China Southern Airlines signs deal with Lufthansa Systems: Lufthansa Systems announced that China Southern Airlines has signed an agreement extending the use of its Lido Flight 4D flight planning solution for an additional five years. China’s largest carrier will continue to use the reliable and accurate flight planning solution to achieve maximum operational efficiency, safety, and stability. Given the current global circumstances, airlines now more than ever appreciate the benefits of automated optimisation solutions, which result in significant operational cost savings. By partnering closely with China Southern Airlines, Lufthansa Systems has optimised its processes to meet the needs of the Chinese aviation market with its unique dynamics, requirements and operational environment. Over 25 percent of aircraft worldwide operate with Lido Flight 4D, one of the most efficient and reliable flight planning solutions available. The solution supports dispatchers in evaluating the optimal route, while taking current flight-related data into account. It enables airlines to optimize their flying time, costs, and fuel consumption, resulting in fuel savings of up to 5 percent. With the implementation of Lido Flight 4D, China Southern Airlines is equipped to respond to the ever-changing demands and optimise its growing operational complexity.
IATA welcomes G20 push to restart tourism: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) welcomed the agreement by the G20 Tourism Ministers to support the safe restoration of mobility by following the G20 Rome Guidelines for the Future of Tourism. IATA urged G20 governments to quickly follow up their endorsement of the guidelines with actions, particularly the five-point agenda to safely restore mobility: Sharing information among industry and governments to inform policies and decisions to ensure safe mobility; Agreeing common international approaches to COVID-19 testing, vaccination, certification and information; Promoting digital traveller identity, biometrics and contactless transactions for safe and seamless travel; Providing accessible, consistent, clear and updated information to travelers to encourage and facilitate travel planning and journeys; Maintaining and improving the connectivity, safety and sustainability of transport systems. “The G20 has the right focus and agenda to restart travel and tourism. The combination of vaccinations and testing are the drivers to make travel broadly and safely accessible. Moreover, Prime Minister Draghi’s promise that Italy is ready to welcome back the world and encouragement to book holidays should be an inspiration to other world leaders. It captures the urgency that is needed to move forward quickly and safely in restoring the freedom to travel,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general.
ABL Aviation secures financing for A350s: ABL Aviation, the global independent aircraft investment management firm, has closed another Japanese operating lease with call option (JOLCO) arranging the equity portion of two Airbus A350-900s aircraft for Lufthansa. This transaction, the first that ABL Aviation has completed with Lufthansa, was efficiently managed and closed in a short timeframe, with the financing secured for both A350 aircraft by the end of April, less than three weeks after being mandated. This deal represents the tenth transaction arranged by ABL Aviation since the beginning of the pandemic. The deal reflects the growing airline demand for new technology aircraft that are more fuel-efficient for use on international routes. Also, it reflects Lufthansa’s interest in the JOLCO market is mutual, given the strong preference for first-tier credits by Japanese equity investors. Ali Ben Lmadani, CEO of ABL Aviation, said: “We are delighted to work on this transaction with Lufthansa, one of the world’s leading airlines, offering competitive financing in record time. The deal reflects both ABL Aviation’s innovative approach to finance and resilience with high levels of activity and successful transactions at the beginning of this year, despite ongoing economic uncertainty. It is encouraging to see new capital being deployed in the new aircraft space. We hope it is the first of many deals we deliver with Lufthansa.”
ST Engineering and EFW welcome GTLK Europe as new A321P2F customer: ST Engineering and Airbus’ joint venture, Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW), announced an order for four Airbus A321 Passenger-to-Freighter (P2F) conversions from new customer, GTLK Europe, a top-tier global leasing company based in Dublin, Ireland. Three of the four aircraft will be inducted for conversion this year, with the fourth conversion to be carried out in 2022. The A321P2F is the first in its size category to offer containerised loading in both the main (up to 14 full container positions) and lower deck (up to 10 container positions). With a generous gross payload capability of up to 28 metric tons (about 61,800 lbs) over 2,300 nautical miles, the A321P2F is the ideal narrowbody freighter aircraft for express domestic and regional operations. EFW’s A321P2F conversion programme is a collaboration between ST Engineering, Airbus and EFW, and is the only OEM solution for A321P2F in the market. To meet rising global demand for dedicated freighter aircraft, ST Engineering and EFW introduced a conversion site in China in late 2020, and will be setting up another in the US in 2021. Expansion plans are also in the works to support rising demand for the widebody A330P2F programme, which is currently carried out at EFW’s facility in Dresden, Germany.
Aireon integrates ADS-B into EUROCONTROL’s network: In a major operational enhancement of the EUROCONTROL Network Manager’s (NM) operational systems, real-time air traffic surveillance data derived from Aireon’s space-based ADS-B system has now been integrated into NM’s Enhanced Traffic Flow Management System (ETFMS). The new data will significantly boost air traffic predictability by up to 20 percent, improving operational efficiency and resilience while unlocking capacity for the future that will help reduce environmental impacts. The new high-fidelity data, refreshed every 60 seconds, will cover not only air traffic across all 41 EUROCONTROL Member States as well as Israel and Morocco, EUROCONTROL’s two Comprehensive Assessment States, but also peripheral zones stretching as far as the Middle East and North America. After processing the data, EUROCONTROL will work with air navigation service providers, airports and airlines to use the data to optimise flow management, which will play its part in improving the punctuality of arrivals and departures at European airports, benefitting passengers, staff and the environment. “Once the pandemic is contained and air traffic resumes, it will be crucial that we have an air traffic management system in place that can adapt quickly to varying traffic demand in the safest, most sustainable and efficient manner. The integration of space-based ADS-B marks a significant milestone for building the ATM system of the future which will benefit all aviation stakeholders,” said Eamonn Brennan, director general of EUROCONTROL.
AOKpass, SITA, partner on digital ID: SITA, the technology provider for the air transport industry, has signed a partnership with AOKpass, currently the world’s most operationally advanced health pass platform and app. Working together with other key players in the global travel ecosystem, the partners, including AOKpass launch partners International SOS/MedAire and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), will jointly facilitate a safer and more efficient return to cross-border travel at scale. With a focus on major international airports, AOKpass and SITA have already collaborated on ground-breaking 30-day operational pilots for flights to and from airports in San Francisco (SFO), Los Angeles (LAX) and Paris (CDG). Another joint deployment will be launched in coming weeks to support the Hong Kong (HKD) to Singapore (SIN) travel bubble scheduled to reopen in late May. Deployments of ICC AOKpass have already involved 13 countries and over 500 flights, reflecting its strong focus on forming local, regional and global alliances for interoperability across jurisdictions and industries. By integrating the pioneering AOKpass system, SITA will now also be able to embed privacy-preserving health pass verification functionality into their IT systems and products. This type of integration will eventually facilitate a seamless end-to-end experience across the complex traveller journey – from booking, check-in, boarding, crossing of secure checkpoints, and all other necessary touchpoints.
Cathay flies supplies to India: In the face of a grave medical crisis, Cathay Pacific Cargo is flying vital relief shipments to India and it stands ready to do more. Although passenger flights have been suspended between Hong Kong and India, in the past few weeks Cathay Pacific Cargo has been operating freighters and cargo-only passenger flights, delivering to date more than 100 tonnes of much-needed humanitarian and medical supplies to some of India’s major centres. These include shipments of specialised oxygen generators, oxygen concentrators and ventilators to Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad. In addition, there has been a sharp increase in volumes for shipments of oxygen, surgical masks, sanitiser, personal protective equipment, pharmaceuticals and vaccines over the past few weeks. Cathay Pacific General Manager Cargo Commercial George Edmunds said: “We have been supporting efforts to relieve this current crisis in India through the delivery of medical supplies on our freighters and cargo-only passenger flights. We are noticing a sharp increase in the volume of enquiries from the Americas and closer to home from the Chinese mainland for space for humanitarian aid shipments to India, and we will do our best to accommodate these essential shipments. As a consequence, we are looking to maximise capacity by adding more cargo-carrying flights and will continue to work with the Indian authorities to make this possible.” Cathay Pacific Cargo operated 24 pairs of cargo-only passenger flights to India in March and 29 in April to satisfy demand and supplement freighter operations.
Jet Aviation receives EASA STC for cabin installation methodology: Jet Aviation announced that it has received a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for the methodology and analysis used by the completion center in certifying interior installations on Boeing 787 aircraft. This is the first STC of this type to be granted to a completion centre worldwide. An EASA supplemental type certificate is issued by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency when the completion center has received approval to modify or add to the original design of the airframe, for example by installing a custom VVIP interior. With this STC, Jet Aviation is now able to apply methodologies and analysis that are pre-approved by EASA to streamline the certification process for cabin installations. “Composite and carbon fibre-based airframes, such as the Boeing 787, require particular attention from completion centres and certifying authorities to ensure interior structures are installed according to the manufacturer’s requirements,” said Florent Klinger, Jet Aviation’s head of engineering. “This STC will enable us to increase the efficiency and predictability of all current and future 787 completion programs.”
Cebu Pacific delivers vaccines: Cebu Pacific delivered the single largest vaccine shipment from Beijing, China to Manila on 7 May in coordination with the Department of Health (DoH). A total of 1.5 million doses arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). Cebu is in full support of the nation’s vaccination programme as it helps ensure these life-saving COVID-19 vaccines are flown safely to the Philippines, and distributed across the rest of the archipelago. “This large shipment of COVID vaccines with Cebu Pacific brings us closer to our goal of protecting every Filipino as fast as possible,” said Sec. Carlito Galvez, Jr., chief implementer of the National Task Force against COVID-19. “We are grateful to Cebu Pacific for joining forces with the government to support us in ensuring the success of this vaccine roll-out.” All vaccines were thoroughly inspected by the authorities after it was unloaded from Cebu’s A330 aircraft. On 4 May, Cebu Pacific has transported 6,200 COVID-19 vaccines from Manila to Puerto Princesa. Apart from Palawan, the carrier has delivered more than half a million doses of vaccines to six other cities in the country namely Bacolod, Cotabato, Legazpi, Tacloban, Tuguegarao, and Zamboanga.
Aviator Airport Alliance signs deal with Flyr: Aviator Airport Alliance, a full-range provider of aviation services at 15 airports across the Nordics and a family member of Avia Solutions Group, signed a partnership agreement with a new Norwegian airline Flyr for ground handling services. Under the new partnership, Aviator Airport Alliance will provide Flyr with full passenger- and ramp-handling services, including de-icing, at all Norwegian airports where Aviator operates and Flyr has chosen as a destination: Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger, Tromsø and Bodø. Flyr is a new Norwegian airline that will take its first flight in June 2021. The airline will firstly offer flights between major cities in Norway and chosen international destinations in southern Europe. Per Wassberg, Managing Director at Aviator, Norway commented on the new deal: “We are very excited and proud that the new, innovative and sustainability-focused airline Flyr has shown trust in our experience and expertise and has chosen Aviator as ground handling partner on all our stations in Norway where we are operating. This new agreement marks a beginning of a strong and successful partnership.”
SATS supports essential services for India: SATS, Asia’s leading Food Solutions and Gateway Services provider, is redeploying its resources to support efforts to help keep essential services running in India. The company is working with its joint venture companies in India, AISATS and TajSATS, to keep employees safe and support community relief efforts. Denis Marie, CEO of SATS India, said, “India is in the throes of a second wave of the pandemic. We have been working round the clock to keep the supply chain for essential medical and oxygen-related supplies open and provide nutrition for the healthcare workers. Similar to how SATS has responded to the pandemic in other parts of the world, we are tapping into our expertise in ground handling and large-scale meal production to help with community efforts.” SATS has organised staff to get vaccinated, offered medical and financial aid when needed to prevent critical operations from being disrupted by the pandemic. TajSATS, for example, is working with Tata Trust to provide financial assistance to help affected staff with hospitalisation expenses. They have also secured sponsorship for hand sanitisers to be given to employees for use at home to prevent the spread of the infection. SATS has also redeployed resources in its ground handling and catering operations to support community relief efforts. AISATS has helped the airport operator set up clinical booths for airport staff and handled 636 oxygen concentrators originating from New York. Over in Singapore, SATS has facilitated the transportation of 21 cryogenic oxygen cylinders for emergency flights to India recently. At TajSATS, the kitchens have supported organisations such as World Central Kitchen, Deutsche Bank, Taj Public Welfare Trust to supply meals to workers in hospitals.
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