Kellstrom Aerospace, Elliott Manufacturing sign distribution pact: Kellstrom Aerospace, a global commercial aftermarket OEM distribution company announced the appointment as worldwide aviation commercial aftermarket distributor of Elliott Manufacturing, a CentroMotion company. This commercial aftermarket partnership will allow Kellstrom Aerospace to support the material requirements of international airlines and MRO customers with factory new Elliott Manufacturing Flexible Shaft Assemblies, which are installed as standard equipment on most Thrust Reverser Actuation Systems (TRAS) on a broad range of commercial aircraft engine applications as well as wing flap and slat actuation and indicator units, wing sweep and feedback systems, cargo door drives and many more applications demanding high reliability flexible shaft solutions.
Air Astana receives 7th Airbus A321LR: Air Astana has taken delivery of a seventh Airbus A321LR on operating lease from Air Lease Corporation. The new A321LR arrived at Almaty International Airport directly from Airbus plant in Hamburg, Germany. The Airbus A321LR is powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1133G engines and is the long-haul version of the A321neo. It has an increased maximum take-off weight, optimized fuselage design and a two-class interior layout comprising 16 seats in business class and 150 in Economy Class. All seats are equipped with individual monitors. Airbus A321LR aircraft operate services across the Air Astana network, including international flights to Dubai, Frankfurt, London, Istanbul, Maldives and Sri Lanka. The Air Astana Group fleet consists of 36 aircraft, 28 of which belong to the Airbus family, with delivery of three more A321LR aircraft expected in 2022. Air Astana operates one of the youngest fleets in the world.
American Airlines adopts CEFA AMS: American Airlines, the world’s largest airline, is the first carrier in the US to adopt CEFA AMS, an Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) application allowing pilots to virtually review flight data on their tablet after landing. CEFA AMS (Aviation Mobile Services) is the first self-improvement tool allowing individual pilots to access and review the specifics of their flight after landing. Captain Neil Raaz, Operations Safety Director at American Airlines, says that CEFA AMS is the next step in American’s data-driven approach to relentlessly advance safety. “By choosing CEFA AMS, we are now able to advance the Safety-II approach in a practical way in our operations. This progressive new debriefing capability will help promote a culture of continuous self-improvement and reinforce American’s safety-first mentality into each and every flight.” The implementation of CEFA Aviation’s EFB flight replay capability is a milestone for American. It demonstrates its will for innovation as well as a strong desire to lead the shift in pilot empowerment through increased access to and awareness of operational flight data.
Emirates crowned World Class Airline by APEX: Emirates has been named World Class Airline at The APEX Official Airline Ratings awards, becoming one of the first airlines to be recognised in this new award category that stands at the pinnacle of all APEX Passenger Choice awards. In addition, Emirates was renewed as Five Star Airline by APEX, and clinched its fourth APEX Passenger Choice Award for Best Entertainment at the APEX/IFSA Awards ceremony, the industry’s largest in-person event of the year. Developed in conjunction with Yates and Partners, the new “World Class Airline” award is unique in considering not only an airline’s services and products, but also its health and safety, and sustainability efforts – reflecting the expectations of today’s customers and key focus areas for the airline industry. Like all APEX awards, the “World Class Airline” accolade was based on independently verified and audited ratings from over a million air travellers.
Plymouth Rock Technologies signs deal with Sky Power: Plymouth Rock Technologies Inc. has announced a procurement partnership with Sky Power GmbH. Sky Power GmbH is the leading manufacturer of two-stroke combustion and Wankel engines / propulsion solutions for UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) and hybrid applications. All engines are developed and manufactured in Germany. “We chose to partner with Sky Power because of their country of origin, ISO 9001 certification and that their engines can be customised and configured for specific applications, either as a direct propulsion unit, as a range extender in a hybrid configuration, or as a power unit and generator,” said Carl Cagliarini, chief strategy officer of PRT. “The flexibility ethos of Sky Power is in synchronicity with that of PRT. Having information on exact metrics, such as fuel consumption, engine parameters, and exhaust-gas temperatures optimisation means that performance and environmental statistics can be accurately measured and presented for safety based routine service. At Plymouth Rock we are investing in not only being first in many areas, but the one by which others are measured against. We believe that this latest supply partnership is a true leap forward to that goal.”
ITA Airways signs codeshare with Etihad: Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, and ITA Airways, the national carrier of Italy, have signed a codeshare agreement connecting the networks of the two airlines. This new commercial partnership is designed to boost business travel and tourism between Italy and the United Arab Emirates, and will offer travellers more options and better connectivity when travelling through Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa and Abu Dhabi. Available for sale now for flights from 14 December 2021, ITA Airways will apply its ‘AZ’ code on services operated by Etihad between Italy (Rome Fiumicino and Milan Malpensa) and the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi). Similarly, Etihad will codeshare AZ flights connecting Italian domestic services beyond Rome Fiumicino Airport (Genova, Bari, Brindisi, Catania, Palermo) plus regional European services (Malta). The partners are also working together to expand the scope of their cooperation over the coming months to offer customers even more seamless travel options.
Fokker Services reaches CPDLC milestone: Fokker Services has reached a new milestone with the delivery and installation of its 250th Controller Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC) unit. With Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs) available for EASA, FAA, ANAC (Brazil), and FATA (Russia), Fokker Services offers this modification to Airbus A320 family, Boeing 737 and 757 operators across these regions. Fokker Services is the sole distributor of the advanced Spectralux avionics Dlink+ system for CPDLC. Mandated in European airspace in 2020, this highly reliable modification bridges the information gap between pilots and air traffic controllers. The ground-to-air data link provides a two-way text message communication channel between pilots and air traffic controllers, a crucial addition to the communication currently available in today’s busy skies. In addition to CPDLC, Fokker Services provides several other modifications for commercial aircraft including Localizer Performance with Vertical Guidance (LPV), Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B Out), Electronic Flight Bag (EFB), and more.
Jet Aviation Partners with SkyNRG: Jet Aviation announced that it has entered into an agreement with SkyNRG, a global leader of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and related solutions, to offer SAF to their customers universally through a Book and Claim service with immediate effect. Book and Claim enables business aviation owners and operators for whom SAF is not physically available for uplift to access SAF at will and thereby reduce their carbon footprint. SkyNRG supplies the SAF at an airport nearby the production location where it is sold as conventional jet fuel. The volume of SAF is tracked and verified, and the corresponding carbon emissions factors are then calculated and allocated to the end-customer. This ensures environmental benefits are properly accounted for, including the avoidance of unnecessary transportation costs. Jet Aviation has recently made SAF available on-site at its FBO located at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. The company also offers a sustainable aviation fuel blend on an ongoing basis at its FBO in Van Nuys, CA.
Brazil’s Federal Police receive Embraer’s E175 jet: Brazil’s Federal Police has taken delivery of the first of two E175 jets, which will soon begin operating in the country. The second jet of the E175 model is expected to be delivered to the Federal Police in 2022. The partnership between Embraer and the Federal Police spans more than 15 years, since the entry into operation of two ERJ 145 jets in 2006, both of which are still operating with the Federal Police. As well as current aircraft, the E175 will also be able to support other security forces in the country, being an asset that boosts not only Federal Police operations but those for the entire sphere of public security under the federal government. As it is an aircraft that previously operated in the United Kingdom before being handed over to the Federal Police, the E175 went through numerous adjustments at OGMA, an Embraer Group company in Portugal. Here the aircraft had all maintenance work done to resume operations and comply with Brazil’s operational requirements, in addition to being repainted.
Lufthansa Technik provides engine services for Frontier Airlines: Ultra low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines has chosen Lufthansa Technik to repair and overhaul 21 CFM56-5B engines as well as to supply Mobile Engine Services. In the next five years Lufthansa Technik will perform overhauls and repairs on the engines which fly under Frontier’s fleet of 112 Airbus A320 family aircraft. Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg, Germany, will overhaul the engines, whereas repairs can be done locally at Lufthansa Technik’s facility in Tulsa, Oklahoma. To this end, major investments were made at the Tulsa engine shop: New tooling was acquired, mechanics were trained and the existing test cell was upgraded to cover CFM56-5B testing. The team in Tulsa will also perform Mobile Engine Services for repairs necessary between overhauls, aiming to significantly reduce operational downtime and avoid unnecessary shop visits. Depending on the requirements of the individual repair solution, the available options range from on-wing and in-field services to more complex repairs performed at the shop in Tulsa.
IATA Teams with AACA, INACA to Support Safety in Alaska and Indonesia: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced it reached agreements with the Alaska Air Carriers Association (AACA) and the Indonesia National Air Carriers Association (INACA) under which the associations will promote the IATA Standard Safety Assessment (ISSA) among the membership of their respective organisations. ISSA is a voluntary safety audit program aligned with global best practices and created primarily for airlines that operate aircraft which have a lower maximum take-off weight (MTOW) than the 5,700 kg (12,566 lbs.) threshold for participation in the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA). ISSA is also an alternative for airlines, such as some private charters, whose business model does not allow conformity with IOSA’s standards. ISSA is not a substitute for IOSA which remains a requirement for IATA membership.
TAP Air Portugal chooses Lufthansa Technik’s AVIATAR: TAP Air Portugal and Lufthansa Technik AG have signed a five-year agreement for digital support by AVIATAR for its entire Airbus fleet. To digitally optimise its aircraft operations and benefit from cost savings, TAP Air Portugal will use AVIATAR’s solutions – including Condition Monitoring, Event Analytics and Fleet Map. In addition, the airline becomes development partner for future solutions on the digital platform. AVIATAR’s aircraft health monitoring solutions were tested by the TAP Air Portugal project team in parallel and in place of their current solution, including a detailed quality assessment. Within the AVIATAR community, the project team and AVIATAR team worked together to improve and adapt some of the solutions already. This enabled a collaborative development of the overall solution for TAP Air Portugal and also improved the user experience for the entire community. Launched in 2017, AVIATAR is the independent platform for digital products and services developed by Lufthansa Technik. The platform offers its users modular digital products ranging from predictive maintenance to fulfilment and automated solutions. AVIATAR combines fleet management solutions, data science and engineering expertise to provide a comprehensive range of integrated digital services and products for airlines, MRO companies, OEMs and lessors that seamlessly integrate with physical fulfilment in TechOps and beyond.
Nomad Technics completes A- and B-checks on Boeing BBJ: Nomad Technics has recently completed both A- and B-checks on a Boeing BBJ in addition to extensive cabin maintenance and refreshing work. The work included the scheduled maintenance with A- and B-checks directed by Boeing as well as Out of Phase (OOP) tasks and defect rectification. In addition, the maintenance team conducted work to improve the aircraft’s cabin appearance, such as refreshing of VVIP seat covers, cabin panels and liners and improving of the cabin’s interior lighting. Nomad Technics AG, the maintenance division of Nomad Aviation AG based in Basel/Switzerland, is an EASA Part-145 approved organisation (Approval No. CH.145.0386) and provides maintenance inspection and non-routine repair work on Bombardier Challenger 300, 600, 850 series, Bombardier Global XRS, Global 5000, Global 6000 and Embraer Legacy 600 and 650 business jets as well as line and base maintenance work on the Airbus A320 family and Boeing 737 series. The company occupies its own 3,900 m2 hangar together with 3,500 m2 of additional ramp space at the International EuroAirport in Basel / Switzerland. In addition to maintenance the company provides hangarage and parking services for aircraft up to the size of the Airbus A320 family and Boeing 737 series. Disinfection and deep cleaning of any type of business jets is also on offer.
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