Bye Aerospace eFlyer 800 programme advances: Bye Aerospace, developer of the eFlyer 800, announced that production backlog has increased to 135 purchase deposit and option total agreements for the all-electric twin-motor eFlyer 800 targeted for the regional airline market. Across all eFlyer models in development, Bye Aerospace is now approaching an unprecedented 900 units total in its backlog including 732 paid purchase deposits and 162 paid, time-limited purchase option deposits. “The response has been enthusiastically positive since we announced the eFlyer 800 in April of last year,” said George Bye, CEO of Bye Aerospace. “We are particularly grateful to our launch customers, Jet It and JetClub, for their endorsement of this ground-breaking programme. In addition, Safran continues to be a supportive partner as we continue to assess the most efficient electric powertrain using Safran’s dual ENGINeUS electric motors and GENeUSGRID electric distribution and network protection system.”
GEODIS increases female top managers: In order to meet its target of at least 25 percent of women in management positions by 2023, GEODIS is introducing a “parity” indicator that will be reflected in the bonus paid top managers. “Today women are represented on all GEODIS regional management committees worldwide. We now want to go further, and so top managers who work to promote women will be rewarded as part of their annual bonuses,” said Marie-Christine Lombard, Chief Executive Officer of GEODIS. The new “Environment, Social & Governance” (ESG) indicator, which came into effect on 1 January will account for 25 percent of a top manager’s annual bonus, of which one third will be dedicated to parity. “We are pleased with the steady increase in the number of women in management positions at GEODIS, as demonstrated by the recent appointments of Shanon Leffler as Vice President Human Resources for the Americas region and Antje Lochmann as the new Managing Director for Contract Logistics and Freight Forwarding in Germany. This reinforces our commitment to continue investing in leadership by women through programs such as the GEEIS label[1] for professional equality and diversity, which we are implementing within all the Group’s businesses,” added Mario Ceccon, Group Human Resources Director.
Airbus Beluga ready to serve global outsized-cargo demand: Airbus has launched a new air-cargo service using its unique Beluga fleet to offer freight companies and other potential customers a solution to their outsized freight transportation needs. The new service – Airbus Beluga Transport – will provide commercially-contracted customers in a variety of sectors, including space, energy, military, aeronautic, maritime and humanitarian sectors, with a solution to their large cargo transport needs. The first mission took place at the end of 2021 with a delivery from Airbus Helicopters’ manufacturing site in Marignane, France, to Kobe in Japan for an undisclosed customer. Beluga #3 stopped to refuel at Warsaw (Poland), Novosibirsk (Russia) and Seoul (Korea). Based on the A300-600 design, the five-strong Beluga fleet, which has until now been the backbone of Airbus’ inter-site transportation of large aircraft sections, are being replaced by six new-generation BelugaXLs to support Airbus’ ramp-up of its airliner production. The new Airbus Beluga Transport service can cater for a multitude of possible market applications since the planes possess the world’s largest interior cross-section of any transport aircraft, accommodating outsized cargo of up to 7.1m in width and 6.7m in height. In the near future, once Airbus has commissioned all six new BelugaXLs, the fully-released Beluga fleet will be handed over to a newly-created, subsidiary airline with its own Air Operator Certificate (AOC) and staff.
GIC invests in InterContinental Energy: Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC and InterContinental Energy (ICE), a green fuels company, announce GIC’s strategic equity investment in ICE. Founded in 2014, ICE is pioneering green hydrogen production at scale through its advanced portfolio of projects in Western Australia, Oman and Saudi Arabia. Located in coastal deserts, the developments utilise abundant renewable energy from wind and sun to electrolyse water and produce green fuels, such as hydrogen and ammonia. The ICE portfolio consists of 200 gigawatts (GW) of upstream (onshore wind and solar) capacity which will enable production of more than 14 million tons per annum of green hydrogen or 80 million tons per annum of green ammonia. Key demand sectors include marine fuels, co-firing in power generation, industrial processes, and heavy transport. The ICE portfolio is expected to offset over 200 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per annum and create over 100,000 direct and indirect high-quality jobs. InterContinental Energy also prioritises relationships with local stakeholders, consortium partners, and Traditional Landowners, creating long-term and sustainable socio-economic benefits for all.
PROS tapped by Royal Brunei Airlines: PROS, a provider of SaaS solutions optimising shopping and selling experiences, announced Royal Brunei Airlines (RB), the national carrier of Brunei, has selected PROS Revenue Management Essentials+ (RME+) as a component of its revenue management, digital transformation and growth strategy. PROS RME+ has proven, AI-powered O&D revenue management capabilities to help position RB to accurately forecast demand and that are designed to optimise revenue across both regional and long-haul traffic, as the airline proactively pursues burgeoning market opportunities and displacing competitors within its core markets. Royal Brunei Airlines is a full-service network airline connecting Brunei Darussalam to the world from its hub in Bandar Seri Begawan.
Leonardo and ADR partner on smart hubs: Leonardo and Aeroporti di Roma (ADR) have signed a partnership aimed at developing joint initiatives to facilitate the transition of airport assets managed by ADR into smart hubs. The guidelines of the agreement cover joint planning on the creation of solutions and services in the field of cyber security, such as surveillance, monitoring, communication and decision support systems dedicated to critical infrastructures and urban air mobility, with particular reference to the development requirements of ground infrastructure and air traffic control. The definition of the agreement is part of Leonardo’s technological and market development roadmaps identified in the Be Tomorrow – Leonardo 2030 strategic plan, based on long-term sustainable growth, and in ADR’s strategy on Sustainability and Innovation aimed at doing system with the major national players to face the momentous challenges for the airport and for the country.
Etihad awarded IATA environmental accreditation: Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates, has successfully completed IATA Environmental Assessment stage 2 and received accreditation in four key operational areas: facilities management, flight operations, Etihad technical division, Etihad Catering Services. The IATA Environmental Assessment (IEnvA) programme is a blueprint for airlines to achieve sustainability in all air and ground operations. It is an evaluation system designed to independently assess and improve the environmental management of an airline. Stage 2 represents the highest level of IEnvA compliance and requires an airline to demonstrate ongoing environmental performance improvement. Etihad, which has committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and halving its 2019 emission levels by 2035, is one of only nine airlines globally to complete stage 2 of the assessment.
Barfield names new SVP: Barfield Inc., a subsidiary of Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M) in the Americas, has named Luis Giacoman as Accountable Manager and Senior Vice President of Operations and Quality for its Miami, Doral, Phoenix and Louisville facilities. He will oversee day-to-day company operations, develop and implement operations processes and monitor company operational performance to meet Barfield customer expectations. Luis will also work closely with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to ensure Barfield complies with the Agency’s regulatory requirements. Giacoman joined Barfield over 11 years ago as Director of Strategic Purchasing and Subcontracting. He previously held the position of Director of Technical Services and Director of Supply Chain at Aeroman. He also held several managerial positions at TACA International and Aeroman for a 19-year span, providing him extensive airline and MRO experience in Engineering, Flight Operations Engineering, Procurement, Inventory Planning and Logistics and Quality Management.
CAE and Canada Jetlines sign training deal: CAE announced that it has signed an exclusive five-year training agreement with Canada Jetlines, Ltd. Under the agreement, CAE will train Jetlines pilots on the CAE 7000 XR Airbus A320 full-flight simulator (FFS) at the CAE Montreal Training Centre. Jetlines anticipates its inaugural flight in the spring of 2022, offering Canadians more selection and more economical options to fly to sun destinations in the southern United States, Caribbean, and Mexico. Canada Jetlines selected the Airbus A320 as its fleet standard due to the aircraft’s best-in-class operating economics, customer comfort and fly-by-wire technology. The company will begin servicing the flying public in 2022. Canada Jetlines is a Canadian leisure airline Carrier that intends to begin operations, pending CTA approval, as a Tour Operator with flights into popular sun destinations in the USA and Mexico. Canada Jetlines intends to operate a very efficient fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft providing safe, reliable, friendly, and consistent service to Canadians.
IATA partners with Carleton University: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is partnering with Carleton University’s School of Public Policy and Administration (SPPA) in Ottawa, Canada, to launch the Professional Certificate in Air Transport Principles and Policy. The online, instructor-led program is aimed at both public policy makers and aviation professionals and will be delivered through the school’s Transportation Policy and Innovation Centre (TPIC). The objective is to provide aviation and public sector professionals with a better understanding of the complexity of both the air transport sector and the public policy-making process. With this enhanced knowledge, aviation professionals will gain important insights into government policy-making, while public sector employees will obtain greater clarity into how the aviation industry operates and how their decisions affect this important sector. The program will focus on the business practices and economic impact of the air transport industry, and on the nature and complexity of the public policy-making process as it relates to the sector.
Riga Airport starts 2022 with passenger increase: Operational data on airport performance in the first month of the year show that this January, Riga International Airport handled 246,000 passengers, or almost five times more than a year before. The two largest passenger carriers in January were the national airline airBaltic with 49.9 percent or almost 122,000 passengers and the Irish low-cost airline Ryanair, which carried 73,400 passengers or 29.8 percent of the total number of passengers to and from Riga. The air cargo turnover at Riga Airport in January reached 2,449 tonnes, which is an increase of 28 percent as compared to January 2021. About two-thirds of the total cargo volume is carried by cargo flights and one-third by passenger aircraft.
Air Astana increases pax numbers in 2021: The Air Astana Group carried 6.617million passengers in 2021, an increase of 79 percent over 2020. Air Astana carried 3.555 million passengers, an increase of 59 percent, whilset its low-cost subsidiary carried 3.062 million passengers, an increase of 109 percent. Air Astana Group carried 12,072 tonnes of cargo on scheduled flights and 6,700 tons on charter flights, which were respectively 30 percent and 45 percent above 2020 figures. Air Astana operated scheduled flights to Batumi (Georgia), Podgorica (Montenegro), Colombo (Sri Lanka) and Phuket (Thailand) in 2021, as well as resuming services to Male, London, Delhi, Tbilisi (Georgia) and Dushanbe (Tajikistan). During the year, FlyArystan inaugurated services to Kutaisi (Georgia) from three cities in Kazakhstan and launched 10 new domestic routes. Air Astana added three Airbus A321LR and one Airbus A320 aircraft to the fleet in 2021. Air Astana also successfully completed IOSA’s eighth safety audit and conducted C-Check on an Airbus A321 for the first time at its technical base in Nur-Sultan.
Air Senegal rolls out Moment’s Flymingo Box: Moment, a French tech company specialised in entertainment and passenger experience solutions for the travel industry, has been selected by Air Senegal to install its In-Flight Entertainment system (W-IFE), the Flymingo Box, aboard the airline’s fleet. The Flymingo Box server embarks state-of-art technology that allows aircraft passengers to connect to a local cloud and access streaming content and digital services directly from the browser of their connected devices (smartphone, tablet or pc). The Flymingo Box is a hybrid solution, available in battery or aircraft-powered version, that can store a catalogue of 10,000 hours of content and to broadcast it simultaneously to 100 passengers onboard, a distinguishing feature for airlines. Air Senegal operates its flights from Blaise Diagne International Airport in Dakar and serves 19 routes including domestic and regional destinations, as well as four European destinations, including Paris, Marseille and Barcelona.
AEGEAN, adds Wi-Fi: AEGEAN announced that its onboard experience will accelerate further with the introduction of high-speed inflight broadband, powered by the European Aviation Network (EAN). The award-winning connectivity solution, provided by Inmarsat and Deutsche Telekom, will be installed on all existing and new AEGEAN Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft by 2025, with the first seven entering service. AEGEAN passengers have access to three different Wi-Fi packages, including a free 10-minute “try before you buy” service to browse the Internet, send and receive emails, and access messaging and social media applications. This can be extended by selecting either the “text and surf” package or upgrading to the “streaming” option, which adds the capability to watch videos or listen to audio online. As Europe’s fastest inflight broadband solution, EAN offers incomparable speeds, uninterrupted coverage across Europe and significantly lower latency than any other aviation connectivity service on the market.
Rusada releases new app for ENVISION: Aviation software provider Rusada announced a new mobile application for its airworthiness, MRO, and flight operations solution ENVISION. ENVISION Flights has been designed specifically for pilots and other members of the flight crew. It works closely alongside ENVISION’s Flight Operations module to provide users with live flight details including departure/arrival location, ETD/ETA, flight type and aircraft registration as well as expected passengers, baggage, and freight. Several key actions can also be carried out directly from the cockpit. Actuals and oil & fuel uplift can be recorded, existing flights diverted or cancelled, new flights added, crew assigned, and defects reported. ENVISION Flights becomes the third new app released by Rusada in the last 10 months after ENVISION Tasks and ENVISION Stock were launched in 2021, highlighting the company’s current focus on mobility. The fully native app is available on iOS and Android devices and is approved by both Apple and Google.
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