Airbus and China aviation industry sign next phase in partnership

Airbus and China aviation industry sign next phase in partnership

General Terms Agreement to allocate 160 aircraft to Chinese airlines

Expanding capacity at Tianjin A320 Final Assembly Line to contribute to global rate 75

Upscaling the production and use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels

During a French state visit to China, Airbus signed away various rights in a new cooperation agreement with its China Aviation industry partners.

Witnessed by Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron, Airbus CEO, Guillaume Faury signed with the Tianjin Free Trade Zone Investment Company Ltd., and Aviation Industry Corporation of China Ltd., an agreement to expand A320 Family final assembly capacity with a second line at its Tianjin site. The agreement will contribute to Airbus’ overall rate objective of 75 aircraft per month in 2026 throughout its global production network.

Currently, Airbus has four A320 Family final assembly sites worldwide: Hamburg (Germany), Toulouse (France), Mobile (USA) and Tianjin (China). The Tianjin Final Assembly Line (FAL Asia) started operation in 2008 and has assembled over 600 A320 Family aircraft to date. In March 2023 the first A321neo aircraft was delivered from the line, marking a new era of enhanced A320 Family production versatility.

In addition, Airbus also signed General Terms of Agreement (GTA) with the China Aviation Supplies Holding Company (CAS) covering the purchase of 160 Airbus commercial aircraft. The GTA comprises earlier announcements for 150 A320 Family aircraft and for 10 A350-900 widebody aircraft orders, reflecting the strong demand in all market segments by Chinese carriers.

BA Cityflyer seeks first officers

BA Cityflyer is looking for first officers for its London City Airport base as it seeks to expand operations and routes.  

'For BA Cityflyer Pilots, the customer always comes first. Your goal will be to provide the very best flight experience bringing our business and leisure customers into the heart of London.

As the leading airline at London City, we operate into a variety of destinations throughout Europe and the UK with the opportunity to night stop as part of your roster. Operating the Embraer 190 primarily from London City Airport, with its high value and sophisticated customer base, we fly in and out of one of the world’s most challenging operating environments. Therefore, our pilots are required to maintain the highest professional standards.'

For more details and to apply, visit BA Cityflyer website. 

Virgin Atlantic has launched its new Spring/Summer menu......

Virgin Atlantic has launched its new Spring/Summer menu across all cabins from 5th April, with a selection of mouth-watering dishes.  

New additions to the Upper-Class menu include lobster and crab tortellini, vegetarian poke bowl and a classic Pimms summer pudding. The extra bites menu takes the spotlight, as the airline introduces a club sandwich, filled with applewood cheese, house slaw and seasonal leaves on brown bread served with salted crisps. An appetising aloo tikki is also available, with pepper pakora with tomato and onion salad, accompanied by sweet tomato and chilli chutney. A tempting new strawberries and cream flavour of Northern Bloc ice cream will also join the menu, transporting customers to sunshine. 

Virgin Atlantic is delighted to announce it will fly the renowned rosé, Whispering Angel, for six months from 5th April. Upper-Class customers will be able to truly relax with a chilled glass of Côtes de Provence, taking in the evocative flavours of grapefruit and citrus. From the same date, Upper Class customers will also be able to sip on teapigs peach iced tea, a refreshing and all-natural blend of juicy peach with teapigs’ black tea base, the ultimate iced tea. 

Premium customers will have a tough time choosing between delectable chicken pie and spinach & ricotta tortellini with sage butter sauce, roasted pumpkin and caper panko crumb. A heavenly passionfruit and mango cheesecake garnished with coconut is on offer for dessert. Honey barbecue chicken thigh with Portuguese rice and steamed vegetables will be served in Economy alongside a farfalle pasta in a spinach ricotta cheese and roasted garlic sauce. 

Virgin Atlantic renews long-term global distribution agreement with Sabre

Sabre Corporation, a leading software and technology provider that powers the global travel industry, and Virgin Atlantic have reaffirmed their long-standing relationship with the renewal of their global distribution agreement.

Under the expanded agreement, Sabre will now offer enhanced Virgin Atlantic content through its GDS marketplace, as well as the future ability to retail NDC offers. This will enable the hundreds of thousands of Sabre-connected agencies to have even richer access to Virgin Atlantic’s broad range of products and offers.

“Sabre is a trusted, long-term partner and we look forward to further enhancing our collaboration, to help us elevate our global distribution strategy and support the ever-evolving needs of our airline and our customers.” said  Juha Jarvinen, Chief Commercial Officer,  Virgin Atlantic “Enhancing our ability to retail effectively to our customers is a key focus at Virgin Atlantic, and through Sabre’s advanced technology, and their extensive global reach, we can optimize our approach to product distribution and improve our customers’ booking experience.”

Sabre continues to focus on developing new technology that supports retailing, distribution, and fulfilment solutions for travel suppliers, buyers, and consumers to enjoy more relevant and comprehensive travel solutions.

“We are delighted to continue our long-standing relationship with Virgin Atlantic,” said Jean-Vincent Teuler, vice president, airline sales, EMEA, Sabre Travel Solutions.  “Our renewed agreement is testament to the commitment of both Virgin Atlantic and Sabre to providing rich content through our global distribution network, and highlights Sabre’s commitment to meeting the unique needs of our airline customers and our travel buyer partners.”

Emirates resumes its Tokyo-Haneda service.

Emirates has now restored its full Japanese network with the resumption of its passenger services to Tokyo-Haneda on 2 April 2023, further building on the airline’s continued expansion in the Southeast Asia region.

Operated by one of Emirates’ latest Boeing 777 aircraft, flight EK312 departed from Dubai on 2 April at 7:50hrs, and arrived in Haneda at 22:35hrs. The return flight EK313 departed from Haneda on 3 April at 00:05hrs and arrived in Dubai at 06:20hrs. All times are local time.

Satish Sethi, Emirates’ Country Manager in Japan, said: “We’re very excited for the continued development of our Japanese network and are especially thankful to the local authorities and our partners for their support and for working with us on providing seamless global connectivity for Japanese travellers.  We’ve been present in the market for more than 20 years and are thoroughly pleased to finally return to Tokyo-Haneda, as we look forward to supporting the increasing demand for international travel. The night flight from Haneda offers valuable connectivity for travellers to access Emirates’ points beyond Dubai, in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East regions.”

In addition to Tokyo-Haneda, Emirates also operates daily services to Tokyo-Narita and Osaka. From these points, the airline offers passengers access to 24 additional domestic cities in Japan through its codeshare partnership with Japan Airlines. Japanese travellers can also benefit seamless access to more than 130 destinations across 6 continents via Dubai, including popular destinations such as Italy, Spain, US, France and UK.

In March, Finnair carried 953,000 passengers.......

Robust demand in March as passenger load factor was on par with pre-pandemic levels; also solid cargo performance continued

In March, Finnair carried 953,000 passengers, which was 55.1% more than in March 2022 and 15.7% more than in February 2023. Month-on-month figures are, however, not fully comparable as there were three fewer days in February.

As the COVID-19 pandemic impacts are fading, March passenger traffic figures improved year-on-year. Further, Russian airspace was closed already during the comparison period, which resulted in route and frequency cancellations in Asian traffic. The negative impact of the Russian airspace closure on Asian passenger traffic figures was, however, visible in March 2023 compared to the pre-pandemic figures. The distance-based reported traffic figures do not take into account longer routings caused by the airspace closure as they are based on Great-Circle distance.

The overall capacity, measured in Available Seat Kilometres (ASK), increased in March by 27.0% year-on-year and by 11.9% month-on-month. Finnair's traffic, measured in Revenue Passenger Kilometres (RPKs), increased by 87.7% year-on-year and by 15.6% month-on-month. The Passenger Load Factor (PLF) increased by 25.1% points year-on-year and by 2.5% points month-on-month to 77.7%. It was e.g. only 0.6% points lower than in March 2019.

airBaltic welcomed 140 students for its 2023 Shadow Day

Latvian national airline airBaltic, the largest employer in Latvia's transportation sector, for the 16th time participated in Shadow Day, this year by welcoming 140 students. They had the opportunity to explore and understand more than 20 professions in the exciting and dynamic aviation industry.

During Shadow Day 2023, students had the opportunity to get to know the work of airBaltic pilots, flight attendants, aircraft technicians, and other industry professionals. 

For airBaltic, this was a record-breaking number of shadows welcomed in the airline's history. The airline received 540 applications, of which pilots and cabin crews were the most popular. 

This year airBaltic hosted Shadow Day not only in Riga, but also in Liepāja (base of the airBaltic Pilot Academy).

Martin Gauss, President and CEO of airBaltic: “I am delighted that airBaltic participated in Shadow Day 2023, by welcoming a record-breaking number of students. It is important for us to provide opportunities for young people in Latvia to explore and learn about the aviation industry. We hope that this initiative will inspire and encourage more students to consider aviation as a potential career path.”

Easter treats on Emirates

Emirates is celebrating Easter with various treats this April with traditional lamb dishes in the lounges, baskets of warm hot cross buns served onboard, sweet surprises for kids, and an array of new family-friendly movies on ice.

From 7-10 April, Emirates passengers flying in every travel class to select routes including Australia, USA, Canada, Europe, UK, Brazil, Philippines, South Africa, Mauritius, and Ghana, will enjoy a sumptuous selection of Easter treats onboard. Economy Class passengers will be offered a warm hot cross bun with their meal, or a delicious Easter dessert of carrot cake with an indulgent tres leches sauce, while passengers in First, Business, and Premium Economy class will be served a chocolate cake garnished with creamy ganache and redcurrants, or a strawberry cheesecake dotted with an elegant mini-Easter egg. In the A380 Onboard Lounge, passengers can further treat themselves to traditional Easter simnel fruitcake with marzipan. For Orthodox Easter from 14-17 April, more goodies like the beloved Easter cake Kulich bread will be served on routes to Russia and Greece. Kids in all classes will receive a brightly coloured ‘Happy Easter’ biscuit shaped like an Easter egg.

Across Emirates’ global network of prestigious lounges, passengers will enjoy classic Easter fare in most locations such as lamb chops with roasted potatoes and carrots in orange jus in the First-Class Lounges of Dubai, or roasted lamb leg with dates, green olives and pomegranate in the US, pistachio-crusted lamb cutlets, with red bell peppers, olive oil coulis and spring market vegetables in Singapore, or a classic herb crusted lamb with chargrilled leeks, baby potatoes, cherry tomatoes and a tangy mint sauce in the UK.

Emirates passengers flying over Easter can access a world class entertainment library on ice with more than 5,000 channels of on demand entertainment, over 1,900 movies and 1,500 hours of TV, as well as music, podcasts, and audiobooks across 40 languages. Families will enjoy the best movies and television from Cartoon Network, CBeebies and Nickelodeon channels, with new kids movies onboard for April including Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, The Tiger Rising, Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, Tad the Lost Explorer and the Emerald Tablet. There is also a dedicated ‘Wizarding World’ folder that includes 16 Harry Potter titles for a Harry Potter movie marathon, and popular TV shows such as The Amazing World of Gumball, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Lego Jurassic World: Legends of Isla Nublar, SpongeBob SquarePants, Star Trek: Prodigy, The Adventures of Puss in Boots.

Air Travel growth continues in February

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced continued strong growth in air travel demand, based on February 2023 traffic results.  

Total traffic in February 2023 (measured in revenue passenger kilometres or RPKs) rose 55.5% compared to February 2022. Globally, traffic is now at 84.9% of February 2019 levels. 

 

Domestic traffic for February rose 25.2% compared to the year-ago period. Total February 2023 domestic traffic was at 97.2% of the February 2019 level. 

 

International traffic climbed 89.7% versus February 2022 with all markets recording strong growth, led once again by carriers in the Asia-Pacific region. International RPKs reached 77.5% of February 2019 levels.

“Despite the uncertain economic signals, demand for air travel continues to be strong across the globe and particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. The industry is now just about 15% below 2019 levels of demand and that gap is narrowing each month,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.

 

International Passenger Markets

Asia-Pacific airlines had a 378.7% increase in February 2023 traffic compared to February 2022, maintaining the very positive momentum of the past few months since the lifting of travel restrictions in the region. Capacity rose 176.4% and the load factor increased 34.9 percentage points to 82.5%, the second highest among the regions.

 

European carriers posted a 47.9% traffic rise versus February 2022. Capacity climbed 29.7%, and load factor rose 9.1 percentage points to 73.7%, which was the lowest among the regions.

 

Middle Eastern airlines saw a 75.0% traffic increase compared to February a year ago. Capacity climbed 40.5% and load factor pushed up 15.8 percentage points to 80.0%. 

 

North American carriers’ traffic climbed 67.4% in February 2023 versus the 2022 period. Capacity increased 39.5%, and load factor rose 12.8 percentage points to 76.6%.

 

Latin American airlines had a 44.1% traffic increase compared to the same month in 2022. February capacity climbed 34.0% and load factor rose 5.8 percentage points to 82.7%, the highest among the regions. 

 

African airlines’ traffic rose 90.7% in February 2023 versus a year ago. February capacity was up 61.7% and load factor climbed 11.4 percentage points to 75.0%.

Aer Lingus begins new Knock-Heathrow service & restarts direct flights to Hartford, Connecticut

Late last month Aer Lingus began a brand new service connecting the west coast of Ireland to London Heathrow and recommenced direct flights to Hartford, Connecticut from Dublin.

New Knock-Heathrow service

The inaugural Aer Lingus flight EI916, operated by an Airbus A320, departed from Ireland West Airport at Knock for Heathrow at 13.05pm on 26th March. Given the close proximity of Knock to the Wild Atlantic Way and the huge spotlight on the west of Ireland following the box-office hit The Banshees of Inisherin, the new route will connect GB visitors and those travelling via Heathrow to one of Ireland’s most popular destinations.

Tourism Ireland figures indicate that the majority of visitors to Ireland are from Great Britain (42%), followed by the US (15%) which validates the new Aer Lingus route and highlights the importance of connectivity between Ireland and Great Britain. In addition, according to Tourism Ireland, 4.78 million people from Great Britain visited the Island of Ireland in 2019, generating €1.4 billion in revenue and 28% of British holidaymakers were between the ages of 25 and 34.

For residents of the West of Ireland, who can avail of Aer Lingus’ 16 direct Aer Lingus North American routes from Dublin and Shannon airports this summer, the London Heathrow service will also enable them to connect to destinations right across the globe via the UK’s largest and busiest airport.

Lynne Embleton, Aer Lingus CEO, said: “The west of Ireland has much to offer as a tourist destination with the world renowned Wild Atlantic Way on its doorstep. Our new Knock-Heathrow service is an exciting new route for Aer Lingus and the region, bringing travellers from Great Britain right to the heart of the action. Equally, customers from the west of Ireland will now fly into London Heathrow, the UK’s largest airport, and have the opportunity to travel onwards to cities all over the world.”

Welcoming the news, Arthur French, Chairman, Ireland West Airport commented “This is another proud day for the airport and the entire Western region. The hub status of Heathrow for business and leisure passengers to connect with the global marketplace is a major boost for this region with this new daily service opening up key onward connectivity, through one of Europe’s biggest hubs, to over 80 destinations worldwide. I have no doubt this new service will attract strong support from the region and overseas and we thank Aer Lingus for their continued commitment to the airport and West of Ireland region.”

Judith Cassidy of Tourism Ireland said: “This new route from Heathrow to Knock means that GB visitors can travel directly from London to Ireland’s dramatic Wild Atlantic Way coastline in less than two hours.

AIPUT submits planning application for the first major regeneration project funded by its sustainability-linked credit facility with Wells Fargo Bank

AIPUT’s first renovation project to be financed under the £350m credit facility represents the first milestone in the fund’s energy-driven strategic programme to enhance energy performance across its market-leading London airport logistics portfolio

abrdn’s AIPUT fund (Airport Industrial Property Unit Trust) has announced the submission of a planning application at its London Heathrow Radius Park campus, representing the inaugural renovation project of significant scale to be financed under the £350 million sustainability-linked credit facility (‘Facility’) recently secured with Wells Fargo Bank.  This project signals the opening of a new chapter in the fund’s strategy to deliver highly desirable, low-carbon and high-energy-performing logistics warehouses that will have a positive impact at a local level as well as for UK plc.  

Hilton ranks 2nd on 'Best Companies to Work For List in the US'

The recognition marks the eighth consecutive year on the prestigious list for Hilton

As the travel industry continues its incredible post-pandemic growth, Hilton has once again been recognized for its remarkable workplace culture. Great Place to Work (GPTW) and Fortune named Hilton #2 on the 2023 Best Companies to Work For list in the U.S. As in previous years, Hilton is the highest-ranked hospitality company to appear on the list. 

“We are so honoured to be recognized as a Great Place to Work for the eighth year in a row – and especially proud to be the #2 in the U.S. this year. Since our founding, our team members have always been at the heart of our hospitality – and this recognition is the result of everything they do to deliver on our founding vision, to fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality,” said Chris Nassetta, president and CEO, Hilton. “Our Hilton family is so proud of the incredible culture we’ve built together, and we look forward to building on that work for years to come.” 

Hilton has also achieved top honours globally. For the first time, Hilton has been named the #1 Best Workplace in France. This win comes as we celebrate being named a Great Place to Work in more than a dozen other countries, including in Argentina (#1), China (#1), Peru (#1), Portugal (#1), Uruguay (#1), Nigeria (#2), Singapore (#2), Brazil (#3), Oman (#3), Ireland (#4), Kuwait (#4), Philippines (#4), Saudi Arabia (#4), Spain (#4), UAE (#6), Germany (#8), Qatar (#9), Bahrain (#10), and Colombia (#15).

The last few years had a tremendous impact on ways of working, and today more than ever, team members are looking for more diverse, inclusive, and flexible working experiences. Hilton has committed to building a culture that supports team members at every step of their personal and professional journeys while creating a fully human experience at work through inclusion, wellness, growth and purpose.  

Signs of improvement in February for air cargo

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for February 2023 global air cargo markets showing that air cargo demand rose above pre-pandemic levels. 

Global demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometres (CTKs*), fell 7.5% compared to February 2022 (-8.3% for international operations). This was half the rate of annual decline seen in the previous two months (-14.9% and -15.3% respectively). February demand for air cargo was 2.9% higher than pre-pandemic levels (February 2019)—the first time it has surpassed pre-pandemic levels in eight months. 

 

Capacity (measured in available cargo tonne-kilometres, ACTK) was up 8.6% compared to February 2022. The strong uptick in ACTKs reflects the addition of belly capacity as the passenger side of the business continues to recover. International belly-capacity grew by 57.0% in February year-over-year, reaching 75.1% of the 2019 (pre-pandemic) capacity. 

 

Several factors in the operating environment should be noted:
 

The global new export orders component of the manufacturing PMI, a leading indicator of cargo demand, continued to increase in February. China’s PMI level surpassed the critical 50-mark indicating that demand for manufactured goods from the world’s largest export economy is growing. 

 

Global goods trade decreased by 1.5% in January; this was a slower rate of decline than the previous month of -3.3%.

 

The Consumer Price Index for G7 countries decreased from 6.7% in January to 6.4% in February. Inflation in producer (input) prices reduced by 2.2 percentage points to 9.6% in December (last available data). 

”The story of air cargo in February is one of slowing declines. Year-on-year demand fell by 7.5%. That’s half the rate of decline experienced in January. This shifting of gears was sufficient to boost the overall industry into positive territory (+2.9%) compared to pre-pandemic levels.  An optimistic eye could see the start of an improvement trend that leads to market stabilization and  a return to more normal demand patterns after dramatic ups-and-downs in recent years,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General. 

Air France-KLM and CMA CGM officially launch their long-term strategic air cargo partnership

A commercial joint-venture that combines both groups’ complementary air cargo offerings with extended freighter capacity, a broader network of destinations and tailormade solutions.

A compelling offering for customers, delivered via an unrivalled distribution network as well as a digital one-stop shop accessible 24/7.

A shared ambition to invest in and shape the future of air cargo with game-changing solutions, focusing on sustainability, smart digitalization, and integrated technologies.

 

Air France-KLM and the CMA CGM Group have launched a long-term strategic air cargo partnership they made public in May 2022. This partnership will have an initial duration of 10 years and will see Air France-KLM Martinair Cargo, part of Air France-KLM Group, and CMA CGM Air Cargo, part of the CMA CGM Group, combine their complementary cargo networks, full freighter capacity and dedicated services to build an even more compelling offering thanks to their unrivalled knowhow and global footprint.

This agreement has received all the mandatory regulatory approvals from the competent authorities*.

Meeting customers’ needs with unique seamless services across the globe

The partnership will help meet customers' ever-increasing need for more integrated and resilient supply chains. It will leverage Air France-KLM’s vast air cargo franchise, experience and capabilities, especially as they pertain to specialized cargo (pharmaceuticals, perishables, express, etc.), backed by a worldwide cargo network and state-of-the-art facilities at its global hubs at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. For its part, CMA CGM will mobilize its large commercial network and global logistics platform.

The deal will tap into the groups’ respective strengths to provide customized, agile, efficient, and cost-effective services for customers. The combined offering will allow them to benefit from greater freighter and belly capacity, a more extensive network of destinations, a mix of scheduled and charter flights, improved transit times and flexibility, as well as tailored connections across the world. Customers will benefit from enhanced customer support thanks to a global network of agencies, and a specialized service desk will address specific requirements, including a dedicated BIG desk for large shipments.

Customers will have direct access to a dedicated online platform (“myCargo”) and digital services for easy online bookings available 24/7, as well as expert customer service. Since March 20, 2023, CMA CGM flights are available for booking on myCargo and customers can easily book and combine flights operated by Air France, KLM, Martinair or CMA CGM Air Cargo on this industry-leading digital one-stop shop.

Emirates orders 10 cruise ships for its Sealine maritime arm.

Emirates, widely considered the QE2 among airlines and beloved by millions worldwide for its sumptuous services in the air and on land, will now be sailing across the seven seas with its newly-launched maritime arm, Emirates Sealine.

Lucky ship-spotters and cruise aficionados witnessed glimpses of the first liner as it majestically sailed around Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah earlier this week on its maiden sea trial 

Emirates Sealine is promising cruisers top-tier and never-before-imagined experiences as they voyage to rarely-before-seen ports of call. It placed a titanic, multi-billion-dollar order for an initial 10 cruise ships which are currently being fitted with the latest and the best.

Having identified significant gaps in the industry’s offering, Emirates Sealine will give a wide berth to convention, offering a cruise calendar outside traditional seasons. The first cruise is scheduled to flag off from Dubai Harbour on 01 April 2024, with Karachi as the maiden port of call – harking back to the airline’s first-ever flight in October 1985.

Itineraries and bookings will be open from 31 June. Emirates Sealine’s liners will dock at major cruise ports – charting a course from US to New Zealand – supported by the airline’s colossal network.

Captain Jack Shallow, the newly appointed Chief Maritime Officer at the helm of Emirates Sealine said: “Emirates is no stranger to the seas, having been associated with powerboat racing in Dubai to Emirates Team New Zealand and more recently, the Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team. While cities worldwide remain moored to challenges, Dubai is sailing smoothly at unimaginable knots and has outstanding cruise and other multi-modal transport infrastructure.