CSMIA reintroduces domestic routes: With the upsurge in passenger traffic and states easing travel restrictions, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) has reintroduced five domestic routes to Tier II markets. These five destinations include Bareilly, Vishakhapatnam, Tirupati, Ajmer and Porbandar, adding a major boost in connecting Mumbaikars to the smart cities of the country during these uncertain times. With the government extending flying capacity to 65 percent, CSMIA has witnessed a surge in travel to the Tier II markets. With states relaxing travel guidelines and offices opening; the migratory travellers are travelling back to their work destination. The initiative undertaken by the government is in light of the upward passenger trend as flying emerges as a preferred, safe and time-saving mode of transport. Besides, CSMIA witnessed a surge in passenger travel to the Tier II market in the month of July, with sectors such as Hyderabad, Goa and Ahmedabad (Top 3 Tier-II sectors that performed) saw 7 percent, 5 percent and 5 percent passenger traffic respectively to these markets. Furthermore, during this period, the airport observed domestic carriers such as Indigo, Air India and GoAir (name of the Top 3 airlines) catering to over 3,50,000, 80,000 and 46,000 (total number of pax by each airline) passengers through approximately 2,700, 850 and 400 flights respectively to the Tier II markets.
Kearfott navigation company opens new HQ: Kearfott Corporation held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate its new corporate headquarters and Guidance & Navigation Division operating facility in Pine Brook, New Jersey. The new building, located only minutes from its former Woodland Park facilities, consolidates all engineering, manufacturing, leadership, and administrative and support functions into one single location. The facility provides a state-of-the-art, high-technology, and collaborative workspace that enables the company to achieve significantly improved operational efficiencies. Founded in 1917, Kearfott is a leader in the design, manufacture, and support of guidance, navigation, and motion-control products for aerospace, defence, energy exploration, and unmanned system markets. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Astronautics Corporation of America, a leader in the field of aerospace avionics equipment and systems. “From marine, ground, and aircraft guidance and navigation to supporting Blue Origin’s recent flight into space, Kearfott is proud to be a leader in innovative solutions for our customers’ critical requirements,” said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Astronautics Corporation of America Dr Ronald Zelazo. “This new, high-tech facility gives Kearfott the tools it needs to be an even stronger leader in the guidance and navigation market.”
Boeing Donates US$500,000 to Indonesia’s COVID-19 relief efforts: The Boeing Company announced a US$500,000 donation from the Boeing Charitable Trust to CARE in support of COVID-19 relief efforts in Indonesia. Funds will be used to increase capacity of local health centres, provide inflatable negative pressure tents and beds to accommodate COVID-19 patients, as well as personal protective equipment kits and food supplements for health care workers. “Boeing stands by the people of Indonesia as the highly contagious COVID-19 delta variant continues to spread across the country, leaving families and communities in desperate need of assistance,” said Michael Arthur, president of Boeing International. “We are in this fight against COVID-19 together, and Boeing is committed to helping communities respond to this most recent surge in cases. This donation will help save lives and support those impacted the most.” Only slightly more than 11 percent of the Indonesian population has been fully vaccinated against the virus. CARE is currently mobilizing response efforts that include converting health centres into treatment facilities and isolation centres; supporting communities with water and sanitation facilities; and providing nutritional support for vulnerable children under the age of 5. CARE is also ensuring the fair and equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine in the region. As part of the Boeing Gift Match program, the company will match dollar for dollar monetary donations made by Boeing employees to charitable organisations supporting COVID-19 relief in Indonesia.
SIA, SCOOT get Skytrax award: Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Scoot, the two passenger airlines within the SIA Group, have been awarded the highest 5-Star rating in the Skytrax COVID-19 Airline Safety Audit. This follows a comprehensive assessment of their health and safety measures for customers and staff across the entire travel journey. Scoot is also the first low-cost carrier in the world to get this 5-Star rating from Skytrax. Skytrax evaluated over 190 safety and hygiene protocols at SIA and Scoot during the audit. This included cleanliness at the airport and on board flights, social distancing measures, usage of face masks and sanitisers, and other hygiene improvement systems. These were then certified based on a professional and scientific investigation of the airlines’ standards. The Skytrax 5-Star COVID-19 Safety Ratings are the latest recognition of the SIA Group’s industry-leading response to the COVID-19 pandemic. SIA and Scoot have implemented wide-ranging measures to enhance customer and staff health and safety, and ensure the highest level of care, across the end-to-end journey. They have also introduced innovative digital solutions to enhance the travel experience, mitigate risks of COVID-19 transmission, and reduce friction for customers.
Young International Freight Forwarders of the Year award: FIATA International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations and TT Club, international freight transport insurer, have announced this year’s regional winners of the Young International Freight Forwarder of the Year Award (YIFFYA). The 2021 regional winners are: Region Europe: Glauc Fornes Gil, FETEIA, Spain, Dissertation: More than just a freight broker; Region Africa and Middle East: Justin John Goedhart, SAAFF, South Africa, Dissertation: Agents of sustainable development; Region Americas: Georgina Alejandra Perez Perez, CIFFA, Canada, Dissertation: Delivering essential tools to the Western and Eastern Canadian Arctic; Region Asia-Pacific: Muhammad Wasif Wiqar, PIFFA, Pakistan, Dissertation: Million-dollar shipment. For over 20 years, the YIFFYA has been providing valuable training opportunities for young talent in the freight forwarding industry. The award also provides young professionals looking to develop their knowledge with significant networking opportunities. Today, in the context of the disruptive effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, investing in and nurturing the future talents of the freight forwarding industry has never been so crucial, making the YIFFYA competition more relevant than ever.
Magnetic MRO, Aerospheres sign chemical deal: Magnetic MRO, a Total Technical Care and Asset Management organisation, announced it has signed a chemical consignment agreement with Aerospheres UK, London-based world-class leader in real-time distribution of chemicals, paints, adhesives, sealants, and composites in support of commercial airline MRO operations worldwide. Aeropsheres UK has been a long-term partner of Magnetic MRO, supplying chemicals and adhesives to the company, but with the new Chemical Consignment agreement, the partnership extends: it covers supply chemicals and adhesives required for maintenance tasks as Aerospheres own materials will be stored in Tallinn, Magnetic MRO stock starting from August 2021. As the average delivery time of hazardous materials from United Kingdom to Tallinn is 10-11 days from placing purchase order till completing of incoming goods inspection, the Chemical Consignment agreement provides the solution how to drastically decrease delivery time to virtual the same-day delivery.
Dassault Aviation wins award: Dassault Aviation was voted the top business jet OEM for product support for the third consecutive year, bettering its own AIN scores from 2020. Its industry leading “overall average” score was 8.7 (the highest for any company in the history of the survey), up from 8.3 in 2020. Dassault took top scores in parts availability, parts cost, AOG response, warranty fulfilment, technical manuals, and technical representatives. The company also earned a 9.2 mark for overall aircraft reliability. Dassault Aviation was ranked a close second in the product support survey conducted by Professional Pilot magazine, where it placed first in speed of AOG service. In recent years, there has been a growing need for expanded facilities and capabilities, and Dassault has responded by doubling its capacity through quality acquisitions and internal investments. Through these actions, the company positioned itself well for the 2021 rebound in fleet activity and a concurrent growth trend for MRO visits. Customers are also benefitting from strong execution in spare parts inventory management, price control, rapid shipments, AOG service, and advanced technology such as apps and web portals to make factory and operator communication easier.
Muirhead Avionics achieves accreditation: Muirhead Avionics, a business unit of AMETEK MRO, has successfully renewed its JOSCAR accreditation as Muirhead Aerospace. JOSCAR (the Joint Supply Chain Accreditation Register) is a collaborative tool used by the aerospace, defence, and security industry to act as a single repository for pre-qualification and compliance information. Using JOSCAR can determine if a supplier is fit for business. “Pre-qualification and full compliance on the Hellios Information JOSCAR supplier accreditation register streamlines work-flow agreements and ensures the sustainability of our long-term customer relationships. Muirhead Avionics’ ongoing commitment to our customers in the aerospace, defence, and security industries is underpinned by this reassuring accreditation,” said Steve Wells, Managing Director and Divisional Vice President of Muirhead Avionics. Muirhead Avionics is a major supplier to many fixed and rotary wing operators worldwide with capabilities covering navigation, communication, flight recorders, cockpit voice recorders, instrumentation, and test equipment.
ICHCA and TT Club bring back Innovation in Safety Award: ICHCA International, the global cargo handling association, with the support of international freight transport insurer, is once more hosting the TT Club Innovation in Safety Award after a hiatus in 2020 due to the pandemic. The global supply chains and, in particular the cargo handling and transport operators that facilitate them, have been challenged as never before over the past year and a half. In an environment of dynamic trade flow variation with mounting volumes in many areas, restricted capacity, congestion and disruption, it is vital to maintain vigilance in matters of safety. Both ICHCA International and TT Club have a fundamental commitment to risk reduction throughout the supply chain. Their renewal of an award programme to profile and celebrate the work of those striving to find ways to mitigate such safety risks reflects the paramount aim within both the organisations’ philosophies. The award will be open to anyone – an individual, team or company – involved in cargo handling or logistics. Entrants will be required to show that a product, idea, solution, process, scheme or other innovation has resulted in a demonstrable improvement to safety. The award champions and celebrates the many companies and individuals around the world who are 100 percent dedicated to ‘making it safe’ every day. Equally, it acknowledges and fosters innovation to improve safety in cargo operations and logistics.
StandardAero gets Lufthansa CityLine service deal: German airline Lufthansa CityLine has selected StandardAero to provide support for the GE Aviation CF34-8C turbofan engines powering its fleet of MHI RJ Aviation (formerly Bombardier) CRJ900 regional jets. Under the exclusive seven-year agreement, StandardAero will support Lufthansa CityLine with a range of CF34-8C services from its overhaul facility in Winnipeg, MB, Canada. StandardAero will also be qualifying its European field service team based in Rijen, the Netherlands to support the CF34, thereby assuring Lufthansa CityLine of responsive local airside assistance. Lufthansa CityLine is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lufthansa, one of the world’s leading airline groups, operating feeder flights from hubs at Frankfurt Airport and Munich Airport. StandardAero was first appointed as a GE Aviation Authorised Service Provider (ASP) for the CF34-3 and CF34-8 in 2001, and in 2013 was named by GE as the first independent TRUEngine authorised MRO provider for the CF34. In 2020, the company celebrated its milestone 3,000th CF34 engine workscope.
UNCTAD, IATA extend partnership: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and UNCTAD have extended their collaboration to facilitate international trade, particularly e-commerce. The extended partnership will enrich their history of working together. This includes the successful integration of air cargo messaging standards (Cargo-XML) into UNCTAD’s automated customs management system, ASYCUDAWorld. For the 100 counties choosing to deploy the latest version of ASYCUDAWorld, this enables more efficient processing of air cargo shipments. “Through this extended partnership, we look forward to leveraging the leadership of UNCTAD and IATA in their respective fields to boost e-commerce in developing countries through improved exchanges of trade data,” said Shamika Sirimanne UNCTAD’s Technology and Logistics Director. The next stage of the collaboration will focus on enabling ASYCUDAWorld to manage e-commerce shipments more efficiently. It will include adding a risk assessment for mail shipments and facilitating access to the IATA enhanced partner identification and connectivity (EPIC) platform.
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