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AirAsia Group has reaffirmed its commitment to transform its present mainly-A320 aircraft fleet to the higher-capacity, more fuel-efficient A321neo with the signing of an amendment agreement with Airbus S.A.S, in which AirAsia will convert its remaining A320 aircraft orders to the A321neo.

The contract marked AirAsia’s commitment to purchase the largest model in the best-selling A320 Family. Seating up to 236 passengers in a single class layout, the A321neo will enable the airline to increase capacity while benefiting from the lowest operating costs in the single-aisle category. Equipped with Airbus’s Space-Flex Cabin that allows for a more efficient configuration of the cabin space, the A321neo delivers optimal passenger comfort and efficiency.

With the conversion of its remaining 13 A320 undelivered aircraft to the A321neo, AirAsia now has a total order of 362 A321neo aircraft that will be allocated based on demand among its airlines within the Group, with deliveries up until 2035, as agreed between AirAsia and Airbus. AirAsia received its first A321neo in November 2019 and currently has a total of 4 A321neo in service. At present, the Group has a total fleet size of 211 aircraft comprising 169 A320, 38 A320neo, and 4 A321neo aircraft.

Bo Lingam, President (Airlines) of AirAsia Group said: “Our airline network and fleet strategy has been thoroughly reviewed to ensure flying on the most popular and profitable routes as we prepare for travel resumption across our network. Our business model is robust, and there is a lot of pent-up demand. We are confident that our airlines will be able to rebound and recover strongly as soon as travel restrictions are lifted.

“We have always been in close engagement with Airbus and we look forward to a full A321neo fleet conversion that will further solidify our lowest cost base and lean cost structure. The A321neo will revolutionise the flying experience for our guests as we accelerate our business to meet a resurgence in air travel post-Covid-19. The A321neo is a leader in its category and it will enable AirAsia to serve the demand across our network with significant operational efficiencies, with more than 10% fuel savings. The A321neo also includes an additional 50 seats and extra cargo space, and will allow us to further reduce our cost per Available Seat Kilometre (ASK) across the group, which will be passed on as lower airfares for our guests.”

The A321neos will eventually replace the older A320s, which will lead to significant sustainability benefits, where the fuel savings translate into some 5,000 tonnes less carbon dioxide (CO2) emission per aircraft per year, in addition to the double-digit reduction in nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions and reduced engine noise.

Tony Fernandes, CEO of AirAsia Group further commented: “With the gradual easing of travel restrictions and resumption of freight and cargo activities in all of our key markets, we need to make sure that our fleet is cost- and fuel-efficient and highly optimised for our airline operations, as well as for our logistics venture, Teleport. Teleport is experiencing significant growth in line with an overwhelming demand for air freight and cargo services, back to pre-pandemic performance, and growing faster than before. We are expanding Teleport’s delivery and digital cargo capabilities to prepare for strong regional expansion as soon as travel restrictions ease and international borders reopen.

“During the downtime in flying, we have turned AirAsia from one of Asia’s leading airline brands into a one-stop travel and lifestyle digital travel platform, catering for much more than just air travel. With our huge passenger volume, the impending improvement in travel demand will provide an added boost to the AirAsia Super App, as well as our fintech and digital payment service, BigPay.

“Our Super App, Teleport, and BigPay are equally important to complete our ecosystem. They work in tandem symbiotically, to meet increasing demand in the e-commerce and distribution space. From e-money and international remittance to micro-insurance and budgeting, BigPay has been successful in providing a wide range of regulated financial products to become a one-stop solution for our customers’ financial needs.

“We will continue to innovate and adapt. We are already seeing improvements in terms of customer base, as well as revenue and other key metrics. We are set to return stronger and more robust in a post-Covid world.”

Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Airbus International said: “We are pleased to reach this agreement with our long-standing partner AirAsia. It’s another endorsement of the A321neo as the world’s most efficient and popular single-aisle aircraft. It’s also an example of how we at Airbus have worked together with our customers to find solutions to adapt to the impact of the pandemic. We are encouraged to see traffic rebound around the world as the travel restrictions ease. AirAsia will be well equipped to benefit from the rebound that will also surely come in Asia, thanks to the combination of pent-up demand, the efficiency of its Airbus fleet, and its unique brand.”

Two new airlines, airBaltic and SWISS, will benefit from the health management services developed and offered by Liebherr-Aerospace.  The airlines will take advantage of a growing set of predictive maintenance algorithms and trend monitoring applications.

Toulouse (France), October 2021 – Liebherr Analytics Solutions combine the power of Big Data and the capacities of a proprietary data platform (“Artic”), with the in-depth OEM knowledge of its systems and the associated in-service support experience of Liebherr products. This allows Liebherr-Aerospace to deliver precise and efficient tools for enhancing aircraft maintenance operations.

Liebherr-Aerospace has signed agreements with two new airlines, expanding its existing cooperation with airBaltic, a Latvian carrier, and Swiss International Airlines, based in Zurich and Geneva. airBaltic offers numerous destinations throughout Europe, Scandinavia, Russia and the Middle East with a modern fleet of Airbus A220 aircraft. Swiss International Airlines connects Switzerland to Europe and to the rest of the world, operating a combination of Airbus A220, A320, A321, and other long-range aircraft.

Both airlines will benefit from Liebherr-Aerospace’s set of predictive maintenance algorithms and other trend monitoring applications, combined with advanced technical support, bringing added value to the maintenance of their full-scope of Liebherr products: bleed, air management, landing gear, and flight control system components.

Working with airBaltic and SWISS is also a great opportunity for Liebherr-Aerospace to obtain feedback regarding market demands and expectations when it comes to health management. “By adopting our Analytics Solutions, the airlines will optimize their maintenance operations, benefitting fully from our OEM product know-how and MRO data”, points out Joël Cadaux, Director Business & Services – Customer Services at Liebherr-Aerospace & Transportation SAS.

Rusada, the global aviation software provider, has released its latest mobile application for its Airworthiness, MRO, and Flight Operations solution ENVISION.

ENVISION Stock allows warehouse and stores personnel to perform multiple common inventory tasks on the go. Users can receive, relocate, and issue stock as well as to conduct inventory counts, and ship assets, all from a tablet or phone.

This removes the need for paper printouts and handwritten notes as all necessary information is available within the app. It is also capable of scanning barcodes on parts or orders using the device’s camera, thereby speeding up data entry and eliminating user errors.

This is the second mobile application released by Rusada this year after their maintenance execution app, ENVISION Tasks,launched in May.

ENVISION Stock is available on iOS and Android devices and is fully approved by both Apple and Google.

Julian Stourton, CEO at Rusada said: “A key focus for us over the last 18 months has been the digitization of processes that are still being carried out via paper. So much time is wasted, and effort duplicated when users are required to perform an activity, record it on paper, go back to a desk and then update a system. ENVISION Stock does away with all this, providing users instant access to information wherever they are.

“I would like to congratulate our development teams on the launch of another excellent application and am looking forward to seeing it in use in the real world with our growing customer base.”

Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance Components China and AvtechTyee signed an industrial  cooperation agreement, which entitled the AFI KLM E&M subsidiary based Shanghai to be an  authorised repair shop in China.

Under this agreement, AFI KLM E&M Components China is now the repair station of AvtechTyee in China mainland to support the OEM aftermarket services on their products.

With this agreement, AFI KLM E&M Components China becomes a fully authorised provider for the Chinese Operators on the AvtechTyee Products. In addition to the test, repair and overhaul services, AFI KLM E&M Components China offers best in class local MRO Solutions from avionics modification to OEM Warranty management.

“AvtechTyee is always looking for ways to offer fast and reliable MRO support to our airlines customers in China mainland, while maintaining our high OEM quality standards. We see AFI KLM E&M Components China as a mature and dedicated partner that can help us achieve that goal.” Kevin Hanson, VP, Sales & Marketing of AvtechTyee.

The continuous ambition of AFI KLM E&M is to support the airlines in all their operational expectations and as close as possible to where they operate. This cooperation will allow both parties to explore future market needs. “This agreement reflects our deep understanding of the market needs as a subsidiary of the airline-MRO. It reflects the high service level provided by AFI KLM E&M Components China’s.

US-Bangla Airlines, the Dhaka, Bangladesh-based carrier, has appointed global aviation services group ACC Aviation as remarketing agent to dispose of three de Havilland Dash 8-Q400 turboprops.  The aircraft (MSN 4034, 4044 and MSN 4058) all built in the early 2000s, will be disposed of, along with an extensive list of DHC8-Q400 spares and components as a packaged transaction.

Leveraging its extensive relationships, ACC Aviation will guide US-Bangla Airlines throughout the entire remarketing and disposal of the assets process and seek out potential buyers for the aircraft, while ensuring that every aspect of the transaction is fair and within industry standards.

“ACC Aviation is pleased to have the opportunity to remarket US-Bangla Airlines‘ Dash 8-Q400s,” said Robert Sitta, Vice President Asset Management at ACC Aviation.

US-Bangla Airlines has an extensive scheduled passenger network, operating a mainstay fleet of ATR72-600’s and B737-800’s.

ACC Aviation is a steadfast partner that industry colleagues and clients have come to rely upon. Its global team in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and North America offer professional, impartial advice and expertise across a comprehensive range of aviation services.

Vallair, the mature aircraft asset specialist dedicated to the support of both operators and lessors, and launch customer of the A321 freighter conversion (A321F), has delivered its third Airbus A321 freighter, bearing serial number 1017. This aircraft follows two Airbus A321Fs already delivered by Vallair that are presently in operation: MSN835 delivered in October 2020 and MSN 891 delivered in June 2021.

As the first ever Airbus A321 cargo conversion aircraft to have been inducted in China, MSN 1017 is now registered in Europe and has been delivered to SmartLynx Malta who will operate the aircraft on behalf of DHL.

Vallair has been engaged in cargo conversions for more than ten years and this delivery further strengthens its pioneering vision established at the start of the Airbus A321F conversion programme. Data and feedback from existing operators confirm the A321 freighter variant is better for the environment due to its circa 15% reduction in fuel burn versus its most direct competitor, as well as offering exceptional range, payload, and additional cost benefits compared to other narrowbody competitors.

Following conversion, maintenance and painting activities have been carried out at Vallair’s specialist MRO facility located in Montpellier, France.

“As the first cargo conversion to take place in China, the delivery of MSN1017 to a European operator is another significant milestone for Vallair,” comments Patrick Leopold, Head of Trading & Leasing at Vallair. “Fuel efficiency, reduction of CO2 emissions, availability of feedstock and an aircraft type that is still in production are all key drivers of this programme. Month on month we see the ever-augmenting demands of e-commerce and e-freight and the A321F is the ideal candidate in terms of payload and capacity – the ability to offer containerised cargo on the main and lower deck, thus reducing turn-around-times is also an advantage. It is, however, important to also remember that in addition to the vital role it continues to play in supporting the global economy, the air cargo market is now becoming increasingly important in powering global COVID vaccine distribution and feeding of the post-COVID global supply chain needs.”

“Last, but not least, today MSN1017 becomes the third Airbus A321 converted into freighter and delivered to its operator by Vallair, all within less than a year,” continues Leopold. “This further demonstrates our capability to successfully run such a programme involving several stakeholders from all over the world. This has been made possible thanks to the dedication and efficiency of our engineering and project management teams who are also able to rely on our own industrial capabilities”