Etihad, Royal Air Maroc sign MOU: Etihad Airways and Royal Air Maroc are set to work more closely together for the benefit of their customers after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to boost commercial and operational ties. The agreement reflects a dedication to exploring enhanced cooperation, aiming to offer travellers expanded choices, superior services, and added value, all while fostering sustainable aviation. Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, said: “This agreement covers a broad range of activities from exploring the expansion of existing codeshare arrangements to cover more domestic routes in Morocco and Africa, to looking at developing existing frequent flyer programme co-operation, and exploring collaborations on ground handling, maintenance and engineering.” The existing codeshare agreement gives customers of both airlines enhanced connectivity to destinations across each other’s networks, between Morocco and the UAE as well, beyond Casablanca into Africa and beyond Abu Dhabi. The agreement enables guests to book their entire journey on a single ticket and have their baggage checked through seamlessly to their end destination.
Aeroprime Group named cargo agent for Cambodia Angkor Air: Aeroprime Group announced its appointment as the exclusive Cargo General Sales and Service Agent (GSSA) for Cambodia Angkor Air. Currently, the airline boasts a fleet comprising A320, A321, and ATR aircrafts, serving over 11 destinations across Cambodia, China, Laos, Singapore, and Vietnam. Starting 16 June 2024, Cambodia Angkor Airlines will operate four (4x) weekly flights from Delhi (DEL) to Phnom Penh (PNH) utilising A320 aircraft, offering the only direct connectivity between India and Cambodia which will help increase the trade between the countries and open up more business opportunities for cargo. With plans for further expansion across multiple Indian cities in the near future, Aeroprime Group will oversee the comprehensive sales service of the cargo space on these flights, ensuring efficient and seamless logistics solutions for the airline and expanding its network to meet the growing demand for reliable cargo solutions.
Turkish Airlines and KM Malta Airlines sign codeshare: Turkish Airlines and KM Malta Airlines have signed a code-sharing agreement to operate joint flights. The codeshare agreement, effective from June 2024, will provide passengers of both flag carrier airlines more flexible travel options on direct flights between Istanbul and Malta. KM Malta Airlines will place their marketing flight numbers on Turkish Airlines flights between Istanbul and Malta, and vice versa. Bilal Ekşi, Turkish Airlines CEO, said: “We are pleased that the codeshare agreement with KM Malta Airlines will re-foster cooperation between the two countries and provide seamless journeys for passengers flying from Malta and Türkiye. Not only does this partnership enable Maltese travelers to benefit from the wide network of Turkish Airlines on a global scale, but also promotes more visitors from Malta to visit our unique country, Türkiye. Likewise, Malta, the fascinating island nation of the Mediterranean, will attract more visitors. We look forward to a successful, long-standing collaboration together.”
HAVELSAN delivers A320 FFS to IFTC: HAVELSAN, the Ankara-headquartered flight simulator manufacturer, has delivered in May an Airbus A320 full flight simulator to Antalya-based IFTC. The device installation has been completed and site acceptance test is currently ongoing. IFTC is Turkey’s first independent full flight simulator training centre, established in 2008, with two training centres on two different continents (one in Istanbul and one in Antalya). The two training centres operate five full flight simulators covering both Airbus A320 and Boeing B737NG aircraft types. IFTC is internationally recognised to support a wide range of airlines and stakeholders with their pilot training requirements. The HAVELSAN Airbus A320 full flight simulator device order by IFTC was announced earlier in May and showcases HAVELSAN ability to support pilot training centers with industry leading flexible and quick solutions for training equipment. During the month of May a HAVELSAN manufactured Airbus A320 full flight simulator also received the first EASA certification in 2024 – with the device being operated by an airline in Turkey.
Emirates, Airbus and IATA collaborate on CBTA training: The International Air Transport Association (IATA), Emirates, and Airbus have joined forces to deliver a Competency-Based Training and Assessment (CBTA) program for the Airbus A350 type rating, as Emirates prepares for the delivery of its fleet of 65 A350s from mid-2024. An initial cohort of 256 pilots will be trained as part of the new course at Emirates’ Training college in Dubai starting from July 2024. This collaboration will create and deliver the first A350 type rating training in full alignment with the latest International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards for CBTA training and with the best practices contained in the IATA CBTA Guide for Flight Crew Training. “Combining the expertise of Emirates, Airbus and IATA to design and deliver A350 type rating training is a unique opportunity. Our joint aim is to fully utilize the benefits of CBTA to qualify the pilots on the A350 in the most efficient and effective way possible. And by doing it together all three organizations will also gain valuable experience that can strengthen their other training activities,” said Nick Careen, IATA’s SVP for Operations, Safety and Security.
Stratos delivers 737-800 to SunExpress: Stratos announced the delivery of a Boeing 737-800 on long term operating lease to SunExpress, a joint venture of Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, in the frame of SunExpress’ continuous fleet expansion. The aircraft (MSN 39006) is owned by a Japan-based investor and was recently redelivered from Norwegian and transitioned to SunExpress following Stratos’ take-over of the aircraft as asset manager. This process involved oversight of the redelivery of the aircraft, sourcing replacement CFM56-7B engines, raising a senior loan from PK Airfinance, securing a new lessee, structuring and managing the MRO and ferry actions required to deliver the aircraft to Türkiye. Gary Fitzgerald, CEO of Stratos said “The Stratos team is delighted to welcome SunExpress as our newest airline partner. Reconstructing an aircraft which was the victim of a Covid-era restructuring has been an immense challenge and showcases the exceptional skills of our technical, legal, structuring, financing and commercial teams. In this respect, the SunExpress team has been extremely professional and collaborative and we look forward to a long and successful relationship.” Stratos also announced it has sold an A330 to National Airlines, a US carrier based in Orlando, Florida operating on-demand cargo and passenger charter services. The aircraft was originally operated by Thai International and returned to the lenders following the airlines restructuring process during Covid.
Mexicana de Aviación orders 20 Embraer E2s: Mexicana de Aviación, Mexico’s state-owned carrier, has ordered 20 Embraer E2 aircraft. The deal is for 10 E190-E2 and 10 E195-E2 jets. Deliveries will begin in 2Q25. Mexicana will configure the E190-E2 with 108 seats, and the E195-E2 with 132 seats – both in a single class layout. Mexicana will be the first E2 operator in Mexico, benefitting from the E2’s low operating costs and fuel efficiency, highlighting Mexicana and Embraer’s commitment to sustainability, and improving the efficiency of aviation. With this strategic decision the Mexican state airline will grow and modernize its fleet, strengthening domestic and international connectivity to offer affordable and comfortable air travel, with the highest standards of safety and service. Priscilla Doro Solymossy, VP Sales and Marketing, Head of Latin America and the Caribbean, Embraer Commercial Aviation, said, “We welcome Mexicana to the E2 family, the first E2 operator in Mexico. Seeing the success and rapid growth Mexicana has achieved since it restarted operations in December 2023 has been remarkable. The airline is already flying to 18 destinations, and has transported more than 115,000 passengers, accumulating more than 3,280 flight hours in this short period, reflecting Mexicana’s commitment to operational excellence and customer service.”
TAP Air Portugal opts for NAVBLUE tech: Portugal’s flag carrier, TAP Air Portugal, has chosen NAVBLUE’s Mission+ FLIGHT and Flysmart+ solutions, which will support their evolving Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) requirements for a more integrated and connected digital Flight Operations environment. TAP Air Portugal, which has been using NAVBLUE solutions since 2020, will now increase operational efficiency with Mission+ FLIGHT, the integrated electronic flight folder module of Mission+, NAVBLUE’s Electronic Flight Assistant, while reducing crew workload for pre-flight, in-flight and post-flight performance computations with Flysmart+. Mission+ FLIGHT is the integrated electronic flight folder module for mission management that provides briefing packages, flight follow-up and reporting capabilities to pilots. Mission+ Flight increases efficiency reducing manual entries and risk of errors and enhances pilot’s situational awareness while reducing their workload. Before and during flight, the solution provides briefing packages automatically on pilots’, operations team’s and dispatchers’ tablets. It is also compatible with FOMAX Aircraft Interface Device, a Flight Operations & Maintenance Exchanger currently equipped across parts of TAP’s fleet, that allows automatic retrieval of mission critical information overhead at each waypoint in the Mission+ FLIGHT Navlog.
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