AIR WORLD

05/06/2021

GULFSTREAM APPOINTS VICKI BRITT SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, INNOVATION, ENGINEERING AND FLIGHT

Britt Succeeds Colin Miller Upon His Retirement From GulfstreamSAVANNAH, Georgia, May 17, 2021 — Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. today announced the appointment of Vicki Britt as senior vice president, Innovation, Engineering and Flight. Colin Miller, who previously held the role, recently announced his retirement after eight years of service to Gulfstream. Britt serves as a member of Gulfstream’s leadership team and reports to Gulfstream President Mark Burns. In her new role, Britt is responsible for research and development; new aircraft program initiation; engineering and product development; flight, lab and structural test; and worldwide Gulfstream flight operations. “During her tenure at Gulfstream, Vicki has been an invaluable technical leader, team leader and mentor,” said Burns. “Her breadth of experience over an impressive range of aerospace engineering has prepared her well to lead Gulfstream’s innovation strategy and implementation.”Britt, who has more than 30 years’ experience in the aerospace industry, joined Gulfstream in 1996 and has held a number of roles with increasing responsibility in stress, fatigue and damage tolerance; new product development; and airframe engineering. She also has served as staff scientist and director of aircraft structures and, most recently, chief engineer and program manager of Gulfstream special missions.

Britt’s aerospace career began at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. She holds a doctorate in aerospace engineering from Old Dominion University and earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering and a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from North Carolina State University.

04/06/2021

ALSIM stronger in Australia thanks to the sale of a second ALSIM AL42 to ATO Learn To Fly

Tuesday, May 20th 2021, Le Loroux-Bottereau, France
The ATO Learn To Fly, based in Melbourne, Australia, renews its confidence in ALSIM in acquiring a second ALSIM AL42 flight simulator for their Diamond Airline Academy program.

The AL42 is the exact replica of the Diamond DA42, built using genuine aircraft parts and equipped with the Garmin G1000 avionics suite.

“The quality and realism of the ALSIM AL42 simulator has allowed us to improve our training model, particularly for our IFR students. We’ll soon be taking on cadet trainees for a major airline through our Diamond Airline Academy program, and adding a second AL42 will allow us to improve our training capabilities even further.” according to Kai Li, Chief Executive Officer of Learn To Fly.

Nicolas Fabriès, ALSIM Sales Account Manager adds: “We thank Learn To Fly and Diamond Airline Academy for their confidence. We are very excited to continue this collaboration and we are looking forward to installing the simulator.”

03/06/2021

EBACE - European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition Connect a Success, Characterized by Forward-Looking Energy & Excitement

Washington, DC /Brussels, Belgium, May 20, 2021 – As the first-ever EBACE Connect concluded today, organizers reported the digital event soared beyond expectations, demonstrating the global business aviation community’s eagerness to embrace the future, focus on new opportunities and fire the imagination.

Held May 18-20, EBACE Connect was presented by the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) and the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA).

“We are thrilled to see so much enthusiasm across the industry this week,” said EBAA Secretary-General Athar Husain Khan. “We launched EBACE Connect to bring the business aviation community together and share our vision for the future. This week showed how busy this industry is forging that vision.”

“At this pivotal moment, we came to EBACE Connect to plan for post-pandemic growth,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “As this week made clear, business aviation is focused on much more than returning to normal – our industry is evolving, coming back stronger, more adaptive and more innovative than ever.”

EBAA and NBAA pointed to several standout indicators of the event’s success:

•More than 1,600 attendees participated in the program, which featured keynote discussions with aviation leaders and visionaries. Famed pilot and philanthropist Erik Lindbergh opened the program by sharing personal insights on the next great era in aviation. On day two, a Lightning Round session with the CEOs of all the major business aircraft OEMs highlighted their perspectives.

•The EBACE Connect panel sessions likewise focused on business aviation’s future, covering advanced air mobility, safety regulation for new technologies, growing beyond COVID, market trends and sustainability.

•The full lineup of sponsored “Thought Leadership” sessions featured business aviation entrepreneurs and leaders discussing topics such as the evolving workplace, data-management best practices and cloud-based tools for flight operations.

•Major OEMs and leading service providers filled the Press Day before the program on May 17, with six announcements of exciting new products and offerings. Nearly 100 journalists from around the world registered for the Press Day, and covered EBACE Connect.

The EBACE Connect organizers thanked the event sponsors, which included: Airbus, Ambry Hill Tech, Avfuel, Bermuda Aircraft Registry, Bombardier, CAE, Canadian Propeller, Carolina GSE, Collins Aerospace, Credit Suisse, Daher, Embraer, Flight Consulting Group, ForeFlight, Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, Jetex, myairops, NATA Compliance Services, Pratt & Whitney Canada, StandardAero, UAS International Trip Support, Viasat and World Fuel Services.

“This week, we all shared in the sense that, even in this most challenging year, business aviation has been laying the groundwork for big changes,” said Husain Khan. “At EBACE Connect, we set our sights higher in pursuit of an exciting future.”

In 2022, EBACE will return to Geneva Airport and Palexpo in Switzerland. The in-person exhibition will take place May 23-25. Information about the event’s new housing company, and other details, will be available shortly.

02/06/2021

Smart technology will define future airports, says SIRA chief

No place for traditional airports without advanced smart technologies. Future technologies will enhance airport security.

There will be no place for traditional airports to operate without advanced and smart technologies in the future which stresses the absolute necessity for airports of the future to enhance security and facilities enabled with smart devices, said Major General Khalifa Ibrahim Al Saleis, Chief Executive Officer, Industry Regulatory Agency (SIRA).

Delivering the keynote speech on Future Technologies Enhancing Airport Security at the Global Airport Leaders Forum at the Dubai Airport Show 2021, he said Dubai airport sits in the first place in the world on the number of international travellers with 89.1 million travellers in 2019.

According to the Airport Council International, in the year 2018 there were 8.8 billion passengers at world airports. In 2040 the number is expected to increase to 19.7 billion. These large number of travellers means that travel procedures need to be simplified, while maintaining the safety and security at the airports and passengers.

We all know that security emigration and health check procedures which make long hours of delay are necessary and cannot be avoided.

Smart airports are the future of air travel because of the smart devices provided to reduce waiting queue, waiting time, reduction in queue for passport control, security check and at duty-free and other outlets.
“Smart counters resulted in reducing waiting time, waiting queues, waiting time for passport control, security check, and duty-free and other outlets. In 2018 and 2019 it was recorded that 78 per cent users of these services were economy class passengers, which helped avoid crowding and reduction in waiting time at the terminal. The use of smart phone application for travel procedure, such as printing boarding pass, advance ticket booking, reduced the waiting time at the airports achieved social distancing.

In 2018 and 2019, 40 per cent of Emirates airline passengers used online check-in service. Self-registration kiosks at the airports reduced human contacts that helped social distancing. It is estimated that these procedures reduced at least 30 per cent of time spent at airports. The use of advance technology, smartgate and smart tunnel, introduction of digital passport supported by biometric technology speed up the travel procedure.

The digitalisation of visa and certificates using blockchain technology and digital encryption makes it very difficult to tamper with the documents, especially when it is linked with biometric and fingerprint identification technology.

The use of smartgate at Dubai airport reduced the time for completing travel procedures at the emigration and passport control to 15 seconds. The use of smart tunnel for passengers at Dubai airport led to reduction in time to 9 seconds without the need to stop at the emigration counters. Personal research is considered one of the most difficult and time-consuming procedures at airports. However, technologically advanced devices are available now for personal search without human involvement, which will be one of the basic requirements for all smart airports in the future.

The advanced smart search devices are expected to handle over 900 passengers per hour. These will be deployed over the next few years. The use of special application for smartphones by travellers to complete the travel procedure also act as devices to know the location of the passengers.

01/06/2021

News Update: Shandong Airlines implements Sabre Corporation fares management solution to maximize revenue opportunities and accelerate recovery

SINGAPORE – 20 May 2021 –Sabre Corporation(NASDAQ: SABR), a leading software and technology provider that powers the global travel industry, announced today that Shandong Airlines has successfully implemented its fares management solution to support the China-based airline’s efforts to drive revenue optimization and accelerate recovery as it looks to launch new services and increase frequencies during summer 2021.

Shandong Airline, which is owned by Shandong Airline Group, is now using Sabre AirVision Fares Manager and its Contract Manager capability to manage millions of the airline’s fares, and proactively sense and respond to changing market conditions, while optimizing and publishing fares and rules with minimal latency.

“While the entire airline industry continues to operate in challenging times, we aren’t simply sitting back to wait for recovery to happen,” said Mr Yuan Fei, General Manager, Network & Revenue Management Department, Shandong Airlines. “We have ambitious plans to launch new services as well as increasing frequencies on existing routes, and we’re working hard to prepare for the future. That’s why it is vital that we are working with the right travel technology partner to help us to reach both our short and long-term business goals.”

With an extensive domestic network and serving destinations across Asia, Shandong Airlines has plans to launch 26 new services and to increase frequencies on 13 existing services during the 2021 summer season. The successful launch of Sabre AirVision Fares Manager for Ji’nan-headquartered Shandong Airlines means the carrier will now be able to use the solution to help the airline boost revenue opportunities, minimize revenue leakage, and support improvement of analyst responsiveness and productivity through advanced decision support and automation, proactive and dynamic competitive fare response and strategic fare optimization.

“We’re delighted that, as the travel industry continues to move through the pandemic and into recovery, Shandong Airlines is now able to leverage Sabre’s innovative technology to enable appropriate and effective market positioning,” said Rakesh Narayanan, Vice President, Regional General Manager, Asia Pacific, Travel Solutions Airline Sales. “Utilizing robust, intuitive technological tools is more important than ever at a time when it is not always possible to rely on past years’ data to predict future demand and make pricing decisions. This latest implementation will further strengthen the position of both Shandong Airlines and Sabre in the increasingly competitive Chinese marketplace as well as being testament to Sabre’s deep commitment to helping airlines to prepare for recovery and future growth.”

01/06/2021

🗞️ News & Articles - From the desk of Air World

Cathay Pacific Extends Dubai-Hong Kong Flights

First resumed flight from Dubai took off successfully with strong cargo demand. The airline has also introduced WhatsApp chat support service for its customers.

Cathay Pacific has announced the continuation of its recently relaunched flights between Dubai and its hub, Hong Kong,
following its first flight which took off on 21 May 2021.

The first resumed flight was positively received by customers and the trade alike. Departing Dubai International Airport at 16:25 on Friday (21 May), passengers were welcomed on-board by a vaccinated cabin crew. The airline also received an overwhelming response for cargo with a full load on the flight.

The weekly flight, operated by an Airbus A330-300, will continue to follow the same schedule as May, providing UAE residents and visitors with convenient connections to Hong Kong and onwards across Cathay Pacific’s network

“On announcing the resumption of our passenger services from Dubai, we received a favourable response from the passengers and trade partners. Not only was it humbling to welcome back our guests as we took to the skies again, but also extremely encouraging as we look to scale up our global network operations” said Vishnu Rajendran, Area Manager – Middle East, Cathay Pacific.
In addition to passengers, Friday’s flight welcomed a full belly-hold as Cathay Pacific provided additional capacity on the route, which has witnessed healthy demands for varied shipments during recent months through its Cargo-only flights.

23/05/2021

📑 News & Updates

North Air - New Airline launched in Pakistan to boost tourism

Civil Aviation Authority issued a Tourism Promotion Regional integration (TPRI) license under 2019 New Aviation Policy to a newly launched private airline named North Air.

As per details, the privately launched new airline is planned to operate flights for Gilgit, Skardu, Chitral and Gwadar.

The head office of the private airline is established at New Islamabad Airport.

21/05/2021

🗞️ News & Articles - From the desk of Air World

Air Cargo Demand Reaches All Time High in March, up 4.4% Compared to Pre-COVID Levels

04 May 2021 (Geneva) - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released March 2021 data for global air cargo markets showing that air cargo demand continued to outperform pre-COVID levels (March 2019) with demand up 4.4%. March demand reached the highest level recorded since the series began in 1990. Month-on-month demand also increased albeit at a slower pace than the previous month with volumes up 0.4% in March over February 2021 levels.

Because comparisons between 2021 and 2020 monthly results are distorted by the extraordinary impact of COVID-19, unless otherwise noted all comparisons to follow are to March 2019 which followed a normal demand pattern.

• Global demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTKs), was up 4.4% compared to March 2019 and 0.4% compared to February 2021. This was a slower rate of growth than the previous month, which saw demand increase 9.2% compared to February 2019. A weaker performance by Asia-Pacific and African carriers compared to February contributed to softer growth in March.

• Global capacity, measured in available cargo tonne-kilometers (ACTKs), continued to recover in March, up 5.6% compared to the previous month. Despite this, capacity remans 11.7% below pre-COVID-19 levels (March 2019) due to the ongoing grounding of passenger aircraft. Airlines continue to use dedicated freighters to plug the lack of available belly-capacity. International capacity from dedicated freighters rose 20.6% in March 2021 compared to the same month in 2019 and belly-cargo capacity of passenger aircraft dropped by 38.4%.

• Underlying economic conditions remain supportive for air cargo:
-This is evidenced in the new export orders component of the manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) which stood at 53.4 in March. Results above 50 indicate manufacturing growth versus the prior month.
-Demand for exports grew broadly in March. This was concentrated in developed countries during January and February.
-Delivery times for manufactured goods are increasing which normally indicates increased demand for air cargo in efforts to reduce shipping time.
-Global trade rose 0.3% in February – the ninth consecutive monthly increase and the longest continuous growth in more than two decades.

“Air cargo continues to be the bright spot for aviation. Demand reached an all-time high in March, up 4.4% compared to pre-COVID levels (March, 2019). And airlines are taking all measures to find the needed capacity. The crisis has shown that air cargo can meet fundamental challenges by adopting innovations quickly. That is how it is meeting growing demand even as much of the passenger fleet remains grounded. The sector needs to retain this momentum post-crisis to drive the sector’s long-term efficiency with digitalization,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.

March Regional Performance:

Asia-Pacific airlines saw demand for international air cargo drop 0.3% in March 2021 compared to the same month in 2019. The slight weakness in performance compared to the previous month was seen on most of the trade lanes connected with Asia. International capacity remained constrained in the region, down 20.7% versus March 2019. The region’s airlines reported the highest international load factor at 78.4%.

North American carriers posted a 14.5% increase in international demand in March compared to March 2019. This strong performance reflects the strength of the economic recovery in the US. In Q1, US GDP rose by 6.4% in annualized terms, up from 4.3% in Q4 bringing the country’s economy close to pre-COVID levels. The business environment for air cargo remains supportive; the new export orders component of the PMI rose to its highest level since 2007. International capacity grew by 1.8% compared with March 2019.

European carriers posted a 0.7% increase in demand in March compared to the same month in 2019. Improved operating conditions and recovering export orders contributed to the positive performance. International capacity decreased by 17% in March 2021 versus March 2019.

Middle Eastern carriers posted a 9.2% rise in international cargo volumes in March 2021 versus March 2019. Month-on-month, Middle East carriers posted the strongest growth of all regions, up 4.4%. Of the region’s key international routes, Middle East-North America and Middle East-Asia have provided the most significant support, rising 28% and 17% respectively in March compared to March 2019. International capacity in March was down 12.4% compared to the same month in 2019.

Latin American carriers reported a decline of 23.6% in international cargo volumes in March compared to the 2019 period; this was the worst performance of all regions. Drivers of air cargo demand in Latin America remain relatively less supportive than in the other regions. International capacity decreased 46.0% compared with March 2019.

African airlines’ cargo demand in March increased 24.6% compared to the same month in 2019, the strongest of all regions. Robust expansion on the Asia-Africa trade lanes contributed to the strong growth. March international capacity decreased by 2.1% compared to March 2019.

20/05/2021

🗞️ News & Articles - From the desk of Air World

Europe has today moved a step closer to reopening for visitors from overseas, as the Union has agreed to allow vaccinated travelers to visit the bloc. After more than a year of severely restricted travel, the news will come as a welcome move for the millions who have been separated from family and friends.

Source:

The EU has today moved a step closer to reopening for visitors from overseas, as the Union has…

20/05/2021

🗞️ News & Articles - From the desk of Air World

Falcon 6X Interior Receives Another Prestigious Product Design Award
*Flight test program quickly ramping up

Saint-Cloud, France, April 19, 2021 - Days after the on-time first flight of the Falcon 6X, the new twinjet is in the spotlight again, winning the prestigious Red Dot: Best of the Best award for its premium cabin design.

Dassault Aviation joins Apple, Porsche, Audi and other famous brands that have been recognized by the coveted Red Dot prize. The Red Dot organization noted that this year it received an unprecedented number of nominations from more than 60 countries for the award, which rewards trailblazing work in product design. In awarding the prize, the Red Dot committee recognized the exceptional combination of form and function demonstrated by the Falcon 6X’s cabin design. The committee determined that the cabin’s flowing lines and environmental engineering create a unique, healthful and productive environment offering a new level of personal comfort and space. It was also impressed by the clean, modern lines and layout of the interior and the small touches that particularly delight business jet passengers: easy-to-use fingertip controls, the 6X’s innovative overhead galley skylight and mood lighting designed to support natural circadian rhythms.

The Red Dot prize is the second design award Dassault has received for the 6X cabin. In September 2020, the 6X won the International Yacht & Aviation Award sponsored by design et al, the prominent UK design magazine published by The Design Society.

On pace for 2022 service entry

Meanwhile, the Falcon 6X flight test program is gathering momentum as the aircraft proceeds towards its scheduled certification in 2022. Since its first flight on March 10, the 6X has accumulated more than 50 flight hours in the air, and opened the flight envelope all the way to the aircraft’s maximum operating speed of 0.90 Mach. “For its brief time in the air, the aircraft has demonstrated excellent handling in multiple flight scenarios and shown unusual maturity in systems function,” remarked flight test pilot Bruno Ferry. A second flight test aircraft will join the test program a month from now, and a third, outfitted with a full interior, before the summer.

The Falcon 6X has the largest cabin cross section in business aviation, imparting a level of comfort and functionality unmatched by any other purpose built executive jet. With a range of 5,500 nautical miles, the 6X can travel nonstop from Los Angeles to Moscow or London to Hong Kong and like all Falcons is capable of flying long distances from short, constrained runways. The aircraft is equipped with the latest version of Dassault’s pace-setting digital flight control system, which grants unparalleled safety and flying precision.

19/05/2021

🗞️ News & Articles - From the desk of Air World

Constant Aviation – one of USA's largest maintenance, repair and overhaul businesses (MROs) – announced major improvements at its aircraft painting operation at Orlando Sanford International Airport, which will expand its capabilities and require hiring additional technicians.

The paint shop is part of a full-service MRO facility and can accommodate large-cabin aircraft such as the Gulfstream 650, Dassault Falcon 7X and Bombardier Global. It is the latest in a series of upgrades at Orlando Sanford since Constant Aviation opened the facility four years ago, and is expected to bring 50 new jobs to Orlando.

19/05/2021

🗞️ News & Articles

Gulf Air and SAUDIA AIRLINES الخطوط السعودية Hold Talks to Enhance Partnership

Codeshare Agreement Between Both Airlines to Commence from Summer Schedule of 2021, Enhancing Seamless Travel Options for Passengers

Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain – 25 April 2021: Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, and Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA), the national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, recently held talks to discuss their close commercial relationships and explore ways to build on the ties by establishing a codeshare agreement.

Being the first two airlines that started operations in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, Gulf Air and SAUDIA will cooperate to expand their footprints regionally and internationally by sharing their codes and offering guests the signature warmth of Arabian hospitality. The codeshare will further enhance seamless travel options for passengers of Gulf Air and SAUDIA, providing wider choices of domestic destinations in Saudi Arabia and other international destinations across each airline’s network.

Gulf Air place its ‘GF’ code on SAUDIA flights from Riyadh and Jeddah to Bahrain, Abha, Jizan, Yanbu, Aljouf, Ha’il as well as Tunis–Carthage airport. On the other hand, the agreement will see SAUDIA place its ‘SV’ code on Gulf Air flights from Bahrain to Riyadh, Jeddah, Tbilisi, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Baku, and Multan. These codeshare operations will commence from the upcoming summer schedule of 2021.

Commenting on the partnership, Gulf Air’s Acting Chief Executive Officer Captain Waleed AlAlawi said: “The relationship between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has always been strong on many fronts, and aviation is one of them. Gulf Air and SAUDIA are the pioneer airlines in the GCC with over 70 years of legacy. We look forward to strengthening our ties to offer better connectivity and services to both airlines’ passengers”.

For his part, Captain Ibrahim S. Koshy, CEO of SAUDIA, said: “SAUDIA and Gulf Air are key partners in connecting guests on each carriers’ diverse route networks. Both airlines have a long history of partnership, in which this expanded codeshare agreement further enhances connectivity, convenience and flexibility for travelers.”

The codeshare represents a cornerstone in strengthening broader commercial cooperation between Gulf Air and SAUDIA, while also reflecting the deep and longstanding relationship between the two Kingdoms. Captain Waleed AlAlawi and Captain Ibrahim S. Koshy also reflected on the progressive growth of the routes and frequencies of both airlines, enhancing the connectivity between both nations.

Gulf Air’s Falconflyer members will be able to earn and redeem miles when flying on SAUDIA. Similarly, SAUDIA’s Al Fursan frequent flyer members traveling with Gulf Air on these routes will be eligible to earn and redeem miles for flights operated by either carrier on their codeshare routes.