Daily2018-02-20

LATEST NEWS

Thursday, June 14th, 2019

EPL_DY_2019-06-10

Mitsubishi MRJ to be renamed SpaceJet

12 years after the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ (Mitsubishi) MRJ program was unveiled to the world, the Japanese plane manufacturer has announced that the name of the program is to change from Mitsubishi MRJ (Mitsubishi Regional Jet) to Mitsubishi SpaceJet in what the company describes as a move to “redefine the business of regional travel.” The original MRJ90 will now be known as the SpaceJet M90 and will have a capacity of between 81 and 92 seats depending on class configuration. The original MRJ70 program has now been closed and taking its place will be the SpaceJet M100 which has a lower passenger capacity at between 65 – 76 seats in a three-class configuration or it can be flexibly configured for other global market needs up to 88 seats single class.

Mitsubishi has been keen to point out that the SpaceJet M100 will have significant differences to the original MRJ70 in that it will now have a newly designed interior. The newly designed SpaceJet M100 interior will be on display for the first time at the Paris Air Show, beginning June 17.

Despite being delayed multiple times since its initially proposed launch date of 2013, Mitsubishi anticipates 2020 will be the year that sees the SpaceJet M90 enter into service with type certification flights having already begun in Moses Lake, Washington with both the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Southwest Airlines to remove MAX from flight schedule through September 2

Southwest Airlines had to reschedule its flight plan for the 737 MAX again. In April the carrier revised its flight schedule by removing the MAX through Aug. 5, to offer reliability to its operation and stability for its customers during the busy summer travel months.

With the timing of the MAX's return-to-service still uncertain, Southwest had to revise its plans again to remove the MAX from schedule through September 2. The revision will proactively remove roughly 100 daily flights from the carriers schedule out of its total peak-day schedule of more than 4,000 daily flights.

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Lufthansa Group Airlines welcome 13 million passengers on board in May

Lufthansa Group airlines welcomed around 13.2 million passengers in May. This shows an increase of 2.8% compared to the previous year. Capacity for May was up 3.5% over the previous year, at the same time, traffic increased by 5.7%. In addition as compared to May 2018, the seat load factor increased by 1.7 points to 81.1%.

Cargo capacity increased by 7.3% year-on-year, while cargo traffic increased by 2.5% in revenue tonne-kilometre terms. As a result, the Cargo load factor showed a corresponding reduction, decreasing by 2.9 points to 61.3%.

The Network Airlines including Lufthansa German Airlines, SWISS and Austrian Airlines carried around 9.7 million passengers in May – 5% more than in the prior-year period. Compared to the previous year, the capacity increased by 5.1% in May and traffic was up by 8% over the same period, with an increasing seat load factor by 2.2 points to 81.4%.

Eurowings (including Brussels Airlines) carried around 3.5 million passengers in May. Among this total, around 3.3 million passengers were on short-haul flights and 250,000 flew on long-haul flights. This corresponds to a decrease of 3.1% on short-haul routes and an increase of 3.2% on long-haul routes compared with the previous year. A 3.2% decline in capacity in May was offset by a 3.9% decline in traffic, resulting in a seat load factor of 79.6%, which is 0.6 points lower.

AerCap announces new share repurchase program of US$200 million

AerCap's Board of Directors have approved a share repurchase program authorizing total repurchases of up to US$200 million of AerCap ordinary shares through December 31, 2019.

Repurchases under the program may be made through open market
purchases or privately negotiated transactions in accordance with
applicable U.S. federal securities laws. The timing of purchases and the
exact number of ordinary shares to be purchased will be determined by
the Company's management, in its discretion, and will depend upon market
conditions and other factors.

The program will be funded using the Company's cash on hand and cash generated from operations.

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Revima turns to IFS to deploy best-practice aviation MRO processes globally

Revima, a leading independent aviation MRO solutions provider, has selected IFS Applications 10 to drive Revima’s international expansion and support its complex maintenance operations.

Propelled by strong growth, Revima is currently in the process of establishing a new, ultra-modern MRO facility in Thailand. The 130,000-ft² site will become operational in early 2020 and will provide advanced MRO services for landing gear to customers in the Asia Pacific region.

"Our accelerated growth coupled with the decision to build a new facility in Thailand were the catalysts for deploying advanced business processes and harmonizing them throughout the company,” said Olivier Legrand, President & CEO of Revima. “IFS Applications distinguished itself from the competition through its robust, out-of-the-box MRO capabilities, which are delivered through a modern and intuitive user experience. Another deciding factor was IFS’s numerous customer references in the global aerospace sector.”

IFS Applications 10 will be deployed at Revima’s
facilities in Chonburi, Thailand ,Caudebec-en-Caux and Saint-Ouen-l’Aumône
France, supporting more than 1,000 MRO specialists when fully implemented.

KEL_DY_2019-06-11

Boeing to build MH-47G Block II Chinooks for Special Ops

Boeing will build next-generation MH-47G Chinooks for the U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command. The Block II configuration will enhance the Army’s ability to safely carry out the most challenging missions around the world.

The US$194 million contract is for a second lot of MH-47G Block II aircraft, to be delivered starting in 2021. Block II Chinooks feature technological advancements to extend the fleet’s service life and enhance performance.

Boeing is now on contract for a total of 15 MH-47G Block II Chinooks. The first MH-47G Block II aircraft is scheduled to begin final assembly this year.

Airbus hands over first A350 XWB to JAL

Airbus has handed over the first A350 XWB to Japan Airlines (JAL) at its headquarters in Toulouse, France. This is the first aircraft produced by Airbus for the Japanese carrier, which has ordered 31 A350 XWB aircraft, comprising 18 A350-900s and 13 A350-1000s.

JAL will initially operate the A350-900 on high frequency domestic routes, while the larger A350-1000 will fly on the carrier’s long haul international network. The first aircraft will enter service on the airline’s Haneda - Fukuoka route at the start of September.

JAL’s A350-900 is configured in a premium three class layout, with 12 seats in First Class, 94 in Class J and 263 in Comfort Economy.

The ferry flight of the first JAL A350-900 is being performed with a blend of conventional and synthetic fuel, contributing to reduced CO2 emissions.

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SAS to fly new A350 from January 2020

On January 28, 2020, the first of eight new SAS Airbus A350 will officially enter into long-haul service between Copenhagen and Chicago, one of the most popular SAS routes. The A350 will be based at the SAS hub at Copenhagen Airport and will operate on seven routes during the first year, including Chicago, Beijing, New York, Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong and San Francisco.

The new aircraft is a key investment and part of the extensive renewal of the SAS fleet, tailored to reduce emissions, and in line with the Scandinavian outlook on travel.

Daher acquires Quest Aircraft Company

Daher, producer of the TBM family, is taking a major step in developing the company’s airplane manufacturing business with the planned acquisition of Quest Aircraft Company, based in Sandpoint, Idaho, USA, which builds the Kodiak 100.

Through this major acquisition, Daher is enhancing its presence in the general and business aviation segment by offering a wider multi-product range. Already well known for its TBM 910 and TBM 940 turboprop aircraft, Daher’s airplane portfolio has now expanded to include the Kodiak 100.

The Kodiak 100 is a 10-seat, unpressurized, entry-level aircraft in the single-engine turboprop category. Originally created for humanitarian missions in developing countries, the Kodiak 100 is an agile and robust aircraft, capable of operating on uneven and ultra-short runways, while offering optimal safety. Certified in 67 countries, the Kodiak 100 is used worldwide by air-taxi, recreational and leisure operators, along with businesses, pilot-owners and humanitarian organizations.

In addition to its development and purchasing synergies, the Quest Aircraft Company’s acquisition offers excellent commercial, technological and geographical complementarities. With more than 150 years of know-how, Daher now intends to invest in this production platform to offer an enhanced services and sales network.

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Willis Lease Finance expands US$890 million revolving credit facility to US$1.0 billion

Independent jet engine lessor Willis Lease Finance has expanded its US$890 million revolving credit facility to US$1.0 billion. The facility has a 5-year term and is structured with the flexibility to support WLFC’s growing business.

Willis Lease and its subsidiaries will use the expanded credit facility to continue growing its lease portfolio, which included nearly US$2.0 billion of owned and managed assets as of March 31, 2019. The US$1.0 billion revolving credit facility has a US$300 million accordion feature allowing for expansion up to US$1.3 billion.

The facility is provided by a syndicate of seventeen banks including: MUFG Bank, Ltd./MUFG Union Bank N.A., as Administrative Agent, Joint Lead Arranger, Joint Bookrunner, and Security Agent; Bank of America, N.A. as Joint Lead Arranger, Joint Bookrunner and Syndication Agent; Wells Fargo Securities, LLC/Wells Fargo Bank, National Association as Joint Lead Arranger, Joint Bookrunner and Documentation Agent; and U.S. Bank National Association, City National Bank, and The Huntington National Bank as Senior Managing Agents.

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


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


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