Daily2018-02-20

Thursday, October 11th, 2018

beachaviationsponsor2018-04-03

LATEST NEWS

United Airlines to create world’s largest flight-training center in Denver

United Continental Holdings (United) has begun the expansion of its current flight-training Center in Denver, Ohio which will turn it into the biggest facility of its type. At a ceremony to mark the occasion on Tuesday October 9, United’s CEO Oscar Munoz commented that this was a symbol of the carrier’s rebirth.

The current facility has seen existing buildings in the former Stapleton Airport grounds rededicated to the creation of a training center which, along with the construction of new buildings, will provide capacity for a total of 40 simulators which will be used not only for training United pilots, but also those of other airlines. 32 of the simulators are in existence and a further 8 will be housed in the new two-story building currently under construction.

The oldest of the simulators at the facility is a Boeing 767 simulator for aircraft, which has been in use since the mid-1980s, while the newest are for Airbus A320 airliners and which have modern digital displays. In addition, the campus will have facilities where flight attendants can train on evacuation and other emergency procedures using the real exit row and aircraft door configuration of the more than nine aircraft types United currently flies.

United has invested about US$150 million renovating the 462,000 ft² of existing buildings, while the new, 100,000 ft² building is expected to cost US$40 million. The city of Denver and the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade have committed to paying United more than US$13 million over the next eight years if the training center expansion hits certain benchmarks for job creation and capital investment.

Each of United’s 12,500 pilots will train at least every nine months at the facility, and the center, once construction is finished, will employ 850 people.

TP Aerospace

Lufthansa Technik offers 787 landing gear services

Lufthansa Technik AG complements its support portfolio for the Boeing 787 by adding overhaul capabilities and the availability of exchange shipsets for this aircraft type's landing gears. This decision underlines Lufthansa Technik's approach of offering an extremely comprehensive support portfolio for this modern commercial aircraft and continuously extending its services for it.

Preparations are underway to initially build up the capability either in Hamburg or at Lufthansa Technik Landing Gear Services UK. Customers in the Americas will benefit from expanding this capability also to Lufthansa Technik's Los Angeles-based subsidiary Hawker Pacific Aerospace.

To help with exchanging and repairing landing gears on site, Lufthansa Technik will rely on the mobile Airline Support Team (AST® Landing Gear) service. A new solution to transport the landing gears has also been developed. Lufthansa Technik has designed dedicated transport crates, which will be available to save transportation costs.

Zephyrus Aviation Capital announces closing of ZCAP 2018-1

Zephyrus Aviation Capital, a fleet management solutions provider focused on older and end-of-life aircraft and engine leasing & trading, has closed the Company’s first structured ABS financing, ZCAP 2018-1. Zephyrus Capital Aviation Partners 2018-1 Ltd and Zephyrus Capital Aviation Partners 2018-1 LLC (the Borrowers) will borrow US$336.6 million, which will be used to finance the acquisition of a diversified portfolio of 21 in-production, predominantly narrow-body aircraft on lease to 19 lessees in 14 countries, from Dublin-based Avolon.

ZCAP 2018-1 is comprised of a single Class A tranche of loans in the initial principal amount of US$336.6 million with a fixed coupon of 4.605% yielding 5.153%. The Loans have an initial loan-to-value ratio (calculated as the note amount divided by the lower of the mean and median of appraisers’ base values and current market values) of 74% and have been rated A / A by S&P Global Ratings and Kroll Bond Rating Agency, respectively.

This financing event marks the ‘groundbreaking’ combination of a newly-launched company acquiring a substantial portfolio directly into an ABS structure. “We are pleased to see such strong demand for our initial ‘out-of-the-box’ ABS. With a book that was more than two times over-subscribed, by knowledgeable and quality investors, our transaction structure – of a single-tranche loan format with significant equity fully-retained by Zephyrus – was well-received by the market and signifies approval of Zephyrus’ long-term approach,” said Zephyrus CEO Damon J. D’Agostino.

Component Control

WestJet announces Calgary as home to initial Dreamliner hub

WestJet is launching its first three Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner international destinations from Calgary. WestJet becomes the first Canadian airline to base its Dreamliner aircraft out of YYC Calgary International Airport.

WestJet is launching non-stop service on board its Dreamliners from Calgary to London (Gatwick), Paris and Dublin on April 28, May 17 and June 1, 2019, respectively.

"Alberta's connectivity to the rest of the world is vital for our economy," said Ed Sims, WestJet President and CEO. "WestJet is investing in Alberta to bring further economic growth, boost tourism to the province, and to further position our city as an international aviation hub. We are excited to bring Albertans to the world and the world to Alberta."

The international scheduled service between Calgary and London (Gatwick), Paris and Dublin will support 650 full-time jobs and CA$100 million in total economic output. This is in addition to WestJet's yearly economic output of more than CA$5 billion, that supports more than 32,000 direct and indirect jobs in Alberta. Overall WestJet's national economic impact on Canada annually generates CA$17.4 billion and supports more than 153,000 jobs.

The three new flights from the UK and Western Europe are expected to eventually bring up to 185,000 visitors to Calgary on a yearly basis, helping also increase local tourism.
The first of 10 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners ordered by WestJet will arrive in Calgary early in 2019, with two more arriving by April. The aircraft will operate on domestic flights for crew training and regulatory compliance before the first scheduled international flight in April. WestJet also has options for an additional 10 aircraft to arrive between 2020 and 2024. Hub locations and routes for the remaining seven aircraft have not yet been announced.

PPG receives European Aviation Safety Agency STC for BEECHJET 400 jet windshields

PPG has received a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for its aftermarket glass-faced acrylic windshields for BEECHJET® 400 business jets and their variants. Receiving the STC enables PPG to sell the windshields as an approved design to owners of Beechjet 400 jets and variants who recognize EASA authority.

The windshield is now approved by two of the leading aviation authorities, having received Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA) from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in 2017.

The PPG windshields have an outboard ply of chemically strengthened glass with two stretched-acrylic plies, combining the abrasion resistance of glass with the lightweight benefits of acrylic. They feature a PPG AIRCON® anti-ice heating system that offers enhanced optics during operation. PPG SURFACE SEAL® hydrophobic coating helps shed water for better pilot visibility during wet conditions without the need for wipers.

The windshields also incorporate a weather seal that is used with pre-molded pressure seals on the edge attachment, simplifying installation because there is no need for additional sealant application. The weather seal and a PPG-produced interlayer afford enhanced resistance to moisture ingress that can cause interlayer degradation and hazing.

ASI

Finnair wet leases one Airbus A330 from Air Italy for Chicago and Miami routes

Finnair will wet lease an Airbus A330 aircraft and crew from Air Italy for its Chicago and Miami routes for the period of October 12-31.

One of Finnair’s long-haul aircraft was damaged at Chicago airport on September 25 when a high loader accidentally hit it. With the wet lease from Air Italy, Finnair ensures that flights to Chicago and Miami can be operated normally while the damaged aircraft is being repaired.

"The aircraft damage in Chicago was very unfortunate. With high-quality wet lease from Air Italy, we can continue operating our Chicago and Miami flights and offer our customers a smooth travel experience regardless of the aircraft change," says Jaakko Schildt, Chief Operating Officer, Finnair.

Embraer successfully performs first flight of series production KC-390 multi-mission airlift

Embraer achieved another important milestone with the completion of the maiden flight of the first series production multi-mission medium airlift KC-390.

As agreed with the Brazilian Air Force, the aircraft will now join the flight test campaign, in which more than 1,900 flight hours have already been logged. Civil certification of the basic aircraft will be granted by Brazilian aviation authority ANAC (Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil) and is expected to be achieved very soon.

Embraer´s KC-390 is a tactical transport aircraft designed to set new standards in its category while presenting the lowest life-cycle cost of the market. It can perform a variety of missions such as cargo and troop transport, troop and cargo air delivery, aerial refueling, search and rescue and forest fire fighting.

Kellstrom

Bombardier appoints Sam Abdelmalek Chief Transformation and Supply Chain Officer

Bombardier has named Sam Abdelmalek as Chief Transformation and Supply Chain Officer, effective October 10, 2018.

Abdelmalek will report directly to Alain Bellemare, President and Chief Executive Officer, Bombardier Inc. In this position, he will assume responsibility for the continued transformation of the company’s operations and lead the company’s supply chain activities to reduce costs and improve efficiency and quality to support Bombardier’s growth objectives.

Abdelmalek brings almost 30 years of aerospace and industrial experience to Bombardier. Most recently, he served as Vice President, Global Supply Chain at Pratt & Whitney.

CTT Zonal Drying™ removed as basic equipment on Boeing 787

CTT SYSTEMS, a market leader of humidity control systems for aircraft, has announced that Boeing has de-selected the Zonal Drying™ equipment on the 787. This as consequence of the Boeing decision to remove the Moisture Control system (MCS) as basic equipment on the 787. This decision will have financial impact on CTT from end of 2019.

When entering into force the deleted Zonal Drying™ OEM equipment not only will lead to lowered OEM sales, but also will have impact on correlated IP deliveries and aftermarket sales. In 2017 and first half of 2018, this in total accounted for 15-20% of CTT Systems’ net revenues.

The removal decision is consistent with other Boeing airplanes utilizing crown ventilation via upper recirculation air. CTT Systems will remain a supplier for the 787, supporting humidifiers to flight deck and crew rest compartments.

“Although an unwanted change for CTT Systems, our target market for Zonal Drying™ is primarily single aisle aircraft,” comments Torbjörn Johansson CEO at CTT Systems. “We are pleased to notice that our humidifiers in flight deck and crew rests are frequently selected on Boeing 787 and highly appreciated amongst pilots and crew.”

C&L Aviation

Airport Coordination bolsters its independence with appointment of new Non-Executive Directors

Leading airport slot coordinator Airport Coordination Ltd (ACL), has welcomed two further independent Non-Executive Directors to its Board, effective immediately.

Ailsa Beaton and Valerie Gordon-Walker will contribute complementary industry management experience to the independent coordinator. They join Catherine Brown, former CEO of the Food Standards Agency, who joined ACL in 2017 as a Non Executive Director and Jeff Halliwell, who became ACL‘s first independent Chair in 2013.

“These new appointments, hard on the heels of the arrival of our new CEO Edmond Rose last month, place Airport Coordination Ltd in a stronger position to play an increasingly prominent and effective role serving airports and airlines globally,” said ACL Chairman Jeff Halliwell. “The strong increase in worldwide consumer demand for aviation and consequent pressure on expensive infrastructure means that the fair and effective co-ordination of slots, and the optimisation of airport capacity, have never been more important.”

“Bringing in two further independent board members will strengthen ACL‘s ability to uphold its duties in an independent, fair, and transparent manner,” he added.

ATS
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