L3Harris Technologies and Air Tractor introduce AT-802U Sky Warden

Sky Warden is based on the rugged and capable Air Tractor AT-802, which features the largest payload capacity of any single turbo engine aircraft.

(Photo: Business Wire)

L3Harris Technologies and Air Tractor have teamed to produce the AT-802U Sky Warden, an affordable, production-ready aircraft designed for airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and other missions in extreme combat environments.

Sky Warden is based on the rugged and capable Air Tractor AT-802, which features the largest payload capacity of any single engine turboprop aircraft. It hosts L3Harris’ world-class family of communications, sensors and airborne ISR solutions. The platform is backed by the company’s extensive turnkey ISR operation experience.

The multi-mission platform provides the operator agility and flexibility to identify, track and react to counter threats. It merges the capabilities of larger ISR and armed aircraft into one resilient package. It is also capable of takeoff and landing on unimproved airstrips – allowing the aircraft to be deployed and co-located with special mission operators.

“Air Tractor aircraft were developed precisely to operate in austere environments with limited infrastructure,” said Jim Hirsch, President, Air Tractor, Inc. “Our aircraft are built to offer unparalleled flexibility, essential ingredients for special mission operators.”

Icelandair records net loss of $30.1 million in the first-quarter of 2021

Source Icelandair

The financially troubled national carrier of Iceland, Icelandair has issued its latest results for the first quarter of 2021 which show revenue was just over $53 million,  a decrease of some 73% year on year.  Net losses for the quarter were $30.1 million compared to $240.2 million for the same period last year. 

The airline says the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the resulting increased border controls and restrictions continued to hamper its operations with capacity down by around 92%. One area of growth for the company is cargo, Icelandair says cargo revenues, up by 64%, and freight volumes exceeded pre-COVID levels.

Source Icelandair

Another key aspect in the group's shrinkage during the last quarter was the full integration of Air Iceland Connect into the Icelandair operation, which will, according to the airline's management save around $3 million a year,  yet will leave isolated communities even more isolated and may prove to be short-sighted according to Icelandic business analysts. 

“Irresponsible” Rise in Spanish Airport Charges Will Damage Economic Recovery and Jobs says IATA

“Irresponsible” Rise in Spanish Airport Charges Will Damage Economic Recovery and Jobs

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) warned that proposals by AENA to increase user charges at the 46 airports it operates across Spain could damage Spain’s economic and employment recovery from COVID-19. 

The proposals presented to the DGAC for approval include a request to increase charges by 5.5% over five years. They would also open the door for AENA to recover its lost revenues due to the COVID-19 crisis, for services which were never operated, or which airlines couldn’t access.

“The whole aviation industry is in crisis. Everybody needs to reduce costs and improve efficiency to repair the financial damage of COVID-19. Having analyzed AENA’s situation, airlines believe that AENA could reduce its charges by 4%. So proposing to pass the burden of financial recovery on to customers with a 5.5% increase is nothing short of irresponsible. The DGAC should immediately reject the request and instruct AENA to work with the airlines on a mutually agreed recovery plan,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.

Reliable Robotics chosen by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to evaluate autonomous aircraft capabilities for government missions

Reliable Robotics announced this week it was awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract to determine how the company’s remotely operated aircraft system can support the United States Air Force (USAF). The company was chosen to participate in the program based on the technical merit and innovation of their approach to autonomous flight, as well as the qualifications of their team. Their automation technology is aircraft agnostic, allowing dual application on civil and USAF platforms, increasing mission readiness use and reducing potential loss of life in harsh environments.

Reliable Robotics currently operates a large Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) that has flown overpopulated regions in the U.S. with experimental airworthiness approval from the Federal Aviation Administration. During this Phase 1 contract, Reliable Robotics will further examine with the USAF, key areas of impact and opportunity for its dual-use flight technology, including:

Logistics support for facilitating greater aircraft utilization, global reach and readiness with faster aircraft availability.

Increased mission frequency and efficiency in more operating environments with fewer crew, weather and maintenance limitations.

Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) providing robust mission generation, dwell and collection opportunities.

Brussels Airlines continues its Belgian Icons series

Six years ago, Brussels Airlines launched its first Belgian Icon with a single hand-painted aircraft carrying a never-seen-before livery. Together with Moulinsart, the airline created Rackham, an aircraft livery dedicated to the world-famous Belgian cartoon character Tintin, covered in a 37m long black shark based on the original drawing by the hand of Hergé. The Belgian Icon series is one of many ways how the airline wants to show ambassadorship for its country. The airline will continue to bring the best of Belgium to the world.

As Rackham – which is still one of the most photographed planes in the world – has reached its repainting deadline, Moulinsart and Brussels Airlines agreed to prolong their partnership and restore the aircraft painting in its original state, meaning that Rackham will stay in the airline’s fleet for at least 5 more years. While the painting on the outside remains almost identical, the interior of the aircraft will be upgraded with more Tintin illustrations by the hand of Hergé. With the renewal of its first Belgian Icon, Brussels Airlines confirms its continued ambassadorship for Belgium. Moreover, the airline aims at always counting at least five Belgian Icons in its fleet.

IAG Cargo reports commercial revenues of €350 million for the period from January 1 to 31 March 2021.

Results represent an increase of 50 per cent on the same time in 2020 at constant currency.

Strong demand from automotive and e-commerce drives revenue increase.

Photo British Airways

Today IAG Cargo, the cargo arm of International Airlines Group (IAG) reports its Q1 financial results with cargo markets still impacted by the pandemic.

Revenues of €350 million were achieved from January 1 to 31 March 2021; an increase of 50 per cent at constant currency versus the same period last year. Overall yield for the quarter was also up 106 per cent at constant currency versus last year, while sold tonnes were down 20.9 per cent.

Following the continued reduction in passenger bellyhold air freight supply due to COVID-19, IAG Cargo reported another strong quarter. Working with the Group’s airlines, IAG Cargo continued to support customers with charter services and a scheduled cargo-only programme. Charter services supported the automotive and manufacturing sectors as supply chain disruption and increased demand resulted in a need for airfreight capacity. Charters also proved to be a popular solution for e-commerce customers as consumers continue to favour online shopping.

Security training instructor sentenced for falsifying documents

An aviation security training instructor has pleaded guilty to forgery at Guildford Magistrates' Court.  Daren Salmon falsified training certificates for 12 unsuspecting aviation workers between 2019 and 2020.  He was sentenced today to an 18-month Community Order requiring him to perform 300 hours (the maximum allowable) unpaid work and he was ordered to pay costs of £500 to the Civil Aviation Authority which brought the prosecution.

The Court heard that although Mr Salmon's certification to provide security training to workers in the aviation industry had been suspended due to previous irregularities identified by Civil Aviation Authority security auditors, he continued to provide training through a company he had established, by fraudulently using the identity and signature of an unsuspecting former colleague on the training certificates.

Commenting on the prosecution, a spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority, said: “Effective aviation security relies on ensuring that appropriate training is delivered to staff across the industry by qualified instructors via registered training providers. The actions uncovered by CAA auditors were a clear abuse of trust and responsibility on the part of one individual, and the decision to prosecute was taken in order to protect public and professional confidence in the high standards we set for aviation security in the UK.”

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AirAsia Group Berhad has released its preliminary operating statistics for the first quarter of 2021

AirAsia Sees Improvements in March 2021 As Global Vaccine Programme Rollout Accelerates

AirAsia posted operating improvements in March 2021 for all entities in comparison to February 2021, as countries worldwide focused on accelerating vaccination programmes in efforts to reach herd immunity as soon as possible. On a month-to-month basis, key operational metrics progressed positively in March 2021 as compared to February 2021, with an 84% increase in passengers carried by AirAsia Malaysia, 57% increase in passengers carried for AirAsia Philippines, 29% increase in passengers carried by AirAsia Indonesia, while AirAsia Thailand more than doubled its number of passengers carried. AirAsia expects to see solid domestic demand in its key ASEAN markets in the next few quarters as the majority of the population receives their vaccinations and due to strong pent up demand.

Many changes ahead for SWISS in response to major market changes - more jobs to go....

The Lufthansa Group airline based in Zurich, SWISS, has announced a period of mass change is upon it as it looks to shore up the carrier in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic that will see the fleet be reduced by about 15%.

The airline is also shedding even more staff as a complete restructuring of the company now seems unavoidable.  SWISS says its fleet will be downsized from its 2019 extent by a projected 15%.  The airline will retire all Airbus A320 family aircraft, its medium-haul fleet will be reduced from 69 to 59 aircraft. With its long-haul fleet SWISS plans to reduce its fleet from 31 to 26 aircraft, by withdrawing five of its long-haul Airbuses.

The carrier has already been resizing its workforce via voluntary measures and natural staff turnover that has been underway since 2020, this would also entail a total workforce reduction of around 1,700 full-time positions or over 20 per cent. It could also entail forced dismissals for up to 780 ground and flying personnel. According to the plans released by the airline, around 200 ground personnel, 60 SWISS Technics, 400 cabin personnel and 120 cockpit personnel will also be going.

“I immensely regret that, after so many years of success with such a great team, we now have to consider such a painful step,” says CEO Vranckx. “Unfortunately, the situation remains challenging in the extreme, and continues to demand rigorous cost discipline and efficiency. We are convinced, though, that with the restructuring we envisage, we would emerge from this crisis all the stronger and all the more able to return SWISS to sustainable success in the ‘New Normal’.”

SWISS has now initiated a consultation procedure to find solutions that are as socially responsible as possible, in collaboration with its employees and its social partners. Despite the restructuring measures now taking shape, all the stipulations of the Swiss Confederation in connection with its bank loan guarantees would continue to be met. SWISS will also continue to pursue its premium positioning, maintain its operations from both Zurich and Geneva and ensure that Switzerland remains connected with the world.

Southwest Airlines donates to National Forest Foundation and launches the One Report in the spirit of citizenship

Southwest Airlines announced today it has donated to the National Forest Foundation (NFF) in honour of the Company's 50th Anniversary. To commemorate this special occasion, Southwest is working with NFF to plant 1,000 trees for each of the carrier's 50 years of service. The 50,000 trees will be planted throughout California, Georgia, and Oregon, in an effort to help support wildfire recovery, restore native ecosystems, improve water and air quality, and reduce soil erosion. This $50,000 donation is being funded through the Southwest Airlines Foundation, a corporate advised fund housed within the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

Protecting the Planet for future generations is important to Southwest, and the Company encourages Employees and Customers to support these efforts by visiting swa.is/treeplanting. For every dollar donated to the NFF, the organization will plant one tree—supporting efforts to conserve the nation's forest, watersheds, wildlife, and recreation resources. Every donation made through this site will also count toward Southwest's one million Acts of Kindness challenge.

One Report Launch

Club Med’s first-ever Canadian resort Québec Charlevoix

Québec Charlevoix is Club Med’s first-ever Canadian resort where sea and mountains meet, is located in the Charlevoix region in Québec. The resort offers a ski experience that will impress even the most experienced skiers. Architecturally designed with a contemporary and traditional Canadian style, the resort is perched in the heart of the region, immersed in the unspoiled natural landscape with amazing views of the St. Lawrence River. A wide array of activities are offered year-round to experience the region's ever-changing landscape, with each season with trails for skiing in the winter and hiking in the summer.

This dramatic landscape includes rolling terrain, fjords, headlands and bays; the region was designated a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1989.  The region was named after Pierre François-Xavier de Charlevoix, a French Jesuit explorer and historian who travelled through the area in the 18th century.

Open all year round, this all-inclusive resort will offer so much for individuals, groups and also ideal for meetings and conferences, opening on December 3, 2021.

Santorini and Mykonos become new destinations for Gulf Air.

The national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain - Gulf Air, has announced the addition of two new summer destinations to its global network.  The popular boutique airline will fly to Santorini from 2nd June and Mykonos from 3rd June.

Both Santorini and Mykonos will be served by the airline’s new Airbus A320neo with two weekly flights each until the end of September. The seasonal summer routes to the Greek islands will boost the airline’s network with popular boutique seaside destinations that are favourite to many tourists and families in the Kingdom of Bahrain and the region especially as demand for travel grows gradually towards the summer holidays with travel restrictions easing off in Europe.

Gulf Air’s Acting Chief Executive Officer Captain Waleed AlAlawi said: “We’ve researched and studied various destinations to add to our seasonal summer network and we’re excited to reveal Santorini and Mykonos as the new boutique additions. Reviewing potentials and listening to our customers’ feedback, we are confident that both Greek islands will provide the perfect experience for honeymooners, friends and families to spend their holidays. We will be flying to both these destinations for the first time in the history of Gulf Air and we will be the only airline in the region flying to Santorini.”

Your own private Maldivian island...........

There are few places more idyllic than a private Maldivian island – just think of the beauty,  the peace,  the tranquillity,  the gentle waves tickling the shore of light sand.  It could be the stuff of dreams,  or it could be the reality of a holiday at one of the two islands the COMO have.  You can enjoy an abundance of nature, wellness and world-class diving all to yourself and family and friends.

 

At COMO Cocoa Island – a jewel-like resort in South Malé’s coral atolls – there are 34 sun-drenched overwater villas that sleep up to 72 guests. The water here is so clear, it’s like peering through a window.  COMO Cocoa Island is an understated private island resort with 34 overwater villas allowing you to slip from your balcony into the turquoise lagoon to  explore the sealife-rich house reef. COMO can promise what few luxury Maldivian resorts can truly provide: peacefulness, privacy and the opportunity to do very little – very little, that is, aside from stroll on silk-soft sand, snorkel in a world of colourful marine life and simply relax, whether that’s on a massage table or on a daybed staring out at the hypnotic azure ocean.

 

COMO Maalifushi, in the Maldives’ southern reaches, feels like how the islands used to be – natural and wild, with no noise or light pollution. You can choose to rent a handful of villas to occupy a corner of the island or take the whole resort for you and 141 of your closest friends and family.  

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Directional Aviation’s OneSky Flight acquires U.K.-based helicopter travel provider Halo Aviation

Directional Aviation’s OneSky Flight, acquires U.K.-based helicopter travel provider Halo Aviation

Halo Aviation

Luxury fractional jet provider Flexjet and jet card pioneer Sentient Jet,  have a new sister company, Halo Aviation Ltd. -  a leading provider of helicopter transportation services in the United Kingdom. 

Earlier this year the group purchased Associated Aircraft Group (AAG), a provider of executive Sikorsky helicopter services in the Northeastern United States. These moves position Flexjet, Sentient Jet and their sister companies, FXAIR and PrivateFly, on-demand jet charter providers in both the U.S. and Europe, to become leaders in vertical flight, further expanding their offerings and global operations.

Halo and AAG, both manage fleets of some of the finest helicopters in the world and are leading providers of vertical lift and urban mobility services in their respective nations. This move will inject a new group of customers from Flexjet, the second-largest fractional jet provider in the world, and Sentient Jet, which has 8,000 active jet cardholders and will pave the way for a unique end-to-end travel solution not offered by any other provider. The structure of these companies and their relationships to each other will offer differentiators in the market that other brands will not be able to duplicate – from the safety of flying managed fleets to the packaging of end-to-end flight solutions – these acquisitions will rebrand what the private jet traveller will want in a provider.

Jet Edge and Montage International strategically align to provide clients, hotel guests, and residential owners best-in-class travel experiences to remarkable destinations across the globe

Jet Edge, the private aviation company and Montage International, an ultra-luxury hospitality management company, have announced a global partnership that is designed to deliver the most elite private aviation offerings to travellers visiting any of the esteemed Montage Hotels & Resorts, Pendry Hotels & Resorts, and Montage and Pendry Residences across the globe. 

The collaboration marks Jet Edge’s first-ever global partnership with a hospitality company and the first global aviation partner for Montage International.

Jet Edge’s fleet of private jets are routinely used by ultra-high net worth individuals and notable public figures, are available to Montage International guests and residential owners travelling to any property within the collective portfolio. Jet Edge owners, Reserve members, and charter flyers with a confirmed Montage or Pendry reservation, will enjoy special charter rates on flights to all Montage International destinations. In addition, this program provides further amenities, premier in-flight experiences, and access to exclusive luxury events and offers courtesy of Montage Hotels & Resorts and Pendry Hotels & Resorts. As always, travellers can expect the highest existing safety standards in private aviation and best-in-class service.

Bombardier delivered 26 business jets in the first quarter of 2021.....

The Canadian firm Bombardier has published its financial results for the first quarter of 2021 today, which show revenues from its business jets totalled $1.3 billion, an 18% year-on-year increase for the firm with total aircraft deliveries standing at 26 for the quarter.

Bombardier says its adjusted EBITDA for continuing operations in the quarter was $123 million, a 43% increase year-over-year, reflecting a favourable aircraft mix, progress on the Global 7500 aircraft learning curve, cost structure improvements and the divestitures of margin dilutive businesses. Adjusted EBIT for continuing operations was $29 million.

The business is still heavily in debt, however, following the sale of its transportation business, it has used $2.4 billion of available cash towards debt repayment, because of this it expects to reduce its annual cash interest costs by approximately $200 million versus its 2020, On February 19, 2021, Bombardier deployed $0.8 billion and completed the full repayment of its senior secured term loan with HPS Investment Partners, LLC. On April 19, 2021, Bombardier announced the expiration of its tender offer to purchase for cash certain of its outstanding Notes.

IATA Welcomes G20 Push to Restart Tourism

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) welcomed the agreement by the G20 Tourism Ministers to support the safe restoration of mobility by following the G20 Rome Guidelines for the Future of Tourism. IATA urged G20 governments to quickly follow up their endorsement of the guidelines with actions, particularly the five-point agenda to safely restore mobility:

Sharing information among industry and governments to inform policies and decisions to ensure safe mobility.

Agreeing common international approaches to COVID-19 testing, vaccination, certification and information.

Promoting digital traveler identity, biometrics and contactless transactions for safe and seamless travel.

Providing accessible, consistent, clear and updated information to travelers to encourage and facilitate travel planning and journeys.

Maintaining and improving the connectivity, safety and sustainability of transport systems.

Sentient Jet expanding internationally with a new transatlantic programme

Sentient Jet is expanding internationally with the launch of a new Transatlantic Programme that offers Jet Card owners fixed one-way rates with guaranteed availability to Europe this summer, the firm announced this week.

Image Sentient Jet

The new Transatlantic Programme was designed in response to travel trends, client needs, and the ongoing shift of private aviation from a lifestyle enhancement to a required utility. Plus, with the European Union planning to open air travel to vaccinated United States-based travellers this summer, Sentient Jet believes its Transatlantic Programme will provide card owners with a new level of flexibility alongside the safety and convenience they have come to expect. 

Now through August, Jet Card owners can book one-way trips in a large cabin aircraft from New York to London at an assured one-way rate of $79,750. Additional United States origins including Chicago and the Miami area are available for a set premium. Sentient Jet’s new transatlantic routes are guaranteed with 14-days’ notice and feature complimentary Wi-Fi.

Dixons Travel stores to close

The Dixons Carphone Group has confirmed it will be closing all its Dixons Travel airport stores following the UK Government's ending of tax-free airside shopping at the start of January. The closure could lead to just over 400 job losses, however, the firm promised that employees would be offered alternative positions within the group.

On average, the 35 Dixons Travel airport stores had contributed more than £20m to annual profits to the group that also owns Currys PC World and Carphone Warehouse retail brands. 

"We do not expect passenger numbers to recover sufficiently to compensate for the removal of airside tax-free shopping by the UK government from 1 January. This has led to the difficult decision to close this business." the company said in the statement.

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Norwegian operated just 10 aircraft in April and carried under 60,000 passengers.......

The budget carrier Norwegian has released its latest traffic figures for April this week, which showed just 59,431 people flew with the carrier last month. The airline operated just ten aircraft and nearly 3% of flights departed late and almost 3% of flights were cancelled. However, the load factor had increased from the same month last year, up 24% to 42.2%.

Norwegian says its operations were impacted by the pandemic and blamed government travel restrictions on the low demand. Jacob Schram, CEO of Norwegian said: “The pandemic and international travel restrictions continue to impact our traffic results when compared to the same period last year despite the percentage increases. However, as the reopening of borders in Norway and across Europe progresses, we are confident that we will continue to see a gradual increase in year on year traffic. We continuously adjust our operations to changes in demand.”

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Airbus Fly-By-Wire visionary Bernard Ziegler passes away

           Airbus announced yesterday that Bernard Ziegler, one of the planemaker's engineering pioneers had passed away aged 88.  He was instrumental in the introduction of the world’s first digital Fly-By-Wire (FBW) and side-stick controls in a commercial passenger aircraft with the A320 in 1988.

Ziegler’s career spanned some four decades. He realised the full potential that digital FBW could bring, including flight envelope protection incorporated into the control software. Ziegler's legacy lives on with digital FBW on all current-generation Airbus aircraft, and its adoption as the standard on all modern passenger aircraft globally.

Born in 1933, in Boulogne sur Seine, Ziegler graduated from the French “Ecole Polytechnique” in 1954 and, later, from several engineering and flight training schools (Ecole Nationale de l’Air, Ecole de Chasse, Ecole Nationale Supérieure de l’Aéronautique, Ecole du Personnel Navigant Essais). For ten years, he was a fighter pilot in the French Air Force.

During the early 1960s he studied aeronautical engineering at ENSA (l’Ecole Nationale Supérieure de l'Aéronautique) in Toulouse, which is now ISAE-SUPAERO. He then attended prestigious flight test pilot school EPNER, before taking up a career as a military test pilot. 

Total demand for air travel in March 2021 was down 67.2% compared to March 2019.

Total demand for air travel in March 2021 (measured in revenue passenger kilometres or RPKs) was down 67.2% compared to March 2019. That was an improvement over the 74.9% decline recorded in February 2021 versus February 2019. The better performance was driven by gains in domestic markets, particularly China. International traffic remained largely restricted.

 

International passenger demand in March was 87.8% below March 2019, a very small improvement from the 89.0% decline recorded in February 2021 versus two years ago. 

 

Total domestic demand was down 32.3% versus pre-crisis levels (March 2019), greatly improved over February 2021, when domestic traffic was down 51.2% versus the 2019 period. All markets except Brazil and India showed improvement compared to February 2021, with China being the key contributor, as already noted. 

“The positive momentum we saw in some key domestic markets in March is an indication of the strong recovery we are anticipating in international markets as travel restrictions are lifted. People want and need to fly. And we can be optimistic that they will do so when restrictions are removed,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General. 

How AI is Redefining Commercial Air Travel

The technology behind artificial intelligence (AI) has made some significant strides in the past decade. As a result, the biggest brands in the world are investing in AI as a strategy to deliver better products and improve the customer experience. Similarly to how brands are now relying on on-demand app development to bring their services to modern customers, AI is poised to change the aviation industry.

When we look at commercial air travel, we see an industry that is ripe for several improvements that could be powered by intelligent systems. This post is going to explore some of the ways artificial intelligence is changing modern air travel.

Aircraft Maintenance

Some airlines are already starting to implement AI as a tool for improving aircraft maintenance. With advanced analytics, an airline could use a range of sensors to monitor critical components in planes. By analyzing the operating conditions and performance, the airline can then apply predictive maintenance to prevent failures and get ahead of issues that could result in the delay or cancellation of flights.

This will save the airlines money by extending the life of parts, and it will also help to improve the experience of travellers. With predictive maintenance, the airlines will be able to prevent the delays that lead to unsatisfied customers. They will also be able to improve the safety of the aircraft to further reduce the potential for accidents.

Boeing Expands Capacity for 737-800BCF

 As express and e-commerce markets continue to drive strong demand for production and converted freighters, Boeing announced this week, a new partnership with a Costa Rica-based maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) provider to create additional conversion capacity for the 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighter.

737-800BCF now has more than 180 orders and commitments

Boeing will open two 737-800BCF conversion lines with Cooperativa Autogestionaria de Servicios Aeroindustriales (COOPESA) in Alajuela, Costa Rica. The first of the new conversion lines is expected to open in early 2022, with the second anticipated later that year. Boeing forecasts 1,500 freighter conversions will be needed over the next 20 years to meet growing demand. Of those, 1,080 will be standard-body conversions, with nearly 30% of that demand coming from North America and Latin America.

SkyCell and DB Schenker sign new partnership deal

DB Schenker increases response to the pandemic by signing a Master Lease Agreement (MLA) with SkyCell. The partnership enables DB Schenker to enhance its vaccine logistics service solutions with additional flexibility through the new healthcare product DB SCHENKERlife+. Based in Switzerland, SkyCell manufactures innovative temperature-controlled air freight containers for pharmaceutical supply chains that can maintain internal temperatures as low as -80°C to -15°C for a minimum of five days, and temperatures of +2°C to +8°C and +15°C to +25°C for more than eight days. As part of the new partnership with SkyCell, DB Schenker’s service portfolio is extended by an additional reliable packaging solution to transport lifesaving pharmaceutical products, such as vaccines against Covid-19, globally. 

Milestone agreement for the lease of SkyCell’s hybrid pharma containers • Containers maintain constant temperatures for more than a week • Suitable for all Covid-19 vaccines on the market 

Thorsten Meincke, Global Board Member for Air & Ocean Freight at DB Schenker: “Logistics matters extensively in trying to overcome the pandemic and DB Schenker is already transporting Covid-19 vaccines worldwide. With this agreement, we upgrade our existing broad portfolio of healthcare-related logistics services with even more capability for our customers for the widespread roll-out of global vaccinations. With SkyCell, we have found an excellent partner in this endeavor to provide high quality on a global level.”