BOC Aviation releases December and year end operational digits

BOC Aviation has released details of its operational transactions for the fourth quarter and year ended 31 December 2020, which makes interesting reading for those in the aircraft supply and lease industries. 

Robert Martin, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, said, “We are pleased to record a robust operational performance in 2020, executed in a challenging environment. We supported our airline customers and added high quality assets to our portfolio, including taking delivery of our 300th Boeing aircraft. During the year, we took delivery of 54 aircraft, 16 of which were delivered in December, and we sold 12 aircraft. We ended the year as the most valuable listed aircraft operating leasing company with a market capitalisation of US$6.0 billion.”

As at year end, BOC Aviation had available liquidity of over US$5 billion comprising cash and undrawn credit facilities. Steven Townend, Deputy Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer, commented, “We continue to lead the industry with one of the best credit ratings, being A- from both S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings, a young average fleet age of 3.5 years and a long average remaining lease term of 8.6 years.”

Kaman K-1200 K-MAX helicopter gets Brazil type certification

Kaman Air Vehicles, a division of Kaman Corporation announced that the Agencia Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC) in Brazil has issued the Type Certificate for the Kaman K-1200 K-MAX® helicopter. Kaman has been marketing the K-MAX® helicopter to various Brazilian operators, power line, oil and gas firms, and engineering companies over the past two years, and this certification clears the path for K-MAX® operations in Brazil.

“The K-MAX® is ideally suited for operations throughout the country of Brazil,” said Roger Wassmuth, Senior Director of Business Development. “We believe the K-MAX® offers a cost-effective value proposition for infrastructure building of much needed power lines.”

Amazon purchases eleven aircraft from Delta Air Lines and WestJet Airlines to join the Amazon Air cargo network in 2021 and 2022

Online retail giant Amazon confirmed on Tuesday that it has made its first-ever purchase of eleven Boeing 767-300 aircraft to rapidly expand its fleet. 

The purchases include seven aircraft from Delta and four aircraft from WestJet, which will join the network by 2022. Amazon Air’s fleet expansion comes at a time when customers are relying on fast, free shipping more than ever.

“Our goal is to continue delivering for customers across the U.S. in the way that they expect from Amazon, and purchasing our own aircraft is a natural next step toward that goal,” said Sarah Rhoads, Vice President of Amazon Global Air. “Having a mix of both leased and owned aircraft in our growing fleet allows us to better manage our operations, which in turn helps us to keep pace in meeting our customer promises.”

AerSale announces additional Boeing 757 Passenger-To-Freighter conversions at Its Goodyear base

 AerSale’s Recent Acquisition of 24 Boeing 757-200 Passenger Aircraft Stored at AerSale’s Roswell, NM Facility Will Fuel Demand for More Dedicated Freighter Aircraft

AerSale, Inc., a leading global provider of aviation products and services, announced this week that it has inducted the first of its 24-owned Boeing 757-200 aircraft for passenger-to-freighter (“P2F”) conversion at its heavy-MRO center in Goodyear, AZ. The first aircraft was delivered by Boeing in 1999 to American Airlines. All 24 of these aircraft are powered by Rolls-Royce RB211-535 engines, making this fleet the narrow-body freighter of choice due to its attractive payload, range and cost of ownership characteristics.

Qatar Airways Brings Forwards its Launch of Flights to Seattle to 29 January 2021

Qatar Airways four weekly services to Washington State’s largest city will launch almost two months ahead of schedule 

Passengers travelling to or from Seattle can connect via the Best Airport in the Middle East with over 75 destinations in Africa, Asia, India and the Middle East

Passengers travelling to and from the U.S., including Seattle, can enjoy the world’s Best Business Class Seat, with Qatar Airways operating Qsuite on all 11 of its U.S. routes.

Qatar Airways has confirmed it is bringing forward the launch of its four weekly flights to Seattle from 15 March to the end of this month - 29 January 2021. The Doha based carrier will operate the service on its state-of-the-art Boeing 777 featuring 42 seats in Business Class and 312 seats in Economy Class.

Passengers travelling to and from the U.S., including Seattle, can enjoy the world’s Best Business Class Seat, with Qatar Airways operating Qsuite on all 11 of its U.S. routes. The Qsuite seat layout is a 1-2-1 configuration, providing passengers with the most spacious, fully private, comfortable and socially distanced Business Class product in the sky, with its unique sliding doors. Passengers can also stay connected with family, friends and colleagues with Super Wi-Fi connectivity available on board all Seattle flights.

Garmin Autoland honoured with Top Flight Award from Aviation International News

Garmin International, Inc. announced that its revolutionary Garmin Autoland system was honored with the inaugural Top Flight Award presented by Aviation International News (AIN) in the Contribution to Safety category. Part of the Garmin Autonomi™ family of autonomous safety-enhancing technologies for aircraft, Autoland is the world’s first certified system of its kind with the ability to activate during an emergency situation to autonomously control and land an aircraft without human intervention1.

New year, new job? Frontier are hiring......

The U.S. budget carrier Frontier is looking for a Manager, Revenue Management to join the airlines team in Denver.  The budget airline believes the skies should be for everyone and as such occupys the low fare airline business sector. Every member of Team Frontier has an important role to play in bringing the airline's vision for love fares done right to life.  

The airline offers competitive salary, benefits, and relocation package! Like many air carriers, Frontier gives staff variour flight benefits for for the staff member and their families, there are also buddy passes for friends also, so they can experience what makes the company so popular.  Also there are discounts throughout the travel industry on hotels, car rentals, cruises and vacation packages; Discounts on cell phone plans, movie tickets, restaurants, luggage and over 2,000 other vendors. 

For more details and to apply, please visit Frontier's recruitment site. 

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American Airlines drops the carriage of emotional support animals

American Airlines has become the next U.S. airline to drop carrying 'emotional' support animals following a rule change by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

The airline says it is making changes to its policy for travel with emotional support animals and service animals,  to align with regulations recently issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). 

“Our team is motivated by a purpose to care for people on life’s journey, and we believe these policy changes will improve our ability to do just that,” said Jessica Tyler, President of Cargo and Vice President of Airport Excellence for American. “We’re confident this approach will enable us to better serve our customers, particularly those with disabilities who travel with service animals, and better protect our team members at the airport and on the aircraft.”

2020 was a busy year for AerCap - purchasing, leasing and selling 179 aircraft

Aircraft leasing giant AerCap had a busy year during 2020 despite the global pandemic with transactions totalling around $8.3 Billion and purchasing, leasing and selling 179 aircraft.

Full Year 2020 Transactions

Signed financing transactions for approximately $8.3 billion.

Signed lease agreements for 97 aircraft.

Purchased 36 new aircraft.

Executed sale transactions for 46 aircraft.

Fourth Quarter 2020 Transactions

Signed financing transactions for approximately $2.8 billion.

Signed lease agreements for 31 aircraft, including 9 widebody aircraft and 22 narrowbody aircraft.

Purchased 18 aircraft, 

including:

12 Airbus A320neo Family aircraft, 

1 Boeing 787-9 and 

5 Embraer E2s.

Executed sale transactions for 12 aircraft, 

including: 

2 Airbus A320 Family aircraft, 

2 Boeing 737NGs, 

2 Boeing 737 Classics, 

2 Boeing 757s, 

3 Boeing 767-300ERs and 

1 Boeing 777-300

 from AerCap's owned portfolio.

Cathay Pacific Launches Freighter Service to Riyadh

 Cathay Pacific Cargo is launching a new scheduled freighter service between Hong Kong and Riyadh (RUH) starting 5 January 2021.

The airline has seen a growing demand for air cargo flights between Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong (HKG), a leading cargo and logistics hub in Asia. These new flights will meet the strong demand for shipments of e-commerce and other general cargo such as garments, providing our customers with reliable, efficient and direct air cargo services offering the high level of quality for which Cathay Pacific Cargo is known.

The inaugural flight on 5 January will see Cathay Pacific Cargo operate the service using its Boeing B747-400 ERF aircraft.

Flights will operate once per week every Tuesday with a stopover in Dubai (DWC) on the return flight to Hong Kong, with the following schedule:

IndiGo want cabin crew

One of the leading airlines in India is currently looking to employ more cabin crew for its emerging route network.  The airline is the largest in India with nearly 60% of the market share and operates a modern fleet of nearly 300 Airbus and ATR aircraft. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic the airline flew around 1500 daily flights to 87 destinations, including 24 international services. 

IndiGo is looking for Female cabin crew to be based in Hyderabad, Kochi, Bengaluru and Chennai.

Required skills

Minimun height: 155cm

Languages: English, Hindi

Female Indian nationals, with Indian Passport

Age between 18 to 27 old

Educational Qualification : Passed 10+2 examination, from a recognized Board or University

Proportionate weight, as per BMI

Positive body language and well groomed. No tattoos visible in uniform

More details and to apply via AviationJobs.me

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Saab receives follow-on contract for GlobalEye

Saab has received a follow on contract with the United Arab Emirates regarding the sale of two GlobalEye systems, Saab’s advanced airborne surveillance system. The order value is USD 1.018 billion and the contract period is 2020-2025.

The original contract with the United Arab Emirates for GlobalEye was signed in 2015. This contract is an amendment to that signed in 2015.

“We are proud that the United Arab Emirates continues to show great trust in Saab and our solutions. It shows that Saab remains on the cutting edge regarding advanced technology. The GlobalEye program is running according to plan and we have an efficient cooperation with the customer”, says Micael Johansson, President and CEO Saab.

The work will be carried out in Gothenburg, Linköping, Arboga, Järfälla and Luleå in Sweden and in Centurion, South Africa.

The contract was signed by the customer on the 30th of December 2020, hence the order was booked during the fourth quarter 2020.

GlobalEye provides simultaneous air, maritime and ground surveillance. It combines sophisticated radar technology with the ultra-long-range Global 6000 aircraft from Bombardier.

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Jobs at Silver Airways

The Floridian boutique regional airline Silver Airways currently has a number of vacancies at its Fort Lauderdale base, including ramp agents, mechanics and senior network engineer.  More details on the carriers recruitment site.

 Throughout its rich history, Silver Airways has excelled as an employer that offers a future-focused career and a great quality of life. In 2018, Silver acquired Seaborne Airlines, a San Juan-based air carrier serving destinations throughout the Caribbean.

Japanese airline AIR DO is currently looking for pilots....

AIR DO, previously known as Hokkaido International Airlines, is a local regional airline headquartered in Sapporo, Japan.  The carrier operates scheduled flights between the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido in cooperation with All Nippon Airways, it mainly operates from  hubs at New Chitose Airport in Sapporo and Haneda Airport in Tokyo.

The airline flies a small fleet of Boeing 737 and 767 aircraft in all economy seat configurations.

The airline is currently recruiting for captains for both aircraft types, for more details and to apply via AviationJobs.me here.  But hurry,  deadline is in 7 days time. 

Leading airline association wants to reconnect the world - despite the rising numbers of highly transmissible virus strains

There is no doubt that 2020 will be a year that will live long in in the memories of all of us. The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way we do pretty much everything,  sociallising, travelling for business and pleasure, communicating, shopping and so many other areas of oiur day to day lives. Many industries have been adversly affected by this global pandemic, not least the aviation industry.   

The full extent of the damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic may never be known completely. For the airlines alone losses will total about $120 billion in 2020 and another $40 billion in 2021. And there is an enormous social and mental toll caused by up to 46 million lost jobs related to travel and tourism, lockdowns and family separations. 

This is why IATA The International Air Transport Association says "We have to safely reconnect people by reopening borders without quarantine."  Despite small number of people being tested prior to flights,  only to be tested again after a flight and been fun d to be positive for the virus. 

IATA says it has a plan to do this responsibly by carefully managing risks.  

Oman Air welcoming passengers to its Muscat arrival lounge

Oman Air is excited to invite arriving guests to enjoy a world-class experience at in the luxurious and pleasent Arrival Lounge where they can relax, recharge, or catch-up with work. 

The Arrival Lounge is located at the 2nd level of the arrival area of Muscat Int'l Airport, open from 6am to 6pm daily.

Qatar Airways Expands South America Connectivity

Qatar Airways has signed an expanded codeshare agreement with LATAM Airlines Brasil that will see its code placed on 45 additional LATAM Airlines Brasil flights enhancing connectivity across Brazil to and from destinations such as Curitiba, Manaus, Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Luiz & Vitoria

LATAM Airlines Brasil will also be adding its code on Qatar Airways’ recently expanded 10 weekly flights to and from São Paulo , as well as on flights to several additional destinations beyond Doha, including Bangkok*, Hong Kong*, Maldives, Nairobi, Seoul* and Tokyo*

 

Qatar Airways is pleased to announce it has increased São Paulo services to 10 weekly flights and expanded codeshare cooperation with LATAM Airlines Brasil optimising connectivity for both airline’s passengers to and from destinations in Asia, the Middle East and South America. The new codeshare agreement will further strengthen the two airlines’ strategic partnership, first initiated in 2016 and recently expanded in June 2019.

The expanded agreement will allow Qatar Airways passengers to book travel on 45 additional LATAM Airlines Brasil flights and to access over 40 domestic and international destinations on the South American carrier’s network, including Brasilia, Curitiba, Porto Velho, Rio Branco, Rio de Janeiro, San Jose, Lima (Peru), Montevido (Uruguay) and Santiago (Chile).

2020 A year that Republic Airways will never forget......

2020 is a year we'll never forget. Founded in 1974 and based in Indianapolis, Indiana, Republic Airways is one of the largest regional airlines in the U.S. Republic operates a fleet of 200 Embraer 170/175 aircraft and offers scheduled passenger service with nearly 1,000 daily flights to 100 cities in 40 U.S. states, Canada, the Caribbean and Central America. Republic offers fixed-fee flights operated under our major airline partner brands of American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express.

Through the many challenges of 2020, the Republic family came together time and time again to deliver on the best for the carriers airline partners, for our passengers and for each other. 

2021 Capacity Starts Slowly - Can We Close Our Eyes For A Few Months Please

The flattest seasonal holiday season has been reflected in the latest global capacity which has broadly remained around sixty million seats a week since the middle of December. The early Christmas present of breaking that sixty million, was just that, a present and this week’s 59.6 million is perhaps likely to be as good as we can expect in the next few weeks, writes John Grant at OAG.

The first month of every year is always one of the slowest for demand with no real leisure activity aside from a slippery slope or two in Europe and no major public holidays to celebrate before Chinese New Year. No surprise then that for the first time in a long while, forward capacity for next week and beyond is actually below this week’s level and that is before network planners’ factor in the next planned series of lockdowns. Oh, happy days!

Scheduled airlines around the globe are currently offering a range of eye-watering fares in the hope of jabbing the market back into recovery mode although sentiment seems to be towards no real recovery before the second half of the year in demand. The whole industry appears to be holding its breath for good news and the reopening of borders and international travel.

Airlines were on time in 2020, but passenger flights operated halved compared to 2019

Over 180 of 300 airlines around the world achieved a 90% or higher on-time arrival since February 2020.

Atlanta was the busiest airport globally based on flights operated in 2020, taking the top spot from Chicago O’Hare;

Three Chinese airports vaulted into the top 10 global airports by flights operated.

76% of Chinese passenger flights operated despite the pandemic. The US (58%), India (50%) and UK (33%) saw major reductions in flight volume.

Southwest Airlines operated the most flights in 2020;

China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines and Air China climbed in the top 10 airlines.

 

Over 180 of the major global airlines were on time in 2020, according to a new report by Cirium, the global aviation data company. The Cirium Airline Insights Review 2020 reveals that only 30 major airlines achieved this standard pre-pandemic. But over 60%—or 180 of 300 airlines globally—achieved a 90% or higher on-time arrival percentage since February 2020.

On-time performance of the top 300 global airlines significantly improved as COVID-19 reduced the number of flights in the air. In 2020, airlines only flew half of the flights flown the previous year.

“The pandemic caused a significant reduction in flight volume with airlines operating 49% fewer flights in 2020. The factors that normally cause flight delays didn’t exist, such as congestion at the airport. Overall global passenger traffic was down in 2020 by 67% from the previous year,” said Jeremy Bowen, CEO of Cirium.

Qatar Airways Welcomed its 53rd Airbus A350 on the Last Day of 2020 Reaffirming its Position as the Largest Operator of A350 Aircraft

With this delivery, the airline will operate 34 A350-900 and 19 A350-1000 with an average age of 2.7 years

Airline’s strategic investment in twin-engine, fuel-efficient aircraft has enabled it to continue flying throughout the crisis and made it the ideal choice for environmentally conscious passengers

Qatar Airways’ sustainable fleet gives it the ability to offer passengers more flexible travel options via the most connected and Best Airport in the Middle East

Qatar Airways was pleased to wrap up 2020 with the delivery of its 53rd Airbus A350 on the final day of the year. The national carrier of the State of Qatar is the largest operator of Airbus A350 aircraft with 34 A350-900 and 19 A350-1000, reaffirming its position as the ideal choice for environmentally conscious long-haul passengers. The A350-1000 is fitted with the airline’s multi award-winning Business Class seat, Qsuite, and will operate on strategic routes to and from Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “Despite the challenges of the pandemic, we continue to invest in our fleet, operating the youngest, most fuel-efficient and technologically advanced aircraft in the skies. This strategic investment in sustainable twin-engine aircraft has enabled us to continue flying during the most challenging year in aviation’s history, helping take over 3.1 million people home since the start of the pandemic. As global travel recovers, our passengers can rely on us to fly greener and smarter with more flights to more destinations via the Best Airport in the Middle East, Hamad International Airport.”

Dubai Airports has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Dubai Corporation of Ambulance Services to enhance collaboration and the emergency services at DXB

Dubai Airports has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Dubai Corporation of Ambulance Services to enhance collaboration and the emergency services at DXB.

The MOU was signed by His Excellency Jamal Al Hai, Deputy CEO of Dubai Airports, and His Excellency Khalifa Hassan Al Darai, Executive Director of Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services, with a view to achieving greater cooperation between the two parties in support of the goals and future plans of Dubai Government.

The MOU will help increase in joint initiatives, advance knowledge sharing, and lead to further improvements in qualification and training programmes.

 

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Delta's boss sends open message to staff to welcome in 2021

The CEO of the U.S. mega-carrier Delta has sent another open memo to the airlines staff to welcome in 2021:

Ed Bastian to Delta Colleagues Worldwide

Delta 2021

The start of the new year is always an exciting time at Delta, as we set ambitious goals and make plans to achieve them. It’s an opportunity to chart the course for another year in which we will keep climbing on our journey to serve our customers, colleagues and communities while connecting the world around us.

The beginning of 2021 is no different. Once again, we have ambitious goals for the next 12 months, and they are centered around our core values: taking care of our people and our customers. While I am optimistic this will be a year of recovery, the continued uncertainty of the pandemic means we’ll need to be nimble, ready to adjust our course and adapt to an ever-changing environment.

Boeing Delivers Trio of 777 Freighters to Qatar Airways Cargo

- Triple delivery of aircraft marks Boeing's 200th delivery of the 777 Freighter

                Qatar Airways Cargo took delivery of three Boeing 777 Freighters as the airline continues to build its cargo division with the world's largest and most capable twin-engine freighter. The milestone also marks the 200th 777 Freighter to be delivered.

The triple delivery comes as air freight is playing a pivotal role amid the COVID-19 pandemic – including transporting newly approved vaccines – and is projected to increase more than 4% over the next two decades.

Oman Air and Qatar Airways Codeshare Expansion

Code-share expansion will significantly increase the number of destinations with 6 additional points on the Oman Air network for Qatar Airways guests and 65 additional points on the Qatar Airways network for Oman Air guests

Expansion of code-share agreement is the first step in further strengthening commercial cooperation between the two Gulf airlines

Oman Air has confirmed an expanded code-share cooperation with Qatar Airways that will boost connectivity and provide more flexible travel options for both airline’s customers. The expanded code-share agreement is the first step in further strengthening strategic cooperation between the two airlines that first began in 2000. Sales of the additional destinations will commence in 2021.