Singapore Airshow official opens with high hopes: Singapore Airshow 2022 was officially opened on 15 February by Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen and Minister for Transport and Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations, S Iswaran, at the Changi Exhibition Centre, Singapore. The biennial event is taking place from 15 – 18 February 2022 at the Changi Exhibition Centre, with more than 13,000 trade attendees and 589 participating companies from more than 39 countries/regions, representing more than 70 percent of the top 20 global aerospace companies. “We are heartened by the support and participation of the most influential aerospace and defence companies worldwide. Their presence displays the industry’s resilience and confidence for blue skies ahead,” said Leck Chet Lam, managing director, Experia, organiser of Singapore Airshow 2022. “The stage is set for strategic conversations, exchange of ideas and significant partnerships that will catalyse the recovery of the industry in Asia.”
Topcast Group signs deal with Cathay Pacific and HAECO ITM: Topcast Group, a global supplier of parts, services, and solutions for the aviation industry, signed a new long-term agreement signed with Cathay Pacific and HAECO ITM at the Singapore Airshow 2022. Topcast Group took a big step in growth of earning two major multi-year agreements for providing aircraft jack repairing services with the new partner, Cathay Pacific, and ACME batteries repair services for HAECO ITM. Steven Pearson, CEO of Topcast Group, said, “Under the pandemic, the number of sectors and service centres still increasing in different regions shows our substantial growth during the hardship. We have a role as a global player in this area. The industry recognises us, and I look forward to seeing our group move to more regions beyond Hong Kong to Greater Bay Area and other Asia markets. We have the ambition to open up a larger market worldwide with world-class services and yield greater benefits.”
Thales upping digital game in Singapore: With support from the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), Thales announced it will drive local development of digital technologies for the inflight entertainment, 5G, biometrics and fintech sectors. The group will situate its Cloud Centre of Excellence (CCoE) for InFlyt Experience in Singapore, co-located at the Thales Digital Factory, creating over 30 highly-skilled roles in Cloud computing, design and engineering. Close to 200 Digital Identity & Security engineers will also work on software engineering and development of critical technologies, with local expertise and solutions built from Singapore. From airspace mobility to drones management, to digital identity & biometrics, the EDB has been a strong partner with Thales in Singapore over the years, supporting the group’s investments and testbeds across multiple sectors. The latest expansion of Thales’s R&D capabilities in Singapore takes on two forms and supports multiple growing sectors. Establishing the Group’s InFlyt Experience Cloud Centre of Excellence (CCoE) in Singapore is the first. The Thales Group will locate its InFlyt Experience Cloud Centre of Excellence at the Thales Digital Factory in Singapore, working on a broad spectrum of IFE digital services and technologies linked to the cloud. With projects executed from Singapore, it will cover site reliability expertise, security analysis and other ‘push-to-cloud’ projects, working in the Agile and Lean methodology of the Digital Factory. From proactive maintenance of aircraft systems to integrating onboard payment options or third-party solutions like gaming, the Cloud-certified engineers and DevOps engineers will drive digital projects locally that will advance the progress of inflight entertainment technology, with solutions that address actual customer pain points and challenges. Leveraging the skilled workforce from Singapore and strategic partners throughout the Asia region, this worldwide centre for IFE Digital Engineering will contribute to the homegrown solutions developed by Thales to deliver innovative digital services serving the needs of global airlines. Deepening expertise and research on 5G, Biometrics and FinTech is another sector. Thales also has an established Digital Identity & Security Engineering Competence Centre (ECC) in Singapore with a team of 350 engineers working actively on advanced research, product development, and project delivery for customers worldwide. As part of its collaboration with EDB, close to 200 of these engineers will work on new digital innovation in the areas of 5G, FinTech and Biometrics.
Alliance Air signs deal for new ATR 42-600s: ATR and India’s Alliance Air have signed a deal for the airline to acquire two ATR 42-600 via lessor TrueNoord. These new aircraft will support Alliance Air’s mission of serving challenging airfields in the Himalayas. The first deliveries to Alliance Air will start mid 2022. The former regional subsidiary of Air India, which already operates 18 ATR 72-600, has chosen to complement its fleet with new ATR 42s as their unique credentials, both in terms of versatility and economics, make it the perfect aircraft to serve even the least accessible regions of India. The aircraft will be able to operate on the short runways of the Shimla and Kullu airports, both located at high altitudes, and exposed to high temperatures. Vineet Sood, CEO of Alliance Air, said: “Our relationship with ATR started 20 years ago, and ever since we have been building a network that truly serves Indian communities, delivering comfortable, reliable and affordable air services. Thanks to the unique features of the ATR 42-600, Alliance Air will proudly fulfil the mission assigned by the Indian government to make the most inaccessible regions accessible.” Carst Lindeboom, sales director Asia-Pacific at TrueNoord, added: “We are proud to be a strategic partner in enabling vital and essential connections to be made throughout India. With this new acquisition, we are firmly establishing the whole ATR family as a cornerstone of our portfolio of modern regional aircraft and demonstrating our confidence in their long-term value.”
Safran opens nacelle MRO station in Asia: Safran Nacelles announced the opening of a new site in Suzhou, China, dedicated to the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of nacelles. It is currently being set up and will be operational in the second quarter of 2022. Safran Nacelles-owned 5,200m2 (56,000ft2) repair station is located on a Safran complex, which enables the company to benefit from shared corporate services. It is located in the heart of the Suzhou Free Zone, one hour west from Shanghai. This strategic location simplifies the material import and export processes for customers in the Asia region. This new site also complements the company’s MRO network, which already covers Europe, the Middle East, the Indian peninsula and the Americas. It will also be used as a storage base for large nacelle components (air inlets, thrust reversers, exhaust, etc.) for the entire Asia region. Alain Berger, Safran Nacelles’ vice president of Support and Services commented: “I am very pleased to announce the upcoming opening of our repair station in Asia. Our customers operating in the region will be able to benefit from timely, local support and services whilst reducing transport costs. The services offered range from preparation for entry-into-service to withdrawal of their aircraft from operation. Safran Nacelles is able to support them at every stage of their fleet’s life. The new repair station enhances our NacelleLife service offer even further.” The site is equipped with a dedicated MRO workshop and highly qualified personnel to repair nacelles and Line Replaceable Units (LRU). The on-site engineers are particularly expert in the repair of composite and metal aerostructures. They can also work on-wing, on aircraft operators’ sites and offer Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) guaranteed repair solutions. Upon opening, the repair station will be certified by the Chinese (CAAC) and European (EASA) Air Authorities for the repair of nacelles and thrust reversers for the Airbus A330ceo, A320neo aircraft equipped with CFM International* LEAP-1 engines, and soon for the COMAC C919. The site teams are already supporting COMAC’s final assembly line to prepare the entry-into-service of their medium-haul airliner.
Pratt & Whitney touts GTF and sustainability moves: Pratt & Whitney announced that its GTF engines have saved Asia-Pacific operators more than 300 million gallons (more than a billion litres) of fuel and avoided more than three million metric tonnes of carbon emissions since entering service in 2016. With 25 airlines in the region operating GTF engines on more than 500 aircraft across three aircraft families (Airbus A320neo family, A220 and Embraer E-2 jets), the engines have flown more than three million engine flight hours and carried more than 200 million passengers to their destinations. The GTF family of engines deliver between 16-20 percent better fuel efficiency, up to 50 percent reduced regulated emissions and a 75 percent smaller noise footprint. Pratt & Whitney Canada, a business unit of Pratt & Whitney, announced that it is driving forward its environmental commitments by supporting efforts to advance 100 percent Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs) compatibility for its engines, it has expanded its carbon offset service to regional customers and has advanced its hybrid-electric propulsion technology and flight demonstrator program, all while consistently making current products environmentally best-in-class. “Pratt & Whitney Canada is uniquely positioned to bring productive, safe propulsion to the world combining efficient thermal and electrical propulsion systems, while offering the broadest suite of solutions to customers,” said Maria Della Posta, president. “To that end, we’ve made several advancements in our sustainability roadmap that herald the application of proven technology to achieve net zero CO2 emissions by 2050.”
AETOS, Collinson and Crisis24 launch ‘AETOS Assist’: AETOS, Collinson and Crisis24, a GardaWorld company, have signed a strategic partnership agreement to provide ‘AETOS Assist’, an end-to-end integrated security and travel risk management service to businesses. Operating out of a 5G-enabled data-driven Command Centre, AETOS Assist will strengthen Crisis24 and Collinson’s presence in the Asia-Pacific region; enabling organisations to fulfil their duty of care and protect employees in the region and around the world. Under the agreement, all three companies will harness their combined expertise to provide corporate clients with a complete global risk mitigation service and support, enabling them to effectively assess, mitigate and manage risks amidst the continually evolving threat environment. From pre-travel risk assessment, real-time security intelligence and people tracking through to crisis management, emergency evacuations and global medical assistance, AETOS Assist will provide specialised support and 24/7/365 peace of mind for business travellers and expatriates. Their medical solution will also include seamless and secure COVID-related travel tests and assistance, to help organisations manage the current pandemic and safeguard workforce health.
Airbus, Rolls-Royce, Safran, SIA sign global SAF declaration: Airbus, Rolls-Royce, Safran and Singapore Airlines have signed the Global SAF Declaration at the Singapore Airshow, committing to promote the acceleration of the development, production, and consumption of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). The aviation industry plays a part in achieving the Paris Agreement targets, with SAF being one of the key decarbonisation levers in the aviation sector. The Global SAF Declaration calls on industry partners from the aerospace, aviation, and fuel value chains to jointly work towards the uptake of SAF as an important part of decarbonisation with the ambition to ensure a steady ramp up over the next 10 years. The Declaration is open to all airlines, as well as aviation and aerospace organisations, as a complement to their sustainability commitments. Singapore Airlines is the first airline to sign the Declaration.
Liebherr signs agreement with Tigerair Taiwan: Liebherr and Tigerair Taiwan have signed a long term customer service contract. Under this agreement, Liebherr-Aerospace will provide repair support services for a wide range of air conditioning and bleed systems components installed on 15 Airbus A320neo aircraft operated by the airline. Liebherr-Singapore, Liebherr-Aerospace’s dedicated service center for the Asia-Pacific region, will provide all material support and component maintenance services. The agreement between the OEM Liebherr-Aerospace and the airline Tigerair Taiwan was signed during Singapore Airshow 2022. “We are pleased to have signed this new agreement with Liebherr-Aerospace in order to gain their great support as they are one of the professionals in this industry. Leveraging Liebherr’s extensive experience in this field, its repair support service will be Tigerair Taiwan’s a reliable backing.” said Dennis Lai, chief operations officer at Tigerair Taiwan.
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