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Thursday, May 3rd, 2018
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LATEST NEWS
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United Airlines has issued an update to the carrier’s policy with regard to the transportation of animals. From June 18, only dogs and cats will be transported in the cargo hold, though with an extensive list of exceptions.
Snub-nosed breeds such as bulldogs, French bulldogs, pugs and boxers are excluded from the list, along with Persian cats. A number of “strong-jawed” breeds are also excluded, including the American Pit Bull Terrier and Mastiff.
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“Prior to today, we flew all sorts of animals. Geese, foxes, leopards, you name it, we pretty much flew it. That will change moving forward. We’ll only fly dogs and cats as pets that belong to our customers,” said Charles Hobart, a United Airlines’ spokesman.
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Additionally, these amendments to the carrier’s policy for transporting pets means United Airlines won’t fly pets between May 1 and Sept. 30 to four airports — Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, McCarran International Airport, Palm Springs International Airport and Tucson International Airport — due to high temperatures.
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The move by United comes as a result of a high-profile incident where a passenger was instructed to put her French Bulldog, which was in a holdall in the cabin, into an overhead locker, despite the owner’s protestations. The animal subsequently died during the flight. United flew two other dogs to the wrong destinations shortly afterward.
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According to United’s pet policy online, non-service dogs are permitted in the cabin as long as the dog “is in an approved hard-sided or soft-sided kennel. The kennel must fit completely under the seat in front of the customer and remain there at all times.”
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After a negotiation marathon, the representatives of employer and employees at Austrian Airlines agreed in the morning hours of May 1, 2018 on a key points paper for the period 2018-2021. It involves salary increases and more flexible work and operational regulations for the flying personnel.
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Actual salaries for cabin crew and pilots are expected to increase by +5.5% in 2018, by 2.5% in 2019, by 1.83% in 2020 and by at least 1.4% in 2021.
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"We are pleased that after a real marathon of negotiations we have concluded a four-year collective agreement in the morning hours of May 1, 2018. This long-term agreement will certainly bring peace to the company and open up perspectives for our employees", said Austrian Head of HR Nathalie Rau and Accountable Jens Ritter, who led the negotiating team on the employer side.
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Special attention was paid to raising the starting salaries for flight attendants. These are to be increased by 10.7% from EUR 1,533 to EUR 1,700 gross. The allowances for managers in the cabin will also be increased.
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At the same time, flight duty regulations are to be made more flexible in order to better compensate seasonal fluctuations in passenger demand.
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Austrian Airlines currently employs around 7,000 people, including over 1,200 pilots and 2,400 flight attendants. In 2017 alone, 500 employees were added, mainly in the cabin and cockpit areas.
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Spirit AeroSystems has signed a definitive agreement to acquire S.R.I.F. N.V., the parent company of Asco Industries, N.V. (Asco), for US$650m in cash, subject to customary closing adjustments, including foreign currency adjustments.
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Asco is a leading supplier of high lift wing structures, mechanical assemblies and major functional components to major OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers in the global commercial aerospace and military markets. Spirit expects to finance the acquisition through new debt.
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"Asco is a compelling fit for Spirit that aligns extremely well with the strategic priorities we have been communicating. Specifically, it expands our Airbus content on A320 and A350 wings, adds new defense content on the F-35 and broadens our commercial capabilities to help grow our fabrication business," said Spirit President and CEO Tom Gentile. "We are pleased to acquire a business of this scale that has such an outstanding reputation with its customers dating back to 1954 and a strong management team led by CEO Christian Boas, who will remain with the business following the closing."
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Asco employs approximately 1,400 people across four manufacturing sites comprising over 1.5 million ft² including: Vancouver and Stillwater, Oklahoma in North America, Gedern, Germany, and its headquarters in Zaventem, Belgium, in Europe.
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The transaction, which is expected to close in the second half of 2018, is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.
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Qantas has announced an order for six additional Boeing 787-9s to fly on its international network, bringing its fleet of Dreamliners to 14 by the end of 2020.
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The arrival of the new aircraft will enable the airline to accelerate retirement of its last six Boeing 747s – an aircraft type that has been in its fleet in various forms since 1971.
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Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said the announcement was an important moment for the national carrier.
“This really is the end of one era and the start of another. The jumbo has been the backbone of Qantas International for more than 40 years and we’ve flown almost every type that Boeing built. It’s fitting that its retirement is going to coincide with our centenary in 2020,” Mr Joyce said.
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Qantas expects to invest in an additional 787 simulator to assist with training more of its pilots to operate the new aircraft. This comes on top of the Qantas Group Pilot Academy opening in 2019.
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Interiors of the additional 787s will feature the same configuration as the existing aircraft. The Qantas Dreamliner carries fewer passengers than the larger 747 (236 seats vs 364) and has a greater focus on Business and Premium Economy seating.
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To date, Qantas has taken delivery of four 787-9s with a further four due to arrive by the end of 2018. The new order of six aircraft will arrive between late 2019 and mid-to-late 2020.
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There are currently ten 747-400s left in the fleet and these will be steadily retired between July this year and the end of 2020. Qantas received the last of its 747s new from Boeing in 2003, which will be 17 years old at time of retirement.
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Jet Aviation has completed its acquisition of Hawker Pacific, a leading provider of Civil MRO, Fleet and FBO Services and Aircraft Sales across Asia Pacific and the Middle East. The transaction is valued at US$250m.
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Rob Smith, president of Jet Aviation, said: “We are now in a position to further expand our current portfolio, enter new markets across Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, and offer more options and value to our customers worldwide. Bringing together these two well-established brands reinforces our position as one of the world’s leading business aviation service providers.”
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As part of this acquisition, Jet Aviation will add 19 locations across Asia Pacific and the Middle East to its global network, including 7 FBOs, 14 MRO facilities and over 400,000 ft² of hangar space. More than 800 employees will also become a part of Jet Aviation.
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Lufthansa Technik Logistik Services (LTLS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Lufthansa Technik AG, has developed an app called Gate, which now allows components to be identified using an industrial tablet. The Gate app will gradually replace the Gate boxes used to date. Not only will this development allow portable, convenient and flexible identification of aircraft material, rather it also digitizes the process fully.
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LTLS already developed a new procedure for material identification in the international repair cycle in 2014 called gate.control. This material identification procedure allowed direct shipping of parts from the customer to the closest MRO location and back again if necessary. Using a Gate box of around one cubic meter in size, the components including name plate and documents were photographed, scanned and identified at the customer's location. The Gate app is part of the digitalization strategy of LTLS.
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Now the large box is being replaced by a robust industrial tablet with the preinstalled Gate app which, thanks to an ergonomic hand strap, can be held with just one hand. Each component can be photographed on all sides, the documents scanned, possible damage and packaging documented and the component data recorded with the integrated barcode scanner. The data is then sent to the Lufthansa Technik network and booked in the central service center, with forwarding them commissioned to the relevant MRO location. The tablet with Gate app is intended primarily for use in the storage and material handling areas of service partners or directly with the customer.
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AviaAM Leasing has released that its joint venture with the Henan Civil Aviation Development and Investment Company (HNCA) – AviaAM Financial Leasing China – has delivered a brand-new Airbus A320-214SL aircraft to the Russian flag carrier Aeroflot – Russian Airlines.
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Aircraft bearing manufacturer’s serial number MSN 8188 was delivered to the new operator at Airbus facilities in Hamburg, Germany on April 27th. Under the operating lease agreement, Aeroflot will operate 150 economy and 8 business class seats configured aircraft with two CFM56-5B4/P engines for the next 12 years.
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Belavia - Belarusian Airlines, the flag carrier airline of Belarus, and Turkish Airlines, the national flag carrier of Turkey, announced a codeshare agreement, effective from May 1, 2018.
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Through this codeshare partnership, Turkish Airlines and Belavia will reciprocally add their flight codes on Istanbul – Minsk flights operated by both parties and vice versa.
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“As Turkish Airlines, we are glad to be a codeshare partner with Belavia. We believe this agreement will improve our relations with Belarus’ flag carrier, while enhancing our commercial cooperation. With the joint flights, passengers will enjoy more travel alternatives between Belarus and Turkey,” said Bilal Ekşi, Turkish Airlines’ Deputy Chairman & CEO.
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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) to AerSale® for installation of its AerSafe system on Airbus 321 aircraft (ST04010NY) in compliance with the Fuel Tank Flammability Reduction (FTFR) rule. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has also approved AerSafe on Airbus 321 aircraft (10065226) as a Flammability Reduction System (FRS).
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This new STC is in addition to AerSale’s STCs for the Boeing 767 series (ST03599NY), approved by the FAA in February 2018, as well as the Boeing 737 CL series (ST03589NY) and the Boeing 737 NG series (ST02980NY), both approved in 2016.
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Tested and developed to exact tolerances to fill the cavity of the Airbus 321 center fuel tanks, AerSafe limits the amount of available oxygen that can ignite fuel vapors and prevents sparks from igniting an explosion. AerSafe comes as a complete prefabricated kit that can be installed at any hangar around the world. After initial installation, the system requires no maintenance or spare parts.
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The FAA enacted the FTFR rule after the crash of TWA flight 800 off the coast of New York. Federal investigations revealed that the accident was the result of an explosion caused by a spark igniting fumes in the center fuel tank of the Boeing 747. The FTFR rule requires fuel tank ignition sources and flammability exposure to be reduced in aircraft most at risk. The FAA gave two options: a flammability reduction means such as nitrogen inerting, or an ignition mitigation means such as AerSafe. These systems must be installed on all passenger aircraft that have high flammability fuel tanks and fly within or into the United States.
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STG Aerospace has reported that Ruth Williams has joined the company as Head of Marketing. She will have a key role to play in developing and implementing a brand strategy aimed at raising global awareness of the company’s aircraft cabin lighting solutions and increasing market share across its entire photoluminescent and LED product range.
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Having previously held positions as Director of Marketing at Restore Digital and Head of Corporate Communications at PHS Group, Ruth is highly skilled in all aspects of integrated B2B marketing and corporate communications, including social media and public relations.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
June 5, 2018 – Jury’s Inn Hotel, Prague
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