This Week in Airlines, Airports and AirlinersGoogle Banner Ad This Week in Airlines, Airports and Airliners IATA, SAF production set for growth but needs policy support to diversify sources. ICAO - States agree to heighten aviation safety, security and sustainability through enhanced ICAO support for implementation. Air Algérie orders five A330-900s and two A350-1000s. Boeing, Air Tanzania celebrate first 767 freighter delivery to Africa. IATA expands turbulence aware platform?. Wisk Aero and Japan Airlines partner to bring autonomous, everyday flight to Japan. Air Niugini becomes new Dreamliner customer, finalizing order for two Boeing 787-8s. ATR targets high-end markets with new cabin collection. Worldwide incidents and accidents. Bonus Video - Microflyers Fly in Kroon Airfield IATA, SAF PRODUCTION SET FOR GROWTH BUT NEEDS POLICY SUPPORT TO DIVERSIFY SOURCES.  The International Air Transport Association's (IATA) "Focus Africa" drive is gaining momentum, spurred on by the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) and the Airlines Association of Southern Africa (AASA) and as its newest partners. "Focus Africa is all about establishing a coalition of partners committing to pool their resources and delivering a set of African air transport solutions that let the continent, its people and economies play a greater, more meaningful and representative role in the global economy. The combined contributions of AFCAC and AASA will be critical to Focus Africa's success. Africa accounts for 18% of the global population but less than 3% of global GDP and just 2.1% of air passenger and cargo transport activity. With the right interventions those gaps will be closed, and Africa will benefit from the connectivity, jobs and growth that aviation enables," said Willie Walsh, IATA's Director General. "The ability to access, serve and develop intra-African markets is crucial as the continent's populace is set to increase by over a billion people by 2050. For this to be sustainable, economic opportunities must be created. As other regions have demonstrated, air transport connectivity unlocks broad prosperity. As the African Union's civil aviation agency, we will support Focus Africa through our work developing a set of harmonized rules and regulations designed to make this connectivity a reality and drive our strategic objectives," said AFCAC Secretary-General, Adefunke Adeyemi. "Time is not on our side as AASA's members and the communities they serve face rising costs, unprecedented unemployment, obsolete constraints on trade and market access, inadequate infrastructure and a looming skills shortage. These demand urgent action, so we do not get stranded on the runway. It is why we have no hesitation standing with IATA and other Focus Africa partners," added AASA CEO, Aaron Munetsi. Google Banner Ad  Key outcomes of the ICAO Global Implementation Support Symposium (GISS), held in Seoul last week, included Ministerial-level recognition of the fundamental importance of ICAO standards and strategies to the safe, secure, and sustainable development of the global air transport network, in tandem with the pivotal role of ICAO's support towards their implementation. The thirteen States attending the Ministerial Roundtable at the event also pointed to significance of ICAO's efforts to develop and deploy enhanced products and services in this area, and furthermore identified the deployment of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) as a priority area for support from ICAO. Here, the Ministers envision ICAO's facilitation of financing initiatives as being among the collaborative efforts the organization should undertake to spread access to new SAF technologies across the world. The outcomes of the Roundtable built on engaging and productive discussions between ICAO and representatives from 50 countries, which focussed on the evaluation of their priority needs and the development of proposals for implementation support from the organization. These efforts resulted in the signing of thirteen bilateral implementation support agreements between ICAO and the attending governments, and set the stage for further agreements in the near future. As a result of the three-day event, which was attended by over 1000 stakeholders from around the world, ICAO will be in a position to collaborate even more closely with the international aviation community to enhance capacity. This was highlighted during the GISS by the unveiling of modernized branding for ICAO's services in this area, which will be delivered by the soon to be named Capacity Development and Implementation Bureau. The Republic of Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) was pivotal to the success of the event, and its contributions and cooperation to providing this platform for collaboration, knowledge exchange, and networking among aviation regulators, operators, and other professionals were widely acknowledged and appreciated. The positive outcomes of this event will extend beyond the aviation sector, given the crucial importance of air connectivity as a catalyst for sustainable development at the local, national, and global levels. By enhancing the resilience and sustainability of the recovery of the global air transport network, governments will safeguard and heighten the economic benefits of their aviation sectors. Google Banner Ad  Air Algérie, the national airline of Algeria, has signed a firm order for seven widebody aircraft to support its commercial development. This order will allow Air Algérie to take full advantage of the flexibility of the Airbus product range, strengthen its regional services and offer an ambitious plan for transcontinental destinations. The A330neo and the A350 also feature the award-winning Airspace cabin, which offers passengers a high level of comfort, ambience, and design. This includes more individual space, enlarged overhead bins, a new lighting system and access to the latest in-flight entertainment and connectivity systems. The A330neo and the A350 are the latest generation of Airbus widebody aircraft: The A330neo Family is powered by the latest generation Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, the A330-900 is capable of flying 7,200 nm / 13,334 km non-stop. By the end of April 2023, the A330 Family had 1,775 firm orders from 130 customers worldwide. This makes it the most popular widebody family ever, dominating the short-and medium-haul market. The A350 Family is the world's most modern and market-leading long-haul aircraft family, powered by Rolls-Royce's new Trent XWB engines, the world's most efficient widebody aircraft to date capable of flying 8,700 nautical miles or 16,100 kilometres non-stop. By the end of April 2023, the A350 Family had received 967 firm orders from 54 customers worldwide, making it one of the most successful widebody aircraft ever. Google Banner Ad BOEING, AIR TANZANIA CELEBRATE FIRST 767 FREIGHTER DELIVERY TO AFRICA Boeing [NYSE: BA] and Air Tanzania are celebrating the delivery of the airline's first 767-300 Freighter. The airplane arrived today at the airline's hub in Dar es Salaam and will provide the operator with dedicated air freight capacity to serve the country's growing cargo market. The delivery also marks the first direct 767 Freighter delivery from Boeing to an African carrier.  "The 767 Freighter will enable Air Tanzania to significantly grow its existing operations with greater efficiency and flexibility across its network," said Anbessie Yitbarek, vice president, Africa Sales and Marketing, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "Air Tanzania's cargo customers now have far more options as the airline boosts freight connectivity between Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia." Air Tanzania currently operates commercial service across Africa and to destinations in Asia with a fleet that includes two 787-8 Dreamliners. The airline also has orders for an additional 787-8 and two 737 MAX jets. Google Banner Ad IATA EXPANDS TURBULENCE AWARE PLATFORM The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that ANA and WestJet have joined its Turbulence Aware Platform on the side-lines of the 79th IATA Annual General Meeting. Turbulence Aware was launched in 2018 to help airlines mitigate the impact of turbulence which is a leading cause of passenger and crew injuries and higher fuel costs each year. The platform pools anonymized turbulence data from thousands of flights operated by participating airlines. The real-time, accurate information enables pilots and dispatchers to choose optimal flight paths, avoiding turbulence and flying at optimum levels to maximize fuel efficiency and thereby reduce CO2 carbon emissions.  "Accurate and timely data empowers crews to improve safety by avoiding turbulence. The more contributors we have, the more everyone benefits. The addition of ANA and WestJet enhances our coverage especially in Asia Pacific and North America," said Willie Walsh, IATA's Director General. At present, 20 airlines participate in the IATA Turbulence Aware Platform with more than 1,900 aircraft providing data daily. In 2022, a total of 31 million reports were generated. Google Banner Ad WISK AERO AND JAPAN AIRLINES PARTNER TO BRING AUTONOMOUS, EVERYDAY FLIGHT TO JAPAN Wisk Aero, a leading Advanced Air Mobility company, and Japan Airlines (JAL), a leading international airline based in Japan, are partnering to bring Wisk's self-flying, all-electric air taxi services to Japan. Additionally, Wisk and JAL Engineering (JALEC), will work closely together to develop plans for the maintenance and operation of Wisk's autonomous air taxis. "We are very honoured to partner with Wisk, a pioneer in autonomous eVTOL aircraft development. In Japan, the introduction of autonomous air travel is developing and we strongly feel that this partnership with Wisk is the first step towards the development of the next generation of safe air mobility in Japan," says Ryo Tamura, CEO of JALEC. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) has been signed that establishes a framework for collaboration between the two companies, as well as between the two companies and the Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB), and other relevant Japanese Government agencies. This will include careful consideration of regulatory requirements, safety measures, and how the community can benefit from advanced air mobility through the use of Wisk's 6th Generation self-flying, electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Google Banner Ad  The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced its expectation for overall renewable fuel production to reach an estimated capacity of at least 69 billion litters (55 million tonnes) by 2028. Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) will comprise a portion of this growing output which is being achieved through new renewable fuel refineries and the expansion of existing facilities. Importantly, the expected production has a wide geographic footprint covering North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Trends supporting this optimistic outlook are already visible. In 2022, SAF production tripled to some 300 million litters (240,000 tonnes) and project announcements for potential SAF producers are rapidly growing. IATA counts over 130 relevant renewable fuel projects announced by more than 85 producers across 30 countries. Each of these projects has either announced the intent or commitment to produce SAF within their wider product slate of renewable fuels. Typically, there is a 3 -5-year lag between a project announcement and its commercialization date. This implies that further renewable fuel capacity out until 2030 could still be announced over the following years. If renewable energy production reaches 69 billion litters by 2028 as estimated, the trajectory to 100 billion litters (80 million tonnes) by 2030 would be on track. If just 30% of that produced SAF, the industry could achieve 30 billion litters (24 million tonnes) of SAF production by 2030. "Achieving the necessary SAF percentage output from these new and expanding facilities is not a given. But with governments the world-over agreeing at ICAO to a long-term aspirational goal (LTAG) of net zero by 2050, they now share accountability for aviation's decarbonization. That means establishing a policy framework to ensure that aviation gets the needed share of renewable energy production in SAF," said Walsh. Google Banner Ad Boeing [NYSE: BA] and Air Niugini today announced an order for two fuel-efficient 787-8 Dreamliners to support the growth of the carrier's long-haul fleet. The jets will enable the national flag carrier of Papua New Guinea to fly new routes from the Pacific Island nation and boost capacity for inbound tourism. "Signing this contract with Boeing for the purchase of two modern, widebody 787 Dreamliners will enable Air Niugini to grow its network across Asia, Australia, and New Zealand and fullfill its mission as the premier airline in Papua New Guinea, providing the best air service in the region," said Gary Seddon, acting CEO of Air Niugini.  "The excellent capability of the 787 allows Air Niugini to open Port Moresby to more destinations, increasing tourism and economic growth in the South Pacific region," said Erika Pearson, Boeing vice president, Commercial Sales and Marketing, Southeast Asia and Oceania. "The Dreamliner's flexibility, outstanding efficiency and unmatched passenger comfort will enable Air Niugini to provide improved long-haul connectivity to the islands." Built with lightweight composite materials and powered by advanced engines, the 787 Dreamliner can fly up to 20% more passengers while reducing fuel use and emissions by 25% compared to the airplanes it replaces. The 787-8's range reaches up to 13,530 km in a typical two-class configuration. Boeing has worked with Air Niugini for more than 45 years. The airline operates a domestic network from Port Moresby across Papua New Guinea, as well as international flights across the Asia-Pacific region, including to Australia, Singapore, Solomon Islands and Fiji. The airline's fleet includes Boeing 737s and 767s. Google Banner Ad  On the occasion of Aircraft Interiors Expo, world number one regional aircraft manufacturer ATR today unveiled ATR HighLine, its new collection of high-end cabins dedicated to commercial and business operators. The ATR HighLine collection comprises five main cabin configurations that cover the different operational needs of air carriers seeking to offer a premium flying experience to their guests: "Multi-Class": featuring a spacious layout with a 50-seat interior including a dedicated first class. "Premium-Flex": with capacity to quickly convert standard double-seats into single premium seating with ATR's unique "X-Space Table" concept, ideal for boutique airlines and charter operators. "All-Business Class": cabins that can accommodate up to 30 guests to match the requirements of Part 135 and semi-private airlines. "Multi-Section": interiors ensuring transport for Heads of State and Governments' representatives. "Bespoke VIP": can be tailored to reflect personal lifestyles, operator's needs or high-end destinations requiring a luxurious experience. With this new line, ATR offers a responsible choice to commercial and business aviation operators, as ATR aircraft burn 45% less fuel and emit 45% less CO2 than regional jets. Operators can benefit from premium cabin design and volume, unrivalled airport accessibility, and low emissions on regional routes. This innovative approach features ATR developments as well as solutions provided by luxury design experts. ATR Head of Business Development, Tarek Ben Omrane, said: "ATR aims to disrupt the regional travel industry from within by creating a superb onboard atmosphere and using the lowest emission technology on the market. Equipped with the ATR HighLine cabins, our aircraft offer the same cabin size as the largest business jets while cutting carbon emissions in half. We are the only aircraft manufacturer in the world to offer this". Google Banner Ad  USA, E of Kansas City, MO: United Airlines flight UA464, an Airbus A320-232, diverted to Kansas City International Airport (MCI) after the flight crew noticed fumes in the cockpit. A safe landing was made. Japan. Tokyo International Airport/Haneda: Two A330-300 of Thai Airways International and EVA Air suffered ground collision at Tokyo/Haneda. EVA/BR189 for Taipei/Songshan held short of runway 16R when THA/TG683 for Bangkok hit EVA by its right winglet while passing (possibly near at HOT SOPT 1). The right winglet of Thai and left horizontal stabilizer of EVA were damaged. There were no personal injuries among occupants of both planes. The runway 16R was closed, as well as 22 for short period.  Microflyers Fly in Kroon Airfield Google Banner Ad  |
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