SSP Group to acquire 14 units at Perth and Melbourne airports: Food and beverage outlet operator SSP Group has entered into an agreement to acquire 14 F&B units from Australian hospitality company Red Rock. SSP will take over full operations of Red Rock’s F&B business at Perth Airport, marking its first entry into that location, and the majority of its F&B business at Melbourne Airport. At Perth Airport, SSP will acquire seven units, including two Long Neck Public Houses, located in the International and Domestic areas of Terminal 1 and Loco Poco, which can be found at Terminal 1 International. The line-up also features two outlets from Italian-inspired brand Macchinetta and two Haymarket units. SSP also intends to acquire a further three new units at Perth – Common Bar + Kitchen, Pronto by Macchinetta and a new grab & go offer. At Melbourne Airport, SSP will acquire four units. These include two ‘Two Johns Taphouse’ pubs. These are located at Terminal 4 Domestic and Terminal 2 International. SSP will also operate BÀ XÃ Noodle Bar at Terminal 2 International. The fourth unit will be Able Baker Charlie.
Sanand and Emirates sign MOU: Sanad Aerotech, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mubadala Investment Company that provides aircraft engine MRO, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Emirates Airline, through its aircraft engine MRO division, Emirates Engine Maintenance Centre (EEMC). EEMC provides dedicated aircraft engine MRO services to the Emirates fleet. It currently delivers MRO capacity for GE 90, GP 7200, with a 24/7, 365 days a year service backed by a workforce that strips, inspects and builds on a single site.
AirAsia takes delivery of its first A321neo: AirAsia has received its first A321neo aircraft during a delivery ceremony in Hamburg, Germany. The aircraft delivered is the first of 353 A321neos ordered by the airline. The A321neo will enable AirAsia to offer higher capacity in response to ongoing strong demand across its network as well as to open up new routes. AirAsia will initially operate the aircraft from its Kuala Lumpur hub to cities across Asia, with the first destinations including Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Singapore, Bangkok and Shenzhen. AirAsia’s A321neo features a single-class layout with 236 seats in the widest single-aisle cabin in the sky.
AFI KLM E&M obtains CAAC approval for LEAP maintenance: AFI KLM E&M formally announced it had received authorisation from the CAAC to carry out maintenance operations on LEAP engines (-1A / -1B). Issued by the Chinese authority at the end of October, this authorisation enables AFI KLM E&M to carry out all types of operations (both on-wing and on-site) for LEAP-1A/-1B engines, parts and control units, for all customers in China, including both airlines and MROs. Having obtained the same authorisation from the EASA and FAA in 2018, the airline-MRO is extending the scope of its LEAP support services, which are now within reach for customers on both sides of the globe. The CAAC approval comes at a time when AFI KLM E&M has already acquired solid experience with these types of engines – experience which can now be shared with its customers throughout China’s dynamic and expanding market.
ANA starts ops to Malpensa: Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) will begin flying to Milan Malpensa from Tokyo Haneda, the world’s fourth busiest airport, in summer 2020, becoming the Italian airport’s 15th serving Asian carrier. The service will mark the return of a Japanese carrier to Italy after a 10-year gap. Malpensa will be only the eighth European airport that the Star Alliance carrier serves from its Tokyo Haneda and Narita bases. The beginning of ANA flights next year will signal the arrival of another ‘Five-Star Airline’ in Milan, as the airline is one of just eight carriers in the world with the top accolade from the international quality ratings organisation SkyTrax. Malpensa will now welcome six of these eight prestige carriers in 2020.
Brisbane Airport named Capital City Airport of the Year: Brisbane Airport (BNE) has received two industry honours, being named Capital City Airport of the Year 2019, as well as winning the award for Community Engagement at the Australian Airports Association (AAA) National Airport Industry Awards. These awards come after the airport was named CAPA Asia Pacific Medium Airport of the Year 2019. Gert-Jan de Graaff, BAC CEO said of all the categories entered, receiving the award for BAC’s Community Engagement program, as well as being named Capital City Airport of the Year, is the most meaningful of all. “The projects considered in BAC’s nomination for the AAA’s Capital City Airport of the Year Award included the corporation’s existing runway renaming project, emission reduction strategy, the Dryandra Road underpass, Brisbane’s new runway community engagement program, Skygate Home and Life Centre development, and our in terminal customer experience program, so virtually every part of the business contributed to winning this award.
