Daily2018-02-20

LATEST NEWS

Wednesday, June 5th, 2019

SAS to eliminate in-flight duty-free sales in bid to reach reduced emissions target

Aiming to reduce emissions by between 25% and 30% by 2030, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS)
has announced it will no longer be selling duty-free goods on planes in an attempt to further reduce weight and thus save fuel as a part of its wider-ranging strategy.“ Every step on the way to sustainable travel is important,” said Freja Annamatz, an SAS spokeswoman. She said: “passengers’
buying behavior has changed with fewer inflight sales and sustainability has become more important than ever before.”

In a survey carried out by Sweden’s national rail operator SJ, of 1,000 people interviewed in Sweden, thinking about the effect of their travel on the environment enters the thoughts of over 57 percent of travelers.

Scandinavian carriers face stiff competition as a result of environmental awareness with an
increase in the number of travelers going by train. In 2018, train passengers increased by 1.5 million and passenger numbers have increased by 8 percent, year on year, for the first quarter of 2019. In contrast and according to airport operator Swedavia, domestic passenger numbers in Sweden fell by 3 percent.

Scandinavian carriers have been aiming to either be more environmentally friendly, or at least appear to be. SAS has teamed up with Airbus to develop hybrid and electric aircraft, in addition to buying more fuel-efficient aircraft and turning to biofuels.

ELFC

DOT gives tentative approval of joint business of American Airlines and Qantas

The US Department of Transportation has given tentative approval of the carriers’ joint business to better serve customers flying between the United States and Australia and New Zealand.

Final approval of the joint business will allow for commercial integration between the two carriers, delivering new routes and significant customer benefits not possible through any other form of cooperation.

As part of the case put to the DOT, Qantas and American flagged an intention to launch several new routes within the first two years of the proposed joint business. Qantas expects to announce details of two new routes – Brisbane-Chicago and Brisbane-San Francisco – once final approval is received.

Zephyrus Aviation Capital acquires Airbus A330-300 on lease to Thai AirAsia X

Zephyrus Aviation Capital has acquired an Airbus A330-300 aircraft on lease to Thai AirAsia X, a new customer for Zephyrus. The aircraft is equipped with Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines, and the A330-300 is a new model addition to the Zephyrus fleet.

This transaction is the first aircraft acquisition for Zephyrus outside of the 21 aircraft ZCAP 2018-1 ABS facility that closed in October 2018, and which has completed a steady stream of novations since.

Zephyrus is an aircraft and engine leasing & trading company led by a team of industry veterans and focused on aircraft which are in the mid to mature stage of their lifecycle.

AFG

Boeing invests in Commercial UAS services provider Robotic Skies

Boeing has announced its investment in Robotic Skies, a services provider that connects manufacturers and operators of commercial unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) with a global network of more than 170 civil aviation authority-certified repair stations.

The investment is part of Boeing's disciplined, long-term strategy of entering into value-added partnerships that enhance and accelerate growth and deliver key differentiators for customers.

"Unmanned and autonomous commercial aircraft operations are increasingly mirroring those in manned aviation, including the need for quality maintenance provided by certified technicians," said Brad Hayden, founder and CEO of Robotic Skies. "This latest investment will allow us to continue to grow our global footprint and expand operational capabilities to support customers."

Boeing HorizonX Ventures led this funding round with participation from Thayer Ventures, Sun Mountain Capital and KickStart Seed Fund. The investment builds on a previously-announced collaboration with Robotic Skies, Boeing Global Services and its subsidiaries Aviall and Jeppesen to provide enhanced commercial UAS services.

More than 33,400 CFM56 engines delivered to date

On April 24, 1982, the first-ever airplane powered by CFM56 engines, a Delta Air Lines DC-8-71 powered by the CFM56-2, took to the skies. In the years after that, CFM International would go on to add seven additional engine models that, today, power more than 20 different commercial and military aircraft types for more than 600 operators across the globe.

Recently, the CFM56 fleet established a new world record by becoming the first aircraft engine family in aviation history to achieve one billion engine flight hours.

This milestone also represents the fastest accumulation on hours ever; the fleet reached 500 million hours in November 2010 and more than doubled that total in just over eight years.

Werner Aero

FPG Amentum and LHI arrange acquisition of an Air Baltic A220-300

FPG Amentum, the Dublin-based aircraft leasing/management company and the Munich-based asset and lease manager LHI Group have acquired an Airbus A220-300.

The aircraft was acquired new in a sale & leaseback transaction with Air Baltic and its advisor Skytech-AIC. It is owned by an investment vehicle managed by LHI with servicing done by FPG Amentum.

TRB to supply materials for Airbus A380 luxury suites

TRB Lightweight Structures has worked closely with international high technology company Safran to create luxury ‘Skyroom suites’ for Singapore Airlines. Available on board five new Airbus A380 passenger aircraft, these private suites were commissioned to celebrate the airline’s 70th birthday, and feature over 100 different phenolic panels manufactured by TRB.

Safran was appointed to design and build the luxury cabins and, with a tight deadline to meet, approached TRB, recognising the company’s expertise in composite materials and complex project management. The design of each room was dependent on its position within the aircraft, requiring the production of over 100 different types of complex, press-cured phenolic panels in a narrow timeframe. Every panel also needed to be supplied with a cure graph, and to undergo vigorous quality assurance checks to ensure a high standard finish. Safran assigned a programme manager to work on site alongside the TRB team, and this joint effort ensured the project met all specifications and was delivered in a timely manner.

The collaboration allowed TRB to showcase the management capabilities necessary to complete large-scale, complex projects in a relatively short space of time. Following the success of this project, TRB has also been chosen to manufacture over 100 doors as part of an ongoing scheme to fit Skyroom suites to the rest of the Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 fleet. Tim Harrison, Technical Sales Manager at TRB, commented: “We are pleased to have been chosen for this opportunity to demonstrate our engineering skills in the development of luxury facilities on board the A380 – one of the most advanced commercial aircrafts of its time.

Bombardier MRO

Flughafen Leipzig/Halle GmbH to invest about half a billion euros in expansion work

Leipzig/Halle Airport is developing more and more into the economic powerhouse for Central Germany. Freight volumes at Leipzig/Halle Airport have increased more than tenfold since 2007. The number of people directly employed at the airport has increased to a figure of 9,500 in 100 companies. The growth driver at Leipzig/Halle is primarily the DHL hub. However, even without DHL, the freight business is developing positively. More than 50 cargo airlines are now operating flights to LEJ.

In the light of the increasing demand, the Supervisory Board at Mitteldeutsche Flughafen AG has set out further strategic plans to expand the airport.

The shareholders have now unanimously cleared the way for investments in new apron areas, logistics and office buildings in the northern and southern parts of Leipzig/Halle Airport. This will create new direct and indirect jobs in various areas of activity the whole region will benefit from in the long term.

The most important decision is that Leipzig/Halle Airport will gain a second Cargo City in the northern part of the airport site. Taken together with the expansion of the DHL hub, which was announced with DHL during the autumn of last year, the planned investments will total about half a billion euros during the next few years – the largest investment package for the Central German airports since the 1990s. The airport company will bear the responsibility for the investments.

Eirtech

Omni Handling eyes new FBO opportunities

Omni Handling, Portugal’s leading executive aircraft handling company, is ready to expand in its local and regional markets, reflecting the strong growth in business aviation growth these past 12 months.  Already holding a 50%-plus market share in Lisbon, Cascais, Porto and Faro, the company has positioned itself in readiness with a revamped brand image and logo, together with an enhanced website.

Business aviation movements in and out of Portugal have grown 22.2% in the first quarter of 2019 (source WingX data). That period saw over 500 large jet movements. Bombardier Globals topped the leader board with 92 departures in the period, representing a 33.3% growth (18% of the total), Gulfstream G650/G600 departures were up 150% during the first three months of 2019. In the light bizav category, Pilatus PC-12 movements were up 14% in the first quarter of 2019, delivering a 10% year on year growth.  Faro, capital of the Algarve is doing especially well with a 10.4% in movements, while Cascais, another main Omni Handling station, grew 19.5% in the same period. “We want to capitalise on the growth, support our existing customers and attract new ones,” Mr Pereira concluded.

ARGUS International names Ed Wandell new VP of Business Aviation

ARGUS International has named Ed Wandell as vice president of ARGUS PROS Business Aviation, a new position within ARGUS International. Wandell previously oversaw the Charter Evaluation and Qualification (CHEQ) Program.

Wandell will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of the Business Aviation division for ARGUS PROS Audits, including ARGUS Rating Audits, ISBAO and more.  Additionally, Wandell will continue to oversee the commercial operator analysis program, TripCHEQ.  He will lead efforts to push the development of the CHEQ program forward while still ensuring all trains run on time.

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ap&m Europe 2019 - The Global MRO Procurement Expo
June 4 - 6, 2019 – Maritim Hotel Frankfurt and Messe Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany


Managing Technical Aspects of a Leased Asset & Maintenance Reserves Seminar Training Seminar
June 11 - 12, 2019 – Novotel Barcelona City Hotel, Barcelona, Spain


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June 17 - 23, 2019 – Le Bourget, Paris, France


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October 30 - 31, 2019 – NEC, Birmingham, UK