SITA commits to environmental targets: SITA announced its commitment to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) Net-Zero Standard and Business Ambition for 1.5C campaign to tackle its climate impact at the pace and scale required by climate science. The firm says it will set robust and ambitious science-based emission reduction targets in a bid to reach net-zero by 2050 and align with limiting global warming to 1.5C. The latest science, such as the landmark Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report of 2021, has made it clear that climate change is intensifying and that more action is required, and sooner, to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. The next few years are critical, and organisations worldwide play a crucial role in helping achieve transformation at the pace and scale needed. Science-based targets are emissions reduction targets aligned with what the latest climate science says is needed to meet the goals of the climate change treaty, known as the Paris Agreement. These goals call to pursue efforts to limit global warming to 1.5C. Science-based targets show companies how much and how quickly they need to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to be consistent with keeping warming below the most dangerous levels.
Air Works wins innovation award: Air Works, India’s largest independent MRO and aviation services company, announced that the company has won the IDC Industry Innovation Awards (IDCIIA) 2021 under the ‘Innovation in Data Intelligence’ category. Air Works’ sophisticated Business Analytics tool – ‘mSights’ was adjudged as the winner in the Data Intelligence category due to its cutting-edge technology features that improve operational efficiency through intelligent insights emanating from a 360-degree view of its maintenance operations. The IDC Industry Innovation Awards are one of the most prestigious awards for CIOs and technology leaders in India. The awards seek to recognise organisations and future technology leaders who have been driving business performance through leveraging technology. The awards were given across four categories for organisations based out of India – Excellence in Operations; Excellence in Omni-Experience; Excellence in Data Intelligence; and Special Award for Environmental Sustainability.
Transavia to launch service from Riga Airport: At the end of March, the Dutch low-cost airline Transavia Airlines C.V. will start flights from Riga to Amsterdam, becoming the 14th airline to offer passenger flights from Latvia this year. Transavia will operate flights on the route Riga – Amsterdam three times a week. The first flight to the Dutch capital is scheduled for 31 March, and ticket sales for flights have already begun. Transavia Airlines C.V. is a Dutch low-cost airline, which is part of the Air France-KLM group. In 2021, Amsterdam was the fifth most popular destination from Riga Airport – a total of 85 thousand passengers or almost four percent of the total number of passengers were carried on this route last year. For several years now, Amsterdam has had one of the best connectivity in Western Europe, allowing passengers to travel easily to other destinations. This summer season, flights to and from Amsterdam will be operated by two carriers – the national airline airBaltic and Transavia, offering a total of up to 17 flights a week.
Aergo Capital delivers DHC-8-Q400 aircraft: Aergo Capital Limited has successfully delivered one DHC-8-Q400 aircraft bearing manufacturer’s serial number 4187 to AvantiAir. The delivery completed on 26 January 2022. This unit is part of the 20 DHC-8-Q400 acquired Aergo in 2021. Fred Browne, Chief Executive Officer of Aergo, commented: “We are delighted to add AvantiAir to Aergo’s growing customer base. We continue to seize upon opportunities in the turbo space as we see strong growth in that sector. This transaction underscores Aergo’s strategic focus on investing in the regional and turboprop space.” Stefan Kissinger, Managing Partner of Avantiair: “After successfully disposing our jet-fleet during the pandemic, Avantiair is changing its fleet and moving towards turboprops, which shows our commitment to innovative markets and to making a first strategic step to the “fit for 55” program in Europe. We aim to further strengthen our relationship with Aergo as Avantiair plans to grow its fleet in continuous steps.” Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP acted as lead counsel to Aergo and Bird & Bird LLP acted as lead counsel to AvantiAir.
EasyJet switches to flydocs: Flydocs, the global leader and partner of choice in digital aviation records and data management, announced the signing of a comprehensive deal with easyJet to digitise the records and asset management of its entire aircraft fleet. Under the 10-year deal, the European airline will utilise flydocs’ AMOS integration, a tailored software package, and digital records migration to further modernise their operations and support aircraft transitions. John Bowell, Chief Commercial Officer at flydocs, commented: “Our focus for this year has been to truly cement our place as the partner of choice for digital records management in the industry, and this latest announcement proves that the hard work of the entire flydocs team is truly paying off. The first step of our partnership involved supporting their aircraft transitions, and we continue to provide a range of other in-demand flydocs services. We’re absolutely delighted to welcome an airline of easyJet’s calibre to become our latest partner and are committed to helping them stay at the forefront of technology advancements in aircraft maintenance.”
Cool Chain welcomes new members: The Cool Chain Association (CCA) has continued to grow its membership with the addition of LOT Polish Airlines and Tower Cold Chain. The association, whose members collaborate toward improving quality in the temperature-sensitive supply chain, has also announced the formation of a new committee looking into risk management as part of its Technical Committee programme. LOT is the sixth airline to join CCA’s growing membership. “By joining the CCA and taking part in the Risk Management Committee, we hope to create common global standards and work towards a safe environment for handling pharmaceutical and healthcare products across the temperature-controlled supply chain,” said Kamil Rarak, Special Cargo Product Development and Training Manager, LOT Polish Airlines. Tower Cold Chain, supplies specialist temperature-controlled containers.
Fokker Techniek wins ACJ completion deal: Fokker Techniek has signed a contract with K5-Aviation for its first widebody VIP completion. “We appreciate the direct lines with the knowledgeable engineering and production people plus their hands-on way of working. The whole project team is focussed on delivering a great end-result,” said Erik Scheidt, Managing Director and pilot at K5-Aviation. “We have been accustomed to their skills in previous projects and will need same during the ACJ330 outfit.” Luca Madone of K5-Aviation says “Fokker Techniek and K5-Aviation have a rich history with past projects and this new contract is a continuation of our relation. We fully believe in the strengths of Fokker Techniek; this agile organisation has proven its skills before and we expect the same again on this much larger aircraft.”
CPaT signs deal with Canada Jetlines: CPaT Global, a provider of distance learning for the airline and aviation industry, announced it was recently awarded a new contract with Canada Jetlines. CPaT will be providing Aircraft System Courses for the Airbus A320 with Interactive Aircraft Diagrams and Aviation Specialty Courses. “CPaT is thrilled to partner with Canada Jetlines as a tool for them to use and grow as a new start-up airline,” said Capt. Greg Darrow, Vice President of Sales. “With our robust portfolio of online distance learning, CPaT is excited to add value to this growing business.” Jetlines aims to offer Canadians more economical options to fly to sun-destinations in the southern United States, Caribbean, and Mexico. The carrier has selected the A320 as its fleet standard, with a projected growth of 15 aircrafts by 2025, offering the best-in-class operating economics, customer comfort and fly-by-wire technology.
Emirates boosts A380 services to Sydney: Emirates has announced its second daily flight on the Sydney-Dubai route, served by the A380 aircraft. Starting 1 March, the airline will offer customers an additional seven flights per week, to reach fourteen weekly services from Dubai to the News South Wales capital. With the re-opening of Australian borders set for 21 February, Emirates is increasing services to meet market demand and offer customers greater flexibility, choice, and connectivity. The additional daily frequency between Sydney and Dubai will operate as EK412/413 and will offer 14 First Class suites, 76 lie-flat seats in Business Class and 426 ergonomically designed seats in Economy Class. Tickets can be booked on emirates.com, the Emirates App, or via both online and offline travel agents. Emirates flight EK412 will depart Dubai daily at 10:15hrs, arriving in Sydney at 07:00hrs the next day. From Sydney, EK413 will depart at 21:45 and arrive in Dubai at 05:15hrs the next day. With the additional choice of timings to suit their travel plans, Australian and international customers can also book EK414 which flies daily from Dubai, departing at 02:00hrs and arriving at 22:30hrs in Sydney. The return flight from Sydney, EK415, departs at 06:00hrs and is scheduled to arrive in Dubai at 13:20hrs. All times are local.
CSMIA gets ACI’s ‘The Voice of the Customer’ award: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) has again been honoured with ‘The Voice of the Customer’ award by the Airports Council International (ACI), recognising the resilient efforts put in by all the stakeholders and employees. The airport was awarded for demonstrating relentless efforts in gathering passenger feedback on customer needs in 2021 and providing the best-in-class travel experience. Launched in 2020, the ACI recognition acknowledges the continued efforts of the airports that remained committed to giving priority to their passengers and ensuring that their voices were heard during the pandemic in 2021. Throughout the pandemic, CSMIA complied with norms and protocols in line with the central and state governments while prioritizing the health and safety of its passengers. Constantly striving to provide 100% satisfaction, CSMIA rolled out various passenger-centric initiatives in the past year to facilitate a safe and convenient travel during the pandemic and ensured effectiveness of their initiatives through quarterly feedback surveys.
BAA Training launches new programme in France: BAA Training said it is launching a new Ab Initio training programme in cooperation with Ecole Nationale de l’Aviation Civile (ENAC). The new pilot training programme has been tailored to individual, self-sponsored clients so that anyone interested, with little or no aviation experience, can enrol. BAA Training will deliver ATPL theoretical phase, VFR and advanced phases in accordance with the customer’s demands. Bridge VFR and IFR will be subcontracted to ENAC and conducted in one of its training centres in France. Marijus Ravoitis, CEO at BAA Training: “We have been partners with ENAC for over two years now. As both organizations share a common mission in the industry, we are glad to pool our expertise to offer world-class training to everyone willing to become commercial pilots. The new programme for individual students that we have now launched in cooperation with ENAC is the next step after we introduced the same kind of program to airlines.”
Nomad Aviation welcomes new aircraft: Nomad Aviation welcomed a Dassault Falcon 8X and a Gulfstream G550 to its fleet of managed aircraft. In addition to these two aircraft, Nomad Aviation has also added a Bombardier Global 5000 to its Swiss AOC, which will be ready for charter with immediate effect. The Switzerland based and registered Bombardier Global 5000 has a non-stop range of 5,200 nautical miles (9,630 km) at a cruising speed up to Mach 0.89. Onboard, passengers will enjoy a spacious and state-of-the-art cabin experience and an exceptionally smooth and restful flight thanks to the aircraft’s advanced wing. Nomad Aviation’s diverse charter fleet now comprises seven aircraft: A Cessna Citation Jet 2+, an Embraer Legacy 600, a Dassault Falcon 2000S, a Gulfstream G450, a Bombardier Global 5000 and 6000 and an Airbus ACJ319.
IATA launches new ground operations portal: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced the launch of the IGOM Portal, a major support tool for the efficient implementation of the IATA Ground Operations Manual (IGOM). IGOM is the established global industry standard for ground handling worldwide. The IGOM Portal is an online platform where, with IGOM as the primary reference, airlines and ground service providers (GSPs) can exchange information, including any variations, on their ground handling requirements. “Safe and secure on-time turnarounds are a priority for airlines and a critical deliverable for GSPs. Standardisation of procedures through the IGOM is a key enabler. But it must be implemented to be effective. The IGOM Portal will provide the means to understand variances and manage adoption,” said Nick Careen, IATA Senior Vice President Operations, Safety and Security. “The safety gains from global standardisation have been proven as aviation has developed. Along with facilitating global adoption of IGOM, the IGOM Portal will establish a baseline to measure and manage the global adoption of IGOM which will also lead to significant efficiency gains. With greater standardisation, for example, GSPs will see a reduced need for airline specific training and will more easily be able to deploy staff across multiple customers,” said Careen.
Cessna Turbo Skylane returns: Textron Aviation announced the return of the Cessna Turbo Skylane T182T to its legendary piston product line-up, updated with the latest avionics suite and interiors. The Turbo Skylane’s turbocharged engine delivers exceptional power, generating optimal climb rates and faster cruise speeds, as well as enhanced utility for operations from high-altitude airfields. Textron Aviation is taking orders for the Turbo Skylane with first deliveries to begin in early 2023. The single-engine Turbo Skylane features the latest Garmin G1000 NXi avionics suite, a heated propeller, and an in-cabin oxygen system. It is powered by the Lycoming TIO-540 engine and is equipped with a Hartzell Engine Technologies (HET) turbocharger, providing the aircraft with 235 horsepower at up to 20,000 feet. The additional power is especially beneficial for pilots flying over mountainous regions or for cruising at higher altitudes. Originally introduced in 2001, production of the Turbo Skylane T182T was paused in 2013 while the company focused on the addition of a wide range of product developments. The Cessna Skylane, with its normally aspirated Lycoming engine, has been in production since 1956 with more than 23,000 delivered.
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