Aviation News in Brief 12 October 2020

Airbus delivers A320 family MSN10,000 to Middle East Airlines: Middle East Airlines (MEA) has taken delivery of Airbus’ A320 family aircraft with manufacturer serial number 10,000. MSN10,000 is the third A321neo to join the all-Airbus MEA fleet, taking the fleet size to 18 aircraft. MEA received its first A321neo aircraft earlier in 2020 and will be taking another six A321neos over the coming months. The handover of the aircraft took place in Toulouse in the presence of Mohamad El-Hout, chairman and director general of MEA. MEA took on MSN5,000 in 2012, after 23 years of Airbus A320 family production. The next 5,000 took just another eight years to mark this significant MSN10,000 milestone – again with MEA. This achievement is a testimony of the industrial advancement and capabilities by Airbus and the popularity of the latest, even more efficient NEO version of the aircraft. The airline’s A321neo is powered by Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower PW1100G-JM geared turbofan engines and is configured in a comfortable two-class layout with 28 seats in Business and 132 seats in Economy Class. Honeywell, TAT Piedmont Aviation sign deal: MRO provider TAT Piedmont Aviation and Honeywell International announced they have entered into a 10-year agreement to support the global MRO activities for the GTCP331-200/250 auxiliary power unit. Piedmont has been a Honeywell authorised MRO partner for over 20 years. In addition to its existing business, the new agreement transitions Honeywell’s 331 APU MRO activities to Piedmont, which will provide seamless enhanced support to Honeywell customers, as well as other operators who are using the relevant fleets around the globe. Igal Zamir, CEO of Piedmont parent company TAT Technologies LTD, commented: “We are proud to be selected by Honeywell as the preferred long-term partner to provide global MRO services to Honeywell’s 331 APU. TAT Piedmont is already a leading player in 331 APU MRO, providing services to some of the world’s largest fleets with a proven track record of quality and turn-around time. This agreement positions Piedmont as the premier MRO services provider to the relevant fleets globally. We look forward to expanding and strengthening the commercial cooperation with Honeywell in the future.” Dragon Aviation Capital enters training partnership: Dragon Aviation Capital of Singapore (DAC) has entered into an agreement with SOFEMA Aviation Services of Bulgaria (SAS) to support SAS to expand their footprint into the ASEAN market. DAC is one of SE Asia’s leading technical consultants with head office in Singapore and satellite offices in Seoul and Hong Kong. DAC aims to offer SOFEMA’s extensive package of online and in-house training courses to customers in emerging markets such as Vietnam, Indonesia, China, Cambodia, South Korea and Singapore. DAC will further provide facilities in Singapore for in-house training and other regions as we continue to expand our own offices in these countries. Sofema Aviation Services has for the last 12 years been providing regulatory support services to major aviation companies throughout the world. With more than 550 regulatory and vocational training courses on offer SAS is a leading provider of EASA/FAA/OTAR and DGCAA complaint regulatory training across a range of subjects specializing in SMS, 145 & Continuous Airworthiness Subjects including Maintenance Planning, and Reliability. MEA opts for Recaro Aircraft Seating: Recaro Aircraft Seating has been selected by Middle East Airlines (MEA) to equip its fleet of 11 Airbus aircraft with CL3710 and CL5710 seats. Delivery started in July and MEA most recently received the A321 MSN 10.000 aircraft. Equipped with a unique lumbar support system and power controls, the CL5710 business class seat aims to offer passengers a smooth and comfortable flight. The modern design offers more storage space, a leg rest with an integrated foot bar, and an extendable cocktail tray table. With a seat pitch of 50 inches passengers will experience enhanced comfort during their short or medium-haul flight. The CL3710 sets the standard for a long-haul economy class seat, due to its six-way adjustable headrest, its connectivity feature, and being the lightest seat in its class. The award-winning modular design combines a variety of customisation possibilities with premium comfort. ACH130 Aston Martin Edition helicopter wins orders across the world: Customers on three continents have signed firm contracts for the ACH130 Aston Martin Edition helicopter since its launch earlier this year. The helicopter, one of the most distinctive sights in the skies, will enter service in Latin America, North America and Asia Pacific over the coming months. Launched in January, the ACH130 Aston Martin Edition is a stylish special version of the ACH130 featuring a range of interior and exterior designs created by Aston Martin to delight helicopter owners who appreciate the thrill of piloting and the pleasure of driving luxury sports cars. The first example of this exceptional model in Asia-Pacific has been ordered by an existing Airbus customer in New Zealand. It will be used privately as well as on VIP charter operations. In Latin America the ACH130 Aston Martin Edition has just entered service with an undisclosed VIP customer in Guatemala. Most recently another undisclosed private customer in Canada has ordered the third example which will be completed by skilled craftsmen and women in the UK, where Airbus manages and engineers this Edition, and finally delivered from the Airbus Customer Centre in Fort Erie, Canada. Routes and Wizz Air Abu Dhabi announce strategic partnership: Wizz Air Abu Dhabi and Routes announced an exclusive strategic partnership to help identify new destinations to add to Wizz Air Abu Dhabi’s network. Routes’ digital platform, Route Exchange, is continuing to play an important role in the recovery of the aviation industry, as airlines and airports around the world look to rebuild their networks and stimulate economic growth. Wizz Air Abu Dhabi has launched its first Request for Proposals (RFP) via the Route Exchange platform to identify new routes to add to its initial network. Wizz Air is the fastest growing European low-cost airline. With a current fleet of 132 aircraft, the carrier currently operates over 900 routes to 164 airports in 46 countries. In December 2019, it was announced that the carrier would be setting up a new subsidiary, based at Abu Dhabi International Airport. Wizz Air Abu Dhabi was jointly established by Wizz Air and ADQ, one of the region’s largest holding companies with a broad portfolio of major enterprises spanning key sectors of Abu Dhabi’s diversified economy. GKN Aerospace starts smart manufacturing project to increase productivity: GKN Aerospace is leading the Smart Connected Shop Floor project as part of the UK’s Manufacturing Made Smarter Challenge. UK government and industry are jointly investing to support businesses to implement new technology to boost their manufacturing productivity. GKN Aerospace is leading a cross-sectoral team of experts trialling advanced digital technologies in the manufacturing environment. The project will focus on technology exploitation of artificial intelligence, machine learning, intelligent robotics, augmented reality, smart devices and data analytics. This will aim to exploit the productivity opportunities of the digital space, empowering end users, creating an eco-system of digital technologies and aiding real-time cost effective manufacturing decisions across the various supply chains. The project will also have a strong focus on developing new skills and capability in this important field and will enable improvements in environmental sustainability, which can be scaled globally. GKN Aerospace, Nissan, Rolls-Royce, GlaxoSmithKline, Meggitt, BAE Systems, Airbus and AT Engines Controls Ltd. will bring together their expertise across sectors. Twenty Five highly specialised engineers and operators will work together on the programme, of which a number will be based out of GKN Aerospace’s Global Technology Centre in Bristol. Rolls-Royce introduces new SelectCare option for Trent 700: Rolls-Royce is introducing a new SelectCare option, SelectCare Repair, to complement its existing range of Care services for airlines that operate Trent 700 powered Airbus A330 aircraft. This expansion means that there are now two distinct SelectCare service options available: SelectCare Repair – This option covers these “check and repair” shop visits for a dollar-per-engine-flying-hour fee. There’s no cap on the number of qualifying shop visits or the cost of any individual shop visit so customers enjoy a high degree of cost certainty. The other service is SelectCare Refurb, which provides customers with cost predictability for the major scheduled engine shop visit events that typically occur every four to five years. SelectCare Repair and SelectCare Refurb are complementary services. Customers may choose to take both service options together or choose one service option only and manage their remaining engine shop visits on a traditional time and material basis. ExecuJet Haite completes major inspection in China: ExecuJet Haite Aviation Services China announced the completion of China’s largest business jet inspection and first 96-month check on an Embraer Lineage 1000. The aircraft was delivered in eight weeks to meet a demanding delivery schedule which included all defect rectification work and service bulletins. Asian Sky Group (ASG), a business aviation consulting firm, acting as the owner’s representative overseeing and managing the delivery process, said, “we were very impressed by ExecuJet Haite’s agility, efficiency and ability to adjust to a very demanding timeline under the complicated restrictions of the current times.  The project was completed ahead of the estimated time which enabled the client to conduct additional value-added activities before taking delivery, all supported and conducted by ExecuJet Haite’s professional and dedicated team.  The standard of work, level of commitment, timely reports and responsiveness of Paul and his team made a tremendous difference and gave the client the confidence they needed throughout the process.  We commend and thank them for their execution of this significant project and congratulate them for the achievement.” The M8 inspection—conducted at 96 months, 4,800 hours, or 2,400 cycles—is the largest for the Lineage, encompassing more than 4,600 total man-hours of maintenance and requires specialised tooling, equipment and specific knowledge of the airframe and interior. Key elements include the removal and inspection of thirteen auxiliary fuel tanks, a full cabin interior removal and reinstallation, rudder and elevators are removed, as well as the pulling of hundreds of panels for various structural inspections Airbus September 2020 commercial aircraft orders & deliveries: Airbus delivered 57 commercial aircraft in September 2020 (14 in April, 24 in May, 36 in June, 49 in July and 39 in August) versus 71 aircraft over the same period in 2019. Year to date, Airbus has delivered a total of 341 aircraft (18 A220s, 282 A320 Family, 9 A330s and 32 A350s), which is a reduction of around 40 percent compared to the same period in 2019 (571 aircraft deliveries). In the first three quarters of 2020, Airbus booked a total of 300 net commercial aircraft orders compared with 127 net orders in the equivalent 2019 period. The Airbus backlog stands at 7,441 aircraft compared to 7,133 at the same point in time last year. 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