Flight deck video of Arik air flight

https://youtu.be/tGOFGd7I1eI

Emirates hopes for all A380s to be flying by early 2022

If Emirates President Sir Tim Clark has his way, 2022 will see a superjumbo surge.

Emiratesis expecting to have its Airbus A380 superjumbos soaring again by April 2022 as it rides and in some ways fuels the post-pandemic travel wave.

While that could be seen as somewhat optimistic, given that the International Air Transport Association reported last week that it predicts global demand for air travel may not return to 2019 levels until 2023, it also represents Emirates President Sir Tim Clark’s confidence in the shape of the recovery curve.

“The A380 has defined us,” Clark tells The Times. “As demand returns, and given the slot availability at prime hubs, there will be a place for it. I’m hoping by April 2022, all our A380s will be flying again.”

Emirates hopes to see the superjumbo back in strength by early 2022.

All 115 of the Gulf carrier’s flagship A380 fleet are currently grounded, but Clark believes that the airline’s Dubai hub will regain its crown as the crossroads of the world – and for that, it will need the 500-seat superjumbo.

And while the first class showers and the business class bar are currently roped off, Clark maintains those signature touches of the Emirates’ premium travel experience would also return, promising “we’ll restore the full product.”

The inflight bar, sans social distancing.

At the same time, Clark sees the lower-cost ‘basic business class’ package – which provides the personal space of a business class seat without inclusions such as a chauffeur drive, lounge access or advance seat selection as becoming increasingly popular “because people will be prepared to pay more for greater distancing” on board.

Emirates' lower-cost 'business class unbundled' fare could have increased appeal to the post-pandemic traveller.

Similar changes in thinking could also prove an added kickstart to Emirates’ all-new premium economy cabin, which the airline expected to launch this year but is now likely to be delayed until 2021.

This staggered seat is said to be the design chosen by Emirates for its forthcoming premium economy offering.

The spacious seat – which Clark has described as a railway-style “sleeperette” design that will fully cradle the legs and feet, with a 10-inch recline and around 38 inches of pitch – has already been fitted to some A380s at Airbus' superjumbo facility in Toulouse.

Clark has previously told Executive Traveller that on Airbus A380s fitted with first class, the premium economy cabin will be located at the front of the lower deck with “as many as 56 seats.”

It will also be separate to economy class in order to provide “a degree of exclusivity... and not just a curtain, it'll be a proper cabin. We're aiming to make it a quiet zone, a comfortable zone.”

(Culled from By https://www.executivetraveller.com

 David Flynn, July 6 2020)

The Boeing 737 MAX Completes Flight Tests: So What?

The 737 MAX is finally close to being cleared for a return to commercial service. It's too bad demand has evaporated.

image source: Boeing

Boeing's troubled 737 MAX jet is one step closer to being cleared for commercial flights again. This week, Boeing and FAA staff completed three days of test flights -- a key part of the process to determine whether recent design changes have made the aircraft safe to fly.

Six months ago, reaching this milestone would have been seen as a big turning point for Boeing. While the recertification process isn't complete yet, Boeing is now well positioned to resume 737 MAX deliveries later this year. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has decimated aircraft demand in recent months, making steps toward recertifying the 737 MAX far less meaningful.

Still some recertification steps left

In the weeks ahead, FAA officials will analyze data gathered during the recent series of test flights. This will help them verify the effectiveness of Boeing's design changes. Other upcoming steps in the recertification process include analyzing proposed pilot training procedures and documentation supplied by Boeing. Following a public comment period, the FAA may finally take the long-awaited steps of recertifying the 737 MAX and outlining the procedures that airlines must follow to reactivate their 737 MAX fleets.

Based on the current timeline -- which could still change -- the FAA may recertify the 737 MAX as soon as mid-September, according to Reuters. That would enable a return to service in the U.S. before year end.

Recertification won't mark the end of the 737 MAX grounding saga, though. International regulators -- particularly in Europe -- are poised to demand additional modifications to the 737 MAX's safety systems by the end of next year. These changes (and retrofits for aircraft that have already been produced) will add costs for Boeing, denting future profits. Pilots will also need additional simulator training to fly the 737 MAX going forward, which could trigger payments by Boeing to airline customers to cover the related cost.

A plane without a market

Despite the 737 MAX's initial design flaws and the resulting crashes, the aircraft was in high demand prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Between the strength of global air travel demand and production constraints at Airbus, canceling 737 MAX orders wasn't a realistic option for most of Boeing's customers.

Today, the situation is much different. Air travel remains far below 2019 levels, and industry insiders believe it will take several years for demand to recover fully. As a result, airlines are trying to defer or cancel as many aircraft deliveries as possible. Due to the extensive delivery delays for 737 MAX jets originally scheduled to be handed over in 2019 and 2020, customers in many cases have the right to cancel some of their orders.

In the first five months of 2020, more than 600 737 MAX orders evaporated from Boeing's backlog. Meanwhile, the company secured just a handful of net orders for its wide-body models.

The flood of order cancellations isn't over yet, either. Last week, leasing company BOC Aviation announced that it had canceled 30 737 MAX orders. More significantly, Norwegian Air canceled 92 737 MAX orders and five 787 Dreamliner orders. Adding insult to injury, the floundering European budget carrier filed a lawsuit demanding compensation for losses due to the 737 MAX grounding and engine problems for its existing 787 fleet. It also wants Boeing to return its pre-delivery deposits. Considering that Norwegian was a major customer and Boeing holds more than $50 billion of customer advances and progress billings, these deposits likely total hundreds of millions of dollars.

There are still a handful of airlines eager for new aircraft. As air travel demand recovers, other airlines will also need to buy new planes to replace older jets and enable growth. Nevertheless, demand could remain well below previous levels for the foreseeable future, assuming global air travel grows at a slower rate during the next decade than it did over the past five years.

Grim times ahead

In the first 12 months after the 737 MAX grounding last March, Boeing was able to partially offset cash burn from that part of its business with profits from its wide-body jet programs and its services business. But in the current environment, those sources of cash are drying up, too. Airlines are retiring older jets rather than spending money on Boeing services offerings that could extend those planes' useful lives. Simultaneously, wide-body demand has plummeted, as international travel is likely to be one of the slowest parts of the aviation market to recover.

For example, Boeing is in the midst of slashing 787 production by half (from 14 per month to seven per month). Yet even that production rate may be too ambitious. Whereas Boeing delivered 29 787 Dreamliners in the first quarter, it appears to have delivered just seven in the second quarter. Furthermore, key customers like Qatar Airways -- which accounts for 9% of Boeing's wide-body backlog -- are demanding multiyear order deferrals.

Aircraft demand will recover eventually. That said, "eventually" could be many years away. In the meantime, Boeing has taken on tens of billions of dollars of debt and is burning through cash at a frightening pace. Investors would be wise to avoid the stock.

(culled from https://www.fool.com/)

People in Aviation: October 2018

copyright from eurocontrol.int

West Star Aviation announced Marty Rhine as vice president of sales and Steve Bates as manager of technical sales. Rhine joined the company in 2005 and has more than 10 years of technical avionics experience. Bates joined the company in 2015 as Challenger and Global technical sales manager.

SyberJet has announced Brett Francis as vice president of quality assurance and Doug Gore as vice president of production. Francis previously worked for Epic Aircraft while Gore previously was the production director at SyberJet.

Bombardier has announced Daniel Desjardins will retire as senior vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary of the company, effective December 31, and will be succeeded by Alain Rondeau. Post-retirement, Desjardins will serve as a special advisor to Bombardier president and CEO Alain Bellemare and also as chairman of Bombardier transportation’s board of directors. Rondeau has worked as a consultant for Bombardier throughout the past year and has more than 30 years of legal and aerospace experience.

Skytech has named Ann Parks vice president of administration after 27 years as assistant corporate secretary for the company. Parks will be responsible for banking and accounting duties, along with administrative functions, in support of the company’s aircraft sales efforts.

Jean-Paul Ebanga has been appointed by Thales as vice president of flight avionics. Ebanga previously served as senior vice president of corporate strategy for Safran.

Mente promoted Cole White to the role of vice president of strategic consulting. White formerly served as the company’s director of strategic consulting.

AirTech hired Tony Kline as vice president of maintenance operations. After serving in the U.S .Air Force, Kline held maintenance positions with DHL Airways, PSA Airlines, and First Choice Aerospace.

Sir Brian Burridge has been selected as the new CEO of the Royal Aeronautical Society. Burridge worked for Leonardo as senior vice president after serving as a pilot in the Royal Air Force and as commander-in-chief of Strike Command.

Jake Gerstein has been named chief information officer for JSSI. Gerstein has more than 20 years of experience and has worked for Computershare, UBS, and Perot Systems.

Fargo Jet Center has promoted Bob Rasmussen to chief pilot of charter operations. Rasmussen has 13 years of aviation industry experience and has worked with the company for the last seven.

Andy Tretiak has been named chief marketing officer of Executive AirShare. Tretiak was previously chief marketing officer for Sporting Kansas City before serving as managing partner and co-founder of Brand Propulsion.

Cutter Aviation appointed Rachel Varela to client relationship manager in support of HondaJet clients and promoted Shelbey Hooker to director of client support. Varela served as a turbine engine mechanic in the U.S. Navy before working for Boeing and N1. Hooker flew unmanned aircraft for General Atomics before taking the role of client relationship manager for Cutter. The company has also promoted Kyle Turner to client relationship manager. In his new role, he will be responsible for Pilatus clients. Turner previously worked as a maintenance coordinator for a Pilatus service center before joining Cutter last year as a technical service representative.

Gene Portela has been promoted to director of sales at Aircraft Specialties. Portela joined the company as regional sales manager for the Northeast and will now be responsible for all sales-related functions worldwide.

MROinsder has named Perri Bischoff an account executive and Maritza Perez customer service manager and marketing director. Bischoff will be based in Napa Valley, California, while Perez will be based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Asian Sky Group has added Ivy Zhou as business development director. Zhou will focus on Greater China and recently served as chief representative for Global Jet Concept.

Tim Goh has been appointed sales director of VSE Aviation Singapore. Goh will be responsible for sales and support activities to airline and business aviation customers throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

Gulfstream appointed John King director of field and airborne support teams operations. King joined the company in 2013 and is a U.S. Army veteran with more than 25 years of aviation industry experience.

Asian Sky Group has added Michael Hui as consulting manager and has brought back co-founder Jay Shaw as head of advisory. Hui previously worked for Flight Ascend Consultancy, while Shaw returned to ASG after recently founding Sea to Sky.

Carl Janssens has joined AircraftPost as asset manager and ASA appraiser. Janssens was previously editor and chief appraiser of Aircraft Bluebook.

Terry Cooper is the new general manager of Dallas Aeronautical Services. Cooper has more than 30 years of corporate and commercial industry experience.

StandardAero has announced several new regional sales managers, including Jon BonDurant, Andrew Camp, Lee Holloway, Scott White, and Doug Shinke. BonDurant will cover the Midwest and Southern regions, while Camp’s territory will include the upper Midwest. Holloway will be based in Bahrain. White will be based in North Carolina and Shinke will represent southern Texas and New Mexico.

Duncan has announced Anthony Loniero as manager of the company’s satellite avionics shop in Van Nuys. Loniero has worked for the company since 2004 and has more than 30 years of industry experience. 

Baron has hired Daniel Gallagher as an enterprise product manager. Gallagher has more than 18 years of meteorological research and software development experience and will be responsible for developing the company’s enterprise solutions products.

Scott Setzer is now executive underwriter for aviation at Allianz Global Corporate and Specialty, while Adam Johnson has been hired as an aviation underwriter. Setzer has more than 30 years or aerospace experience and Johnson previously worked in insurance and risk management for Unmanned Aerial Systems.

Olivia Stone has been elected new council chair of the Joint Inspection Group, where she will help to ensure the safety and quality of global refueling at airports. Stone is Air BP’s global operations standards manager.

AWARDS & HONORS
NBAA announced the 2018 flying safety award recipients for decades of safe flying. Growmark, Honeywell International Flight Operations, Meredith, the State of Nebraska Department of Aeronautics, UNC air operations, and the Williams Companies were recognized for 50 accident-free years, while Federal-Mogul was honored for 60 years.

Flightdocs CEO, Greg Heine has been selected for Aircraft Maintenance Technology magazine's 40 under 40 next-generation maintenance professionals award. Heine has been with the company since 2009 and has contributed significantly to the development of Flightdocs Enterprise.

FINAL FLIGHT

After devoting almost 50 years of his career to aviation, Max Bleck died on September 6 at the age of 91. Bleck served in various executive roles for companies including Beech Aircraft, Gates Learjet, Cessna, and Raytheon. Additionally, Bleck was once chairman of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.

Bleck began his industry career at Cessna, where he worked initially as a chief engineer before eventually becoming group vice president of aircraft operations. After leaving Cessna, Bleck became president of Piper Aircraft, and then executive vice president and CEO of Gates Learjet.

After Gates Learjet, Bleck joined Beech as vice president and assistant to the president and manager of engineering and then left to go back to Cessna as president and CEO. After one year in that role at Cessna, he returned to Beech as the company’s president and CEO. Bleck then left Beech to begin a role as president of Raytheon for four years before he retired from the company in 1995.

“I worked with Max early in my career at Cessna and enjoyed crossing paths with him often at GAMA meetings and NBAA Conventions for more than two decades,” said David Franson. “He was a consummate executive who deservedly earned the distinction of being a Wichita legend.”

(culled from www.ainonline.com)

European Low-Cost Carrier Primera Air Collapses

Efforts by Airbus and Boeing to promote their newest generation narrowbodies as the ideal aircraft for thin low-cost long-haul routes suffered a major dent with the collapse of Primera Air, whose abrupt closure stranded crew and passengers around Europe and North America. “Airline Primera Air and IATA codes PF (Primera Air Denmark) and 6F (Primera Air Nordic in Latvia) have been suspended as of today, October 2, 2018,” it stated on its website and social media accounts, as it partially blamed “severe delays” of aircraft deliveries for its financial difficulties.

It also said that “potential losses due to future delivery delays, and the exposure to...partners and lessors,” combined with the current low-price, high-fuel-costs environment had prompted it to cease operations now. The company nevertheless admitted that a lack of operating capital contributed to its decision. “Without additional financing, we do not see any possibility to continue our operations,” it acknowledged.

As recently as last month, the Nordic carrier announced plans for services from Brussels, Berlin Tegel, Frankfurt, and Madrid Barajas to a handful of destinations in North America such as Newark International, New York JFK, Washington Dulles, Boston Logan and Toronto Pearson using new Boeing 737 Max 9s. Plans called for deliveries of its Max 9s to start next year. Primera Air and Boeing announced a commitment for 20 of the narrowbodies in May 2017, encompassing an order for eight units, purchase rights for four additional examples, and a lease agreement for eight more airplanes from Air Lease. 

Primera Air had committed to serving as the launch carrier for the Airbus A321LR, which just received joint European Aviation Safety Agency and U.S. Federal Aviation Administration certification to fly up to 4,000 nautical miles with 206 passengers with extra fuel stored in up to three additional center fuel tanks. The airline placed an order for eight A320neos, including two long-range A321LR variants leased from AerCap, for its planned transatlantic network at the Paris Air Show in June 2017.

Plans called to initially link London Stansted, Birmingham, and Paris Charles de Gaulle airports to Newark, Boston, and Toronto from April 2018. Its foray into the low-fare transatlantic market, however, did not happen without hiccups, partly owing to the later-than-scheduled arrival of its CFM International Leap-1A-powered Neos.

“2018 began with a fantastic start of our low-cost, long-haul project with a brand-new Airbus 321neo fleet; however, due to severe delays of aircraft deliveries this ended up being rocky and incredibly problematic: operational issues, cancellations of a number of flights, and loss of revenues are just a few to mention,” Primera Air stated. In addition, it said, it suffered €20 million in costs to lease replacement capacity aircraft and fulfill passenger obligations.

Primera Air’s struggle “points to certain limitations of the low-cost approach to long-haul connections, a strategy that Norwegian Air Shuttle has started to expand massively in 2018 with initial failures on certain routes,” European credit rating agency Scope Ratings noted. “However, Norwegian has the size and capacity to balance those failures with the short-haul business of the group.” The Norwegian LCC in recent months pulled several transatlantic services between secondary airports, including services from Belfast and Edinburgh to Providence, Rhode Island, and Newburgh, New York, with Boeing 737-8s.

Based in Denmark and Latvia with two separate AOCs, Primera Air operated as part of the Primera Travel Group, which runs travel agencies and tour operating companies in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland, and Estonia. The airline carried just over 1 million passengers last year.

(culled from www.ainonline.com)

Qatar Airways hastens India push, plans 100 new jets amid Modi’s aviation drive

Qatar Airways Ltd may order 100 new jetliners before the end of this year to power its push into India and also plans to announce two new routes to the UK even as the country prepares to exit the European Union, chief executive officer Akbar Al Baker said.

Ghana to become the hub of air transport in West Africa

Mrs Cecilia Abena Dapaah, the Minister of Aviation, on Monday reiterated government’s commitment to partner the private sector to establish a national carrier that would restore the national pride.

NCAA Fines South African Carrier Lyxor N9.5m For Operating Illegally In Nigeria

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has sanctioned a non-scheduled South African air carrier, Lyxor International, for operating illegally in Nigeria for over two months.

Outrage as US Airlines bars girls in leggings

United Airlines has incurred social media outrage after barring two  teenage girls wearing leggings from boarding  its flight from Denver in Colorado to Minneapolis  on Sunday.

Close call: Boeing 737 almost crashes into the water while landing into St. Maarten

Every aviation enthusiast knows about the approach to St. Maarten’s famous Princess Juliana Airport and the remarkable views of aircraft landing there from Maho Beach directly in front of the runway threshold.

Emirates boss denies reports of Etihad merger

Emirates (EK, Dubai Int'l) President Tim Clarke has rejected reports in the international press alluding to possible merger talks between Dubai-based Emirates and its Abu Dhabi-based rival Etihad Airways (EY, Abu Dhabi Int'l).

Singapore Airlines in $13.8 bn Boeing deal

Singapore Airlines said Thursday it had ordered 39 Boeing passenger planes worth $13.8 billion as it seeks to expand its capacity in the face of growing competition.

Air India operations head taken off flying duty for evading pre-flight medical test

Air India announced it would no longer assign any flying duties to its operations department head for skipping the mandatory pre-flight medical test, reported news agency PTI.

Ghana to get airline soon – Aviation Minister-designate assures

Aviation Minister-designate, Cecelia Abena Dapaah has assured Ghana will get a national airline within two years.

Arik Air vows to challenge Nigerian govt. takeover

The management of Arik Air on Thursday said it would challenge the taking over of the airline by the Assets Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) in court.