Jet Aviation redelivers VVIP-outfitted BBJ 737 MAX: Jet Aviation announced that it has redelivered the first-ever VVIP cabin interior completed on a BBJ 737-8 to an undisclosed customer. The completion was designed, crafted and engineered entirely at Jet Aviation’s completions centre in Basel. It is the company’s third redelivery this year. The redelivery of the first BBJ MAX aircraft worldwide draws on the full extent of Jet Aviation’s completions capabilities. The interior design was created by Jet Aviation’s design studio, in collaboration with the customer, to seamlessly integrate a bespoke cabin with state-of-the-art systems and technology. “The brief was for a cozy, residential space in which one could relax and enjoy the ride,” says Grischa Schmidt, senior director design at Jet Aviation’s design studio. “The living area features a deep, inviting sofa, a seven-seat dining table for socializing and a well-equipped, functional kitchen to accommodate fine dining. Wooden detail, soft fabrics and indirect lighting all complement this residential and relaxing atmosphere.” The interior was crafted and installed on-site in Basel, and includes details such as woven wooden paneling, full flat cocoon seats finished in 3D wood veneer and an integrated wine fridge in the living area.
Cebu Pacific introduces CEB Flexi product: The Philippines’ Cebu Pacific has enhanced its CEB Flexi product – a flight add-on that now allows passengers to cancel their flights for free, up to two hours before departure, and store the value of the ticket cost in a Travel Fund valid for two years. The Travel Fund, valid for two years, can be used to book flights up to 12 months ahead, given that transactions are done before the fund expires. This means customers can use their Travel Funds to book trips potentially until 2023. The stored value may also be used to purchase other add-ons such as seat selection or travel insurance. The CEB Flexi add-on is also available as a bundle through GO Flexi, providing passengers a standard seat, check-in baggage with a combined weight of up to 20kg and the option to cancel their flight up to two (2) hours before departure.
EASA certifies Honeywell, Curtiss-Wright 25-Hour flight data recorder: Curtiss-Wright’s Defense Solutions division and Honeywell announced that their 25-hour Flight Data Recorder (FDR) developed for the air transport market has received European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Technical Standard Order (TSO) certification. In addition to the mandatory FDR functionality, the HCR-25’s partitioned design supports the Honeywell-developed Real-Time Access Recorder (RTAR), which enables flight data to be streamed from the recorder in support of Honeywell’s “Black Box In The Sky” connected recorder concept. The new HCR-25 FDR variant of the Honeywell Connected Recorder-25 (HCR-25) is based on Curtiss-Wright’s compact, lightweight Fortress technology. The unit surpasses the requirements of each of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) defined flight recorder types and adds real time data streaming to support the ICAO Global Aeronautical Distress and Safety (GADSS) initiative. The HCR-25 can record and store more than 3,500 hours of data in crash-protected memory before needing to overwrite the oldest data collected (Record capacity function of received data rate).
Air Astana resumes flights to Amsterdam: Air Astana will resume direct flights from Atyrau in western Kazakhstan to Amsterdam on 3 June following a suspension of a regular service due to restrictions introduced by the Dutch authorities earlier this year. The resumed service will operate once a week on Thursdays using Airbus A321 aircraft, with departure from Atyrau at 05:40 and arrival time in Amsterdam at 07:50 local time; and return flight departure from Amsterdam at 11:50 and arrival in Atyrau at 19:40. The outbound flight time is 5h10m and 4h 50m on the return to Atyrau. This service between Atyrau and Amsterdam supplements the existing flight on Wednesdays between Atyrau to Frankfurt. Passengers on these routes can connect with Air Astana partner airlines across Europe and North America.
Tongcheng-Elong partners with Travelport: Chinese online travel agency (OTA), Tongcheng-Elong and Travelport announced an agreement to trial Travelport’s new microservices API, part of the recently launched Travelport+ next-generation platform. The initiative would enable Tongcheng-Elong to access IATA New Distribution Capability (NDC) functionalities, including the NDC content from the multiple airlines Travelport has built NDC connections with. Combined with Tongcheng-Elong’s platform advantages, this in turn will enable Tongcheng-Elong to create more personalized experiences for its travellers, embedded across all its sales channels. This pilot will build on Tongcheng-Elong’s existing integration of Travelport technology, which powers its bespoke shopping and booking engine. By adding NDC to the existing range of air content Travelport already provides, combined with the wealth of big data on its platform, Tongcheng-Elong will be able to up-level its merchandising capabilities by providing travellers with personalised and dynamic offers designed to improve the traveller experience, while maximising customer loyalty and boosting ancillary sales.
Korean Air received 5-star COVID safety rating from Skytrax: Korean Air has been certified as a 5-star COVID-safe airline by Skytrax, becoming one of a few global airlines to achieve the recognition for COVID-19 safety standards. Since last year, Skytrax has conducted the COVID-19 airline safety ratings through an audit that evaluates the safety and hygiene protocols introduced by airlines during the coronavirus pandemic. The 5-star rating, the highest level, recognises the airline’s world-best quality to assure customers a safe air travel experience. In 2020, Korean Air was named as a 5-star airline in Skytrax’s World Airline Star Rating for the quality of its airport and onboard product and staff service. The airline’s consecutive 5-star certifications reflect its excellence in both customer service and COVID-19 safety standards. Korean Air’s COVID-19 5-star certification was attributed to the airline’s comprehensive efforts in its Care First program that was introduced in August last year.
Helicopter Service Company signs contract to overhaul South Korean Mi-172: Helicopter Service Company (HSC) of the Russian Helicopters holding company (part of the Rostec State Corporation) and RF Focus Corp signed a service contract for on-site overhaul of Mi-172 helicopter operated in the Republic of Korea. The event took place during the International Helicopter Industry Exhibition HeliRussia 2021. The contact covers overhaul of Mi-172 and its system organised on-site by HSC. The work will be carried out by HSC specialists in a service centre in Jeonju, authorised by the Russian Helicopters holding company. “Helicopter Service Company has extensive experience in repairing Russian helicopters operated in the Republic of Korea, and another contract demonstrates the high level of trust that our customers have towards us. The document signed today will allow us to extend the service life of the Mi-172 helicopter used by the South Korean aviation to perform a wide range of operations,” said the Managing Director of HSC Ivan Serov. Mi-172 is one of the Mi-17 series of helicopters that is certified for passenger transportation and has established itself as a reliable rotorcraft with a high level of safety. Mi-172 comes with a twin-engine power unit, powering a traditional single main rotor and tail rotor design. Improved performance of the helicopter meets special requirements for passenger transportation. In addition to the passenger and VIP modifications there are also transport, medical and evacuation, search and rescue, military and firefighting models of this rotorcraft. Specific features of Mi-172 include engine with high power output, excellent altitude characteristics, spacious cockpit, various options of avionics, autonomous preparation for flights and maintenance.
Breeze Airways launches with 13 Embraer jets: Breeze Airways, a new US carrier from JetBlue founder David Neeleman, has launched with a planned fleet of 13 Embraer jets. Breeze will take delivery of all 13 leased jets through the summer, to reach an initial fleet of 10 E190s, and 3 E195s. With plans to grow the fleet further before the end of the year. As the founder of both JetBlue and Azul airlines, Neeleman’s experience of growing airlines and routes using Embraer E-Jets is legendary. Breeze is creating an airline that offers a ‘Seriously Nice’ experience, with low fares and high flexibility, serving destinations from four main airports – Tampa, FL; Charleston, SC; New Orleans, LA; and Norfolk, VA. The E190 jets will be configured to seat 108 guests while the E195 aircraft will have 118 seats.
Arianespace successfully deploys OneWeb constellation satellites: Performed on Friday, 29 May Soyuz Flight ST31 orbited 36 new OneWeb satellites – bringing the size of the fleet in orbit to 218. Flight ST32 was the 57th Soyuz mission carried out by Arianespace and its Starsem affiliate. “Congratulations to all the teams who made this seventh launch dedicated to OneWeb’s satellites a success,” said Stéphane Israël, chief executive officer of Arianespace and Starsem. “At Arianespace, we embrace the idea that space should serve the ultimate goal to creating a better life on Earth… By supporting OneWeb’s success, anywhere, at any time I am convinced that we do just so.” Arianespace has launched 218 OneWeb satellites through seven Soyuz launches to date. Arianespace will perform 12 more Soyuz launches through 2021 and 2022. These launches will enable OneWeb to complete the deployment of its full global constellation of low Earth orbit satellites before the end of 2022. OneWeb’s mission is to create a global connectivity platform through a next-generation satellite constellation in low Earth orbit. The OneWeb constellation will deliver high-speed, low-latency connectivity to a wide range of customer sectors, including aviation, maritime, enterprise and governments. Central to its purpose, OneWeb seeks to bring connectivity to the hardest to reach places, where fibre cannot reach, and thereby bridge the digital divide.
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