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Thursday, August 16th, 2018
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LATEST NEWS
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On August 14, Flightright, the compensation-claim processing platform, filed a lawsuit at a regional court in Frankfurt disputing Ryanair’s opinion that industrial action is “an exceptional circumstance” which allows the low-cost carrier to reject any claims by passengers for compensation.
Flightright is arguing that Ryanair has: "caused such a strike through years of wage-dumping and salami tactics in talks with the trade unions," describing the strike as "home-made" and "the logical consequence of Ryanair's questionable personnel policy."
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Ryanair’s response was simply to confirm that it “fully complies” with EU compensation rules that have been set down under the EU261 regulation.
While Ryanair has managed to put a halt to current strike action from Irish pilots through entering into mediation with the Irish pilots’ union IALPA, the situation in Belgium, The Netherlands, Sweden and Germany is less stable, the carrier having had to recently cancel nearly 400 flights owing to a number of strikes beyond Ireland that related to working conditions.
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At the end of July, Ryanair, along with easyJet, Wizz Air and IAG submitted a complaint to the EU commission over striking French air traffic controllers (ATCs). The airlines argued that France is breaking EU law by not allowing flights over the country during strikes, meaning passengers flying between member states not affected by the action are being denied their freedom to travel. At the time, Michael O’Leary, Ryanair’s CEO, stated: "We call on Europe's governments and the EU Commission to take urgent and decisive action to ensure that ATC providers are fully staffed and that overflights are not affected when national strikes take place."
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Through a combination of striking French ATCs along with its own staff shortages, Ryanair saw a total of 1,100 flights canceled in May alone.
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BASF and Lufthansa have successfully started the In-Service-Evaluation (ISE) for BASF’s new water scavenger additive for jet fuel – Kerojet® Aquarius. The ISE marks an important step in the commercialization for this innovative additive.
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In the course of the ISE, BASF’s additive solution is used on designated flight routes on Airbus air planes. On July 24, the ISE started successfully with an Airbus A340-600 between Munich and San Francisco. The advantage of the additive is that cost intensive measures to extract water at mandatory intervals can be reduced as water accumulation will be minimized. In addition, time consuming and expensive stop overs in maintenance can be avoided, thereby increasing aircraft utilization and making the operation more cost effective.
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“The implementation of Kerojet® Aquarius will constitute a milestone in improving both flight safety and aircraft usage. Applying Aquarius will avoid the presence of ice in wing tanks and further improves the margins of safety”, says Thorsten Lange, Head of Fuel Purchasing Lufthansa Group.
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Kerojet® Aquarius is a unique and easy-to-use performance additive that supports water management in aircraft fuel systems as a critical safety and maintenance parameter for airlines. Kerojet® Aquarius disperses the water contained in kerosene, respectively the fuel tank, and the water is removed from the aircraft’s fuel tank during the normal combustion process in the turbine.
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BASF and Lufthansa expect the full details of the ISE to be available by the end of the year, after which the broader commercialization of Kerojet® Aquarius is expected to start.
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Bombardier MRO has announced that Joe McDonald has joined the company as Regional Vice-President, Sales for the Americas region. In this key leadership role, McDonald is responsible for developing strategic plans to promote sales growth and ensure excellence in customer satisfaction for the Bombardier Aerostructures and Engineering Services’ component repair business in the region. He will also specifically support the continuing growth and expansion of Bombardier’s Dallas-based MRO facility.
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Furthermore Martin Williamson has been appointed as Head of Sales and Marketing for Europe, Middle East, Africa, Russia and Asia. In his new role, Williamson continues to be part of the Customer Services leadership team and is responsible for the development and implementation of sales strategies for these regions. In addition, he will develop a growth strategy for Asia, which will identify opportunities for partnerships and collaboration agreements with other companies and airlines in the region.
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CAE, a global leader in training for the civil aviation, defence and security, and healthcare markets, has reported revenue of CA$722.0 million for the first quarter of fiscal year 2019, compared with CA$656.2 million in the first quarter last year. First quarter net income attributable to equity holders was CA$69.4 million compared to CA$59.6 million last year. First quarter operating profit was CA$98.5 million (13.6% of revenue) compared with CA$91.3 million (13.9% of revenue) in the first quarter of last year.
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Civil Aviation Training Solutions (Civil) revenue was CA$430.9 million, up 16% compared to the same quarter last year, and segment operating income was CA$78.3 million (18.2% of revenue), up 14% compared to the first quarter last year. First quarter Civil training centre utilization was 80%.
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During the quarter, Civil signed training solutions contracts valued at US$499.3 million, plus additional contracts involving joint ventures, including an exclusive long-term pilot training agreement with Asiana Airlines which involves the adoption of the CAE RiseTM training system. CAE RiseTM is a digital innovation that allows instructors to deliver standardized training in accordance with airline Standard Operating Procedures and enables the objective assessment of pilot competencies using live data during training sessions, and through deep analytical insights. In addition, Civil signed a new agreement to create a pilot training joint venture in Colombia with Avianca Airlines and entered exclusive long-term training contracts with Volaris and OJets. Civil sold 18 full-flight simulators (FFSs) during the quarter to customers in all regions. Since the end of the quarter, Civil has signed eight FFS sales, for 26 year-to-date, and it commenced operations of the Singapore CAE Flight Training Pte. Ltd. joint venture for pilot training.
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The Civil book-to-sales ratio, not including orders won by joint ventures, was 1.16x for the quarter and 1.45x for the last 12 months. The Civil backlog at the end of the quarter was CA$4.1 billion.
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According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), 93 new general aviation airports were licensed in the first half of 2018, more than doubling the number of general aviation airports in the country. China now has 231 civil airports in a total of 404 airports which support the take-off and landing of general aviation aircraft.
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118 new general aviation aircraft were registered the CAAC in the first half of the year, bringing the country’s total to 2,415 with a 9.5-percent year-on-year increase.
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According to an announcement from the CAAC, China has also recently signed bilateral intergovernmental air transport accords with 125 countries and regions, 62 of which lie along the Belt and Road, a 21st century silk road, made up of a “belt” of overland corridors and a maritime “road” of shipping lanes that will connect China with South-east Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa.
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China has also signed the first regional air transport agreement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and held bilateral aviation conferences and expanded freedoms of the air with Russia, Armenia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Israel, Mongolia, Malaysia and Egypt and other countries straddling the route, these rights allowing commercial aircraft to enter and land in each other country’s airspace.
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Currently, China has direct air routes with 45 countries alongside the Belt and Road, operating roughly 5,100 flights per week. CAAC has also signed documents with the Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, New Zealand and Australia to secure civil aviation cooperation.
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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to partner for the improvement of aviation safety. Under the MoU, the parties will work together to establish a framework for using the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) to complement Rwanda’s safety oversight.
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"Rwanda CAA is committed to improving African aviation safety. Our partnership with IATA will help us to do that by taking greater advantage of IOSA in our safety oversight program,” said Silas Udahemuka, Director General CAA of Rwanda.
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The Abuja Declaration (2015) committed African governments to establish a framework for recognition of IOSA and for all African airlines to obtain IOSA registration by 2020. Rwanda, when this MoU is implemented will be the second African state (after Zimbabwe) to fulfill this commitment.
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IOSA was established in 2003 to be the global benchmark for airline operational safety management. Today some 440 airlines are on the IOSA registry of which some 290 are IATA members. IATA members are required to maintain their IOSA registration.
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Carriers on the IOSA registry consistently perform better on safety. In 2017, the all accident rate for airlines on the IOSA registry was nearly four times better than that of non-IOSA airlines (0.56 vs. 2.17 accidents per million flights) and it was nearly three times better over the 2012-16 period. This trend carries through to Africa where the 34 African airlines with an IOSA registration delivered safety performance more than three times better than African carriers not on the registry.
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Honda Aircraft Company has begun deliveries of its new advanced aircraft, the HondaJet Elite, at its headquarters in Greensboro, NC. Deliveries of the HondaJet Elite begin as the HondaJet marks the first half of 2018 as the most delivered aircraft in its class, based on information provided by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA).
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Honda Aircraft Company has established a worldwide dealer and authorized sales network to provide unsurpassed service and support for HondaJet Elite customers that spans territories in North America, Europe, Middle and South America, Southeast Asia, China, India, the Middle East and Japan. Manufactured at Honda Aircraft Company’s world headquarters in Greensboro, NC, the HondaJet Elite is type certified by the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
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The HondaJet Elite was designed to provide customers with the best experience by utilizing Honda Aircraft's pioneering advanced technologies coupled with the best performance and comfort enhancements.
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Monarch Aircraft Engineering (MAEL) has promoted Lee Burgess to Head of Maintenance and welcomed Keith Earnden back to the company as Interim Head of Engineering.
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As Head of Maintenance, Lee Burgess will be in charge of managing MAEL’s heavy maintenance facilities in Luton and Birmingham, as well as its numerous Line Stations across the UK and Europe. He will also lead the MAEL’s new Component Maintenance Centre, which is due to open in Northampton later this year.
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Keith Earnden returns to MAEL to become Interim Head of Engineering, with responsibilities including leading the Engineering team, as well as the Continuing Airworthiness Management Organisation, Part M, and Planning. He re-joins MAEL from Flybe where he was Director of Maintenance and Engineering at Flybe, and prior to that with Marshall Aerospace in 2015. He previously worked with MAEL from 2010 to 2015.
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BOC Aviation has reported its unaudited results for the six months ended 30 June 2018.
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Robert Martin, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, said: “BOC Aviation delivered an excellent result in the first half of 2018, earning a net profit after tax of US$297 million, which was up 24% compared with the same period last year. Revenue rose 23% from US$670 million to US$825 million, reflecting 19% growth in total assets to US$17.1 billion as at 30 June 2018, as compared with 30 June 2017. Net book value of our fleet grew to US$14.3 billion as we continued our disciplined aircraft investment programme.”
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Financial highlights for the six months ended 30 June 2018 are: Total revenues and other income rose 23% to US$825 million, Net profit after tax was US$297 million, an increase of 24% over the first half of 2017. Earnings per share of US$0.43 Total assets increased 7% to US$17.1 billion as at 30 June 2018 from 31 December 2017. Strong liquidity with US$411 million in total cash and fixed deposits, and US$3.5 billion in undrawn committed credit facilities as at 30 June 2018. Raised more than US$1.1 billion in new financing. Portfolio utilisation and cash collection from airline customers of 100% and 99.5%, respectively.
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Pratt & Whitney Canada has appointed its third Designated Maintenance Facility (DMF) in Brazil, Helipark Manutenção Aeronáutica.
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Based in Carapicuíba, in São Paulo, this new DMF will service the PT6B-37A, PW206C, PW207D, PW207D1, PW207D2 and PW210A helicopter engines. This new appointment is part of P&WC’s effort to grow its service network in the region and provide cost-effective, customized solutions to increase aircraft availability.
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Helipark Manutenção Aeronáutica will offer line maintenance support as well as mobile repair team (MRT) field services.
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As part of its expanding regional support strategy, P&WC appointed RICO Taxi Aereo and ABA Manutenção de Aeronaves. A Designated Maintenance Facilities in 2017 to support PT6A customers in Brazil as well as local agricultural customers.
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P&WC’s extensive support network in the region also includes the P&WC Do Brasil maintenance facility, the Covington Aircraft Engines Inc.’s PT6A Satellite, a P&WC parts distribution centre located in Sorocaba, seven Field Support Representatives (FSRs), and specialized Mobile Repair Teams.
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