Ascent joins climate pact: Urban mobility company Ascent said it has signed on to the United Nations Climate Neutral Now Pledge in what it says “signifies an important step toward reducing the contribution of urban air mobility to the climate crisis”. Ascent enables users to sign up for helicopter flights by the seat. The company says their business model “not only opens up access to urban air mobility but encourages a more sustainable form of aviation”. “By signing the United Nations Climate Neutral Now Pledge we are taking a long-term commitment to take an active part in making urban air mobility a more sustainable and impactful solution, with the use of helicopters today and electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOLs) in the future,” said Lionel Sinai-Sinelnikoff, founder and CEO of Ascent.
Air New Zealand may opt for bunk beds in Economy Class: Air New Zealand has unveiled a new lie-flat prototype sleep product for Economy Class travellers. The Economy Skynest is the result of three years of Air New Zealand research and development, with the input of more than 200 customers at its Hangar 22 innovation centre in Auckland. The airline has filed patent and trademark applications for the Economy Skynest which provides six full length lie-flat sleep pods. Air New Zealand will make a final decision on whether to operate the Skynest next year after it has assessed the performance of its inaugural year of Auckland-New York operations.
Qatar and American Airlines make nice: Qatar Airways has signed a codeshare agreement with American Airlines in a move that will increase commercial cooperation, bolster connectivity and create hundreds of new travel options for millions of customers. The new agreement will establish a partnership at a global level between two of the world’s most connected airlines, linking some of the largest airport hubs in the US to Hamad International Airport in Doha, voted the Middle East’s best hub and holder of a place in the world’s top five airports for the last three years. Qatar had been in the sights of US airlines who complained Qatar benefitted from state subsidies at the expense of US carriers. Qatar Airways Group CEO Akbar Al Baker said: “We have moved on from past issues and look forward to working closely with American Airlines to build a world-leading partnership for all our customers. This agreement will harness our complementary strengths and resources and enable more customers to experience Qatar Airways’ award-winning product quality.” The codeshare agreement with American Airlines (AA) will allow Qatar Airways’ passengers to travel on AA domestic flights departing Boston (BOS), Dallas (DFW), Chicago (ORD), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), New York (JFK) and Philadelphia (PHL), and as well as on AA international flights to and from Europe, the Carribean, Central and South America.
Air Arabia awards contract to Revima, signs deal with Malaysia: Revima has signed a six-year contract low-cost carrier Air Arabia for the full support of its A320 landing gear. Air Arabia, Middle East and Africa’s largest low-cost carrier, awarded Revima an exclusive contract for the maintenance, repair and overhaul of landing gears on its fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft, totalling 40 shipsets for the period. The MRO work will be provided by Revima’s facility located in Normandy, France. Meanwhile, Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB) will be collaborating with REVIMA. Both companies will work together in providing a one-stop-service centre on landing gear replacement and overhaul solutions to third-party customers. This will enable Malaysia Airlines to provide landing gear replacement services for REVIMA customers at their KUL Hangar.
Emirates and Spairliners sign A380 deal: Emirates and Spairliners announced they have signed a General Terms Agreement (GTA) to provide component aftermarket solutions for Emirates’ A380 fleet. Thies Möller, managing director and CEO of Spairliners commented: “Providing component care for the world’s largest fleet of A380 aircraft is a milestone achievement for Spairliners. Emirates is one of the world’s leading international airlines and we are very proud to cooperate with Emirates. We are looking forward to building a strong relationship with Emirates and to prove our competence by providing highly reliable, cost efficient and qualitative services.”
