Jet Aviation launches FBO at Scottsdale: Jet Aviation announced its new 8,500 sq. ft. FBO and 30,000 sq. ft. hangar facility at Scottsdale, Arizona is now operational. The company has been operating at Scottsdale Airport since acquiring a share in the Scottsdale Jet Center that leased office space, tenant hangarage, tie-down spaces and shades in May 2019. It has since completed construction and acquired full ownership of the jet centre, now operating as Jet Aviation Scottsdale. The company’s new FBO and hangar facility at Scottsdale Airport features a generous lobby, passenger and crew lounges, pilot snooze rooms, a conference room, meeting room, and weather and flight planning facilities. It can accommodate aircraft up to the size of the Gulfstream 650 and the Global 6000. Jet Aviation operates more than 30 FBOs around the globe and is the leading IS-BAH-registered FBO network worldwide, including nine IS-BAH registered FBOs in the US.
GEODIS expands and renames its specialist Project Logistics business: Logistics services provider GEODIS is widening its range of worldwide project logistics services. At the same time, GEODIS is positioning this specialised offer with a new name in the market, changing from GEODIS Industrial Projects to GEODIS Project Logistics. The name change reflects the more diversified service portfolio of GEODIS in this sector which now goes beyond serving the industrial segment. In addition to GEODIS’ growing activity in the Renewable Energy market, as well as the company’s evolving offer for the Oil & Gas industry, GEODIS is integrating its Aid & Relief business as well as its Marine Logistics teams into the expanded project logistics organisation. GEODIS Project Logistics is offered in over 30 countries with 550 project logistics specialists worldwide operating in the sectors of Oil & Gas, Renewables, Rail, Nuclear, Mining, Power, Infrastructure, Petrochemical Production and Refining, Aid & Relief, Marine Logistics and Governmental Services.
Honeywell launches cabin monitoring system: Honeywell has introduced the next generation of its Cabin Pressure Control and Monitoring System with applications in both commercial and military aircraft. This new version of the system is all-electric, lighter-weight, and available now for business and regional aviation as well as tactical or military trainer-sized aircraft. The Cabin Pressure Control and Monitoring System (CPCMS) helps maintain and monitor the air pressure inside an aircraft. It can be found onboard any aircraft that flies high enough to require air pressurisation, including commercial and business jets as well as military aircraft. It regulates the air that is pumped into the cabin of an aircraft to maintain a safe and comfortable environment while flying at high altitudes. It also manages the rate of pressure change to avoid passenger discomfort during climb and descent.
Nokia Shanghai Bell snags HKIA deal: Nokia Shanghai Bell announced that the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) will deploy a new, high-bandwidth, mission-critical Nokia IP/MPLS network to support tower operations at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA). In addition to provision of packet-based IP routing solutions, Nokia will support and manage migration of legacy non-IP aviation applications to the new network. Nokia will also supply a range of operational aviation-specific professional services for network design, architecture, integration and deployment. Upon deployment completion in 2021, Nokia will deliver long-term support and maintenance. The Nokia solution will increase existing data capacity throughput for aviation control systems and ensure smooth and safe operation of aircraft movements throughout the airspace and ground control. It will equip AAHK with a robust, secure communications infrastructure for its critical data, enabling it to operate with optimal levels of efficiency and safety, and to easily accommodate anticipated growth in aircraft movements.
Volocopter launches US campaign: Volocopter, the German air taxi start-up announced that the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has positively accepted their application for concurrent Type Certificate validation. This sets the basis for Volocopter to bring their electric air taxi services to the American market. Volocopter is the first and only electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) company in the world with Design Organisation Approval (DOA), the license to develop and build certified aircraft, from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The company is currently in the process of receiving EASA Type Certification for their VoloCity aircraft. Volocopter is seeking FAA approval to enter the US market concurrently with its EASA type certificate to accelerate its worldwide expansion.
Farsound achieves ASA-100 certification: Farsound announced that it has met the requirements of the Aviation Suppliers Association’s Quality System Standard ASA-100 and FAA Advisory Circular 00-56B. Recent changes introduced by the CAAC (Chinese Airworthiness Authority) mandate aircraft parts distributors to be approved to quality standard ASA100 if they wish to continue supplying parts into China. Following a successful approval assessment audit, demonstrating compliance to the requirements, Farsound has received its approval certificate to ASA100. The ASA Accreditation Program is a 36 month audit program based on the ASA-100 Standard. The standard was created to comply with the FAA Advisory Circular (AC) 00-56, the Voluntary Industry Distributor Accreditation Program. ASA-100 emphasises issues such as impartiality, competence, and reliability – all specific to the regulated needs of the aerospace industry.
FlyArystan carried 1.5 million pax in 2020: FlyArystan, Kazakhstan’s low-cost airline, carried 1.5 million passengers in 2020. Since its operations began in May 2019, FlyArystan has carried over 2.2 million passengers and expects to carry over 3m passengers in 2021. The milestone of 1.5 million passengers carried by Kazakhstan’s only LCC was achieved in 10 months of flying due to two months of flight suspension because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over half of the seats sold were at prices below US$24 for a one-way flight. The average load factor during the year was over 85 percent, while on-time performance exceeded 90 percent. FlyArystan expanded its destination count and now serves 28 routes to 14 cities in Kazakhstan. In 2020, FlyArystan increased the number of aircraft in its fleet from four Airbus A320s in January to seven aircraft in December. FlyArystan will take three more aircraft in the first half of 2021 to grow the fleet to 10 A320s. In addition to the existing routes from bases in Almaty, Nur-Sultan and Atyrau, FlyArystan has invested in the development of regional flights and plans to launch new routes from Shymkent and Aktau.
Congo Airways Orders Two E195-E2: Six months after their first E2 order, Congo Airways has placed a firm order for two E195-E2 jets. This is in addition to their existing two aircraft order for the smaller E190-E2. The four-aircraft deal has a total value of US$272 million at current list prices. This new firm order will be included in Embraer’s 2020 fourth quarter backlog. The E195-E2 will be configured in a dual class 120 seat layout, 12 in Business, 108 in Economy. An additional 25 percent capacity when compared to the 96-seat configuration chosen by Congo Airways for their E190-E2s. The E2 deliveries are expected to begin in 2022 with Embraer and Congo Airways continuing to review the potential to anticipate the beginning of the deliveries. There are currently 206 Embraer aircraft operating in Africa with 56 airlines in 29 countries.
Leonardo’s AW139 will be Colombia’s new presidential helicopter: The Leonardo AW139 intermediate twin-engine helicopter will be the new Presidential Transport helicopter in the Republic of Colombia. The aircraft, in a special VVIP configuration, is expected to be delivered in spring this year and will be operated by the Colombian Air Force. The supply of this helicopter will make the Colombian Air Force the first military customer of the type in the country and will expand the existing AW139 fleet in Colombia. The model has already proven successful for civil transport operations supporting the Oil & Gas industry, with five units in service used by prime operator Helistar S.A.S. The Presidential AW139 will feature, among others, an eight-seat configuration in the largest cabin in its category, the highest safety standards and include a self-defence suite, typically integrated into other helicopters in the Head of State/Government transport role.
IATA welcomes US testing order: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) welcomed the announcement by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that it will require all travellers to the US to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test undertaken within three days prior to their departure to the US, effective 26 January. “Systematic pre-departure testing is key to giving governments confidence to reopen markets without quarantine. Testing will ensure that at current infection levels, aviation will not become a meaningful vector of new transmissions in the US. Furthermore, IATA traveler surveys show that passengers strongly support and are willing to undergo testing,” said Douglas Lavin, IATA’s vice president for Member and External Relations, North America. IATA is encouraged by the flexibility shown by CDC in this order, in terms of accepting both antigen and PCR testing and in providing passengers who have already had COVID-19 the ability to demonstrate they are immune. IATA is developing the IATA Travel Pass, a mobile app to manage information flows around requirements for COVID-19 testing and/or vaccine/immunity information. The IATA Travel Pass will enable travellers to receive and securely store encrypted data on their own mobile devices including verified test or vaccination results and to share this information with airlines and authorities. IATA urged the US government to make provision to accept test and immunity documents shared electronically via the IATA Travel Pass.
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