Aviation News in Brief 29 Jan 2020

Qantas Group pilot academy opens: The next generation of pilots will learn to fly at the Qantas Group’s new Pilot Academy in Toowoomba, which has officially opened. The Pilot Academy will have the capacity to train up to 250 pilots each year to build a long-term talent pipeline for Qantas, Jetstar and QantasLink and help the broader industry meet the increasing need for skilled aviators. Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce, who was in Toowoomba with Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to inspect the new training facilities and student accommodation, said some of the airline’s future 787 Dreamliner and A380 captains would be graduates of the Academy. “Opening our new Pilot Academy is a historic moment for Qantas, for aviation in Australia and for the thousands of future pilots who will learn how to fly here in Toowoomba,” Joyce said. The training facilities comprise a 1,500 square metre hangar, four flight training simulators, classrooms as well as purpose-built pre-flight briefing and flight scheduling areas. The students are learning to fly in single-engine Diamond DA40 and multi-engine DA42 aircraft. Chubu Centrair airport appoints Travelport as digital partner: Travelport announced that it has been appointed as digital media partner by Chubu Centrair International Airport in Japan. As part of the appointment, Travelport will promote the airport and its connected destinations to a global network of travel agents. Chubu Centrair International Airport is the main international gateway for the central region of Japan, serving a key metropolitan area of the country around the city of Nagoya. In November 2019, Chubu Centrair International Airport was certified as 5-Star Regional Airport for the third consecutive year by SKYTRAX. A new terminal dedicated for low-cost carriers was opened in September. dnata and Toll deliver air cargo services to Western Sydney International: Western Sydney Airport has partnered with an additional two freight industry leaders, dnata and Toll Group, to collaborate on the design of its freight precinct, adding to the 10 freight industry partners already signed up. Western Sydney Airport Chief Executive Officer Graham Millett said Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport will open up global markets to Australian exporters, supporting the NSW economy into the future. “This freight precinct has the potential to become Sydney’s most important freight hub, generating thousands of jobs, and we’re thrilled to have two of the industry’s leaders, dnata and Toll Group, on board enabling us to optimise the functionality and design for our freight customers at Sydney’s new Airport,” Millett said. Australian pilots say CASA in breach: The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) of Australia is in breach of its legal and safety responsibilities, according to the Australian and International Pilots Association (AIPA) which represents the vast majority of Qantas pilots. In considering Qantas’s proposed fatigue risk management system, “CASA has refused to consult, as they are obliged to by law, with those who have the most practical experience of aviation fatigue  – our pilots,” the association said. CASA is expected to make a decision soon on permanent changes to Qantas’s fatigue risk management system (FRMS), which includes proposed changes to rosters and maximum planned flying durations allowed for crews. AIPA maintains that CASA has failed to meet the standards imposed on it by its governing Australian legislation and has also failed to meet guidelines set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation. AIPA President Mark Sedgwick said: “It is disappointing that our aviation safety regulator has not adequately consulted with our pilots in regards to the management of pilot and crew fatigue.” AIPA maintains that CASA is obliged under the Civil Aviation Act to properly consult with industrial bodies such as theirs in setting or changing safety guidelines. The Australian government is also a signatory to conventions binding it to the regulations of the International Civil Aviation Organisation. ICAO guidelines are there to ensure that crew member representatives are included in the development of any fatigue risk management system. HAECO ITM signs deal with NokScoot for 777 fleet: HAECO ITM, a member of the HAECO Group, announced it has reached an agreement with NokScoot Airlines to provide inventory technical management support for the company’s six Boeing 777 aircraft. The scope of the agreement includes access to HAECO ITM’s component pool, component exchange, repair management, engineering and AOG support in accordance with its guaranteed delivery time and service level. Vietjet starts Hanoi-Bali flights: Vietjet has officially commenced its newest direct route linking Hanoi and Bali in Indonesia. This is Vietjet’s second service to Bali following the Ho Chi Minh City – Bali route opened in May 2019. It is also the first direct route departing from Vietnam capital city to Bali. The Hanoi – Bali route operates daily return flights. K2 Airways opts for Rusada’s ENVISION: Pakistani start-up, K2 Airways, has signed an agreement for Rusada’s MRO and flight operations software, ENVISION. K2 Airways will begin scheduled passenger flights later this year from its base at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport. It will serve numerous destinations across Pakistan including Islamabad, Skardu and Chitral. The airline also plans to fly to international destinations in the near future. Rusada will begin implementing six of ENVISION’s modules immediately so that the system is fully live in time for the airline’s maiden flight. Modules selected include Fleet Management, Line Maintenance, Flight Operations and Human Resources. FlightSafety expands rotor training programmes: FlightSafety International said it is expanding its helicopter training programmes and services with new Level D qualified simulators for the Airbus Helicopters EC145 and Leonardo AW139. The Airbus Helicopters EC145 simulator is scheduled to enter service in March 2020 at the FlightSafety Learning Centre in Denver, Colorado. While it will be used primarily to support Air Methods, FlightSafety will also offer training using this new advanced technology device to other operators of the aircraft. The simulator that is being built for the Leonardo AW139 is expected to be completed by the end of 2020. It will enter service at FlightSafety’s Learning Centre in Lafayette, Louisiana early in 2021 following Level D qualification. Sirena Travel signs deal with ATPCO: ATPCO and Sirena Travel, a distribution system and technology provider in Russia, announced the GDS has signed a multi-year deal for ATPCO’s retailing content. With this deal, Sirena Travel is now a subscriber to ATPCO’s Routehappy Rich Content. Sirena Travel is integrating all three Routehappy Rich Content types: Amenities, Universal Ticket Attributes (UTAs), and Universal Product Attributes (UPAs). The GDS plans to first integrate Amenities into its e-commerce platform Mixvel to modernise and enhance its flight shopping display. Thereafter, Sirena Travel will implement UTAs and UPAs into the booking platform and will work closely with ATPCO’s Retailing team to evolve the user experience. Sabena Technics opens new hanger: Sabena Technics has opened a new MRO hanger based in Bordeaux, France. The company invested 25 million euros in the new 10,000 square metre facility to increase its civil and military capabilities. The company said to support its planned growth, it also planned to hire 250 new employees each year. Astronautics readies comms system for helicopter platforms: Astronautics Corporation of America is readying its wireless Airborne Communication System (wACS) for entry into service on various Airbus Helicopters’ aircraft platforms, beginning with the H145. This past summer, Astronautics supported test flights to achieve European Aviation Safety Agency type certification on the aircraft. The company has also delivered final wACS software updates for production aircraft. “Astronautics has completed formal test flights, as well as software updates on the wACS for Airbus Helicopters in support of its various platforms,” said the president of Astronautics, Chad Cundiff.  “We look forward to working with Airbus Helicopters as this advanced communications system becomes standard fit for these new production helicopters.”