Photo Airbus /Getty Images |
14 April, 2021
Could the fuel that propelled the Space Shuttle in 1981 power aircraft of the future?
13 April, 2021
100th Global 7500 Business Jet Wing Manufactured in Texas
Canadian firm Bombardier confirmed the completion of the 100th wing for its Global 7500 business jet at the company’s facility in Red Oak, Texas.
The wing plays a significant role in the aircraft’s short-field capabilities and has helped the debt ridden company sell and deliver 50 aircraft. "This is an important milestone for our Global 7500 program, and we are proud of our skilled team in Red Oak, Texas,” said Paul Sislian, Executive Vice President, Operations and Operational Excellence, Bombardier.
Since its entry-into-service in 2018, the Global 7500 business jet has demonstrated an outstanding dispatch reliability rate of 99.7% and has proven to be the highest-performing aircraft in the industry. It completed various key speed records and challenging flights, including the longest city-pair flown by a purpose-built business aircraft, connecting Sydney and Detroit non-stop.
JetBlue and Qatar Airways Expand Strategic Codeshare Partnership, Increasing Global Connectivity
JetBlue’s Code Now Available on Nine Routes between the U.S. and Doha and Onward to More than a Half Dozen Destinations in Africa and Asia
Airbus making changes with the environmental impact of its Beluga fleet operations.
The north Wales line station, which uses the Beluga fleet to transport aircraft wings to Toulouse, Hamburg and Bremen, becomes the second Airbus European site to use SAF, after Hamburg introduced the fuel to its cargo activities at the end of 2019.
“This first flight by a Beluga transporter from Broughton, partially fuelled with SAF, marks an important milestone in Airbus’ ambition to decarbonise its industrial operations,” said Tony Derrien, Sustainable Aviation Fuels Project Manager, Airbus.
“Combined with our ongoing research into the potential for 100% SAF in commercial flights, reducing fossil-fuels in our own operations underlines Airbus’ commitment to lessening the impact of our manufacturing footprint and contributing towards a more sustainable future for the aviation sector more generally.”
Sustainable aviation fuels are currently certified by regulators for up to 50% use in commercial flights; the Beluga fleet operating from Broughton will initially be loaded with a 35% blend of non-fossil derived fuel, set to reduce CO2 emissions by more than 400 tonnes over the next three months.
Gulf Air transforming Falconflyer loyalty programme with the help of IBS' iFly Loyalty
Gulf Air has entered into this partnership as part of its ongoing digital transformation to deliver the best possible experience to Falconflyers. IBS Software's iFly Loyalty platform will transform the Falconflyer programme for both consumers and partners. Members will benefit from a revamped mobile app and a new customer experience designed to deliver personalised offers and rewards. Programme partners will benefit from an accelerated onboarding process and a new B2B engagement channel that will provide new insights and data to support effective partner management. iFly Loyalty has been developed to help anticipate traveller behaviour, giving airlines the ability to turn data into actionable insights, enabling loyalty programmes to adapt to changing patterns of behaviour and quickly reconfigure their offerings to members. In addition, iFly Loyalty will provide Gulf Air with the capability to run multiple loyalty programmes from a single platform.
"We are completely committed to providing loyal Falconflyer members with a compelling experience that delivers bespoke offers and redemption options that they value. By partnering with IBS Software, we firmly believe that we will significantly enhance the way we reward our customers, as well as provide greater insight and flexibility to our loyalty partners," said Captain Waleed Al Alawi, Gulf Air's Acting Chief Executive Officer. "IBS Software has impressed us from the outset with their industry knowledge and commitment to supporting our Falconflyer Programme. We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership as we continue with our digital transformation journey."
Gulf Air commenced operations in 1950, becoming one of the first commercial airlines established in the Middle East. The airline operates scheduled flights from its hub at Bahrain International Airport to cities in Europe, Middle East, Africa, Indian sub-continent and the Far East. The airline currently serves all its destinations with a combination of
wide and narrow body fleet of Boeing and Airbus aircraft and is renowned for
its traditional Arabian hospitality.
"Gulf Air shares our passion for customer engage
ment, and we're
thrilled to be working with a business that implicitly understands the
transformative impact customer loyalty will play in the recovery from
Covid-19," said Anand Krishnan, Chief Executive Officer, IBS Software.
"We are working closely with Gulf Air to ensure our system has the
flexibility required to change with the times and meet the needs of Gulf
Air's Falconflyers. We're extremely excited to play our role in helping
Falconflyer go from strength to strength at a pivotal time in our
industry."
Air Canada granted $5.879 billion federal government bail out
Air Canada confirmed this week that it had managed to secure agreement from the federal governmnet a bailout of $5.879 billion thanks to the Large Employer Emergency Financing Facility (LEEFF) program.
"Air Canada entered the pandemic more than a year ago with one of the global airline industry's strongest balance sheets relative to its size. We have since raised an additional $6.8 billion in liquidity from our own resources to sustain us through the pandemic, as air traffic ground to a virtual halt in Canada and internationally," said Michael Rousseau, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada.
"The additional liquidity program we are announcing today achieves several aligned objectives as it provides a significant layer of insurance for Air Canada, it enables us to better resolve customer refunds of non-refundable tickets, maintain our workforce and re-enter regional markets. Most importantly, this program provides additional liquidity, if required, to rebuild our business to the benefit of all stakeholders and to remain a significant contributor to the Canadian economy through its recovery and for the long term.
"As vaccine deployments ramp up, we continue to work with the Government of Canada on the evolution of safe and science-based test and quarantine relief measures with a view to safely restarting our sector. We know that Canadians are looking forward to re-connecting with friends and family and taking those long-awaited vacations and business trips and we will be ready to safely connect Canadians within Canada and Canada to the world," said Mr. Rousseau.
Air Astana gets new Airbus A321-200neoLR
Photo Air Astana |
The aircraft leasing specialists, Air Lease Corporation have confirmed the delivery of one new Airbus A321-200neo LR aircraft on long-term lease to Air Astana.
This super advanced jet is powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1133G engines and is the fifth new A321-200neo LR to deliver to Air Astana from ALC’s order book with Airbus. In addition to the five A321-200neo LRs, Air Astana also has one A320-200, two A320-200neos and one A321-200neo on long-term lease from ALC.
“ALC is pleased to deliver this fifth A321-200neo LR aircraft to Air Astana today,” said Steven F. Udvar-Házy, Executive Chairman of Air Lease Corporation. “Our team has been thrilled to assist the airline with their long-term fleet modernization program.”
The Airbus A321neo LR is a long-range version of A321neo, with increased maximum take-off weight and associated design modifications. The aircraft is configured with 16 Business class seats and 150 Economy class seats.
Photo Air Astana |
Air Pollution, it affects us all.....................
Photo ACL |
Ammonia – from agricultural fertilisers, manure and human waste.Nitrogen oxides – for example, from burning fossil fuels for road transport.Sulphur dioxide – from industrial combustion, energy generation and domestic burning.Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) – these can be found in products such as solvents, detergents, and synthetic coatings in paint and soft furnishings.
Rachel Brown
Rachel Brown from DIY Garden has written this excellent article on Air Pollution: How to Create an ‘Air Quality’ GardenNew logistics building at Brussels Airport
Q1 update from Air Lease Corp as it moves from negative to stable.
Air Lease Corporation, the global aircraft leasing giant has issued a brief update on its activities for the first quarter of the year.
San Francisco airport pushes even further with its green credentials - banning the sale of anything in single use plastic either from stores or refreshment concessions.
12 April, 2021
Shake-up at Airbus as defence and technology chiefs quit
Naples becomes a new destination from Riga for airBaltic
British Airways delays Gatwick restart
airBaltic to start Riga to Edinburgh services on Mondays and Fridays from 4th June .....
A new destination will be joining the airBaltic route network when the airline starts to operate flights from Riga to Edinburgh on Mondays and Fridays from 4th June.
Oslo court approves Norwegian's reconstruction plan
BRA to start flying again in 12 May. Currently hiring cabin crew
BRA - Braathens Regional Airlines is getting ready to get back in the air, the Swedish regional airline will be recommending operations on May 12th. The airline will operate flights to and from Bromma, Malmö, Gothenburg, Visby, Ängelholm and Umeå. Week 26 (ie 28 Jun-4 Christmas) we open up Kalmar, Halmstad and Östersund as well as Visby-Malmö and Visby-Gothenburg.
Latvian airline RAF-AVIA seeking first officers......
Loganair to start two new routes on 24 May - Teesside - Bristol and City of Derry-Liverpool
Teesside - Bristol:
Derazona to be Asia’s first H160 operator for oil and gas
Airbus Helicopters has secured an H160 order from Derazona Helicopters in Indonesia, launching this new rotorcraft in the country’s oil and gas sector. The multi-mission H160 will play an important role in the expansion plans of the Indonesian operator for oil and gas, off-shore, utility and commercial passenger transportation.
11 April, 2021
Two more summer routes from Riga with airBaltic........... Naples and Santorini added to the carriers network......
Etihad Airways begins scheduled flights between Abu Dhabi and Israel
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates has launched regular flight service between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv. The first scheduled operation took place earlier this week, just a few days after Israel was added to Abu Dhabi’s ‘green list’ of quarantine-free countries.
Birmingham to get five new routes to European beach destinations with easyJet
easyJet and easyJet holidays have confirmed it will operate new routes and package holidays to popular European destinations across Spain, Portugal, and Greece from Birmingham Airport starting at the end of June this year.
Great value fares are still available for UK travellers to enjoy a well-deserved and much-anticipated summer getawayFlexible booking policies, including the Protection Promise, mean customers can book now with confidence that if their plans change, they're protected.