Daily2018-02-20

Wednesday, October 24th, 2018

beachaviationsponsor2018-04-03

LATEST NEWS

Airbus Hamburg plant faces further delays for delivery of A321 jets

Having been subjected to the slow delivery of engines for the previous two years, Airbus is now struggling to deal with their rapid arrival. According to Reuters, internal snags have further added to the delays, which means the plane manufacturer is also finding it difficult to meet its target of delivering 76 single-aisle jets per month for the final quarter of 2018, a monthly figure 9.6 per cent above its previous delivery record. Airbus’ delivery target for 2018 was 800 units.

With production running faster than ever, it hasn’t helped that Airbus has chosen this as the time to offer a new variant of the A321. The A321neo ACF version offers more-flexible cabins but requires complex configuration. An Airbus spokesman confirmed the customized new A321neo version, in combination with pressure created through the increase in output and the backlog of jets still waiting to be delivered, had "led to some rescheduling of aircraft deliveries."

It is understood that quality problems in Hamburg have also contributed to delays, which are a headache for new sales chief Christian Scherer as airlines wait for deliveries. For many airlines, the financial pain is acute since oil prices have bounced back to US$80.00 dollars: the target market the A321neo and similar fuel-saving models were designed for.

Hamburg's problems have highlighted the operational issues at stake as Airbus’ Guillaume Faury gets ready to take over the role of chief executive in April. His left- and right-hand men, Tom Williams and Didier Evrard, retire at the year end.

Werner Aero

JetBlue posts third quarter 2018 results

JetBlue reported third quarter 2018 revenue per available seat mile (RASM) increased 1.7%, year over year, including 0.4 points of negative impact from severe weather during September.
Operating expenses per available seat mile, excluding fuel (CASM ex-fuel) growth of 3.2%, at the lower end of the updated guidance range of 3.0% to 5.0%. CASM ex-fuel for the third quarter includes a 2.0 point headwind related to recurrent costs of the pilot contract, effective as of August 1st.

JetBlue reported GAAP pre-tax income of US$68 million. Excluding the one-time costs, adjusted pre-tax income of US$180 million, a decrease of 39.5% from the third quarter of 2017.
Pre-tax margin of 3.4%, inclusive of the one-time costs. Excluding these one-time costs, adjusted pre-tax margin of 9.0%, a 7.4 point decrease year over year.

JetBlue ended the quarter with approximately US$937 million in unrestricted cash and short term investments, or about 12.6% of trailing twelve month revenue. In addition, JetBlue maintains approximately US$625 million in undrawn lines of credit.

The realized fuel price in the quarter was US$2.32 per gallon, a 36.6% increase versus third quarter 2017 realized fuel price of US$1.69.

JetBlue entered into forward fuel derivative contracts to hedge approximately 7.7% of its fuel consumption during the fourth quarter of 2018. Based on the fuel curve as of October 15th, JetBlue expects an average price per gallon of fuel of US$2.48 in the fourth quarter of 2018.

Delta submits proposal to U.S. Department of Transportation to launch new route to Shanghai from MSP

Delta Air Lines plans to connect its Minneapolis-St. Paul hub and China for the first time in 2020, with a proposed route to Shanghai operated with its state-of-the-art Airbus A350-900 aircraft, subject to government approvals from the United States and China.

The announcement follows recently announced new Delta service from MSP to Seoul-Incheon, which begins April 1, 2019, and complements existing Asia nonstop Delta service to Tokyo-Haneda International Airport from MSP.

Commercial airline service between the U.S. and China is governed by existing agreements that limit the ability of U.S. and Chinese carriers to establish new flying between the two countries. Currently, however, there is availability for additional U.S.-China service that is not being utilized.

In its proposal to the DOT, Delta outlines its ability to offer travelers access to more than 70 destinations in China beyond Shanghai in cooperation with partners China Eastern and Shanghai Airlines. In addition, Chinese customers would be able to connect to more than 100 U.S. destinations through a single, convenient connection at Delta's MSP hub.

ELFC_2018-05-02_2

GECAS orderbook provides Vistara seven A320neo

GECAS has signed a lease contract for seven A320neos to enter service with Vistara, the India based full-service carrier and joint venture of Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, following deliveries from Airbus in the latter part of 2019 and continuing into 2020.

Commencing operations in January 2015 as one of India’s premier operators, Vistara, with its hub at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, has flown over 11 million customers. Operating an all-A320 fleet (with both 200s and neos), Vistara is the first airline in India to introduce premium economy class on domestic routes.

Sheltair Aviation Services signs exclusive FBO network agreement with ARGUS

Sheltair Aviation Services, a private Florida-based aviation development company, has signed an exclusive agreement with ARGUS International to provide TRAQPak FBO, ARGUS’ aircraft movement intelligence tool, to all Sheltair FBO locations across the U.S.

TRAQPak FBO will provide Sheltair locations with FAA aircraft movement data and ADS-B aircraft tracking provided by FlightView, Eurocontrol European flight data and Flight Global Ascend owner/operator fleet and contact data.

TRAQPak FBO is an advanced, web-based aircraft movement intelligence tool that provides live flight tracking with fully integrated functionality powered by TRAQPak’s historical aircraft activity data and analysis, FlightView aircraft movement data, and Flight Global Ascend aircraft owner/operator contact information.

Bombardier MRO

Embraer receives ANAC´s Type Certificate of the multi-mission airlift KC-390

Embraer has receiving the Type Certificate from Brazilian aviation authority Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC) for its multi-mission airlift KC-390.

The certificate was delivered by ANAC´s Director Juliano Alcântara Noman. The ceremony, held at the Brasília Air Force Base, to celebrate the Aviator Day and Brazilian Air Force Day. The ANAC certificate completes a fundamental step towards military certification, when the aircraft will reach the Final Operational Capability (FOC), expected to happen by the end of 2019.

Vallair leases Boeing 737-700 to Indian operator SpiceJet

Vallair, the aircraft trading, leasing and specialist MRO organisation, has completed a long-term lease agreement with SpiceJet of India for a Boeing 737NG. The aircraft (MSN36118) was previously operated by TUI and was purchased from GEXX.

The aircraft is one of a number of Boeing aircraft that Vallair has recently purchased for ultimate cargo conversion. As part of Vallair’s developing service and ongoing support for the carrier the intention is that it will return to Vallair after SpiceJet’s commercial lease has expired. Whereupon it will form part of the organisation’s developing P2F programme, before reverting to SpiceJet for operation as a freighter.

SpiceJet operates a dedicated air cargo service under the brand name SpiceXpress offering cargo connectivity across India and on international routes. SpiceJet is the first Indian airline to offer end-to-end cargo services and the airline’s freighter fleet consists of Boeing 737 aircraft.

MTU

Satair and Metamaterial Technologies sign distribution deal to bring laser strike protection to aviation and defence markets

Satair and Metamaterial Technologies (MTI) and its optical filters division Lamda Guard of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, have signed at the MRO Europe exhibition an exclusive global multi-million dollar distribution agreement to bring MTI’s metaAIR® laser glare protection eyewear and visors to all aviation and military markets.

The products covered are eyewear and visors and are applicable to the full range of pilots – commercial, military fixed wing and rotary, and covering a multitude of operations such as commercial and business aviation, military, search and rescue, police and medevac. The technology is superior to other products currently on the market due to a unique and patented dielectric (non-metallic) optical metamaterial filter, which has been scientifically engineered to ensure that the pilots’ vision and interpretation of the surrounding environment is not disturbed during critical phases of flight.

Laser strikes on aircraft and helicopters have risen over the years and laser pointers are increasing in power and decreasing in price. Lasers can distract and even harm pilots during critical phases of flight and can cause temporary visual impairment. Over 6750 laser incidents were recorded in the USA in 2017 according to the Federal Aviation Administration. In 2016 there were over 1750 laser incidents reported to the UK Civil Aviation Authority and Transport Canada Civil Aviation.

The introduction of these new products will bring enhanced safety to pilots globally, answering the need to address a rising threat to pilot safety, income and to passenger safety/airline operational continuity.

Air BP appoints Sonya Adams as Managing Director Northern, Central & Western Europe

International aviation fuel products and services supplier, Air BP, has announced the appointment of Sonya Adams as managing director, Northern, Central and Western Europe, effective beginning of October.

Adams will be responsible for Air BP’s strategy and operations in the region and be based at Air BP’s global headquarters in Sunbury on Thames, UK, reporting to CEO, Jon Platt.

Born and educated in Australia, Adams joined the BP Group in 2001 on the graduate training programme. She brings over 17 years of valuable fuels experience from her career in sales and marketing, supply and logistics and procurement roles. Having run both the customer facing, and terminals and logistics businesses in Australia she has considerable expertise in transforming businesses operating in intensely competitive and fast changing markets, and delivering operational excellence across complex facilities.

For the past year, Adams has served as Executive Assistant to the CEO, BP Downstream.

Kellstrom

Bombardier sues Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation over trade secrets

In a federal court in Seattle, Washington on October 19, Bombardier, the Canadian plane maker, filed a lawsuit against Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation (the aircraft arm of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries), Seattle-based Aerospace Testing Engineering & Certification Inc (AeroTEC) and several former Bombardier employees.

AeroTEC is currently aiding Mitsubishi Aircraft obtain 90-passenger jet certification by regulatory bodies. Bombardier is alleging that a number of their employees who were recruited by Mitsubishi or AeroTEC took confidential documents and data with them which was related to the certification of airplanes in Canada and the United States. Bombardier has requested a preliminary injunction stopping Mitsubishi Aircraft from using any of the information it claims has been taken by former employees who are alleged to have emailed copies of sensitive documents to their private email accounts prior to leaving Bombardier.

While AeroTEC has yet to comment, Mitsubishi Aircraft have openly denied any wrongdoing, calling Bombardier’s allegations “groundless.”
The Mitsubishi Regional Aircraft (MRJ) is the first passenger plane to be built in Japan since the 1960s and the project has been plagued by constant delays. While the initial launch date had been penned in for 2013, it is now anticipated that ANA Holdings, the launch customer, will not receive the first aircraft delivery until 2020.

One of the reasons cited by Mitsubishi Aircraft for delays in the past has been obtaining certification. Bombardier is anxious that the MRJ will be the forerunner to additional jets which will compete directly with what was the Bombardier 110-130-seat CSeries, recently renamed the Airbus A220.

Bombardier said it took it nearly a decade to take its CSeries from concept to commercial flight and that only four companies since 2000 had been able to develop a “clean-sheet” aircraft program approved by regulators in Canada, Europe and the United States.

IAI and Airbus Maritime Heron Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) successfully complete 200 flight hours

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) in partnership with Airbus DS Airborne Solutions, a subsidiary of Airbus DS, have successfully completed 200 flight hours with the maritime Heron Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems as part of marine patrol and coastal guard missions on Crete, Greece. The Heron flew in European civilian airspace under a civilian code.

Flying for FRONTEX, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, the maritime Heron performed a series of flights equipped with an electro-optical payload for day and night vision, a marine radar made by IAI and an automatic identification receiver.

Each mission lasted 14 hours on average. The surveillance platform Heron 1 used a direct link when flying within Line of Sight (LOS), switching seamlessly to a satellite link when flying Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) to transmit real time information to multiple users in real time.

IAI and Airbus were selected by FRONTEX in a contract that includes operating the RPAS in daily security and coastal guard missions, maintenance and more. IAI and Airbus will provide the service for pre-planned assignments as well as for ad-hoc calls. The current contract covers 600 flight hours and may be extended into a longer-term agreement.

The Maritime Heron RPAS serves a range of customers worldwide, and is a part of the well-known "Heron" family which has accumulated over 300,000 flight hours, day/night missions, under all weather conditions. The Heron can fly 24 hours in full operational configuration. It carries versatile dedicated payloads to provide a clear, real-time intelligence picture to the marine vessels’ commanders and teams.

The only RPAS directly controlled by a ship’s command system since 2010, the maritime Heron is in service with the Israel Navy as its key patrolling tool, successfully performing reconnaissance and security assignments for many years.

GA Telesis

BOC Aviation delivers third Airbus A321neo aircraft to Sichuan Airlines

BOC Aviation has delivered the third of five new Airbus A321neo aircraft to Chinese carrier Sichuan Airlines. The remaining two aircraft will be delivered by the end of 2019. All five aircraft are from the Company’s existing order book.

“The deliveries to Sichuan Airlines mark a number of milestones for BOC Aviation: they are the first to our new customer Sichuan Airlines and they are our first A321neo aircraft to be delivered from our orderbook,” said Robert Martin, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. “We are delighted to support the growth of one of China’s leading regional airlines with aircraft that are amongst the world’s most cost-effective and technologically advanced.”

AviTrader_Weekly_Headline_News_Cover_2018-10-22

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UPCOMING EVENTS


MRO Asia
November 6 - 8, 2018 – Singapore

Aircraft Economic Life Summit 2018
November 20, 2018 – Gibson Hotel, Dublin, Ireland

IATP Conference 2019
March 9 - 13, 2019 – Athens, Greece

Saudi International Airshow 2019
March 12 - 14, 2019 – Thumamah Airport, Riyadh, KSA
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