Emirates and TAP Air Portugal expand strategic partnership: Emirates and TAP Air Portugal has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to expand the codeshare partnership currently in place between both airlines. The new agreement will see customers of both airlines benefit from seamless connectivity on many new routes across the Americas, North Africa and East Asia. Emirates and TAP Air Portugal will also explore ways to enhance the co-operation on their respective frequent flyer programmes including reciprocal earning and redemption opportunities and popular benefits such as lounge access. In addition, both airlines plan on supporting each other’s stopover programmes in Dubai and Lisbon, with Emirates also supporting TAP Air Portugal as it looks at potential expansion opportunities in the UAE. Subject to required regulatory approvals, the expanded agreement is expected to come into effect from 1 May, will provide customers with seamless booking, ticketing and travel benefits across 70 destinations on both airlines’ networks.
Teledyne sensor certified for 737s: Teledyne Controls said it has obtained FAA Supplemental Type Certification (STC) approval for installation of its new innovative Aircraft Cabin Environment Sensor (ACES) on Boeing 737 aircraft. ACES is a complete and autonomous solution based on sensors and technologies in Teledyne’s environmental monitoring businesses that enables air transport operators to monitor and measure air quality in the cabin and flight deck. It is the first FAA-certified product of its type and is a major step toward giving airlines the data they need to ensure a safe and positive flying experience for passengers and crew. Certification for other aircraft types is in progress. The ACES system employs a broad range of sensor technologies that perform continuous air sensing and monitoring to detect potentially hazardous contaminants that could affect the air quality in the cabin and flight deck. ACES will record 13 environmental parameters, including data on airborne particulates from 0.3 to 10 microns in size, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, volatile organic compounds and several other parameters.
CPaT signs new distance learning deal with Finnair Flight Academy: CPaT Global announced it has been awarded a new contract by Finnair Flight Academy for the provision of aircraft systems courses, interactive diagrams, and CPaT’s general subjects library for initial and recurrent training on the A320, A330, A350, E170/190 and ATR72 fleets. The contract also includes CPaT Invent, CPaT’s dynamic content development and editing software platform. Finnair Flight Academy is based at Helsinki Airport and provides pilot training conducted by Finnair’s top professional line flying captains and first officers as well as safety instructors.
GAMA adds to executive committee: The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) announced the addition of three board members to serve on its Executive Committee leadership team. The Executive Committee is comprised of members of GAMA’s Board of Directors, who provide strategic leadership for the association and lead its policy committees. David Coleal, CEO of Incora, will serve as chair of the Airworthiness and Maintenance Policy Committee. JoeBen Bevirt, Founder and CEO of Joby Aviation, and Roei Ganzarski, CEO of magniX and executive chairman of Eviation, will serve as co-chairs of the Electric Propulsion and Innovation Committee (EPIC).
ExecuJet expands Middle East fleet: ExecuJet, part of Luxaviation Group, is expanding the company’s Middle East activities, adding a Global 6000 and a Global 7500 to the regional fleet. The Global 6000, which joined the fleet in February 2021 for a Turkish client, is based at Istanbul’s Atta Turk International Airport. The new Global 7500, which joined the fleet in December 2020 to become the first Global 7500 in the Middle East and the third aircraft of its kind in the group, is based under private operations at Al Maktoum International Airport. Mike Berry, ExecuJet’s president aviation services and vice president Middle East, says: “The Global 6000 is an outstanding aircraft for work or relaxation and the Global 7500 is simply one of the world’s leading large, long-range business jets.” The fleet growth supports a rising level of business at the fixed-base operations (FBOs) run by ExecuJet in the Middle East.
U-UAP completes training of Indian Mi-171A2 pilots: The Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant Training Centre of Russian Helicopters has successfully completed training a second group of foreign specialists studying to operate and maintain the Mi-171A2 helicopter. The pilots and engineering staff of the Indian company Sky One Airways were trained in two groups. The foreign experts studied the aerodynamics of the Mi-171A2, its design and technical operation, avionics, the VK-2500PS-03 engine with its integrated digital control system and the auxiliary power unit. Each of the Sky One Airways LTD personnel received an established certificate for passing the training. Among the trainees there were also specialists from the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation, who conducted a preliminary inspection of the training centre for its validation. The training program for Indian pilots included additional focus on operating procedures in non-standard and emergency situations, as well as for manoeuvring the helicopter out from a difficult spatial position.
Etihad Engineering wins award: Etihad Engineering, the largest commercial aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services provider in the Middle East, has won the ‘MRO Service Provider of the Year – Commercial Airlines’ award at the Aviation Achievement Awards 2021. The award was presented to Etihad Engineering for demonstrating exceptional leadership, innovation and resilience during 2020, and achieving strong results despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Abdul Khaliq Saeed, the CEO of Etihad Engineering, said: “We are honoured to receive the Aviation Achievement Award for rising above the challenges and delivering our commitments to customers around the world. We continued to grow our global footprint and made concerted efforts to support the aviation industry during these challenging times. This achievement is a testament to the vision of our stakeholders, the support and confidence of our customers, and the outstanding passion and determination of our people.”
Air New Zealand chief digital officer leaving: Air New Zealand’s chief digital officer, Jennifer Sepull, has said that she will be leaving Air New Zealand after two years in the role. Sepull moved from the United States to New Zealand to take up the chief digital officer role in May 2019. Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Greg Foran said she has led the digital team through the toughest period the airline has experienced while delivering on some major programmes of work. “Under Jennifer’s leadership, Air New Zealand’s cybersecurity and core technology has become stronger, simplified, and more resilient. Jennifer and her team have also started the journey to build our future digital architecture. On behalf of the Executive and the Board, I would like to thank Jennifer for her contribution to the airline over the past two years. The digital strategy that she has led will be key to the airline’s future success as we emerge from COVID-19.” The airline has commenced a global search for someone to fill the position.
TOPCAST names Steve Chua as managing director, global MRO: Hong Kong-based TOPCAST announced Steve Chua has joined the group as managing director for global MRO. Chua will lead the global MRO department to drive strategic growth by leveraging on both existing and soon to be further expanded repair capabilities to meet future customers’ needs through OEM distribution integration and MRO support solution to create long term value and lower life cycle costs for operators. Prior to joining TOPCAST, he served as director and general manager at Guangzhou Aircraft Maintenance Engineering (GAMECO). Chua has more than 30 years working in the aviation business at operations, management and executive management positions with the diversity of four organisations, including Singapore Aerospace Manufacturing, NORDAM, Triumph Aviation Services Asia in Thailand and GAMECO in Guangzhou.
Qatar Airways working with IATA Travel Pass: Qatar Airways said it is trialling the IATA Travel Pass in partnership with the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Qatar Ministry of Public Health, Primary Health Care Corporation and Hamad Medical Corporation. Passengers on the airline’s Doha to Istanbul route will become the first group to experience the which aims to play an important role in the airline’s vision to have a more contactless, secure and seamless travel experience for its passengers. IATA Travel Pass ensures passengers receive up-to-date information on COVID-19 health regulations at their destination country, as well as complying with strict global data privacy regulations to enable the sharing of COVID-19 test results with airlines to verify they are eligible to undertake their journey.
Nauru Airlines adopts Ink tech for Australasia: Nauru Airlines has adopted Health APIS from Ink Aviation to help comply with the strict COVID-19 entry regulations that exist in Australia, Nauru and surrounding South Pacific island nations. The airline will use Ink Health APIS to securely validate and share the Covid-19 test status of passengers and crew prior to travel. Test results will be uploaded by authorised clinics and laboratories directly into the system. Nauru Airlines selected the Ink solution for its unique ability to verify passengers’ Covid-19 health status from paper-based test result certificates and multiple digital health wallets, as their adoption increases. This information can then be interactively assessed by destination governments in advance of a flight departing, helping to reduce the number of cases arriving inside a country’s borders. Ink is helping Nauru Airlines conform to crew testing requirements by automating the scheduling and result management of COVID-19 tests for all of its crew. Prior to adopting the solution, managing this process was both complex and time-consuming.
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