Emirates doubles services to Brisbane

Emirates is continuing its restoration of operations in Australia with the introduction of an additional daily service to Brisbane. This comes as the airline proudly celebrates 20 years of serving Brisbane, one of Emirates’ four Australian gateways in its global network.

Starting 1 June 2023, Emirates will operate the second daily flight to and from Brisbane with a Boeing 777-300ER. Emirates flight EK 430 takes off from Dubai at 0230hrs, arriving in Brisbane at 2220hrs. The return flight, EK 431, departs Brisbane at 0250hrs, arriving in Dubai at 1100hrs local time. The airline currently serves Brisbane with a daily A380 flight.

The additional service means Emirates will be back to operating at pre-pandemic levels to Brisbane. The expansion will boost capacity through Brisbane by more than a quarter of a million seats per year both ways.

Barry Brown, Divisional Vice President Australasia at Emirates, said: “Our second daily service to Brisbane begins as we proudly celebrate 20 years of flying to the sunshine state. Not only will this service cater to the demand of Australians looking to travel overseas, but also welcome more travellers and tourists from Dubai and across our global network to enjoy Queensland, Australia’s tourism mecca.

“The additional service combined with our daily A380 to Brisbane means Emirates will offer almost 12,000 seats to and from Brisbane every week. This is another important milestone in the resumption of our Australian capacity and reaffirms our longstanding commitment to flying down under. We look forward to welcoming more Australians on board to enjoy the Emirates experience.”

“This is a huge vote of confidence in the Brisbane and Queensland market. It effectively doubles overnight the Emirates capacity between the two cities, delivering more seats for major Middle East and European markets. In terms of rebuilding what was lost by covid, this is a significant brick in the wall,” according to Gert-Jan de Graaff, CEO of Brisbane Airport Corporation. 

Passenger numbers up at London Stansted during December....

London Stansted ended 2022 with a continued strong passenger performance as the airport welcomed more than 1.85 million passengers in December.

The monthly total is more than double the number of passengers served in December last year and represents 93% of passengers that used Stansted in the same month in 2019, before the pandemic.

The total number of passengers that passed through the airport in 2022 reached 23.3million, up 226% on 2021.

The strong performance continues to be underpinned by the airport’s extensive European route network, which once again prove extremely popular with passengers, especially with those flying off to visit family and friends over the festive season.

Operational performance in December was also strong, with 99% of passengers passing through security in 15 minutes or less.

The airport received a further boost with news that Emirates is ramping up its London Stansted operation by resuming its second daily service to Dubai from May 1, 2023, which is expected to enable more trade and economic growth in the East of England and London.

Gareth Powell, London Stansted’s Managing Director, said:   “To round the year off with another strong passenger performance in December is a great achievement, and a testament to the strength of Stansted’s route network.

This was the first festive season for three years without travel restrictions, so we were delighted to welcome so many passengers, and I’m equally pleased we were able to provide a strong operational and security performance during such a busy period. This success was down to the hard work and dedication of all our colleagues, and close cooperation and planning with our many partners right across the airport campus.

Stansted’s rapid recovery during 2022 was great news for everyone connected with the airport, but my focus is now on maintaining and building upon that success as well look ahead to what we expect to be an even busier 12 months ahead of us.”

Croatia Airlines to get six new Airbus A220 aircraft on lease

Today Air Lease Corporation announced long-term lease placements for six new Airbus A220 aircraft with Croatia Airlines, including four A220-300s and two A220-100s.  The aircraft are scheduled to deliver to Croatia Airlines beginning in 2024 through 2025 from ALC’s order book with Airbus. 

“We are pleased to announce this lease placement for six new Airbus A220 aircraft with Croatia Airlines,” said Steven F. Udvar-Házy, Executive Chairman of Air Lease Corporation.  “ALC looks forward to a successful long-term relationship with Croatia Airlines as the airline modernizes and expands its fleet with the newest and most fuel-efficient jets.”

Christian Scherer, Airbus' Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International, said: "We are thrilled to add Croatia Airlines as a new A220 customer. The A220 is ideally suited to Croatia's aviation needs, providing operational flexibility and efficiency allowing its airline to pursue its ambition for both regional and international connectivity without compromising on any aspect, be it passenger comfort or trip and seat cost economics."

It is worth recalling that Croatia Airlines replacing its entire fleet represents a long-term process of transition of the company’s business operations as a whole. This implies that all the employees of Croatia’s flag carrier are facing a period in which all business processes will have to be adapted to the new aircraft. This will further optimise the company’s operations and improve passenger cabin occupancy, and cabin crew utilisation. This will concurrently make Croatia Airlines an even more environmentally friendly airline, and will significantly reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, which is today, given the latest developments in the oil and oil derivatives market, the largest share in the expenses of airline companies.

Air lease Corp says Air India is set to order around 500 aircraft....

Steven Udvar-Hazy, executive chairman of AirLease Corporation has said that Air India is set to order around 500 planes as an airline industry recovery takes hold following the coronavirus pandemic. 

"As a result of this recovery, there is now more momentum for large orders from airlines who have sort of sat back and watched the movie, and now they're seeing there's going to be a positive trend,"   Udvar-Hazy told the Airline Economics conference.

"We have this 500-aircraft order coming out of India, which is going to be about 400 narrow-body aircraft, probably a mix of Airbus A320neos, A321neos and Boeing 737 MAXs, and 100 wide-bodies which will include Boeing 787s, 777X, potentially some 777 freighters and Airbus A350s."

"We do expect a number of airlines will place large orders and again most of these orders will be for replacement," Udvar-Hazy said.

The aviation sector is set to thrive in 2023 with global traffic to reach pre-pandemic levels by June

The aviation sector is set to thrive in 2023 with global traffic to reach pre-pandemic levels by June, according to a paper published today by international aircraft leasing company Avolon.

After a 70% recovery in passenger traffic last year led by recovery in Europe and North America, Asia will drive growth in 2023, helped by the recent reopening in China. For every two seats of airline capacity added in the world today one is in Asia.

The traffic recovery brought the sector back to the brink of profitability in 2022, after combined sector losses of $180bn in 2020 and 2021. A profit of c.$4.7bn is forecast for 2023 as recovery continues.

Avolon’s 2023 Outlook: Climb to Cruise paper, available here reviews trends in the sector for airlines, manufacturers, and lessors. Key findings include:

• Airlines: Airlines’ financial recovery is ahead of their capacity recovery: while air traffic is still 25% below 2019 levels, revenues are just 13% lower as airlines flex their pricing power and raise fares. Demand for travel is no longer the constraint to recovery, but airlines’ capacity to put planes in the air.
• Manufacturers: Delivery delays have become endemic and an aircraft shortage is emerging given the lost production of 2,400 planes that had been planned but were not built due to the pandemic. As traffic flows rebound, the absence of new aircraft is increasing supply tension, supporting long-term residual values.
• Lessors: Airlines have shrunk their owned fleets by 3% since 2019, whereas lessors have grown theirs by 17% and now manage 53% of the global passenger fleet by value. Aviation markets are adjusting to higher interest rates, and lease rates are increasing, creating opportunities for well capitalized investment grade lessors.
• Sustainability: Aviation needs to make greater progress addressing concerns about its long-term environmental impact. Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production tripled in 2022 but still represents only 1% of the amount hoped to be produced in 2030. Lifting SAF production to 10% of jet fuels will require $250 billion in investment and collaboration between all industry stakeholders.

Andy Cronin, CEO of Avolon commented:

“Aviation has demonstrated its resilience and is ready to thrive having come through a pandemic-driven two-thirds drop in traffic. Airlines, manufacturers, and lessors share an ecosystem that creates opportunities for all but requires collaboration to overcome key challenges including a higher interest rate environment, limited aircraft availability and the need to make further progress on decarbonisation goals.”

“The rebound in 2022 is set to continue in 2023, with China’s reopening helping to drive global traffic levels to pre-pandemic levels by June. Airlines are enjoying higher fares and load factors, and manufacturers are under pressure to ramp up production quicker. Whilst geopolitical and macroeconomic risks remain, this is a positive environment for lessors as supply constraints drive higher lease rates and increase the value of order books.”

Luxair launches only direct London to Antwerp service

Luxair launches only direct London to Antwerp service

Four times a week service commenced at 6.40am on Monday
Luxair using a 78-seat De Havilland Dash DHC-8-Q400 on the route
The service will increase to five weekly from April
Connecting London to more underserved European cities, a key plank of the airport’s 2023 aviation strategy

Antwerp, the jewel in the crown of the Flanders region, has once again returned to the LCY departures board with Luxair offering four times a week services direct from the heart of London.

The one hour flight, with prices starting at £45 for a one-way ticket, will mean passengers will be able to enjoy more time in the city, being wowed by the Grand Markt or sampling the local delicacies, including the Antwerpse Handjes biscuit, the Elixer D’Anvers liqueur, and of course, lashings of fries!

With a departure time of 6.40am, if you are planning to do business in Antwerp, you will be at your meeting by 10am.

The route restarts as London City is preparing further investments into its award winning passenger proposition, including the installation of the latest, state of the art security scanners on all lanes by April and investing £12 million in upgrading the departures area, offering more restaurants, an expanded Duty-Free, and more seats.

Speaking about the route, and also looking to the future, the airports Director of Aviation, Anne Doyere said:“We have long coveted restarting the Antwerp route and I am delighted that Luxair sees its potential, not least because it will be the only direct connection between these two dynamic, culturally rich, European cities.

The pandemic eroded some of London’s direct connections to European cities and we believe restarting them will not only be good for passengers, but for business and the economy too.

We are looking forward to working with airlines like Luxair, chambers of commerce and businesses of all sizes to help build the case for more routes to and from London’s fastest, most convenient and reliable airport.”

Yeti Airlines crash, no survivors found.

Both the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder have been collected from the crash site of a Yeti Airlines ATR72-500 that crashed yesterday on a flight from Kathmandu to the tourist town of Pokhara.

 

The authorities have stated that the crew of the doomed aircraft didn't report "anything untoward" as they approached the airport, and the "mountains were clear and visibility was good" at the time of the incident with just a light wind and "no issue with the weather".

Nepal's deadliest aircraft in 30 years appears to have claimed the lives of all 72 passengers and crew that were aboard the Yeti Airlines aircraft.

According to officials at the newly opened airport, the pilot asked to change from the assigned runway 30 to runway 12, which was granted by control staff and the aircraft was given clearance to land.   

The International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA) said it was closely monitoring the developments related to the Yeti Airlines crash on final approach to Pokhara airport. 'Our thoughts are with the families of the reported 68 passengers and 4 crew members who were onboard the aircraft.' the association that represents more than 100,000 pilots in nearly 100 countries said in a statement.  "Whilst emergency and recovery efforts are taking place, IFALPA stresses the need to avoid speculation and theories as to what happened to the aircraft. The Federation is reaching out to its network of Accredited Accident Investigators in the Region and will offer its expertise to the relevant Accident Investigation Bodies to help gather facts and any other safety and security information which may be pertinent to this occurrence."

Anju Khatiwada, the co-pilot of ill-fated aircraft lost her husband Dipak Pokhrel in an air crash in 2006 it has been revealed by local media and whilst Khatiwada's remains have not yet been identified she is believed to be within the 68 bodies that have thus far been recovered from the crash site. 

At least 40 killed in Nepal plane crash

An ATR 72 aircraft operated by Nepal's Yeti Airlines carrying 72 people has crashed near an airport in central Nepal killing at least 40 people according to local authorities. 

The Yeti Airlines aircraft was operating a flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara an appears to have crashed whilst on approach to landing and caught fire, hampering rescue efforts, just under a mile from the airport. 

In videos that have surfaced on social media appear to show the plane flying low over a built-up area before falling sideways out of control. Scores of Nepalese soldiers are reported to be involved in rescue and recovery operations at the crash site in a gorge by the Seti River. 

According to Sudarshan Bartaula,  a spokesperson for the carrier,  there were 72 people on the ATR 72 aircraft at the time of the accident including two infants, four crew members and 10 foreign nationals. 

Plane maker ATR issued a short statement, "ATR has been informed that an accident occurred in Nepal involving an ATR 72-500. Our first thoughts are with all the individuals affected by this. The ATR specialists are fully engaged to support both the investigation and the customer."

The Prime Minister called an emergency meeting earlier and the country will observe a national day of mourning tomorrow. 

#YetiAirlines ATR 72 (9N-ANC) has crashed in #Nepal. There were 68 passengers and 4 cabin crew on board.#katmandu #ATR72 pic.twitter.com/vn7vSb0N2Y

— FlightMode (@FlightModeblog) January 15, 2023

Textron Aviation delivers 3,000th Cessna Caravan family aircraft....

Textron Aviation has delivered a Cessna Grand Caravan EX to Brazilian aviation company Azul Conecta, a subsidiary of Azul Airlines based at the airport of Jundiai in São Paulo. This aircraft represents the 3,000th Cessna Caravan family turboprop delivered worldwide, reinforcing the Caravan as the most popular utility turboprop in the world. Azul Conecta transports travellers from smaller cities and remote locations throughout Brazil.

Textron Aviation employees and representatives from Azul Conecta celebrated this significant milestone with a special delivery ceremony at Textron Aviation’s location in Independence, Kansas.

“The Cessna Caravan’s versatility and reliability have made it the most popular aircraft in the utility turboprop category, with now 3,000 delivered globally,” said Lannie O’Bannion, senior vice president of Sales and Flight Operations at Textron Aviation. “I’m thankful to customers like Azul Conecta who continuously rely on the Caravan family of aircraft to fulfil their missions, deliver solutions and improve lives around the world.”

Conceived as a rugged utility aircraft with low operating costs, the Caravan was designed for use in remote areas with extreme weather changes, mountainous terrain and rough landing conditions. The aircraft’s versatility became renowned in all corners of the world, and the Caravan continues to see wide use in global markets by a variety of customers, including government agencies, law enforcement and militaries, air ambulance operators, freight hauliers, corporations and humanitarian organizations.

Four new routes to India from London Gatwick announced.

London Gatwick, part of VINCI Airports’ network, is set to welcome its latest new airline this summer, with Air India announcing four new routes to Goa, Ahmedabad, Amritsar and Kochi (Cochin), starting from 26 March.

These new routes strengthen established, strong community links between the UK – particularly London - and India. 

The Indian flag carrier will be operating 12 flights a week between London and the four Indian destinations on 787-8 aircraft, with 256 seats across business and economy classes. These include:

Three flights a week to Goa, on the western coast of India, famed for its beaches and Portuguese heritage

Three flights a week to Ahmedabad, in western India, and the largest city in the state of Gujarat

Three weekly flights to Amritsar, the second largest city in the state of Punjab in north-western India

Three flights a week to Kochi (Cochin), a major port city on the south-western coast, known as the financial, commercial and industrial capital of Kerala

These new services reflect VINCI Airports’ commitment to serve communities and sustain business growth by developing air connectivity. They also highlight Gatwick’s competitiveness to attract vital new routes.

Stewart Wingate, Chief Executive Officer, Gatwick Airport said: “The arrival of Air India and its four routes to London Gatwick is fantastic news for the airport and passengers across London and the south-east.

“India not only offers wonderful cities and beach destinations to explore but provides a wealth of opportunities for businesses and wider connectivity. These connections are also hugely important to our local and regional communities, with people looking to visit family and friends across India.”

Emirates A380 service returning to Glasgow, Birmingham and Nice.

                                            Emirates has announced it will scale up its A380 operations with the iconic double-decker returning to Glasgow (26 March 2023), Nice (1 June 2023) and Birmingham (1 July 2023). The airline has also announced it will resume its second daily service to Stansted starting from 1 May 2023, utilising its wide-body Boeing 777-300ER aircraft fitted with its renowned ‘Game Changer' First Class product. With the return of the second daily flight to Stansted, Emirates will ramp up its operations to London with 11 daily flights, including six times daily to London Heathrow and three times daily to Gatwick. The airline continues to expand its global network and increase capacity in line with growing travel demand.

Emirates currently deploys its flagship A380 to 40 destinations worldwide. By the end of this summer, the popular aircraft will be serving almost 50 destinations, restoring close to 90% of the airline’s pre-pandemic A380 network.

Emirates is the largest operator of Airbus A380, with more than 80 aircraft currently in active service. 

The airline continues to rebuild its global network and ramp up operations to meet robust travel demand.

Emirates has also announced it will resume its second daily service to London Stansted in May 2023, boosting its London operations to 11 daily flights.

By the end of this summer, Emirates will have recovered close to 90% of its pre-pandemic A380 network.

The airline first launched A380 operations to Birmingham in 2016; Nice in 2017; and Glasgow in 2019.

For more information on flight schedules, visit emirates.com.

The first Emirates A380 to be completely refurbished under the airline’s US$ 2 billion retrofit program was deployed earlier this month on the Dubai-London Heathrow service featuring the Premium Economy cabin, and Emirates’ latest cabin interiors including lighter colour palettes in First and Business Class. The airline also plans to ramp up its four-class A380 operations featuring Premium Economy cabins to more than 35 destinations across 20 countries by March 2024.

Using autonomous technology to further enhance safety and efficiency in Airbus aircraft

 Using autonomous technology to further enhance safety and efficiency in Airbus aircraft

The Airbus UpNext DragonFly demonstrator takes inspiration from the incredible vision and intelligent flight capabilities of the dragonfly. DragonFly has now entered the final three months of its testing phase, which will put its flightpath capability, automated landing technology, and pilot assistance technology through its paces.

 Airbus UpNext Dragonfly demonstrator

 

When safety is concerned, continuous improvement is the name of the game. At Airbus, we are constantly looking to different sources of inspiration to find proactive solutions that can enhance safety and improve performance. 

And what better to be inspired by than the wonderful, natural world? Biologically-inspired engineering – or biomimicry – has led us to many of our creative solutions, from our “sharklet” wing-tip design that reduces drag, to our fello’fly demonstrator that mimics the formation flying of snow geese for improved performance.

Our latest demonstrator to use biomimicry is DragonFly, inspired by – you guessed it – the dragonfly. A dragonfly has phenomenal vision, the ability to see in 360°, and can recognise landmarks, which in turn help it to define its territorial boundaries. The systems we are developing and testing are similarly designed to review and identify features in the landscape that enable the aircraft to “see” and safely manoeuvre within its surroundings. 

These innovations can offer an additional layer of safety for aircraft, particularly in the context of emergency operations. In the unlikely situation where a crew is unable to control the aircraft, DragonFly can redirect the flight to the nearest appropriate airport and facilitate a safe landing. 

 

So how does it work? 

DragonFly could be a game-changer when it comes to derisking emergency operations. Its focus is on three key areas, each one drawing on a combination of data captured during flight and a vast corpus of flight information to promote automated yet intelligent decision-making. 

DragonFly offers a solution to help ensure safe flight and landing. If the crew are unable to control the aircraft, the onboard function detects the issue and automatically selects the most suitable airport to redirect the aircraft towards. 

But of course, flight paths and external factors are complex and changing. A dragonfly scans its surroundings and adapts its journey accordingly. Our DragonFly demonstrator does much the same thing, taking into account external factors such as flight zones, terrain and weather conditions as it chooses where to land. But unlike a regular dragonfly, our DragonFly also benefits from a constant channel of communication between the aircraft and both Air Traffic Control and the Operations Control Centre of the airline to ensure a safe and coordinated approach.

 

"In the same way that dragonflies can recognise landmarks that help them to define boundaries, our demonstrator is equipped with cutting-edge sensing technology and software, capable of managing in-flight and landing operations. The DragonFly demonstrator has been made possible through cooperation within the Airbus engineering community and with our trusted external partners, and we look forward to the insights that this final stage of testing will deliver."

             Isabelle Lacaze, Head of DragonFly demonstrator, Airbus UpNext

 

Safe, automated landing at any airport in the world

A dragonfly’s vision works far more quickly than a human’s, which is why we have designed a system that combines sensors, computer vision algorithms and robust guidance calculations to make landing in low visibility or difficult weather conditions much easier. 

These innovations pave the way for automated landing (if necessary), or can be customised according to the pilot’s flying skills to relieve them of additional processes in the event of an emergency or critical situation. 

In time, DragonFly’s innovations could allow the aircraft to land at any airport in the world regardless of whether it is equipped with existing ground equipment technology currently used for automatic landing.

The final aspect of the DragonFly demonstrator incorporates pilot assistance technology to help the crew manage taxi guidance and instructions, including navigation and surveillance, freeing them up to focus on other important tasks.

New maintenance facility in Berlin for easyJet

easyJet, Europe’s leading airline, has opened a new purpose built 4 bay hangar facility at Berlin-Brandenburg airport

The airline's European, Austrian-registered, fleet comprised of 135 aircraft will all be maintained at the first continental maintenance facility

The hangar opening represents a 20 million Euro investment in the Berlin-Brandenburg region and is a clear commitment to the airline's ongoing presence in Berlin/Brandenburg 

easyJet, Flughafengesellschaft Berlin Brandenburg (FBB) and the Brandenburg state government celebrated the opening of the easyJet maintenance hangar at Berlin Brandenburg Willy Brandt Airport (BER) with a joint opening ceremony on Wednesday, 10 January. The ceremony was hosted by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jörg Steinbach, Minister for Economic Affairs, Labour and Energy of the State of Brandenburg, Aletta von Massenbach, Chairwoman of the Management Board of Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH, and Thomas Haagensen, Group Markets Director at easyJet and Managing Director of easyJet Europe.

The new hangar, which started construction in September 2021, will provide easyJet with the capacity needed to ensure it can operate in the most efficient, safe and competitive way. The project was supported by the Wirtschaftsförderung Brandenburg as well as easyJet's chosen partner MRO Facilities, who managed the design and construction to deliver market leading operational performance.

The maintenance hangar was built in accordance with the German Building Energy Act Gebäudeenergiegesetz, GEG) and as such meets the requirements for energy-efficient construction in the EU. More than 100 easyJet employees will be responsible at the new facility in BER for the supervision and management of aircraft maintenance activities of the easyJet Europe-fleet, which currently comprises 135 aircraft (incl. 8 A320neo and 5 A321neo). This will further improve the efficiency of operational processes and save maintenance costs in the long term. easyJet continues to operate its aircraft as efficiently as possible, being one of the largest single brand operators of A320neo family aircraft in Europe and is always looking for further efficiency improvements to reduce fuel burn and therefore carbon emissions.

JetBlue to add extra daytime flight from JFK to LHR

Additional Heathrow Slots Allow JetBlue to Offer Customers a More Diverse Schedule of Flying Between the U.S. and the U.K.

New York's hometown airline, JetBlue has launched a programme to enhance its transatlantic operations to London with a new daytime flight option.

Starting March 25, 2023, the carrier is going to be offering a new morning departure from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to London Heathrow Airport (LHR).  This will give travellers the all-new option to arrive in the United Kingdom the same day they depart the United States. 

The new flight is a direct result of JetBlue obtaining an additional pair of slots at Heathrow, further enhancing the carrier's presence at the U.K.’s busiest airport.

JetBlue is currently the only U.S. carrier to serve both Gatwick and Heathrow, offering customers on both sides of the Atlantic greater choice and convenience. JetBlue’s multi-airport approach in London, with diversified flying at two of the U.K.’s busiest airports, has already allowed the airline to grow a meaningful customer base of loyal transatlantic fliers and build valuable relationships with key teams at both airports.

JetBlue flights between the U.S. and London feature premium Mint suites and the airline’s award-winning core seats. JetBlue offers the most legroom in coach (a), on-demand entertainment on every seatback, free and fast Fly-Fi broadband internet (b), complimentary snacks and soft drinks, and great customer service. JetBlue’s entrance into the transatlantic has introduced a new era of customer-focused, low-fare travel for leisure and business travellers.

Customers in both core and Mint can stay connected throughout the flight, with JetBlue being the only airline to offer all travellers unlimited, free high-speed wi-fi on flights between the U.S. and the U.K. Additionally, customers have access to a curated selection of seatback entertainment, allowing customers to have a multiple screen experience onboard – just like they do at home.

Fleet enhancements for CommuteAir,

CommuteAir, a leading regional airline and the sole Embraer ERJ145 operator for the United Express network, recently announced, in partnership with United Airlines, a significant fleet investment aimed to bring next-generation capabilities and efficiencies to its operations through the installation of an enhanced Honeywell Flight Management System (FMS). The upgraded FMS is designed to drive significant operational efficiencies and leverage enhanced safety capabilities as next-generation air traffic control initiatives roll out over the next decade.

“This update to the avionics system will increase safety, efficiency, and mechanical reliability. Our maintenance team is scheduled to begin installing the upgraded FMS in March 2023,” remarked Lon Ziegler, CommuteAir’s Vice President of Maintenance and Technical Services.

“Our upgraded FMS will provide additional instrument approaches at dozens of airports that were not available in prior versions, optimizing flight approach procedures and further strengthens both safety and reliability,” said Captain David W. Fitzgerald, CommuteAir’s Vice President of Flight Operations.

This latest fleet investment in next-gen technology is part of an ongoing multi-million dollar ERJ145 fleet enhancement campaign at CommuteAir that began in 2021.  CommuteAir has already refurbished 44 of its aircraft interiors with new sidewalls, overhead bins, bulkhead finishes, LED cabin and reading lights, and a completely redesigned lavatory.  Interior refurbishment on the rest of the fleet will be completed in 2023.