additional aircraft in the fleet, Lakota operators have more capability to conduct and support disaster relief and counter-drug operations in support of civil agencies or national emergencies.
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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA) to SmartSky Networks’ radio and antenna manufacturing partners, enabling full-rate production of the SmartSky 4G LTE aircraft system and catalyzing STC projects on numerous popular business aircraft. Avidyne secured a PMA for the production of the airborne radio, while AeroAntenna received PMA for the manufacture of SmartSky’s aircraft antennas.
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“SmartSky has examined every aspect of airborne connectivity, seeking better ways to deliver Wi-Fi performance and capacity to customers,” said Joe Klein, founder and CEO of AeroAntenna. “As their many demo flights have confirmed, SmartSky 4G LTE represents a quantum leap improvement over the incumbent air-to-ground system. Whether it’s through their advanced technical capabilities as evidenced by SmartSky’s 32 granted patents, or utilizing our highly innovative, customized, and active antennas that are now ready for full-rate production, SmartSky is raising expectations for ATG capabilities and consistently delivering.”
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Having been announced in June 2017, this week saw the ground broken on the creation of a new testbed in Derby, U.K., the home of Rolls-Royce. It is anticipated the testbed will be commissioned in 2020.
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The testbed will be capable of testing he Trent XWB and the Trent 1000, while the facility will also serve as a base for testing UltraFan®, Rolls-Royce’s engine for the next generation of aircraft.
According to Rolls-Royce: “The new testbed, which will be the largest indoor facility of its type in the world, will harness the latest digital technology to set conditions and obtain evidence from a wide variety of test activities, such as water ingestion and endurance testing. It will also benefit from the latest advancements in test equipment including new x-ray capabilities.”
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At the ground-breaking ceremony, Chris Cholerton, Rolls-Royce, President – Civil Aerospace, said that the new testbed’s construction “comes at a pivotal moment for our civil aerospace business as we ramp up production to record levels and look forward to completing a hat-trick of new engine launches, with the Trent 7000 set to enter service later this year. This new facility will not only give us the capacity and flexibility to deliver on our growth plans but also sustains employment across the region.”
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In addition to the Trent XWB engine, which powers the Airbus A350, Rolls-Royce assembles the Trent 700, Trent 900 and Trent 1000 engines in Derby, powering the Airbus A330, Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner respectively.
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Rolls-Royce currently employs around 22,300 people in the UK, across a range of skilled jobs, including more than 600 apprentices and, through its supply chain, supports more than 40,000 jobs across the East Midlands region.
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Lion Air Group has taken delivery of the very first 737 MAX 9. The airplane will go into service with Thai Lion Air, where its added capacity will help the airline launch several international routes.
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The Lion Air Group is the launch customer for the MAX 9. They were also the first operator to put the MAX 8 into service, and have announced a commitment for 50 MAX 10s. The Group also has an additional 200 737 MAXs on order and is one of the world's largest operators of the 737.
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The 737 MAX 9 is designed for a capacity of up to 220 passengers and a maximum range of 3,550 nautical miles. With three additional seat rows compared to the 737 MAX 8, this airplane provides operators added capacity while maximizing profitability within their network.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
June 5, 2018 – Jury’s Inn Hotel, Prague
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