AAV News in Brief 2 April 2026

Korean Air wins “Best Airline Onboard Menu” award: Korean Air has once again been recognised for excellence in inflight dining, earning the title of “Best Airline Onboard Menu” for its First Class cabin for the third consecutive year at Global Traveler’s 14th annual Leisure Lifestyle Awards. Based on a survey of Global Traveler’s luxury reader, this award underscores the airline’s ongoing commitment to elevating the inflight dining experience. Korean Air’s premium catering seamlessly blends traditional Korean flavors and modern culinary refinement. Building on a comprehensive overhaul of its inflight dining program last year—the first major refresh in over a decade—the airline introduced exclusive menus developed in collaboration with Chef Seakyeong Kim, owner of Cesta in Seoul. Featuring seasonal ingredients and innovative techniques, these new dishes bring a true gourmet experience to the skies. First Class passengers enjoy an immersive fine-dining experience at 35,000 feet. The elevated menu features an expanded selection of amuse-bouche and appetizers, alongside new main courses and desserts like papillote and petit fours. These additions complement signature Korean dishes, such as bibimbap, and an exclusive sommelier-curated wine program. To complete the luxury experience, meals are elegantly presented on Bernardaud china with Christofle cutlery and Riedel glassware. “Being recognised for the third consecutive year at the Leisure Lifestyle Awards is a testament to Korean Air’s unwavering commitment to service innovation.” said David Pacey, Executive Vice President and Chief of In-flight Service and Lounges at Korean Air. “We will continue to sharpen our competitive edge across all service areas, including our world-class in-flight dining, to ensure an unparalleled journey for our global passengers.” Mecaer Aviation Group signs avionics deal with MD Helicopters: Mecaer Aviation Group (MAG) has entered into an agreement with MD Helicopters to upgrade the avionics of MD500E helicopters. The agreement provides for a comprehensive upgrade of the aircraft’s onboard instrumentation. The program will replace legacy analog systems with a modern, fully digital glass cockpit designed to meet the latest industry standards. The MD500E upgrade program will be carried out at MAG’s facility in San Benedetto del Tronto (AP), the company’s primary hub for helicopter maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) activities. “This project, in partnership with MD Helicopters, represents an important step in the platform’s technological evolution,” said Marco Acca, Chief Executive Officer of Mecaer Aviation Group. “It is also considered a pilot program that could be extended to support upgrades across the broader European MD500E fleet.” The collaboration between Mecaer Aviation Group and MD Helicopters builds on a long-standing industrial relationship. At MAG’s Monteprandone facility, more than 140 helicopters from the NH-300 and NH-500 families were produced under license from Hughes Helicopters between the 1970s and 1990s—Hughes being the predecessor of today’s MD Helicopters. Croatia Control selects ADB SAFEGATE’s OneControl platform: Croatia Control Ltd. (CCL), the air navigation service provider responsible for managing Croatian airspace, has selected ADB SAFEGATE to deliver its OneControl Tower Automation Platform for the control tower at Zagreb Airport (Franjo Tuđman Airport). The system will support the modernisation of tower operations by integrating key operational tools into a single digital platform designed to enhance situational awareness, runway safety, and operational efficiency. The project was awarded following a public tender process and forms part of Croatia Control’s broader strategy to modernize air traffic management infrastructure. The OneControl platform will integrate with existing tower systems and deliver a modern Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and Control System (A-SMGCS) together with an Electronic Flight Strip (EFS) solution, providing controllers with a unified operational environment. By bringing together surveillance data, aircraft routing, flight data management, and safety monitoring within a single interface, the platform will support air traffic controllers in managing aircraft and vehicle movements more efficiently across the airport surface. The system will also strengthen runway safety capabilities and enable improved coordination between tower systems and operational stakeholders. With this deployment, Croatia Control becomes the third member of the COOPANS Alliance to implement tower automation technology from ADB SAFEGATE, further supporting interoperability and modernization initiatives across European air navigation service providers. Munich Airport remains on track for growth: The Munich Airport Group once again reported a net profit after taxes of €169 million in 2025. Compared to the previous year, this represents a significant increase of 105 million euros. Driven by growth in passenger numbers and flight movements, revenue reached a new record of nearly 1.8 billion euros. Operating profit before interest and taxes improved significantly as well, amounting to 219 million euros, up from 195 million euros the previous year. The increase in annual revenue can be attributed to the strong traffic growth at Munich Airport in 2025. A total of 43.4 million passengers traveled through the Bavarian aviation hub. Compared to the previous year, this represents an increase of 1.8 million passengers, corresponding to passenger growth of 4.4%. The number of flight movements also saw positive growth, with more than 337,000 takeoffs and landings, which is 3.1% higher than the previous year. The main driving forces behind this growth were once again European and intercontinental traffic. Traffic to European destinations and the Mediterranean region rose by around four percent. Long-haul traffic showed particularly strong performance, increasing by approximately nine percent compared to 2024. Munich Airport’s route network expanded further in 2025. Most recently, it included 232 destinations worldwide. A total of 96 airlines, including five freighter carriers, operate regular flights to the airport. The positive trend in the cargo sector continued. Air cargo volume increased by 10 percent, reaching approximately 340,000 tons and surpassing pre-crisis levels by 2 percent. Dnata finalises integration of Italian ground handling business: Dnata has completed the integration of its Italian ground handling business into its global organisation, with all activities now operating under the dnata brand. This milestone follows dnata’s full acquisition of its Italian ground services subsidiary, previously operating as Airport Handling, after progressively increasing its shareholding in recent years. The integration builds on a series of recent developments that reinforce dnata’s long-term commitment to the Italian aviation market. In 2025, Airport Handling began operations at Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO), extending dnata’s ground handling footprint beyond Milan’s Malpensa (MXP) and Linate (LIN) airports and nearly doubling its operations across Italy. Most recently, dnata announced a €25 million investment to scale up cargo capacity in Milan through the development of an advanced new facility at Malpensa Airport. The project will create additional capacity for customers and support growth across Italy’s logistics ecosystem. “This milestone reflects our long-term confidence in the Italian aviation sector,” said Clive Sauvé-Hopkins, dnata’s CEO – Airport Operations. “From our beginnings in Dubai to our growing presence across Europe, dnata has consistently focused on delivering globally aligned services while maintaining a strong local approach. As demand continues to rise, we are investing in capacity, technology and talent to remain a trusted partner to airlines operating in Milan, Rome and beyond.” Tecnam patners with CENFORTEC: Tecnam and CENFORTEC, Europe’s largest Aircraft Maintenance Technician School, are proud to announce a strategic partnership designed to bridge the gap between aviation education and the modern labour market. Established in Portugal in 2011, CENFORTEC currently trains over 300 students and has built a renowned reputation for technical excellence. By partnering with a major Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) like Tecnam, CENFORTEC is set to offer its students unprecedented access to the aviation industry. This collaboration brings significant benefits to the institution by strengthening the vital connection between classroom education and the practical demands of the aerospace sector. For CENFORTEC students, the alliance greatly expands internship opportunities, promoting the acquisition of hands-on, practical experience and the development of essential skills for their future careers. This partnership contributes to the continuous enhancement of CENFORTEC’s training programs, solidifying its position as an institution deeply committed to educational quality and the high employability of its graduates. “Together we can create the invisible heroes of aviation,” said André Garcia  CEO at CENFORTEC. “This partnership with Tecnam is a tremendous milestone that will give our students the real-world OEM exposure they need to excel in their careers and keep the global fleet flying safely.” ACC Aviation facilitates remarketing of CF34-8C engines: ACC Aviation announced the successful remarketing of six CF34-8C engines and associated Life-Limited Parts (LLPs) on behalf of OÜ Transpordi Varahaldus (TVH), Estonia’s state-owned transport asset management company. Following the repossession of the assets from former operator Xfly, ACC Aviation was appointed to monetise the portfolio in a time-sensitive and complex recovery scenario. Leveraging a data-driven pricing strategy underpinned by a Current Market Value (CMV) analysis, ACC Aviation conducted a targeted RFP process across a selected group of qualified buyers. The team managed the transaction end-to-end, from market engagement and commercial negotiation through to technical acceptance and delivery. The campaign achieved full placement of all six engines, underscoring strong market demand and execution. Regional One acquired two engines along with associated LLPs, while KP Aviation strategically secured the remaining four. The transaction demonstrates ACC Aviation’s ability to structure and execute complex, multi-stakeholder asset recovery and remarketing mandates, supporting institutional and government-backed entities in maximising value under constrained and time-critical conditions. 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