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Wednesday, April 11th, 2018
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LATEST NEWS
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Only a few days after American Airlines announced that it has canceled its order for 22 Airbus A350s, Sweden’s flag-carrying airline Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) has announced it intends to buy or lease a total of 50 Airbus A320neos, with an option for a further five.
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The purchase is part of a transition by SAS to all-Airbus commercial jets for its short-, medium- and long-haul flights as it continues its march towards a more standardized and financially efficient fleet of aircraft.
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The order has been divided into two parts – 15 aircraft which are to be leased through lessors, for which declarations of intent are in place, and which will be delivered from spring 2019 through to 2021. The remaining 35 planes will be delivered directly to SAS up to 2023. The cost of the 35 A320neos stands at US$4 billion at list price.
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SAS has already 17 Airbus A320neos in service from a previous order for 30 Airbus A320neos. This latest order means that SAS will have a minimum 80 Airbus A320neos in service by 2023. In line with the deliveries of the new Airbus A320neos, SAS will begin phasing out its Boeing 737 and existing Airbus A320 aircraft.
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According to Rickard Gustafson, SAS Chief Executive: "Ordering 50 Airbus A320neos gives us access to the market's most efficient aircraft, thereby enabling us to further improve our operational efficiency and to continue to reduce our climate-impacting emissions."
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On the deal, Eric Schulz, Chief Commercial Officer, Airbus Commercial Aircraft commented: “We are proud with this repeat commitment by SAS. The A320neo will complement SAS’s existing Airbus fleet, with unbeatable fuel efficiency and the lowest operating costs and environmental footprint. It is the perfect choice for SAS, for replacing its older generation aircraft. This means more of SAS’s passengers will keep enjoying the best comfort in the skies.”
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One of the principal attractions to SAS of the Airbus A320neo is its 15-20 percent lower jet-fuel consumption per seat kilometer compared to the aircraft being phased out of its current fleet. SAS has committed to implementing SEK 3 billion (US$360m) in efficiency gains by 2020, while having a single-type fleet will see efficiency levels increased beyond 2020 and on to the next level.
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Av8 PMA, a leader in the reverse engineering, certification and manufacturing of PMA aircraft parts, will expand its current operation by adding a 3,320 ft² facility in Dallas, TX, dedicated to the company's engineering activities. The new location is scheduled to be operational in April 2018.
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The facility will act exclusively as an engineering facility, handling engineering and certification work for PMA. Additionally, the space will have on-site laser scanners, a 3-D printer, and other high-powered equipment that will increase efficiencies related to the reverse engineering process of parts and prototype development. The Dallas location will provide engineering work for clients within all segments of the aviation industry.
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"This facility is the culmination of almost a year's work to elevate our in-house engineering and certification capabilities to the next level and better position ourselves for future growth," said Yoel Arnoni, Principal, Av8 PMA.
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Czech Airlines Technics (CSAT), a daughter company of the Czech Aeroholding Group providing aircraft repair and maintenance services, has received the approval of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) to perform Line Maintenance services for Chinese airlines. CSAT's employees can now verify aircraft post-maintenance airworthiness without having to request the presence of the official airline technician.
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At this point, the certificate covers the Line Maintenance of Airbus A330, Boeing 767 and 777 operated by China Eastern Airlines in general. This type of maintenance of aircraft is performed either on a regular basis (e.g. daily or weekly) or ad hoc. It includes a thorough aircraft check, the refilling of all fluids, the completion of minor repairs, the checking of individual aircraft parts and an evaluation of whether or not an aircraft is fully functional and flight ready.
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The certification process before the Chinese office took over a year and a half. During the time, it was necessary to draft and present the required legal documents pursuant to the Chinese legal system which were then subjected to a thorough approval process. All aircraft maintenance procedures were also reviewed by auditors in Prague.
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Safran Nacelles has unveiled the NacelleLife™ service offering, providing complete coverage of its jet engine nacelle systems – including thrust reversers. This new offering provides tailor-able nacelle services to the requirements of operators, involving any or all steps from preparations for a jetliner’s service entry through its retirement from operation.
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NacelleLife™ is developed for responsive, cost effective and high-quality services that keep airliners in operational condition while minimizing maintenance costs. Focusing on a customer’s fleet, the components of NacelleLife™ include initial provisioning assistance and hands-on maintenance coaching for an aircraft’s pre-entry phase. This is followed by on-site presence and online access to technical documentation at entry-into-operation; fleet management for operational continuity, along with scheduled and unscheduled maintenance and proactive preparation for scheduled maintenance while in revenue service. Transition support for the phase- out is the last step.
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“NacelleLife™ brings together the expertise of a world-leading nacelle manufacturer with our proactive, optimized services that anticipate and respond to customers’ needs throughout the lifecycle,” explained Olivier Savin, Safran Nacelles’ Vice President of Customer Support & Services. “It applies to our full range of nacelles, from legacy products to current production and upcoming nacelle systems – including those on the A380, A320neo and A330neo aircraft.”
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Air Transport Services Group has announced the delivery by its ATSG West Leasing Limited subsidiary, of one Boeing 767-300 converted freighter under a six-year dry lease with Air Incheon of South Korea. Air Incheon has agreed to lease a second 767-300 freighter when the aircraft completes modification in the second half of 2018. ATSG and Air Incheon had announced the lease agreement in November 2017.
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Air Incheon currently operates two Boeing 737 freighter aircraft from its base in Seoul’s Incheon International Airport. A third 737 for Air Incheon is undergoing passenger-to-freighter conversion via a contract with Pemco World Air Services, a division of ATSG’s Airborne Maintenance and Engineering Services (AMES) subsidiary.
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Responding to the growing demand of airlines to increase ancillary revenue, and to enable a new generation of revenue-generating inflight services, Panasonic Avionics (Panasonic) announces NEXT Marketplace, their new retail platform for customers of their NEXT and eX3 systems.
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NEXT Marketplace provides a complete end-to-end digital retail solution that incorporates an easy and flexible set of shopping channels for passengers, through both seatback screens and mobile devices. NEXT Marketplace also provides airlines with tools for the creation of dynamic retail offerings and inventory management that can be tailored to a variety of retail models and promotional scenarios.
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Panasonic’s strategy with NEXT Marketplace is to partner with industry leaders like gategroup, which serves more than 700 million passengers annually with its retail and catering operations. gategroup’s involvement will include their technology partner Black Swan who will provide their extensive data analytics capabilities, enabling airlines to develop increasingly targeted and effective inflight offerings.
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Ireland-based Elix Aviation Capital (Elix) has concluded a sale and lease-back transaction with Ethiopian Airlines Group including two new Bombardier Q400 aircraft. The first of these two aircraft, MSN 4578, was purchased on April 6th, 2018 and immediately delivered to Ethiopian from Bombardier’s facility in Toronto, Canada. The second aircraft in the transaction will be sourced from Ethiopian’s order-book with Bombardier and is forecasted to be delivered later this year.
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Through this transaction, Elix continues to develop and further invest into the capabilities and services it brings to its African customers. MSN 4578 is the third aircraft Elix has leased to Ethiopian and the seventh Bombardier Q400 aircraft added to Elix’s portfolio of leased turboprop assets.
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London Southend Airport, UK based Jota Aviation has taken delivery of the first of four 146-300 QT pure Freighter aircraft in a multi-million dollar deal which is set to substantially increase its market share and position the company as a market leader in the cargo charter sector.
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The first aircraft (registered G-JOTE) will enter service on June 1, 2018 followed by a rollout of the additional three aircraft in late 2018.
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The BAe 146-300 QT aircraft, acquired from ASL Madrid will complement its existing passenger fleet of BAe 146/Avro RJ aircraft, benefitting from utilising existing crew, engineering and spares, maximising efficiency and providing resilience to clients.
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Finnair's March capacity increased 18.2% year-on-year, while traffic grew by 23.4% compared to the previous year, driven by the increased demand for long-haul leisure travel. The Passenger load factor increased by 3.5%-points to 84.5%.
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The Civil Aviation Administration of China issued the Validated Type Certificate (VTC) for CFM International’s LEAP-1A engine on March 30, 2018, a critical milestone that paves the way for the Airbus A320neo validated type certification and enabling aircraft operations in China.
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The document signed by the CAAC validates the original European Aviation Safety Administration (EASA) type certificate issued May 31, 2016 for all LEAP-1A thrust ratings.
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“This effort is a great example of true cooperation between several different entities,” said Gaël Méheust, president and CEO of CFM International. “Teams from both our parent companies worked diligently with the CAAC and EASA to achieve this certification as quickly and efficiently as possible. We are looking forward to our many customers in China reaping all the efficiency and asset utilization benefits the LEAP-1A engine will bring to their operations.”
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HAECO Cabin Solutions, a division of HAECO Americas with headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina, USA, has received Technical Standard Order (TSO) C127b authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on its Vector Premium seat platform.
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TSO-C127b is an FAA requirement for aircraft seat original equipment manufacturers of new products. HAECO Cabin Solutions’ Vector Premium seat platform has been qualified to meet TSO-C127b for all seat configurations on Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 aircraft. Obtaining this authorization will streamline the certification process, allowing HAECO Cabin Solutions to reduce the lead time on products.
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Airstream International Group has successfully sourced an A320-233 from Aercap for operation by Danish Air Transport. The aircraft MSN 839 (PK-GLD), currently in operation with Garuda Citilink, will undergo maintenance before entering service with the airline in May 2018.
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Airstream provides aircraft sales, leasing and financing services for an international client base that has included airlines, government organisations, lessors, investors and financial institutions as well as part out organisations. Entering its 30th year of trading Airstream has successfully completed transactions involving more than 600 aircraft.
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StandardAero has recently expanded its line replaceable unit (LRU) and engine health monitoring (EHM) service offerings for the Bombardier CRJ, Embraer E-Jet and other regional aircraft platforms. StandardAero’s signature bundled engine and auxiliary power unit (APU) LRU offerings for the Bombardier CRJ 700/900/1000 and Embraer E-Jet 170/190 have now been expanded to include the CRJ 100 and 200 aircraft.
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LRUs are an integral part of any engine/APU MRO event and StandardAero has developed a one-stop shop LRU program providing economic and operational benefits to operators. StandardAero's LRU programs are custom-designed for each customer, and the company already provides LRU support services to over 600 aircraft under contract, including repairs, exchanges, rotable inventory and on-site stock requirements.
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StandardAero offers its one-stop shop engine/APU LRU program directly to customers, and the company has also been selected by Embraer as part of its Pool Management service, under which StandardAero also provides support for the GTCP36 and RE220 APUs. StandardAero is also an authorized overhaul provider for the CF34-3 and -8 turbofan engines.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
June 5, 2018 – Jury’s Inn Hotel, Prague
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