Aviation News in Brief 25 January 2021

THC Purchases 10 Airbus H125 Helicopters — (PHOTO: Airbus Helicopters)

SIA wins well being award, pilots COVID-19 testing programme: Singapore Airways (SIA) has been awarded the Diamond score – the best stage attainable – within the APEX Well being Security powered by SimpliFlying audit of worldwide airways. The audit, which was collectively carried out by trade physique Airline Passenger Expertise Affiliation (APEX) and aviation technique agency SimpliFlying, concerned a quantitative 58-point guidelines masking 10 classes. These included testing, tracing, on-the-ground procedures, in-flight measures and partnerships to additional improve security integrity. The airline additionally introduced that passengers will now be capable to e-book their pre-departure COVID-19 polymerase chain response (PCR) and serology exams, and obtain their outcomes on a one-stop on-line portal, as a part of a brand new pilot service. The pre-departure check service is presently obtainable to Singapore Airways and SilkAir passengers departing from Singapore, Jakarta and Medan, as a part of its pilot check section. There are plans to broaden this service to extra cities within the SIA and SilkAir community over the following few months if the pilot is profitable.

Etihad Airways launches IATA Journey Cross: The Worldwide Air Transport Affiliation (IATA) and Etihad Airways introduced a partnership to launch the IATA Journey Cross for Etihad Airways passengers. The IATA Journey Cross is a cell app to assist passengers simply and securely handle their journey consistent with authorities necessities for COVID-19 exams or vaccines. The IATA Journey Cross will initially be provided to Etihad’s visitors on chosen flights from Abu Dhabi within the first quarter of 2021. If profitable, the move shall be prolonged to different locations on the Etihad community. The IATA Journey Cross will allow Etihad’s visitors to create a ‘digital passport’ to obtain COVID check outcomes and confirm they’re eligible to undertake their journey.

Pelican BioThermal companions with Asiana Airways: Pelican BioThermal introduced a partnership with Asiana Airways, which can see an in depth growth of the corporate’s rising international community. The brand new partnership gives Asiana Airways entry to Pelican BioThermal’s Crēdo on Demand rental programme when delivery temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical and pandemic payloads worldwide. The collaboration permits Pelican BioThermal to proceed to develop its international community of key areas and important sector alliances to additional meet the wants of its prospects. It gives Asiana Airways prospects with Pelican BioThermal’s high-performing shipper options, together with the corporate’s lately expanded vary of temperature managed packaging to cowl each deep frozen and frozen purposes, which embrace dry ice and PCM coolants, masking parcel and bulk sizes for single or multi use / reusable together with rental via the Crēdo on Demand programme.

AVIATAR optimises MRO with United Airways: Lufthansa Technik introduced that United Airways is the newest airline to hitch its AVIATAR platform. The airline signed a contract in late 2020 for digital assist via AVIATAR for its Boeing 777 and Airbus A320 fleet, with plans to work with Lufthansa Technik to develop new predictive upkeep options for its Boeing 737 fleet. United has already begun integrating AVIATAR into its present processes and coaching procedures. “By leveraging AVIATAR’s digital platform, our tech-ops professionals can entry information, insights and proposals that assist us optimise our operations and cut back flight delays or cancellations attributable to upkeep points,” mentioned Kurt Carpenter, United’s vice chairman of Technical Operations Planning and Technique.

Eve-led aviation consortium creating UK eVTOL plans: A consortium of city air mobility and aviation firms has commenced work on an idea of operations for integrating air taxis and electrical vertical take-off and touchdown automobiles (eVTOLs) into the UK’s airspace. The consortium, which is led by Eve, the primary firm to graduate from EmbraerX, shall be working with the UK Civil Aviation Authority as a part of its Future Air Mobility Regulatory Sandbox. The undertaking will study how eVTOLs could function in transporting passengers and cargo over city and regional areas. Along with Eve, the consortium consists of worldwide firms that span the aviation trade, together with Heathrow Airport, London Metropolis Airport, NATS, Skyports, Atech, Volocopter, and Vertical Aerospace. Initially working alongside native authorities, the consortium will discover how eVTOLs can transport passengers from London Metropolis Airport (LCY) to Heathrow Airport (LHR), with stops in between. Knowledge from simulations will assist policymakers develop community-friendly guidelines, mitigate group noise impacts, and draft airspace procedures for future flight exams.

Aergo Capital acquires B737-800 plane on lease to Okay Airways: Aergo Capital has accomplished the acquisition of 1 2013 Boeing B737-800 plane bearing producers serial quantity 41789 from AerCap. The plane was offered with an present working lease to Chinese language airline, Okay Airways. Fred Browne, CEO of Aergo, commented: “This acquisition was made attainable by the continual and cooperative efforts of the groups at Aergo Capital and AerCap. With this transaction, Aergo has added another lessee to its portfolio and we stay up for creating our partnership with Okay Airways.” Smith, Gambrell & Russell acted as acquisition lead counsel to Aergo. KPMG suggested Aergo on tax issues.

Airbus updates manufacturing charges: Airbus is updating its manufacturing charge planning for its A320 Household plane in response to the market atmosphere. The brand new common manufacturing charges for the A320 Household will now result in a gradual improve in manufacturing from the present charge of 40 per 30 days to 43 in Q3 and 45 in This autumn 2021. This newest manufacturing plan represents a slower ramp up than the beforehand anticipated 47 plane per 30 days from July. The A220 month-to-month manufacturing charge will improve from 4 to 5 plane per 30 days from the tip of Q1 2021 as beforehand foreseen. Widebody manufacturing is anticipated to stay secure at present ranges, with month-to-month manufacturing charges of round 5 and two for the A350 and A330, respectively. This resolution postpones a possible charge improve for the A350 to a later stage.

WheelTug joins IATA as strategic companion: WheelTug has joined IATA’s Floor Operations Automation & Digitalisation Group as a strategic companion. The purpose is to assist IATA and all the aviation trade additional enhance the effectivity of airside operations. WheelTug plc is within the ultimate certification phases of its WheelTug system, a totally detachable retrofit electrical drive system put in into the nostril wheels of an plane. This electrical taxi (e-taxi) system allows pilot-controlled taxiing and manoeuvres in gate and terminal areas with out the usage of tugs or jet engines. The principle profit is a discount of the time plane spend on the bottom and this leads to elevated plane utilisation, gasoline financial savings, and lowered engine and brake put on, in addition to the elimination of pushback dangers and prices.

Airbus Helicopters unveils its helicopter Flightlab: Airbus Helicopters has began in-flight exams on board its Flightlab, a platform-agnostic flying laboratory completely devoted to maturing new applied sciences. Airbus Helicopters’ Flightlab gives an agile and environment friendly check mattress to rapidly check applied sciences that might later equip Airbus’ present helicopter vary, and much more disruptive ones for future fixed-wing plane or (e)VTOL platforms. Airbus Helicopters intends to pursue the testing of hybrid and electrical propulsion applied sciences with its Flightlab demonstrator, in addition to exploring autonomy, and different applied sciences aimed toward decreasing helicopter sound ranges or enhancing upkeep and flight security. Flight exams began final April when the demonstrator was used to measure helicopter sound ranges in city areas and to significantly examine how buildings could have an effect on individuals’s notion. First outcomes present that buildings play an vital position in masking or amplifying sound ranges and these research shall be instrumental when the time comes for sound modelling and regulation setting, particularly for City Air Mobility (UAM) initiatives.

Vietjet named “Low-Value Service of the Yr” for cargo transportation: Payload Asia, a global journal for air freight trade, named Vietjet because the “Low-Value Service of the Yr” and the “Stomach Service of the Yr” for cargo transportation in 2020. The seventh Payload Asia Awards acknowledge the perfect firms within the air cargo market, together with international carriers, airports, logistic suppliers of the yr, placing the highlight on companies that profit the rising e-commerce market. Vietjet final yr configured a few of its passenger plane for freight transportation function whereas making use of new operational strategies to strengthen its cargo service capability. The airline has since delivered greater than 60,000 tonnes of cargo transnationally, seeing its freight income leaping by 75 p.c over the earlier yr’s.

Airbus welcomes Turkmenistan Airways as new buyer: Turkmenistan Airways has positioned an order for 2 A330-200 Passenger-to-Freighter (P2F) transformed plane, turning into a brand new Airbus buyer. The order marks the primary time an Airbus plane is offered in Turkmenistan. The A330-200P2F will allow the airline to additional develop and increase its worldwide cargo route community. The deliveries of the plane are deliberate in 2022, making Turkmenistan Airways the primary operator of this kind in Central Asia. The A330 passenger to freighter conversion programme was launched in 2012 ensuing within the in time re-delivery of the A330P2F prototype finish of 2017. The A330P2F programme is a collaboration between ST Engineering Aerospace, Airbus and their three way partnership Elbe Flugzeugwerke GmbH (EFW).

Rex refreshes crew uniforms: Australian airline Rex unveiled its refreshed cabin crew uniforms. The brand new uniform retains the essence of Rex’s signature nation hospitality however is introduced in a traditional but elegant type. Rex’s Nationwide Flight Attendant Supervisor, Donna Griffith, mentioned, “this recent new look is meant to contemporise Rex’s signature nation hospitality. Now we have chosen a clear, fuss-free look that’s easy but elegant. Supplies and lower have been fastidiously chosen to offer consolation and practicality for my cabin crew. We’re very proud that our uniforms are usually not designed by any well-known designer. As with all the things else we do in Rex, we now have carried out all the things in-house, from the design to the choice of materials. That is who we’re. That is what we do. For this reason we’re one of the profitable airways on the planet.” Rex companies between Sydney and Melbourne begin on 1 March 2021.