During MACE 2021 - Malta Aviation conference & Expo, we had an opportunity to interview Mr Joseph Bugeja, Chairman & CEO of Transport Malta. To discuss on pandemic crisis, aviation industry recovery and his vision for future development. We are glad to share with you the essencial: Q. Global crisis stopped everything, what was your first reaction facing corona crisis, without even knowi...
Pratt & Whitney announced a $1.25 million investment to help build a diverse workforce for the future, through the creation of The Pratt & Whitney Scholars Program to benefit University of Connecticut (UConn) Engineering students. The Scholars Program, a scholarship designed for underrepresented minorities, will provide four cohorts of five students with $10,000 per year for four y...
As part of an ambitious expansion strategy, SmartLynx Airlines has announced the addition of two more A321Fs to its growing cargo fleet. The two new cargo freighters aircraft will bring the airline’s A321F fleet to a total of eight (8) active aircraft of the type by the end of 2022. SmartLynx additionally has plans to double its fleet number in the near future. Both A321Fs &nd...
On October 26th a private plane took off from the Russian city of Chelyabinsk having filed a flight plan to its final destination, the Tanzanian city of Moshi, in Northern Tanzania, on the African east coast. The unusual passengers onboard this prestigious KlasJet private aircraft are a lion and a leopard who are being repatriated to more familiar territories following a long and complex rehabilit...
Nearly 600 days after Australia closed its international borders, Qantas commercial passenger flights have taken to the skies to reconnect Australia to the rest of the world. QF12 from Los Angeles touched down in Sydney at 6.00am today with no border or quarantine restrictions for incoming passengers who are fully vaccinated. QF1 (Sydney to London via Darwin) will be the first Qantas Internat...
SITA announced that to support the recovery of the travel industry, it will make its Digital Travel Declaration solution – which allows passengers to share required travel and health documentation with governments ahead of travel – available to governments free of charge globally. This is aimed at addressing the global challenge of submitting and verifying health documentation which re...
Lufthansa Technik and Czech airline Smartwings have signed a five years comprehensive Total Component Support contract covering repair and overhaul of components for the airline's fleet of seven Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. Support for the new aircraft has already started. Luděk Sta...
Embraer Eve Air Mobility will begin an Urban Air Mobility simulation on November 8th, connecting Barra da Tijuca to the Tom Jobim International Airport – RIOgaleão. The initiative, which will use a helicopter, will be carried out in cooperation with strategic partners and government entities. The evaluation of the entire UAM ecosystem and the main concepts related to futu...
Stuttgart Airport is expected to become a hub for regional electric flights with zero operating emissions, following the agreement between Stuttgart Airport and Lilium. Stuttgart is joining the planned southern German network which already consists of the Munich and Nuremberg airports, as previously announced. The Munich-based Lilium has already dedicated part of the planned production o...
Deutsche Aircraft and Leipzig/Halle Airport reached a newmilestone in the project agreement for the establishment of a newstate-of-the-art FAL for the D328eco located on the premises of the airport.The construction application for the FAL has been delivered to Saxony building authorities and approval is expected in December and the ground-breaking event is planned for the second half of 2022. W...
On Saturday 23 October, Etihad Airways operated its most sustainable flight ever, leveraging the learnings and efficiencies developed over the last two years of its comprehensive sustainability programme to reduce carbon emissions (CO2) by 72% in absolute terms compared to the equivalent flight operated in 2019. The London Heathrow to Abu Dhabi flight is part of the Etihad Greenliner Prog...
The aviation sector is planning zero emission commercial passenger flights between Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTHA) and London with a 19-seater aircraft in 2024. The aircraft, currently under development by ZeroAvia, will fly entirely on hydrogen. ZeroAvia, Royal Schiphol Group, Rotterdam The Hague Innovation Airport Foundation and the airport itself have announced a partnership t...
CAE and Sabre Corporation announced an agreement for CAE to acquire Sabre’s AirCentre airline operations portfolio – a highly valuable suite of flight and crew management and optimization solutions. The agreement, which is valued at US$ 392.5 million excluding post-closing adjustments, includes the Sabre AirCentre product portfolio, related technology and intellectual pr...
British Airways is continuing with the roll out of its newest business class seat, Club Suite, as it continues to retrofit the seat across its Boeing 777 fleet, with the roll out expected to be completed by the end of 2022. The airline already has retrofitted a number of its Boeing 777 aircraft with the latest seat and will be working with Collins Aerospace to ensure the rest of the airline&r...
Airbus, Dassault Aviation, ONERA, the French Ministry of Transports and Safran have launched the first in-flight study of a single-aisle aircraft running on unblended sustainable aviation fuel. During the flight test over the Toulouse region on 28 October, one CFM LEAP-1A engine of an Airbus A319neo test aircraft operated on 100% SAF. Initial results from the ground and flight tests are expec...
ExecuJet Africa is recording great success following the reopening of its aircraft sales and acquisitions department this February. Vice President of Africa and Director of Aircraft Sales at ExecuJet, Gavin Kiggen, commented: “Client demand made reopening the division an easy decision, even in these challenging times, and our early results are very encouraging. We’ve alr...
easyJet and Bristol Airport announced they have achieved close to zero emission aircraft turnarounds through the use of electric powered ground equipment instead of Diesel. The initiative is part a collaboration between easyJet and Bristol Airport to decarbonise ground operations at the airport. The trial results have shown a 97% reduction in CO2 emissions using the daily data produced throu...
After an exceptional 2020, the aircraft industry is making a swift recovery. Following China, air traffic in the US increased significantly in the last six months and is now only 15 percent below the record level of 2019. FACC is also benefiting from this trend, with demand for new short and medium-haul aircraft up by 20 percent in the fourth quarter of 2021. In the long-haul aircraft segment, FAC...
Rostec United Engine Corporation has tested the gas generator of the PD-14 aircraft engine for Russia's newest MC-21 airliner with ash from the Kamchatka volcano Shiveluch. The test showed that the aircraft's flight through the volcanic ash cloud does not result in undesirable consequences for the power plant created by UEC-Aviadvigatel. The performance of the power plant has not been...
Textron Aviation announced that many Cessna piston-powered aircraft are now approved to utilize a more environmentally friendly aviation gasoline. Owners and operators of Cessna 172 Skyhawk, 182 Skylane can utilize 91-octane unleaded (91UL), 94UL or 100VLL (very low lead) fuel in their aircraft wherever it is available. The 206 Turbo Stationair HD aircraft is ap...
Qantas has unveiled a range of new experiences to join the return of much-loved customer favourites as the airline prepares to resume scheduled international flights next week for the first time in 20 months. While the international travel experience will largely be the same as pre-COVID, some things will look and feel a little different, particularly in the short-term. New initiatives i...
