General News

The Nigerian-based airline Air Peace has taken delivery of two Airbus A320 aircraft, bringing the carrier’s Airbus fleet to four A320 aircraft.

The flag carrier diversified its narrow and widebody fleet in November 2021, adding its first two Airbus A320-200 aircraft through a six-month damp-lease agreement with EU-based ACMI charter and cargo operator SmartLynx Airlines. The aircraft operate on the airline’s domestic and regional routes.

The two new A320 aircraft, delivered on 18 January 18, will join Air Peace’s flight schedule and are intended to further support the airline’s domestic and regional operations.

Air Peace is the largest airline in Nigeria and West Africa. The operator has a fleet of around 30 aircraft, comprising Boeing 737 and 777 aircraft along with Dornier Do-328s, Embraer ERJ-145s, and Embraer E2s.

Heston MRO, the largest independent MRO organisation in Australasia, signed a Purchase Agreement for the acquisition of Cairns MRO facility from Jet Aviation.

Upon completion, the new acquisition will expand Heston MRO capabilities into full Heavy Maintenance for regional aircraft, as well as state-of-the-art Avionics Repairs shops for a wider range of aircraft types.

Established more than 20 years ago and expanded significantly in 2018, Cairns MRO centre has been initially operating under Hawker Pacific, and recently under Jet Aviation brands.

It is one of the most modern, well invested, and up-to-date Heavy Maintenance and Avionics Repairs facilities in Australia. Staffed with circa 150 experienced employees and contractors, housed in 5400 square metres of recently expanded and upgraded hangars and offices, Cairns MRO is the largest MRO centre in Far North Queensland, attracting customers from Australia, Pacific Islands, and Southeast Asia.

‘We are excited to add Cairns facility to the Heston MRO family’, says Jonas Butautis, Director and Partner at Heston MRO. ‘Over the last couple of years, our company has been looking for the best options on how to expand into Heavy Maintenance and Components Repairs in Australia. Having done the analysis on Cairns facility, its professional and experienced staff, range of capabilities, and growth potential, we decided that it fits well into the overall Heston MRO vision of becoming a Total Care partner for airlines in the Australasian region. Once the transaction is complete, Heston MRO will be offering Line, Base, Components, Engines MRO capabilities, as well as Technical Training and other services. With selected services, we will be able to cover the full suite of aircraft types, from smaller regionals like ATR and Dash 8 Q400, narrow bodies like B737 and A320s, to large widebodies like B777, B787, A350, and A380s.’

The transaction, which is subject to standard pre-closing procedures, is estimated to complete by the end of Q1 2022. Once completed, Cairns facility will operate under Heston MRO brand and continue delivering high-quality MRO services to existing and new customers in Australasia.

Many employees of WestJet Airlines are infected with the Omicron variant, leading the Canadian carrier to cut 15% of its scheduled flights through to the end of January.

“We are running roughly 450 flights a day, so if you look at the percentages that works out to be about 60 or 70 flights that you might see that would be cancelled per day and then consolidated on to other flights,” said WestJet VP of communications Richard Bartrem.

Bartrem added that WestJet is currently rejigging flights and contacting passengers.

“For example, where we may have four or five flights to a particular destination over the course of the day, we might consolidate that into two or three and then take the people who are flying on those other flights that have now been cancelled and moving them on to the flights that will continue to operate.”

He said passengers will have the option of taking another flight or receiving a full refund.

Bamboo Airways will resume its international flights in January. Shortly after, it will add regular flights to Frankfurt and Munich.

The Vietnamese carrier plans to start with a weekly flight between Hanoi and Tokyo-Narita, Taipei and Seoul. At the same time, the Ho Chi Minh City to Tokyo-Narita and Hanoi / Ho Chi Minh City to Osaka routes are to be served. A little later, there will also be seven weekly flights from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Hong Kong and twice a week from Ho Chi Minh City to Melbourne.

The airline has also announced that it will finally carry out its European plans. It wants to begin with flights to London Heathrow as soon as possible. However, there are still no permits for this.

From January 16, the airline will also be heading to Frankfurt and Munich. Two weekly flights are planned between the two largest Vietnamese cities and Germany.

The airline is also still waiting to get the green light from Washington for flights to the USA.

Mid-Canada Mod Center (MC2) has completed a flight deck upgrade on another of Thunder Bay, Canada-based North Star Air’s ATR 72 aircraft. These essential modifications enable Canadian Northern Domestic Airspace operations while strengthening the carrier’s market position and customer satisfaction. 

“Airlines like North Star Air operate in extremely challenging conditions and must meet additional requirements to fly in Canada’s remote, northern and polar regions,” said Bill Arsenault, president of Mid-Canada Mod Center. “With ADS, our engineering and design partner, we have developed unique skills and expertise to solve avionics problems permitting these airlines to fly these routes. We are pleased to contribute to North Star Air’s continued growth and expansion through vital flight deck upgrades to this newly reconfigured cargo ATR 72.”

With Universal Avionics’ UNS-1Lw Flight Management Systems (FMS) installed, North Star Air gains RNAV Localiser Performance with Vertical Guidance (LPV) approach capability, permitting landings at challenging airports. RNAV LPV Level of Service approach procedure development in Canada continues to grow, driven by individual operators’ recognisance of competitive advantage through investment in technology. True north-based course procedures and gravel runways are included in the database. The new FMSs have the ability to do cold temperature altitude correction (TEMP COMP) for all segments of an approach – transition, intermediate, final, and missed. MC2’s Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) fits Multifunction Control Display Units that maintain access to the ATR Centralised Maintenance System. 

Dual Sagem F227 APIRS Attitude and Heading Reference Systems (AHRS) and a Latitude S200 SkyNode Installation were also fitted to MC2 STCs. These high-reliability AHRS systems, coupled with a lower heading drift characteristic, provide a path for operators to obtain approval for flight into Northern Domestic Airspace. SkyNode provides satellite voice and tracking information through the Latitude data network.   

“With our current phase of rapid growth and expansion and building our cargo fleet, we are actively working to increase our operational efficiency,” said Sean Fillion, Director of Maintenance at North Star Air. “These latest upgrades to our ATR 72 are an important part of this effort, and we are pleased with the solution Mid-Canada Mod Center recommended and delivered. We trust MC2’s avionics knowledge, expertise and service excellence.”

Moment has signed an agreement with Air Côte d’Ivoire to provide a premium cabin experience using its Flymingo Box portable entertainment system. Passengers will now benefit from a digital platform designed to meet their onboard needs and offer maximum comfort.

Since its creation in 2012, Air Côte d’Ivoire has been the flag carrier of Ivory Coast, serving the five biggest Ivorian airports and a large number of destinations in West, Central, and South Africa, as well as international ones such as the United States.

Air Côte d’Ivoire plays a major role in the African airline industry. The airline regularly assesses sector-related issues such as fuel consumption, safety, GSM connectivity, and Wi-Fi onboard and is known to adopt innovative technologies in order to create added value and strengthen its position as a competitive player. In line with this strategy, the company wants to develop passenger services by offering a quality entertainment solution on all its flights.

Air Côte d’Ivoire has chosen Moment and its Flymingo Box server, which guarantees smooth access to a wide range of content, including films, music, press, radio, podcasts, digital books, and unparalleled streaming speed. Easily installed in the cabin of an aircraft and requiring no intervention from the crew, the Flymingo Box differentiates itself with its ease of use and adaptability. This powerful W-IFE device allows rapid distribution throughout the cabin of a single-aisle aircraft.

“We are delighted with this partnership with Moment, which allows the deployment of a digital entertainment system dedicated to our passengers,” said Laurent Loukou, CEO of Air Côte d’Ivoire. “We are committed to being a forward-looking airline and Moment supports us in this process. Among all the entertainment possibilities available on the market, Moment’s solution met the best of our expectations. Offering a broad range of content and services, it can evolve according to our needs to become a genuine point of contact on board. We were also thrilled with Moment uptime and the simplicity of its system both in installation and passenger use. A significant differentiating point.”

Dieudonné Kamaté, Sales Director at Moment, said: “We are pleased to make our expertise available to Air Côte d’Ivoire and to collaborate with the company to equip its entire fleet with our Flymingo Box solution. The Flymingo Box’s deployment model and technology are perfectly suited to the strategy of the company and to its aircraft. As an agile solution, it offers passengers a wide variety of content and allows the company to increase onboard satisfaction and loyalty.”