Magellan Aerospace celebrates Royal Canadian Air Forces order 88 F-35 fighter jets

Magellan Aerospace Corporation applauds the Government of Canada's announcement that it has reached a final agreement to acquire 88 F-35 fighter jets for the Royal Canadian Air Force. By selecting the F-35, Canada is continuing a relationship that was established between the original partnering nations for the development of the F-35.

The announcement secures significant benefits to the Canadian aerospace industry. To date, Canadian companies have been awarded high value contracts as part of the F-35 global supply chain amounting to $2.7 billion USD as a result of Canada’s partnership in the F-35 program. The Canadian economy is anticipated to benefit by more than $16.9 billion CAD over the life of the program. The actions taken by the government on the F-35 program will continue to deliver economic and technical advantages to Canada for decades to come.

As an international partner on the program, Canada’s aerospace industry has had many first-of-a-kind opportunities to work directly on F-35 production and provided companies the leverage to adopt some of the most advanced technologies in the world. The formal F-35 selection secures Canadian industry’s investment in the program and is expected to facilitate access to future sustainment opportunities.

Magellan sends congratulations to the Lockheed Martin team. Magellan has provided complex structural assemblies and other components for the global F-35 program since the initial system design and development phase.

Magellan is excited to continue its participation on the F-35 program that includes eight international partners — the U.S., United Kingdom, Italy, Netherlands, Australia, Norway, Denmark, and Canada. Nine Foreign Military Sales customers are also procuring and operating the F-35 ­— Israel, Japan, South Korea, Poland, Belgium, Singapore, Finland, Switzerland, and Germany.

2022 commercial aircraft orders and deliveries from Airbus

Airbus delivered 661* commercial aircraft to 84 customers in 2022 and registered 1,078 gross new orders. Airbus’ end December 2022 backlog stood at 7,239 aircraft.

“In 2022 we served 84 customers with 661 deliveries, an increase of 8 percent compared to 2021. That’s obviously less than we were targeting but given the complexity of the operating environment I want to thank the teams and our partners for the hard work and the ultimate result,” said Guillaume Faury, Airbus Chief Executive Officer. “The significant order intake covering all our aircraft families including freighters reflects the strength and competitiveness of our product line. We continue our ramp-up trajectory to deliver on our backlog.”

Airbus equally won 1,078 new orders (820 net) across all programmes and market segments, including several high-profile commitments from some of the world’s leading carriers. In aircraft units, Airbus recorded a net book-to-bill ratio significantly above one. 

Per programme, the A220 won 127 firm gross new orders. The A320neo Family won 888 gross new orders. In the widebody segment, Airbus won 63 gross new orders including 19 A330s and 44 A350s of which 24 were for the newly launched A350F.

The 2022 full year financial results will be disclosed on 16 February 2023.

In 2022, deliveries included:

 

	2022	2021
A220 Family	53	50
A320 Family	516	483
A330 Family	32	18
A350 Family	60*	55
A380	-	5
Total	661*	611

* After a reduction of two aircraft (2 A350-900 AEROFLOT) previously recorded as sold in December 2021 for which a transfer was not possible due to international sanctions against Russia.

China Eastern Airlines planning an average of over 2,900 daily flights during spring festival travel rush

Thanks to the resumption and adjustment of international flights and the upcoming Spring Festival, people's travel demand will be further released in early 2023, as they will go sightseeing, visit relatives and friends, or return home for a family reunion during the festival.

China Eastern Airlines (China Eastern) plans to allocate 753 aircraft between Jan. 7 and Feb. 25, with average planned daily flights of over 2,900, and arrange over 6,000 additional flights to meet passengers' air travel demand.

In January, China Eastern's weekly international passenger routes are scheduled to increase to 48, with 184 flights. Among them, three flights per week from Shanghai to Budapest, Auckland and Sydney respectively are scheduled, and more flights from Shanghai to Bangkok, Kunming to Phnom Penh and Hu Chi Minh, Hangzhou to Manila, Qingdao to Dubai and Wenzhou to Rome are planned. China Eastern will also add new flights from Shanghai to Melbourne, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Male and other destinations starting Jan. 23.

As for the Chinese mainland, China Eastern plans to add new flights mainly for passengers returning home, flights to popular tourist destinations including skill resorts and Hainan Province, and flights in Yunnan Province.

ALC's latest performance

                          Air Lease Corporation has announced an update on aircraft investments, sales, and significant financing activities occurring in the fourth quarter of 2022.

As of December 31, 2022, ALC’s fleet was comprised of 417 owned aircraft and 85 managed aircraft, with 398 new aircraft on order from Boeing and Airbus set to deliver through 2028.  

Aircraft Investments

Delivered 16 new aircraft from ALC’s order book including two Airbus A220-300s, five A321neos, two Airbus A330-900neos, three Boeing 737-8s, three Boeing 737-9s, and one Boeing 787-9. 

Aircraft investments in the quarter totaled approximately $1 billion.

Recovered one Boeing 737-8 aircraft previously detained in Russia.

Sales 

Sold five aircraft to third-party buyers.

Financing

Issued $700 million of 5.85% senior unsecured medium-term notes due 2027.

Closed a $400 million unsecured term loan facility with final maturity in 2027.

Air Lease Corporation is a leading global aircraft leasing company based in Los Angeles, California that has airline customers throughout the world. ALC and its team of dedicated and experienced professionals are principally engaged in purchasing new commercial aircraft and leasing them to its airline customers worldwide through customized aircraft leasing and financing solutions.

MCR Acquires the Courtyard Dallas Grand Prairie

MCR – the 4th-largest hotel owner-operator in the U.S. – has acquired the Courtyard Dallas Grand Prairie, a four-story, select service hotel with 120 rooms in Grand Prairie, Texas. The hotel was purchased with acquisition financing from American Momentum Bank in place, at a rate of SOFR plus 260 basis points and a 65% loan to value.

Opened in 2021, the hotel is located 20 minutes south of the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport – the second busiest airport in the U.S. serving the country’s fastest-growing metropolitan area. The Dallas Fort Worth MSA is now home to almost eight million residents, representing an increase of 22 percent over the past decade. And it’s a market the MCR team knows well: this hotel is the company’s eighth hotel in Dallas and its 39th hotel in Texas.

Grand Prairie's attractions draw in almost 10 million visitors per year. The hotel is a short, 10-minute drive from the Arlington Entertainment District, where you’ll find something for everyone. Sports fans can catch a Dallas Cowboys game at AT&T Stadium or see the Texas Rangers play at the new Globe Life Field. Families can enjoy the day at two major theme parks, riding the roller coasters at Six Flags over Texas or cooling off at the massive water park that is Hurricane Harbor Arlington. Texas Live! is the place for a night out, with its numerous dining and entertainment options, or take in a live show at Arlington Backyard, Arlington’s premier outdoor concert and festival destination.

A sustainable city for 50,000 people - Floating City

Architecture firm Luca Curci Architects, in collaboration with Tim Fu Design, presents Floating City, a project proposal for a sustainable floating city for 50.000 people. The project has been conceived by an international team of architects and designers with the support of Artificial Intelligence. 

The project combines sustainability with population density and it aims to build up a zero-energy city with 100% green transport systems. The sustainable city allows its residents to get into a healthier lifestyle, in connection with natural elements, re-thinking the traditional concept of community and society.

Several renewable energy resources, such as wind, water turbines, and solar panels are also incorporated. Energy storage solutions. Water desalination. Food production and farming are integrated and follow a zero-waste policy.

"Floating City is designed to support the global response to the threat of climate change", said Arch. Luca Curci and Tim Fu

Sea levels and Climate Change

Half of humanity (4 billion people) lives in cities today and 5 billion people are projected to live in cities by 2030. The world’s cities occupy just 3 percent of the Earth’s land but account for 60-80 percent of energy consumption and 75 percent of carbon emissions.

Climate change is now affecting every country on every continent. It is disrupting national economies, communities, and countries dearly today and even more tomorrow. Weather patterns are changing, sea levels are rising, weather events are becoming more extreme and greenhouse gas emissions are now at their highest levels in history.

By 2100, scientists project that the sea level will rise at least another foot (0.3 meters), but possibly as high as 8 feet (2.4 meters), if we continue carbon emissions at our current rate (NASA - The Effects of Climate Change). 

Floating City is a project proposal for sustainable and resilient cities. Designed to adapt to the shifting needs of several coastal cities, particularly vulnerable to sea level rise due to their low elevation, like New York, Miami, New Orleans, Jakarta, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Tokyo, the project has the potential to expand and accommodate more than 200,000 people. 

Hilton unveils new brand promising reliable essentials and friendly service at value rates.... Say hello to Spark by Hilton

Hilton’s portfolio extends into the premium economy category with more than 100 deals already in various stages of development.....

Hilton today announced the launch of Spark by Hilton, the newest addition to its portfolio of world-class brands. Following extensive research, the introduction of Spark by Hilton fills an open space in the industry by creating a new premium economy lodging option to meet the needs of even more guests and owners seeking value, quality and consistency.  

Spark by Hilton provides a simple, reliable and comfortable stay for every guest, ​​all at an accessible price. For developers, Spark by Hilton leverages an innovative conversion model to offer a compelling investment option for owners. 

Spark by Hilton builds on Hilton’s continued work evaluating the market to develop new brands to meet the evolving needs of guests and owners and provide a hotel for every traveller for every stay. Over the last 15 years, Hilton has more than doubled its brand portfolio and number of rooms around the world organically, creating a diverse, yet complementary range of brands across categories.

Serving guests looking to maximize the value of their travel experience, Spark by Hilton will deliver reliable, friendly essentials with unexpected touches. Signature elements of Spark by Hilton will include: ​​​​ 

Thoughtful Simplicity: Spark by Hilton will offer simple, inspired design with splashes of color and cheer that bring the outdoors in. Each hotel will provide a welcoming sense of arrival with colorful exterior statement walls and energizing artwork. The public space will feature multi-functional seating from communal tables to rocking chairs, offering plenty of options for guests to enjoy breakfast, socialize or work throughout the day. Guest rooms will be comfortable and relaxing so travelers can unwind and recharge for whatever comes next. Focusing on practical amenities, the simple, streamlined furniture will include an open closet, in-room refrigerator, multi-purpose work surface and bright bathroom. 

Reliable Service: As part of the Hilton family of brands, ​guests will feel welcome and confident in their stay from the moment they walk through the door. Warm and inviting hotel team members with attention to detail will provide happy and helpful service. And, guests will be empowered with the tools needed to make the most of their stay, such as 24-hour digital check-in and Digital Key.  ​  

Unexpected Touches: Spark by Hilton will help add value to the guest experience by offering a simple, complimentary breakfast, featuring premium coffee, juice and a signature bagel bar with spreads, so guests can fuel up before hitting the road. The brand will also offer a 24-hour retail market for on-the-go travelers.  

Consistent Quality: To ensure the goal of a consistent, quality guest experience, each hotel will be required to complete a full renovation, encompassing all guest-facing areas of the hotel, prior to joining Spark by Hilton and the Hilton family. 

“In looking at the economy category, we saw a segment that has grown dramatically but lacks consistency, providing us an opportunity to deliver on the needs of this underserved segment of travellers,” said Matt Schuyler, chief brand officer, Hilton. “True to its name, Spark by Hilton signifies the start of something great – a moment of ignition as we add energy and momentum into the category and deliver the most reliable and friendly stays. This breakthrough premium economy brand will deliver the essentials done exceptionally well for every guest, every time along with friendly service – ensuring all travellers can enjoy a great hotel experience where they feel truly cared for.” 

Hilton is creating greater value for owners and operators with the launch of Spark by Hilton. This cost-effective conversion brand provides a unique opportunity for existing properties by reimagining the economy segment and focusing on areas that drive the guest experience while also providing a consistent look and feel across each hotel. 

Owners also will benefit from Hilton’s powerful network effect, resilient business model, and high-performing commercial engines, including supply chain management, a cost-effective pricing model and automated customer offerings such as digital check-in and Digital Key. 

“Spark by Hilton was developed in close collaboration with our developer community, and we are thrilled by the positive feedback and excitement we have received to date,” said Alissa Klees, brand leader, Spark by Hilton. “In fact, we already have more than 100 deals in various stages of development across the U.S., with the first properties anticipated to open this year.”  

U.S flights resume.....

There are still delays to flights in the U.S. after a problem with the Notice to Air Missions System, which warns pilots of hazards caused more than a thousand cancellations and nearly seven thousand delays. 

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that normal air traffic operations were slowly resuming after being halted because of the computer issue. According to the FAA, the Notice to Air Missions System provides real-time safety information  "about closed runways, equipment outages, and other potential hazards along a flight route or at a location that could affect the flight."

The issue was so serious that the U.S. President had to be informed and despite assurances that there was no evidence the outage was part of a cyberattack at this stage, it was still being investigated by authorities.  

Cathay Pacific welcomes quarantine-free travel and will more than double its flights to the Chinese Mainland

Cathay Pacific will operate 61 return flights per week between Hong Kong and 13 Mainland cities

Cathay Pacific welcomes the Hong Kong SAR Government’s latest measures to facilitate quarantine-free travel between Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland, as well as the lifting of transit restrictions, effective 8 January 2023.

In light of the announcement, Cathay Pacific will more than double its flights into the Chinese Mainland, operating 61 return flights per week between Hong Kong and 13 Mainland cities from 14 January 2023. This compares to the 27 flights per week from Hong Kong to the Mainland, and 50 flights per week from the Mainland to Hong Kong that the airline is currently operating.

Cathay Pacific is working actively to resume and add more flights progressively between Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland in the coming weeks, with the aim of operating over 100 return flights per week by March 2023.

Ryanair expands flights from Exeter Airport

Ryanair, Europe’s No1 airline, is expanding its schedule from Exeter Airport with the launch of new flights to Portugal.  The twice weekly flights to Faro, capital of southern Portugal’s stunning Algarve region, start from 4th June next year and run throughout the summer to late October.

The new service adds to Ryanair’s year-round flights to Alicante and Malaga in Spain from Exeter Airport. The last time flights operated from Exeter to Faro was in 2019, with Flybe. 

Stephen Wiltshire, managing director of Exeter Airport, said: “This is great news for passengers and adds another great destination to Exeter Airport’s schedule for next summer. Faro has always been a popular route and I’m sure passengers will be delighted to see its return.” 

Dara Brady, Director of Digital & Marketing, Ryanair said: “We are pleased to announce this new from Exeter to Faro for Summer ’23, giving our Exeter customers greater choice when planning their upcoming summer holidays to the beaches of the Algarve.”

Exeter Airport is currently offering winter sunshine breaks with year-round flights to Alicante, Lanzarote, Malaga and Tenerife, and flights to Gran Canaria until mid-April. Weekly ski flights to Chambery run until 18th March, and the airport has year-round flights to Belfast, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Guernsey and Jersey.

One and a half million passengers travelled with SAS during December

In December almost one and a half million passengers flew with SAS, an increase of 50% compared to the same month last year. SAS’ capacity increased by 13% versus the same period last year. In comparison with last month, the total number of passengers decreased with 12% and capacity was decreased by 7%. The flown load factor for December was 72%, an improvement of 15 percentage points compared to December last year.

“Continuing the positive trend observed during autumn, December traffic came in 1.5 million passengers, an almost 50% increase compared to December 2021. We are concentrating on ramping up ahead of the expected busy summer season. During the month we released our extended summer program, with 20 new routes and more than 5000 weekly flights to more than 100 destinations," says Anko van der Werff, President & CEO of SAS.

Hawaiian Airlines Creates $100,000 Scholarship Fund for Hawai‘i Residents Attending Arizona State University’s IT Program

Hawaiian Airlines is encouraging Hawai‘i students to pursue careers in information technology with the establishment of a $100,000 scholarship fund in partnership with Arizona State University’s W. P. Carey School of Business. The Hawaiian Airlines New Horizons Scholarship will provide $10,000 awards each year for up to two undergraduate students enrolling in the school’s Information Systems program, starting in the fall 2023 semester.

“Information technology touches every aspect of Hawaiian Airlines. We will continue to grow our technology team with a focus on improving our operations and the guest experience,” said John Jacobi, senior vice president and chief information officer at Hawaiian Airlines. “We are delighted to partner with Arizona State’s exceptional IT program and offer Hawai‘i students a unique opportunity to succeed in this exciting field. Of course, we also hope graduates will consider building a career right here at home with our airline.”

Hawaiian – which has provided nonstop flights between Phoenix and Honolulu for two decades and, in 2020, opened a Technology Center in Tempe – has developed a strong relationship with Arizona State University and area colleges to support the school-to-career pipeline, including via a summer internship program.

Lithuanian Airports’ 2022 Aviation Traffic Result

Lithuanian Airports’ 2022 Aviation Traffic Results: growth was recorded in all areas; the impact of the pandemic has ended.

Despite a slow start, 2022 was a year of extremely high activity at Lithuanian airports, with 5.35 million passengers handled, twice as many as in 2021, with nearly 2.47 million passengers handled. 

The airports also operated almost 51,000 flights, which is almost 48% more than the previous year. The aviation sector is said to have not only recovered last year but also entered a growth phase.

According to the representatives of Lithuanian Airports, in 2022 all three airports have managed to restore more than 80% of the pre-pandemic passenger numbers (in 2019), and Kaunas Airport has already reached the 2019 level, with the total number of regular flight routes even surpassing 2019.

Slow start and rapid growth

“The first quarter of 2022 was not the most desirable quarter for travellers, as the pandemic meant that there were a lot of additional checks and restrictions in place at the time, which had a negative impact on airports and the overall aviation market. However, from the second quarter onwards, activity picked up sharply and by the end of the year, Lithuanian Airports recorded a very strong recovery and, in some categories, even higher than before the pandemic. We have clearly seen that the growth potential and willingness to travel was not diminished by the challenges of the pandemic, and in many cases on the contrary - we have even seen an increased willingness to travel, which continues to this day,” said Tomas Zitikis, Head of Route Development of Lithuanian Airports, in his review of the past year.

 

According to him, in 2022, Palanga Airport was the most active airport in terms of flights and passenger numbers - passenger traffic grew more than three times compared to the previous year, and 65% more flights were handled in the airport. It is worth mentioning that in 2021, Palanga Airport did not operate flights for more than a month due to airfield reconstruction works.

 

According to the expert, Kaunas Airport was the most surprising last year. In April, it not only caught up with 2019 results, but also exceeded them, and this growth continued until the end of the year. Last year, Kaunas Airport handled as many as 1.16 million passengers, which is essentially the same total annual result as recorded in 2019 (99.8% of the pre-pandemic passenger traffic).

Destination growth surpassing 2019

Looking at the past year, it is important to mention the overall increase in the number of destinations. Last year, it surpassed the record year of 2019 and reached 98 destinations.

“We are constantly negotiating with our partners to offer passengers new and attractive destinations from Lithuanian airports. Last year, we were able to offer almost 100 direct destinations, compared to 92 destinations in 2019. This growth is the result of our consistent and ambitious work.” - says T. Zitikis. 

Avolon's last quarter and full year update...

Executed 237 lease transactions during 2022;

Delivered, transitioned and sold a total of 107 aircraft;

Agreed a landmark transaction with Malaysia Airlines for the financing of 20 A330-900neo aircraft valued at over $2 billion;

Raised $2.2 billion of new financing and increased total revolving debt capacity to over

$6.0 billion;

Received inaugural ESG Rating of 16.0 (‘Low Risk’) from Sustainalytics; and

Partnered with global aviation leaders on a Sustainable Aviation Fuel feasibility study.

Avalon, the international aircraft leasing company, issues an update for the fourth quarter (‘Q4’) and 2022 full year (‘FY’).

 

Andy Cronin, CEO Avolon, commented:  “2022 was a successful year for Avolon as borders reopened around the globe and our customers returned to the skies, capitalising on the pent-up demand for travel. This appetite for travel was reflected in the increased utilisation of our fleet compared to 2021, with demand for both our new and used aircraft support- ing our strong leasing and trading activity.

 

As we enter 2023, the outlook for the business is positive; we have an industry leading platform, an orderbook of new technology aircraft, a global footprint and a robust balance sheet. We are well positioned to continue to support our customers and capitalise on the improving market backdrop.”

 

Q4 BUSINESS HIGHLIGHTS

 

-     Executed a total of 75 lease transactions in the quarter comprising new aircraft leases, follow-on leases and lease extensions;

-     Delivered a total of 25 new aircraft to 7 customers and transitioned 8 aircraft to follow-on lessees;

-     Sold 18 aircraft; and

-     Announced a partnership with Boeing, ORIX Aviation, SFS Ireland and SkyNRG, to conduct a feasibility study into the production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

 

2022 FULL YEAR HIGHLIGHTS

 

-     Executed a total of 237 lease transactions comprising new aircraft leases, follow-on leases and lease extensions;

-     Delivered a total of 35 new aircraft and transitioned 35 aircraft to a total of 27 customers;

-     Sold 36 aircraft in 2022;

-     Owned and managed fleet of 576 aircraft at year end, with total orders and commitments for 258 fuel-efficient, new technology aircraft;

-     Added 10 new customers during 2022, for a total of 146 airline customers operating in 63 countries;

-     Raised $2.2 billion of new debt, including Avolon’s inaugural JOLCO financing;

-     Upsized unsecured revolving facility to $4.6 billion, bringing total revolving debt capacity to over $6.0 billion at year end;

-     Fully placed our order for 500 Vertical Aerospace eVTOLs and delivered our first A330 to IAI for conversion to dedicated freighter; and

-     Received inaugural ESG Rating from Sustainalytics with a score of 16.0 placing Avolon in the ‘Low Risk’ category and the top 5% of our industry grouping.

Airbus and VDL Group join forces to produce an airborne laser communication terminal

Airbus and VDL Group have signed a partnership agreement for the development and manufacturing of a laser communication terminal for aircraft, known as UltraAir. Based on the development led by Airbus and the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), the two companies will now prepare a demonstration of a prototype and a first flight test in 2024.

As of 2024, Airbus and VDL Group – a Dutch high-tech industrial supplier – will further industrialise the prototype in order to make it ready for integration with a hosting aircraft. VDL brings design for production to the partnership and will manufacture critical systems. A flight test of this industrialised prototype is planned in 2025 on an aircraft.

UltraAir will enable the exchange of large amounts of data using laser beams in a network of ground stations and satellites in geostationary orbit at 36,000 km above the Earth. With unparalleled technology including a highly stable and precise optical mechatronic system, this laser terminal will pave the way for data transmission rates that could reach several gigabits-per-second while providing anti-jamming and low probability of interception.