Cebu Pacific Air celebrates 25 years in operations: Cebu Pacific (CEB), the Philippines’ largest carrier, celebrated its 25th anniversary Monday. Cebu Pacific has come a long way as it marks 25 years since it first took to the skies in 1996. In the process, it has fulfilled the vision of John Gokongwei Jr., aka “Big John”, to make air travel accessible to more Filipinos. And while the airline is known for offering low fares and great value has encountered its fair share of turbulent skies—not the least of which is the ongoing pandemic that has upended the global airline and tourism sector like never before—it has weathered many challenges under the steady and able leadership of Lance Gokongwei, CEO. Gokongwei credits CEB’s success to the many valuable life and business lessons that he picked-up from his dad whom he describes as a ‘classic entrepreneur’ and a visionary; learnings that guide him every step of the way in running Cebu Pacific and other Gokongwei family interests under JG Summit Holdings.
RECARO Aircraft Seating receives orders from Alaska Airlines: Recaro Aircraft Seating has received additional orders to outfit Alaska Airlines’ (Alaska) new B737MAX aircraft with 13 shipsets of the CL4710 and BL3530 seats. Alaska is the first carrier to order more Boeing B737MAX aircraft after it was cleared by the FAA. The BL3530 offers passengers premium comfort and innovative amenities, and its low weight appeals to customers because it contributes to reduced fuel consumption and minimises the aircraft’s carbon footprint. “I’m glad that Alaska has appreciated the quality of our robust CL4710 and BL3530 seats to select them on several different occasions. We are inspired by their mission to enhance the passenger journey while remaining committed to sustainable solutions,” said Mark Hiller, CEO at Recaro Aircraft Seating. “If 2020 proved anything, Recaro and Alaska both face challenges head-on, and we are privileged to have called them a partner for the past decade.” Alaska was the original launch customer for the CL4710, which was designed specifically for domestic and shorter international flights. The award-winning business class seat is characterised by its unique level of comfort and functionality, as well as its flexible equipment options.
AeroMobil hits key milestone in testing of flying car: The AeroMobil Company, developer of the new ultra-high-end vehicle equally at home on the road or in the sky, announced details of the recently completed phase of its AeroMobil flying car flight testing. When commercially introduced in 2023, the AeroMobil will have undergone over a decade of design and development, including flight testing of three functional prototypes and over 300,000 hours of engineering on the latest version. The flight test programme, which began in September 2020, is part of the European Aviation Safety Agency’s (EASA) stringent CS23 requirements governing all critical aspects of flight. The company started the overall EASA certification process for The AeroMobil during 2019. Through the flight test program, the AeroMobil has successfully met several key EASA CS23 requirements governing airworthiness, including the flight performance in terms of top and stall speeds as well as the impressive ability to take off within 1,300 feet and achieve a rate of climb of over 1,200 feet per minute.