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Korean Air takes delivery of its first A321neo GTF-powered aircraft

By Featured

Pratt and Whitney have announced, alongside Korean Air, of the delivery of its first A321neo aircraft, powered by P&W GTF engines.

The plane is the first of fifty aircraft to be delivered, of which the carrier selected GTF engines back in 2020. The aircraft is set to take flight in December.

Pratt and Whitney power more than 70 of aircraft within Korean Air, including the GTF-powered A320 and A330, as well as Boeing 747 and 777 aircraft.

“We are delighted to receive our first A321neo, which will be a great asset to our fleet, network and passengers,” said Soo Keun Lee, executive vice president and chief safety & operation officer of Korean Air. “This fuel-efficient, next-generation A321neo will bring our customers’ experience to a new level.”

Rick Deurloo, president of Commercial Engines at Pratt & Whitney commented: “Korean Air becomes the fifth airline to operate two different fleets of GTF-powered aircraft,” said . “Pratt & Whitney is uniquely positioned to power airlines’ needs across the latest single-aisle fleets, with GTF engines powering aircraft that carry 96 to 244 passengers and fly up to 4,700 nautical miles.”

November 30, 2022

ATR delivers first ATR 72-600 to Air Corsica powered by PW127XT engines

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ATR has delivered the first ATR 72-600 with the brand new PW127XT engine to its launch customer, Air Corsica.

With the firm order for five new ATR 72-600 announced at Dubai Airshow in 2021, this delivery marks an important step in Air Corsica’s fleet upgrade and sustainable development.

The new PW127XT engine offers a 20% reduction in maintenance costs, and a 3% improvement on fuel consumption. The aircraft cabin will also be equipped with USB charging ports, a first for any ATR aircraft.

The airline will also be optimising the maintenance of its entire fleet, signing a 12-year global maintenance agreement.

Marie-Hélène Casanova-Servas, President of Air Corsica’s Supervisory Board, commented: “ATRs are central to our model of air travel in Corsica. They have proven to be the right product for our short-haul operations, enabling us to limit our impact on the island’s pristine environment and to meet our passengers’ demand for quick, frequent, reliable, and yet lower emission, air travel.”

“Selecting both the latest generation turboprop, the newest engine on the market to equip it, and the best maintenance programme to optimise its reliability, makes perfect business sense, and moreover, is the most responsible choice.”

ATR’s CEO Nathalie Tarnaud Laude said: “As our product evolves to meet new market needs and incorporates further innovations, it remains the most reliable, efficient, cost-effective aircraft on the market, as well as the most sustainable platform to operate regional routes. This makes ATR and Air Corsica a perfect match.”

November 29, 2022

SalamAir launches direct flights to Bangkok

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Salam Air has announced a direct route from Muscat to Bangkok, beginning on 18th December. 

This route will operate three flights a week, and is the carrier’s second destination in Thailand after it launched flights from Muscat to Phuket back in 2019. The route time will take around six hours.

Captain Mohamed Ahmed, CEO of SalamAir, said “We are delighted to commence flights between Muscat and Bangkok, providing our customers with a perfect value-for-money product that allows them to be flexible, save on airfare with our competitive pricing and add services they prefer. The flights will boost tourism, economic relations, and business opportunities between Oman and Thailand.”

The carrier, which operates six A320neo and four A321neo, is confident Bangkok will appeal to a broad range of leisure travelers looking to satisfy their wanderlust.

 

November 28, 2022

Ryanair launches two new Mediterranean routes from Shannon Airport

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Irish low-fare carrier, Ryanair, has launched two new services from Shannon Airport to Porto and Naples. 

The new routes are slated to start in summer 2023, and will operate on Wednesdays and Sundays. This will also increase the number of routes flying out from Shannon Airport to 26, with a total of 180 weekly flights.

This will up capacity up 35% from summer 2022.

“This is fantastic news for our passengers and another win for Shannon Airport, due to the hard work of our Aviation Development team,” said Mary Considine, CEO The Shannon Airport Group. “Porto is a great coastal city with incredible history, while Naples offers so much to see and do, and opens opportunities for passengers to explore the wonderful Amalfi coastline.

November 28, 2022

Rolls-Royce and easyJet set world first with successful hydrogen engine run

By Featured, Sustainability

Rolls-Royce and easyJet have confirmed a world first run of a Rolls-Royce AE 2100-A regional aircraft engine using hydrogen.  

The ground test was performed on this early concept demonstrator, and took place at an outdoor test facility at MoD Boscombe Down. The green hydrogen used was created by wind and tidal power. Following this early concept ground test, the partnership plans a series of further rig tests leading up to a full-scale ground test of a Rolls-Royce Pearl 15 jet engine.

Johan Lundgren, CEO of easyJet, said: “This is a real success for our partnership team. We are committed to continuing to support this ground-breaking research because hydrogen offers great possibilities for a range of aircraft, including easyJet-sized aircraft.

Grazia Vittadini, Chief Technology Officer, Rolls-Royce, said: “The success of this hydrogen test is an exciting milestone. We only announced our partnership with easyJet in July and we are already off to an incredible start with this landmark achievement.

The partnership is inspired by the global, UN-backed Race to Zero campaign that both companies have signed up to, committing to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

November 28, 2022

RwandAir takes delivery of its first dedicated freighter

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RwandAir has taken delivery of its first dedicated cargo aircraft as the carrier expands its fleet.

The Boeing 737-800 SF, which is painted in RwandAir’s first cargo livery, will be based at the carrier’s Kigali hub. The new jet will allow the Rwandan carrier to further expand its cargo operation.

RwandAir will operate the new freighter to a number of key destinations in Africa and the Middle East, including Johannesburg, Nairobi, and the United Arab Emirates.

Yvonne Makolo, RwandAir CEO, said: “The delivery of our dedicated cargo aircraft is a huge milestone in RwandAir’s fleet expansion plans.

“Cargo is of ever-increasing importance for the aviation industry, and as a landlocked country, we recognise the importance and value of good cargo connections.

“We want to ensure that Africa is seamlessly connected to the world, driving economic growth and valuable trade deals.”

November 25, 2022

Goshawk delivers A320 to Heston Airlines

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Goshawk has announced the delivery of one A320 aircraft to Heston Airlines. The A320 was successfully delivered to the Lithuanian ACMI operator towards the end of November.

Stephen O’Dwyer, Airline Sales & Marketing, EMEA at Goshawk said: “We are delighted to deliver the first aircraft by Goshawk to Heston, marking the beginning of an exciting partnership as they immediately place the aircraft into operations to serve their expanding customer base.”

Jonas Rinkauskas, CEO of Heston Airlines, commented: “The addition of this aircraft will help us achieve our target of building a larger, modern, fuel-efficient fleet. This in turn will enable us to deliver our products and services to a wide network of ACMI and Charter clients.”

November 24, 2022

Silk Avia introduces first ATR aircraft in Uzbekistan

By Featured, Regional Turboprops

New regional airline, Silk Avia, has signed a Heads of Agreement (HOA) with ATR for the acquisition of five new ATR 72-600 aircraft. Three of these will come from ATR directly, whilst two will be delivered via a lessor.

The airline is expected to begin operations soon with three used ATR 72-600 aircraft already in its possession.

Silk Avia and ATR also announced the signing of a five-year Global Maintenance Agreement. This pay-by-the-hour contract will allow the Uzbekistanian regioanl airline to take full advantage of ATR’s expertise to support its ATR aircraft, reducing maintenance costs and boosting operations.

ATR Chief Executive Officer, Nathalie Tarnaud Laude, comments: “There is no better solution to provide essential links than an ATR 72-600, the sustainable benchmark in regional aviation today. In a fast-growing country such as Uzbekistan, Silk Avia will play a key role by offering vital links for local communities and boosting the economy.

“We warmly welcome Silk Avia as one of our newest customers, opening a new market for ATR in Central Asia.”

Rano Dzhuraeva, Chair of Uzbekistan Airports, says: “We are excited to be soon launching our operations with an all-ATR fleet. As a new low-cost airline, we undertook an extensive review of which aircraft would provide the best solution. Our selection of the ATR 72-600 is the perfect choice for us as they will ensure we can offer our passengers the most modern, comfortable and reliable experience in the most affordable and sustainable way.”

November 23, 2022

AJW launches new division specialising in aircraft remarketing

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AJW Group has announced the launch of a new division within the group specialising in aircraft remarketing. 

Made up of highly experienced remarketing specialists, this group will provide clients with a tailor-made service to meet the needs of aircraft operators, owners, investors, and insolvency practitioners who wish to maximise their assets’ potential value in a way that is convenient and reduces administration.

Tony Whitty, Senior Vice President of Sales, will lead the team as someone who has spent over 30 years in aircraft remarketing, helping many airlines, banks and other owners remarket their assets. Tony is joined by Charley Cleaver and Alex Babis, all three having worked together on many projects and who collectively have over 75 years of remarketing experience within the commercial aircraft market sector.

Tony Whitty, SVP Sales of AJW Group, says:   

“We are proud to add value to our customer experience by offering clients the new remarketing service. Our strong team of specialists bring vast industry insight and, by accessing our global network to offer our clients the best solution, reinforce AJW’s commitment to supporting aviation efficiency.”

November 22, 2022

Wamos selects Condunce eTechLog8 to digitalise its technical workbooks

By Featured

Wamos Air has selected the Conduce eTechLog8 ELB solution to digitalise their aircraft technical logbooks, with the project to commence immediately and achieve full ELB approval from AESA by summer 2023.

eTechLog8 will completely replace the current paper-based aircraft technical logbooks including the deferred defect and cabin logs. The project scope also includes full integration with the CAMO/Maintenance System in use at Wamos Air.

Hayley Russell, Marketing Manager at Conduce, said “Conduce are excited to be supporting Wamos Air along their paperless journey, making them Conduce’s third customer in Spain.”

Javier Senent, CAMO Manager at Wamos Air, said “We consider the adoption of an electronic technical logbook as an essential investment in line engineering management. Using the eTechLog8 ELB will eliminate the paper procedures and provide a myriad of benefits across the airline.”

November 22, 2022