Air Canada restarting and expanding service between Edinburgh and Toronto

Service to operate up to daily during the summer peak and continue three times weekly into the winter season 

Convenient connections across North America and beyond via Toronto hub 

Air Canada offers more daily flights from the UK to Canada than any other airline. 

 

Air Canada confirmed it will resume and extend its non-stop service between Edinburgh and Toronto from 2nd June 2023. The carrier will ramp up to a daily service during the summer peak, the extended service will continue three times weekly into the winter season until 8 January 2024, and is currently planned to return in early spring 2024. Air Canada offers more daily flights from the UK to Canada than any other airline. 

 

Air Canada flights from Edinburgh to Toronto will be operated by Air Canada mainline with state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. The aircraft features three cabins of service for customers to choose from, including lie-flat seats in Air Canada Signature Class, Premium Economy and Economy Class.All flights are timed to optimise connectivity to Air Canada's extensive North American network. Seats are available to book on Air Canada here...

“We are pleased to announce the return of our non-stop services from Edinburgh to Toronto,” said Stephen Gerrard, Air Canada General Manager Sales, U.K. and Ireland. “Our newly extended service from Edinburgh will not only provide our customers in Scotland with a direct link to Canada during both the summer and winter seasons, but also allow convenient onward travel options across North America. Customers can start planning ahead and book with confidence.”

A new Airbus A321neo delivered to Frontier Airlines

Leasing giant Aviation Capital Group has delivered one new Airbus A321neo aircraft on long-term lease to Frontier Airlines. The jet is powered by the ultra-efficient Pratt & Whitney GTF engines, this is the second of seven A321neo aircraft scheduled to deliver to the airline from ACG’s order book with Airbus. 

Traditional to Frontier Airlines, this A321neo will unveil a new special livery with ‘Bori the Coqui Llanero’ painted on the tail.

PT Rusky Aero Indonesia to lease two Boeing 737-800BCF - converted freighters

One of the leading aircraft leasing companies, AerCap Holdings has confirmed it has signed a long-term lease deal with newly launched cargo airline, PT Rusky Aero Indonesia for two Boeing 737-800BCF cargo planes. 

The first passenger-to-freighter conversion will be completed by Boeing Shanghai Aviation Services Co. Ltd. (BSAS), and the second by Taikoo (Shandong) Aircraft Engineering Co. Ltd. (STAECO). The carrier will operate under the name of Raindo United Services - Raindo.

Attending the announcement ceremony were the Indonesian Ambassador to Singapore, His Excellency Suryo Pratomo, Founder of Raindo, Benny Rustanto and Co-Founders of Raindo, Muhammad Surya, Bambang Sujatmiko, Captain Yudhi Fadjari, Dodi Abdul Kadir, Hans Nugroho, Febiantori and AerCap's Head of Leasing Asia Pacific, Emmanuel Herinckx. 

"We are very pleased to welcome Raindo as a new customer to AerCap and to lease them their very first aircraft," said Richard Greener, the Head of AerCap Cargo.  "We wish the team every success as they launch their air cargo operations and look forward to working with them as these aircraft deliver."

Benny Rustanto, Founder of Raindo United Services, said, "On behalf of the entire organization, I would like to express our gratitude to AerCap for their continuous support and commitment to our partnership. We believe this strategic step will allow us to benefit the community, especially the MSME (Micro, Small, Medium Enterprises) industry in Indonesia, through the seamless and sustainable connectivity logistic delivery experience of Raindo United Services."

In January 2023, AerCap Cargo marked the delivery of its 50th 737-800BCF. The aircraft was redelivered to GOL Linhas Aéreas. AerCap's 737-800BCF customers include West Atlantic Group, Amazon Air, GOL, JD.com, Kargo Xpress, ASL, Tianjin Cargo and Longhao Airlines.

British Airways launches visual guide for people with autism.

To mark World Autism Acceptance Week, British Airways has announced a partnership with Learning Rose, an organisation that develops support material for people with autism.

Through the partnership, British Airways has become the first airline in the UK to produce a Visual Guide to Flying. The Visual Guide is endorsed by the National Autistic Society and is designed to help customers prepare for their trip and make them feel as comfortable as possible during their journey. Each section of the guide, which can be downloaded from ba.com, describes a different part of the flying experience, using simple icons and text to describe the sights, sounds and smells passengers can expect. The Visual Guide is the first initiative as part of the airline’s partnership with Learning Rose.  

In addition to the Visual Guide, the partnership also includes colleague training and support and bespoke colleague consultation sessions to ensure the airline’s staff have help on hand to always ensure best practice.

Preparing for big changes at Kaunas Airport

Kaunas Airport's upcoming expansion projects

Lithuanian Airports are launching market consultations on an international public tender to be announced at the end of April to find a contractor for the expansion of the Kaunas Airport passenger terminal. The expansion works are expected to start in the second half of this year and will last about two years. Once completed, the departures and arrivals areas of Kaunas Airport will be able to handle more than 800 passengers and up to 6 aircraft simultaneously.

"Kaunas Airport has not only returned to, but is already surpassing its pre-pandemic passenger volumes. Given the increasing passenger flows and growing passenger needs, the development and technological modernisation of Kaunas Airport is essential. We want this to happen as soon as possible, so we are launching market consultations on the procurement of contract works. If everything goes according to plan, we will announce the international public procurement at the end of April, and the contract could be signed and preparatory works could start in the second half of this year," said Arnas Dūmanas, Director of the Operations and Infrastructure Department of Lithuanian Airports.

During the market consultation phase, Lithuanian Airports will consult with potential bidders on the tender conditions, their feasibility and the details of the technical specification. Mr A.Dūmanas added that foreign contracting companies will also be invited to take part in the public procurement.

Terminal expansion will not slow down airport operations

KLM to introduce a new cabin feature - The Recline Alert System... get ready for more inflight disturbance

KLM will introduce a revolutionary new cabin feature tomorrow, 1st April which is called the Recline Alert System. 

The airline has developed a sound effect that notifies passengers when the seat in front of them reclines, the idea is to create a more relaxed and comfortable atmosphere on our flights. The new system will be introduced on all KLM flights from April 1, 2023. Passengers who have already booked their flights will be notified via email.

Get ready for much noisier and disrupted flights with KLM, as the constant beeping of the new feature will be activated on each recline.  The annoying sound is demonstrated in the promotional video above, which also highlights the lack of personal space in Economy on KLM flights as passengers scramble to move much higher drinks cans than are available on their flights.  

Of course, as it is scheduled to go live tomorrow  1st April it could always be an early posted joke, but as everyone knows, doing an April Fools Day joke on a day that isn't 1st April is incredibly unlucky........

Insitu sets new company record for longest flight at 25.5 hours with its integrator unmanned aircraft system

Insitu, A Boeing Company, recently set a company record for the longest duration flight with a 25.5-hour sortie with its Integrator Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) on an operational mission.

The record flight was achieved with a 150-pound Integrator equipped for a multi-payload mission. It surpassed the previous record of 24.2 hours performed in 2014, also with an Integrator. 

The customer requested persistent eyes on target for an extended period. The Integrator's configuration, with its long endurance capability, allowed the customer to use one aircraft instead of two or more lower endurance aircraft. 

UAS with lower endurance require transitioning among multiple aircraft to maintain persistent eyes on a target. The Integrator allows customers to assure sustained eyes on target with less risk to the mission. 

Long endurance aircraft reduce risk with fewer launch and recovery sequences, where UAS are most vulnerable to damage. They also provide better coverage in areas with sparse basing and allow customers to operate with less equipment and manpower than aircraft with lower endurance. 

Hawaiian Airlines lists new milestones on the way to Net-Zero carbon emissions

Hawaiian Airlines has this week announced more details of its plan to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050, including commitments to significant progress in the 2030s. The carrier’s decarbonization roadmap relies on several key drivers, including the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), fleet modernization and new aircraft technologies, operational best practices to improve fuel efficiency, and advocacy for air traffic control system improvements.

Hawaiian anticipates that SAF – which is made from sustainable feedstock and can have a life-cycle carbon intensity 50-80% lower than conventional jet fuel – will be the biggest contributor to reduce jet fuel emissions, which constitute the vast majority of its GHG footprint. 

In addition to reaffirming its intention to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, the carrier committed to:

Lowering life-cycle jet fuel emissions intensity per revenue ton mile by 45% (from 2019 levels) by 2035.

Replacing 10% of conventional jet fuel with SAF by 2030.

Improving fuel efficiency per available seat mile by 4% (from 2019) by 2028.

Conserving 3 million gallons of jet fuel through operational initiatives by 2028. 

 

Hawaiian last week announced it would purchase 50 million gallons of SAF from biofuel company Gevo, Inc., with deliveries anticipated to begin in 2029. Hawaiʻi’s hometown airline has also partnered with Par Hawaii, the state’s largest provider of energy products, to study the commercial viability of SAF production in Hawaiʻi.   

The production of SAF is a nascent industry that will have to scale significantly to meet the airline industry’s decarbonization goals. Hawaiian looks forward to continuing to collaborate with fuel producers, as well as states and the federal government, to help accelerate SAF production and availability at commercially viable prices.

“Becoming a net-zero carbon airline is a challenge, but as an airline serving the Pacific we recognize how critical it is that Hawaiian become a more sustainable company for our guests, employees and communities,” said Peter Ingram, president and CEO of Hawaiian Airlines. “We are excited about the progress we are making and these intermediate targets to which we are committing today.”

Hawaiian, whose fleet of Airbus A330 and A321neos is among the most modern in the U.S. airline industry, has agreed to purchase 12 new Boeing 787-9 aircraft that are scheduled to begin arriving later this year. They feature advanced aerodynamics, modern engines and a composite airframe contributing to an approximately 20% fuel-efficiency improvement over prior-generation, similarly sized aircraft.

In addition to modernizing its fleet, Hawaiian is also engaged with airframe and aircraft engine manufacturers to explore new, low-carbon technologies. Hawaiian is an equity investor in REGENT, a company developing a battery-electric powered seaglider that could be suited for the carrier’s network of flights between the Hawaiian Islands.

Mehmet T. Nane is named new Chairperson of the Board of Pegasus Airlines

Mehmet T. Nane, Vice-Chairperson of the Board of Directors and Managing Director of Pegasus Airlines, has been appointed Chairperson of the Board of Directors following the decision taken by the Board of Directors after the Ordinary General Meeting on Thursday, 30 March 2023. Mehmet T. Nane succeeds Ali Sabancı, who served as Chairperson of the Board of Pegasus for 17 years. Ali Sabancı will continue to serve as Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Esas Holding and as Board Member of Pegasus Airlines. 

Mehmet T. Nane, who has been serving as Vice-Chairperson of the Board of Directors and Managing Director of Pegasus Airlines since 31 March 2022, has been appointed as Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Pegasus Airlines as of 30 March 2023.

Mehmet T. Nane, who joined Pegasus Airlines in March 2016, served as CEO of the company for six years before assuming the position as Vice-Chairperson of the Board of Directors and Managing Director in March 2022. Mehmet T. Nane, who continues to serve in various national and international bodies including his roles as Chair of the Board of Governors and the Chair Committee of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Turkish Private Aviation Enterprises Association (TÖSHİD), will continue his duties at Pegasus Airlines as Chairperson of the Board of Directors.

Finnair devalues with new shares issue.

The Helsinki-based financially troubled airline Finnair has confirmed that following approval from its Board of Directors, it will issue 1,324,933 new shares to the company itself without consideration. 

The total number of the company's shares after the share issue is 1,408,726,198 shares, of which 1,724,236 shares are held by the company. The shares to be issued to the company will be used for reward payments under the company's incentive plans.

The new shares have been registered with the Finnish Trade Register today, on 31 March 2023, after which the company has applied for the admission of the new shares to trading alongside the company's existing shares on the official list of Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd. The new shares will be available to trading on or about 3 April 2023.

United Airlines names Martina Coogan as new Head of Corporate Sales U.K. and Ireland

United Airlines has appointed Martina Coogan as Head of Corporate Sales U.K. and Ireland, effective 1 April 2023. Coogan brings 25 years of industry experience to her new role. 

Reporting to Director Sales U.K. and Ireland, Karolien De Hertogh, Coogan will be responsible for managing United’s overall corporate business strategy across the United Kingdom and Ireland. Her appointment coincides with a time of further expansion for United in the U.K. and Ireland. On 26 March 2023, the airline introduced a second daily flight between London Heathrow and Los Angeles, increasing the number of daily services between London Heathrow and the U.S. to 23. United is also scheduled to introduce a new daily non-stop seasonal service between Shannon Airport and its hometown hub at Chicago O’Hare, starting 26 May 2023, complementing the summer seasonal daily service from Shannon to New York/Newark, starting 8 April 2023. For the summer season, the airline will also add a second daily flight from Dublin to New York/Newark and a daily flight from Dublin to Chicago O’Hare, both commencing 23 April 2023, as well as a second daily flight from Edinburgh to New York/Newark, commencing 26 May 2023. 

“We are delighted to appoint Martina Coogan as our new Head of Corporate Sales U.K. and Ireland,” said Karolien De Hertogh, Director Sales U.K. and Ireland. “With her 25 years’ experience, Martina is a highly respected and well-established leader with a proven track record in the industry. In her new role, I know that Martina will continue to spearhead corporate business growth, with a focus on the evolving needs of our corporate customers across this important region."   

Coogan joined United in 2017 as Country Sales Manager Ireland and Northern Ireland, based in Dublin, with her role gradually expanding to include Scotland. Prior to joining United, Coogan had already gained a wide and diverse range of experience within the travel industry, initially working for a number of airlines in business development and corporate account management, and latterly moving to Travelport Digital to take up the role of Senior Project Manager and subsequently Senior Regional Account Manager. 

 Coogan holds an IATA/UFTAA Diploma in Travel and Tourism and in 2020 graduated from Trinity College Business School’s Innovation and Leadership Programme in cooperation with Dublin Airport.   

United in the U.K. and Ireland

United Airlines has been serving the U.K. for over 30 years. United offers daily flights from London Heathrow to Boston and its hubs at Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington/Dulles, as well as year-round service from Edinburgh to New York/Newark and seasonal service to Chicago O’Hare and Washington/Dulles. 

United has served Ireland since 1998. From Ireland, United offers year-round non-stop flights from Dublin to New York/Newark and Washington/Dulles, with a second daily flight from Dublin to New York/Newark, scheduled for the summer season, commencing 23 April 2023. United also operates seasonal non-stop flights from Dublin to Chicago, as well as a seasonal service from Shannon to New York/Newark and starting 26 May 2023, from Shannon to Chicago. 

HALO Space Announces Second Test Flight, Accelerating Mission to Transform Space Tourism

HALO Space, a global space tourism company developed via Arthur D. Little’s Breakthrough Incubator Program, has announced the next stage of its journey towards the launch of its innovative edge-of-space experience. HALO Space’s second test will take place in southern Spain this year after its first test flight in India was completed successfully last December.

HALO Space is committed to enabling 10,000 passengers in this decade to experience the “Overview Effect”, where both the Earth’s curvature and the darkness of space can be observed. From 2025, HALO Space will lift eight passengers per flight up to 40 kilometres into the stratosphere for a transformative experience that will last four to six hours.

HALO Space will enable 10,000 passengers to experience the “Overview Effect” this decade

The second test flight for HALO Space will take place in southern Spain this year after its first test flight in India was completed successfully last December

Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing Company to buy big stake in Libra Group Aviation Subsidiary.....

                   Libra Group, a privately owned international business group whose subsidiaries own and operate assets in nearly 60 countries, announced today that Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing Co., Ltd. (SMFL) has agreed to acquire a 35% stake in its aviation subsidiary, LCI. Additionally, SMFL and Libra Group plan to grow LCI's business by US$1.5 billion over the coming years with significant capital investment by shareholders.

"We are honoured to partner with SMFL, a visionary global organization with a rich and profound history. Every person at SMFL we have dealt with has shown the highest level of professionality, moral and ethical character, as well as a deep commitment to sustainability and social impact. It is these shared values that will create an enduring partnership," said Libra Group Executive Chairman George M. Logothetis. "We expect to progressively grow and deepen our relationship with SMFL over the years, our long-term outlook and belief system are strikingly similar. The possibilities for collaboration are endless, from aviation, to maritime, to renewable energy, to all that lies in between. We look forward to working together over many years and across many industries to meet tomorrow's challenges."

LCI's first partnership with SMFL began in 2020 with the launch of a US$230 million helicopter leasing joint venture (JV) of 19 next-generation helicopters. Since that time, the JV has expanded and now has a portfolio of over 50 aircraft valued at over US$550 million.

AirAsia to start direct route between Jakarta and Perth

AirAsia announces it is flying from Jakarta to Perth for the first time, commencing 2 June 2023. 

Supported by the Western Australian Government through Tourism Western Australia (TWA) and the Perth Airport, the direct service will run four  times a week initially, delivering over 1,400 visitor seats weekly through Perth and Jakarta Airports, with plans to grow in line with demand. The new route was announced today in a ceremonial event in Perth, Australia, attended by representatives from the TWA, Perth Airport, Indonesia AirAsia and the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia. 

Indonesia Airasia is now the only airline flying this popular route between Jakarta and Perth post pandemic. The two-way travel between Indonesia and Australia has always been incredibly popular for a number of reasons including the convenient flight time and appeal of both destinations for shopping, dining, adventure, beaches, as well as education. According to the Embassy of the Republic Indonesia, the number of Indonesian students in Australia this year alone have already reached more than 20,000, an increase from 15,000 in 2022.

CEO of Indonesia AirAsia, Veranita Yosephine, expressed her excitement and optimism of the new route, “This is the first time Indonesia AirAsia has ever flown on this route - thanks to our tourism and airport partners for helping to make these new services a reality. We foresee this new Jakarta - Perth route will  be very popular for leisure travelers wanting to see more of Indonesia and for the more than 270 million Indonesians (more than ten million residents in Jakarta alone) wanting to visit Perth and West Australia  for business, leisure, studying and visiting friends and family.

“With the great support of Tourism West Australia and Perth Airport we are confident these new services connecting the Indonesian capital with West Australia’s, will be in strong demand, especially because from Jakarta Australians can also fly on to many incredibly popular and other relatively unknown gems throughout Indonesia like Lake Toba, Labuan Bajo, and the newest destination Lampung province in Sumatera.” 

The Western Australian Minister of Tourism, Hon. Roger Cook MLA, said, “The launch of this important Air Asia flight affirms Perth’s reputation as the Western Gateway to Australia. Having a direct connection with Jakarta will drive visitors from the priority inbound market of Indonesia to Western Australia, to experience our beautiful state and engage with our incredible tourism industry, injecting millions into our economy and creating jobs for West Australians. We strongly encourage Indonesians – particularly those with friends and family in our state – to take advantage of these fantastic new flights and visit your loved ones here in Western Australia.”

SWISS to recruit experienced first officers

In addition to training new ab initio pilots, SWISS will be recruiting trained first officers with or without a current type rating for the next few years. Having been unable to train any new pilots during the COVID-19 pandemic, SWISS is ensuring through these actions that it will continue to maintain adequate numbers of cockpit personnel.

Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) was unable to train any new pilots during the COVID-19 pandemic. To ensure that it will continue to have enough cockpit personnel in the years ahead, in addition to offering ab initio pilot training, Switzerland’s biggest airline will also be recruiting already-trained first officers to its cockpit crew corps from this autumn onwards.

“We are looking forward to welcoming experienced first officers, too, to our pilot ranks,” says Stefan-Kenan Scheib, SWISS’s Head of Flight Operations. “With our ab initio pilot training taking about two years, we need to recruit such already-trained first officers as well to ensure that we can maintain stable flight operations in the medium term.”