Airbus invests in climate solutions company Carbon Engineering: Airbus has invested in Carbon Engineering Ltd., a Canadian-based climate solutions company, operating the largest Direct Air Carbon Capture (DACC) Research & Development facility in the world. The investment will contribute to funding part of Carbon Engineering’s advanced direct air capture R&D technologies at the company’s Innovation Centre in Squamish, B.C., Canada. “Carbon Engineering’s Direct Air Capture technology provides a scalable, affordable solution to decarbonise aviation,” said Daniel Friedmann, CEO, Carbon Engineering. “We are thankful to Airbus for taking action and continuing to lead the way by helping accelerate solutions for the industry and for the climate.” “We are proud to be investing in Carbon Engineering, reaffirming our commitment to the use of direct air carbon capture as a two-fold solution for the decarbonisation of the aviation industry,” said Karine Guenan, VP ZEROe Ecosystem, Airbus. DACC is a high-potential technology that involves capturing CO2 emissions directly from the air using high powered fans. Once removed from the air, the CO2 can be used to produce power-to-liquid Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) that is drop-in compatible with today’s aircraft. As the aviation industry cannot capture all CO2 emissions released into the atmosphere at source, captured atmospheric CO2 can also be safely and permanently stored in geologic reservoirs. This latter carbon removal solution would allow the sector to extract the equivalent amount of emissions from its operations directly from the air, thereby counterbalancing residual emissions. The investment in Carbon Engineering is a key part of Airbus’ global climate strategy, which encourages the development and deployment of direct air capture technology, among a number of technological pathways in support of the aviation industry’s decarbonisation ambitions. The transaction is also a key element of Airbus’ strategy to grow its contribution to the Canadian economy. Airbus supports the recently-launched Clean Technology Key Industrial Capability in Canada, under the Industrial and Technological Benefits Policy.
Azul Linhas Aéreas adds three additional A330neo to fleet: Azul has signed a firm order for three A330-900 which will allow it to further expand its international network and complement its existing A330 operations, bringing the airline’s total fleet of A330neo aircraft to eight. “We are delighted to have secured three more next-gen Airbus widebody aircraft which ensures the complete transformation of our fleet from old generation to next-generation. We are focused on maintaining our widebody fleet stable while at the same time benefiting from the fuel efficiency savings from these aircraft.” declared John Rodgerson, Chief Executive Officer of Azul, and continues “with this order we have done just that.” “We applaud Azul’s decision that shows their forward looking strategy and proves the economics and performance of the A330neo are most compelling. The A330neo is the perfect tool to support Azul in expanding its fleet with the right-sized, modern widebody, leveraging the latest technology and efficiency and contributing to reducing CO2,” said Christian Scherer, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Airbus International. Azul Linhas Aereas launched operations in 2008 and has since grown to service more than 150 destinations within Brazil, and flies non-stop to the United States, Europe and South America. Azul received the Americas’ first A330neo in 2019 and operates 12 A330 Family aircraft. In the coming weeks, Azul will start operating four A350-900 to further expand its route offering and benefit from the Airbus commonality concept. In Latin America and the Caribbean, Airbus has sold over 1,150 aircraft and has a backlog of over 500, with more than 700 in operation throughout the region, representing almost 60 percent market share of the in-service fleet. Since 1994, Airbus has secured approximately 70 percent of net orders in the region.
Airbus employs Virtual Procedure Trainer with Lufthansa Group: Advanced procedure training for pilots is now possible without using a flight simulator or on-site procedure trainer, thanks to the innovative Airbus Virtual Procedure Trainer (VPT). The software solution immerses trainees within a virtual cockpit and coaches them on Airbus Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Lufthansa Group will be the launch customer for the new solution presented at EATS (European Airline Training Symposium) 2022 in Berlin. With Virtual Reality, the VPT allows trainees to drill procedures repeatedly within a fully interactive cockpit. Trainees can act intuitively on each switch and lever, following the correct sequence whilst building their ‘muscle memory’ and procedural knowledge. “As part of a unique partnership, training expertise will be mutually shared to provide an innovative, integrated pilot training approach”, says Gilad Scherpf, Head of Aviation Training Development Lufthansa Group. Airbus and Lufthansa Aviation Training will deliver state-of-the-art A320 procedure training for Lufthansa Group airlines across VR, PC, and iPad devices. “The resulting training enhancements will enable further use cases as well as regulatory acceptance. This will be based on the jointly gathered data while aiming at a trainee-centric, flexible solution to support key competencies.” “Using our Virtual Procedure Trainer, pilots have demonstrably learnt procedures more effectively and efficiently, offering the potential to shorten their Type Rating course” says Fabrice Hamel, VP of Airbus Flight Operations & Training. “The new tool also offers much more flexibility because trainees can choose to train alone with an AI, or together online.” VPT can be purchased stand-alone or with the MATe Suite (Airbus training solution for aircraft systems). It is available on PC-tethered Virtual Reality devices or flat-screen devices such as laptops and iPads.
Airbus partners with Space Compass in Japan for mobile connectivity and earth observation solutions: Airbus HAPS Connectivity Business (Airbus HAPS) has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Space Compass Corporation of Japan (Space Compass) for a cooperation agreement to service the Japanese market with mobile connectivity and earth observation services from the Stratosphere with Airbus’ record breaking Zephyr platform. Samer Halawi, Chief Executive of Airbus HAPS, commented on the agreement: “Our dedicated team will be working closely with Space Compass to offer 4G/5G low-latency mobile services, at unprecedented economics. Our innovative, record-breaking, green-energy-powered, platform is attracting interest from multiple mobile network operators and satellite and other service providers globally.” Airbus HAPS is an Airbus subsidiary, which intends to provide new environmentally-friendly services from its stratospheric-operating, Zephyr solar-powered aircraft for Mobile Connectivity, Platform Mobility, Earth Observation and for Government applications. With the ability to provide low-latency 4G/5G services, Zephyr acts as a tower in the sky, complementing terrestrial networks, and providing MNOs with a profitable solution to serve rural and remote areas as well as an emergency response.
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