Qatar Airways returns to Brisbane: Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) has welcomed news of Qatar Airways returning to Queensland with three weekly scheduled services between Doha and Brisbane Airport (BNE) commencing from 20 May (21 May BNE). The services will operate under existing bilateral rights until 30 Jun 2020 with the airline carrying both commercial passengers and freight, providing a critical cargo channel for Australian businesses and producers. Qatar Airways has indicated its willingness to maintain and grow Brisbane operations on the basis that adequate air traffic rights are available. Qatar Airways will operate an Airbus 350-1000 on the route.
STELIA Aerospace receives the 2020 JEC Innovation Award: STELIA Aerospace has received the 2020 JEC Award in the “Aerospace” category, together with its partners IS Groupe, Arkema, Latécoère and Hexcel, as a reward for their ISW welding project (Innovative Solution for Welding of Thermoplastic Composites). The ISW project is an innovative welding technique, co-developed and patented by IS Groupe and Arkema, based on a mobile susceptor heated by induction and merging the interfaces that need to be welded. STELIA Aerospace has already tested this technology for the welding of fuselage stringers. Developing fuselage sections made of thermoplastic composites is one of STELIA Aerospace’s major development channels and thermoplastic welding is one of its essential technological bricks.
Rostec hands the first Ansat helicopter over to EMERCOM of Russia: Russian Helicopters holding company (part of Rostec State Corporation) supplied the first Ansat helicopter for EMERCOM of Russia. The rotorcraft was handed over to the fund supporting the development of state authorities in civil defence, emergencies and elimination of consequences of natural disasters (the Fund). The helicopter has already been handed over to the North-Western Aviation and Rescue Centre of EMERCOM of Russia, and is located on Kasimovo Airfield. Kazan Helicopters and the Fund signed the contract for supply in March 2019. Ansat was handed over to the customer in a universal version; the cabin has places for installing a medical module, and there are seven passenger seats. In the North-Western Aviation and Rescue Centre of EMERCOM of Russia, Ansat will be used for transporting staff, cargo and equipment in the cabin or on an external sling, and to tackle special tasks.
IATA says Jordon aviation needs government support: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) called on the government of Jordan to provide urgent financial relief to airlines as they struggle to survive the devastating impact of the COVID-19 crisis. IATA estimates that revenues generated by airlines in the Jordanian market will fall by US$700 million (52 percent) compared to 2019. That puts at risk nearly 34,400 Jordanian jobs and US$1.1 billion of Jordan’s GDP, which is generated by aviation directly as well as by aviation-related tourism. “Jordan’s leaders have always understood the importance of having a sustainable aviation sector. They have prioritised policies that have encouraged the development of air connectivity that supports travel and tourism. But the COVID-19 crisis is putting that positive progress at risk. Airlines are fighting for survival. Passenger traffic has virtually stopped, and cash flows are almost non-existent. The consequences for the Jordanian economy are severe. Urgent financial support from the government is needed now to keep the sector alive,” said Muhammad Albakri, IATA’s regional vice president for Africa and the Middle East. It is essential that the Jordanian government move quickly to minimise the economic damage resulting from the COVID-19 crisis. Government support is urgently required to ensure the liquidity which will allow airlines to survive the coming months and thus protect the jobs generated by the air transport sector.
IFS announces new deal: Enterprise software company IFS said it has formed a new partnership with Amentum, a global technical and engineering services firm. Amentum will integrate IFS Applications into its solutions for its clients in the government and aerospace and defence sectors, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the US Federal Aviation Administration. Amentum supports critical programmes of national significance in areas including nuclear and environment; mission support and sustainment; threat mitigation; mission assurance; and strategic capabilities engineering in critical infrastructures, both in the US and abroad. IFS capabilities will be integrated within the Amentum SupplyTRACSM offering and will provide Amentum customers with leading-edge functionality for supply chain optimisation, asset management, predictive maintenance, and procurement.
Australia’s SkyNet Aviation adds Avinet Air Maestro: SkyNet REACH Aero Day Of Operations SaaS platform has now been integrated with Avinet’s Air Maestro crew management data. In late March 2020, SkyNet Aviation formalised a solutions partnership with Avinet to incorporate crewing, rostering, contract and fatigue management data directly into its world-leading REACH Aero Day Of Operations flight tracking and management solution. With the integration of Air Maestro data feeds, existing REACH Aero and Air Maestro clients only need to ask in order to access all relevant crew information and Day of Operations information in a single pane of glass, then use this data to underpin their flight scheduling processes.
Emirates to resume passenger flights to Australia: Emirates has announced its plan to operate scheduled flight services from 21 May to nine destinations: Sydney, Melbourne, London Heathrow, Frankfurt, Paris, Milan, Madrid, Chicago and Toronto. The airline will also offer connections in Dubai for customers travelling between the UK and Australia. Travellers, including those from Australia, will only be accepted on these flights if they comply with the eligibility and entry criteria requirements of their destination countries. This includes an approval from the Federal Authority for Identify and Citizenship (ICA) for UAE residents who wish to return to Dubai. In addition to the scheduled services, Emirates will also continue to work closely with embassies and consulates to facilitate repatriation flights for visitors and residents wishing to return home.
NZ airports operating a ‘new normal’: New Zealand’s airports will be operating a new kind of normal for safe flying when domestic travel and general aviation expands under Alert Level 2. In line with new guidance from government agencies, airports have additional measures in place to help travellers adhere to COVID-19 requirements including physical distancing in terminals and high standards of hygiene and cleaning. The emphasis is on staying safe and leaving space. Airports with general aviation activities such as flight schools, engineering services, aero club flying and other related businesses have also put in place COVID-19 policies and processes and are working with their commercial tenants to meet new health requirements. “Travellers can expect to see a lot of reminders to allow some extra space between themselves and other travellers they don’t know. New signs, floor markers and information announcements reflecting the Government’s official advice are now in place at terminals across the country. This will help passengers do the right thing,” says Kevin Ward, chief executive of NZ Airports, the industry voice for 42 airports.
Embry-Riddle and GE Aviation team up: A new partnership between Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and GE Aviation has been signed to provide students and faculty with access to a flight data analytics platform — opening doors to additional applied learning and research opportunities. “Embry-Riddle intends to use the software on all campuses in our aviation safety education courses and programs, and to improve operational efficiency for flight and fleet maintenance in our flight departments,” said Dr Alan Stolzer, dean of the College of Aviation on Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach, Florida, campus. “This software, in particular, gives us a huge competitive advantage over other flight and educational programs.” GE Aviation’s Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA) programme is powered by the company’s flight analytics platform — the Event Measurement System (EMS).
Emirates SkyCargo’s global network grows to 75 destinations: Emirates SkyCargo has expanded its weekly scheduled cargo flight operations to cover 75 destinations across six continents, including Australia. Some of the destinations recently included in Emirates SkyCargo’s network include Perth Colombo, Conakry, Dakar, Dhaka, Dublin, Khartoum, Kuala Lumpur and Quito. In addition, Emirates SkyCargo has also upped frequency of flights to several key destinations such as Amsterdam, Beijing, Bengaluru, Brussels, Chennai, Chicago, Frankfurt, Hanoi, Johannesburg and London.
Air Astana maintains positive outlook: Air Astana said it was optimistic about the airline’s future as it slowly restarts operations against the backdrop of the continuing COVID-19 global health crisis. The Kazakh flag carrier is marking its 18th anniversary with the resumption of some domestic services and expects to be operating approximately 30 percent of its pre-crisis network by the end of May. The airline entered into the crisis in March after a stronger performance in 2019 with a net profit of just over US$30 million and revenue of approximately US$900 million. Passenger numbers increased by 17 percent to over 5 million during the year, including a significant contribution from its recently-launched low-cost airline, FlyArystan, from May 2019.
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