ATSG Charitable Foundation to support STEM education......... Inspiring future aviation professionals

The ATSG Charitable Foundation has announced its financial support for three elementary school book fairs and the Ohio 4-H Pathways to the Future program, reinforcing its commitment to STEM education with the goal of engaging more students in aviation and related career fields.

“We are focused on fostering a passion for STEM subjects, especially aviation,” said Mike Berger, CEO of Air Transport Services Group (ATSG) and member of the Foundation’s board of directors. “By supporting programs that inspire an interest in science and technology, we are helping to create a pipeline of young talent who will one day shape the future of aviation.”

The Foundation will sponsor book fairs at Broward Elementary School in Tampa, Florida; Hamilton Elementary School in Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Putnam Elementary School in Blanchester, Ohio near the ATSG Corporate Headquarters. The book fairs, provided by Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, will offer every student the opportunity to take home three books of their choice free of charge, while the schools will receive an additional 300 books for classroom and library use. These initiatives are part of ATSG’s broader effort to spark curiosity and learning in STEM fields from an early age.

Why LAX, LAS, and LHR Should Invest in LH2

IDTechEx predicts the hydrogen aeroplane market will grow to US$28.4 billion, but only with strategic airport investment.

 

IDTechEx’s new report, “Sustainable Future Aviation 2025-2045: Trends, Technologies, Forecasts”, finds the hydrogen aeroplane market will be worth US$28.4 billion in 2045. The largest part of this will be coming from hydrogen-powered narrow-body commercial airliners. However, this can only happen with strategic infrastructure investment at the right airports. 

Hydrogen is a promising option for the future of aviation. Unlike batteries, it has enormous gravimetric energy density, allowing the plane to carry plenty of energy without becoming too heavy. The limitation of hydrogen is its volumetric energy density – the space it takes up. Because hydrogen is light, it occupies far more space than jet fuel for the same amount of energy. At room temperature and pressure, a hydrogen tank would need to be more than 3,000 times the size of a jet fuel tank to hold the same energy.

 

Compressing hydrogen helps to get more energy into a smaller volume. Most companies looking at compressed hydrogen are considering 700 bar. Pressurizing hydrogen to 700 bar increases its density by a factor of 470, meaning the tank needs to be just over 7 times bigger for the same energy, but also that anybody looking to make use of hydrogen will need to invest in 700 bar hydrogen refuelling infrastructure. 

 

Liquid hydrogen (LH2) is even more dense. At 71g/L, it still weighs nearly ten times less than jet fuel for the same volume but now contains ~25% of the energy. So now, if a plane could be refuelled with liquid hydrogen and got similar efficiency out of the engines, it could expect to get around 25% of the range. For something like an Airbus A320, or Boeing 737max, this would mean around 1,500km of range. This might not sound like much, but a surprising amount of flights are less than 1,500km.

 

IDTechEx’s report, “Sustainable Future Aviation 2025-2045: Trends, Technologies, Forecasts”, found that around 60% of all flights in the US (domestic and international) are less than 1,500km.

 

49ers and United Airlines launch SAF pilot project to reduce carbon emissions from air travel

United and the San Francisco 49ers announced today that the team has become the first in the NFL to purchase sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). As an initial step toward addressing emissions concerns, the team has purchased enough SAF to cover its game-related flying on United from San Francisco to Los Angeles this Sunday.

SAF is an alternative to conventional jet fuel that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 85% on a lifecycle basis – from production to end use – because it is made from renewable materials rather than oil. United's SAF is certified by an independent third party as meeting several sustainability criteria, including its carbon intensity.

United was the first airline to create a goal of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emission by 2050, without relying on voluntary carbon offsets, and remains a U.S. industry leader in the purchase and use of SAF. The airline purchased more sustainable fuel than any U.S. airline in 2023 and has used a blend of SAF at five airports in the U.S. and Europe including San Francisco International Airport – among the most locations of any U.S. airline.

"SAF has the potential to be a powerful tool to help reduce carbon emissions from flying, but the industry is still in its infancy, supply is limited, and most people don't know what it is," said United CEO Scott Kirby. "We're proud to partner with like-minded organizations like the 49ers to demonstrate and elevate to a broader audience why it's important to support real solutions like SAF."

Alaska Airlines take-over of Hawaiian Airlines completes

This week Alaska Air Group confirmed it had completed its acquisition of Hawaiian Holdings. Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines now begin the work to secure a single operating certificate with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which will allow the two airlines to operate as a single carrier with an integrated passenger service system. 

In the interim, the airlines will continue to operate as separate carriers with no immediate changes to operations and will maintain separate websites, reservation systems and loyalty programmes until later in the integration process. The management structure at Hawaiian Airlines has already been changed and according to sources at the airline, the company will transition to 80% Alaska Air leaders by the end of 2025.   

The Alaska Air Group features:  

Fly nearly 1,500 daily flights to 141 destinations including 29 international markets in the Americas, Asia, Australia and the South Pacific. This expanded network feeds the more than 1,200 destinations available through the oneworld Alliance.

Maintain hubs in Seattle, Honolulu, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, San Diego and Anchorage, with Honolulu becoming the second largest behind Seattle.

Operate a fleet of 350 aircraft, which includes 2 Boeing 787, 24 Airbus A330, 18 Airbus A321neo, 235 Boeing 737, 19 Boeing 717, 44 Embraer E175, and 8 dedicated freighters (3 Boeing 737-700, 2 Boeing 737-800 and 3 Airbus A330).

Employ more than 33,000 people across North America, Asia and the Pacific.

Mileage Plan and HawaiianMiles retain their full value at the moment, however, HawaiianMiles will be absorbed into Mileage Plan within a year and a time limit to redeem or exchange HawaiianMiles will be introduced. Later this month, Alaska Airlines promises members will be able to seamlessly transfer miles between Mileage Plan and HawaiianMiles on a 1 - 1 basis.  

British Airways announces direct flights to Georgian capital, Tbilisi

British Airways will launch flights from London Heathrow to Tbilisi, Georgia next year, operating four times per week from 30 March 2025.

Despite recent moves more towards Russia and away from the West, political unrest and aggressive anti-western attitudes, the UK's leading airline has decided to launch flights to Tbilisi, in the Republic of Georgia.   

Located at the crossroads where Europe meets Asia, Georgia is known for its rich history, vibrant culture, traditional cuisine and picturesque scenery. The country proudly lays claim to being the birthplace of wine, with an 8,000-year-old history of winemaking that remains a predominant part of its culture today. The nation is also home to a large number of Russians who have set down roots in the country since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 

In recent months, a complete reevaluation of the relationship the U.S. has with Georgia was ordered by Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State. Financial aid and military cooperation from the U.S. has also been frozen and the European Union also followed suit.  Indeed, in Europe, there is talk that more sanctions from the EU could be imposed.  Georgia had also previously wished to join NATO and was, for a while described by the organisation as a 'prospective member state'. Now, that has been dropped from recent NATO declarations.  

Georgia signed a deep strategic partnership agreement in 2023 with China which has seen Tbilisi awarding a Chinese-led consortium the exclusive rights to complete the Anaklia deep-sea port on Georgia’s Black Sea coast. Not only that, according to Carnegie Politika Georgia also embarked towards energy cooperation with Turkey and has developed warmer ties to Iran following the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in May. Forthcoming elections in October could further cement diplomatic, financial and emotional ties with Russia, China and Iran or an attempt to resuscitate the relationship with the West. According to the Financial Times Western leaders need to brace for a full-blown Georgian crisis and a plan needs to be ready. 

Tbilisi is located on the banks of the Mtkvari River, surrounded by hills with the Caucasus Mountains to the north. The city attracts visitors looking to soak up the charm of the cobbled streets of its historic city centre, its unique blend of architecture, and diverse cuisine, which has been influenced by its history and surroundings. The canyons and caves near Kutaisi and multiple UNESCO World Heritage sites are within easy reach for avid explorers.

NASA picks lunar relay contractor for Near Space Network Services

NASA has awarded a contract to Intuitive Machines, LLC of Houston, to support the agency’s lunar relay systems as part of the Near Space Network, operated by the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

This Subcategory 2.2 GEO to Cislunar Relay Services is a new firm-fixed-price, multiple award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity task order contract. The contract has a base period of five years with an additional 5-year option period, with a maximum potential value of $4.82 billion. The base ordering period begins Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, through Sept. 30, 2029, with the option period potentially extending the contract through Sept. 30, 2034.

Lunar relays will play an essential role in NASA’s Artemis campaign to establish a long-term presence on the Moon. These relays will provide vital communication and navigation services for the exploration and scientific study of the Moon’s South Pole region. Without the extended coverage offered by lunar relays, landing opportunities at the Moon’s South Pole will be significantly limited due to the lack of direct communication between potential landing sites and ground stations on Earth.

The lunar relay award also includes services to support position, navigation, and timing capabilities, which are crucial for ensuring the safety of navigation on and around the lunar surface. Under the contract, Intuitive Machines also will enable NASA to provide communication and navigation services to customer missions in the near space region.

.Indonesian Air Force orders four Airbus H145 helicopters

Indonesian Air Force orders four Airbus H145 helicopters 

The Indonesian Air Force has placed an order for four Airbus H145 helicopters as part of its training modernisation programme. The order was announced during the Bali International Airshow taking place this week.

Under the agreement between the Indonesian Air Force and PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI), Airbus will deliver the five-bladed H145s to PTDI, who will manage the reassembly and completion of the mission equipment and other customisation work at its facility in Bandung, Indonesia, for final delivery to the air force. These multi-mission helicopters will be deployed for military training and light search-and-rescue missions.

“We are honoured by Indonesia’s selection of the country’s first Airbus H145 for its new training fleet. We are fully confident that the highly versatile H145 will make a positive impact in enhancing its military pilot training and at the same time be a critical enabler for its search-and-rescue operations. With a trusted partner in PTDI, we look forward to working together in support of Indonesia’s fleet,” said Vincent Dubrule, Head of Asia-Pacific, Airbus Helicopters.

“We are deeply honoured by the trust placed by the Indonesian Air Force through their order of the H145 helicopters as part of their training modernisation programme. This collaboration not only strengthens the long-standing partnership between PTDI and Airbus, but also showcases our commitment to providing innovative and reliable solutions for national operational needs. Through this close partnership, PTDI will not only support the delivery of the H145 helicopters but will also enhance our capabilities in terms of integration and assembly at our facilities. We are confident that this cooperation will create new opportunities for the development of the national aerospace industry and further sustain the long-term relationship between PTDI and Airbus, which we continue to strengthen for a more advanced future,” said Gita Amperiawan, President Director, PT Dirgantara Indonesia.

Airbus Helicopters and Indonesia have an enduring relationship of close to 50 years dating back to 1976 when PTDI first obtained a licence to produce the NBO-105 helicopter. PTDI became a key supplier of Airbus H225’s rear fuselage and main airframe in 2008, with full production in place in Indonesia by 2011. The two companies expanded the industrial cooperation in 2017, to include support and services dedicated for the Indonesian military fleet of helicopters, and most recently deepened the collaboration to explore the development of aerostructure production for the manufacturer's helicopter platform, helicopter completions, and enhancing local maintenance, repair and overhaul capabilities.

 

Losses reduce at Vertical Aerospace

Vertical Aerospace,  a global aerospace and technology company working towards zero-emission aviation, has just announced its financial results for the first half of the year ended June 30, 2024. 

Vertical maintained its industry-leading capital efficiency with an operating loss of £20 million. The company also got a boost in the first half of the year, when it was awarded an £8 million grant from the UK Government as part of its Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI).

Stuart Simpson, CEO at Vertical, said:  “During the past few months we have delivered our most advanced full-scale VX4 prototype, have gone from first powered ground test to 'wheels up’ in just one week and completed the first phase of our piloted test flight programme. Every day I continue to be deeply impressed by the phenomenal engineers we have and the progress we are making here in Bristol as we build a new generation of aviation. This could not be a more exciting time to follow Vertical as we accelerate through our piloted flight tests and work closely with the UK Civil Aviation Authority, our home regulator, on the path to certification.”

Alaska Airlines completes acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines

Alaska Air Group has today announced it has completed its acquisition of Hawaiian Holdings. Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines now begin the work to secure a single operating certificate with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which will allow the two airlines to operate as a single carrier with an integrated passenger service system. 

In the interim, the airlines will continue to operate as separate carriers with no immediate changes to operations and will maintain separate websites, reservation systems and loyalty programmes until later in the integration process. The management structure at Hawaiian Airlines has already been changed and according to sources at the airline, the company will transition to 80% Alaska Air leaders by the end of 2025.   

As of today, Alaska Air Group’s airlines and subsidiary airlines:

Fly nearly 1,500 daily flights to 141 destinations including 29 international markets in the Americas, Asia, Australia and the South Pacific. This expanded network feeds the more than 1,200 destinations available through the oneworld Alliance.

Maintain hubs in Seattle, Honolulu, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, San Diego and Anchorage, with Honolulu becoming the second largest behind Seattle.

Operate a fleet of 350 aircraft, which includes 2 Boeing 787, 24 Airbus A330, 18 Airbus A321neo, 235 Boeing 737, 19 Boeing 717, 44 Embraer E175, and 8 dedicated freighters (3 Boeing 737-700, 2 Boeing 737-800 and 3 Airbus A330).

Employ more than 33,000 people across North America, Asia and the Pacific.

Mileage Plan and HawaiianMiles retain their full value at the moment, however, this is likely to change when HawaiianMiles is absorbed into Mileage Plan. Later this month, Alaska Airlines promises members will be able to seamlessly transfer miles between Mileage Plan and HawaiianMiles on a 1 - 1 basis.  

Qatar Airways launches four additional flights from Amsterdam for the winter season

The four additional weekly flights will begin from 12 November 2024 until 29 March 2025, following increased demand from passengers travelling from the Dutch capital to sun-soaked destinations

Qatar Airways, the World’s Best Airline as voted by Skytrax in 2024, is growing its operations in Amsterdam from 10 weekly flights to 14 with the launch of four additional weekly flights from Amsterdam starting 12 November 2024 until 29 March 2025.

 

Qatar Airways’ 14 weekly flights will enable 40,000 additional passengers to travel between Amsterdam and Doha through its award-winning hub, Hamad International Airport (DOH).

 

Qatar Airways Chief Commercial Officer, Mr. Thierry Antinori, said: "Qatar Airways is delighted to witness and serve the growing travel demand in the Dutch capital, which is an integral destination in our European network. We look forward to offering our world-class product and seamless service to travellers from Amsterdam seeking to experience the world through Qatar Airways’ extensive network of more than 170 global destinations.”

 

With the additional flights, travellers will have more opportunities to soak up the winter sun at their favourite destinations including Bali (Denpasar), Bangkok, and Ho Chi Minh City. Amsterdam, also known as the city of historic canals, is one of the leading destinations for passengers travelling from Asia and Australia.

 

Another new Airbus A321neo for Condor

Aviation Capital Group, a premier global full-service aircraft asset manager, has confirmed the delivery of an Airbus A321neo to German holiday carrier, Condor Flugdienst. The jet is powered by the ultra-efficient Pratt & Whitney GTF engines and is the fourth of four aircraft delivered to the airline from ACG’s order book with Airbus.

 

Sports and music event tourism unlocks new opportunities to capture spend

Collinson International launches a global research report unveiling how businesses can engage with sports and music fans to capture share of growing market spend.

Collinson International, the owner and operator of Priority Pass and LoungeKey, has released its latest global research report, The Value of Sports and Music Tourism, exploring the travel and spending habits of sports and music event travellers. The new research revealed that sports fans are the biggest spenders globally in comparison to those travelling for music events; 57% of Asia Pacific's (APAC) sports enthusiasts are spending more than US$500 per trip, per person.

Sports and music tourism is seeing huge growth. In 2023, sports tourism was valued at US$564.7 billion and is expected to almost double in value to US$1.33 trillion by 2032.[1] Similarly, music tourism is expected to see huge growth, forecasted to reach US$13.8 billion by 2032.[2] This is being driven by three main components: events, with more sports and music events, fans have more choice of destinations; exposure, the internationalisation of new and existing sports leagues through TV and streaming has encouraged fans to travel, while music fans are finding it may be more cost-effective to see an artist abroad; and experience, after years of Covid-19 travel restrictions, live fans are back and wanting new, enhanced experiences.  

It is clear that sports and music tourism is booming and event travellers have high aspirations, presenting a huge opportunity for businesses to tap into this growing segment of travellers. In APAC, of those that travel to an event by plane, more than four-fifths (85%) have travelled for sports and 74% for music in the past three years or plan to do so in the coming 12 months. Of these travellers, over half (53%) travel more than once a year with 19% attending three or more events annually.

Spending Habits

Sports fans are the biggest spenders globally, with 57% from APAC exceeding US$500 per trip. Notably, 12% of respondents in APAC spend more than US$2,000 per trip. Globally, the 25-34 age group spends the most overall, with a third (33%) exceeding US$1,000 for sports and 31% for music events.

The typical spend for event travellers globally at airports is US$100 (44%) but this varies considerably with those travelling for basketball (30%), Formula 1 (32%) and the Olympics (31%) prepared to spend US$200 or more. As for those travelling for music, 25% are prepared to spend US$200 or above.

Over 4 in 5 (82%) of APAC sports and music fans have travelled to a new city or country to watch their favourite team or artist and of those, 28% said they have returned to these new cities / countries – with a further 31% planning to return. This presents huge economic growth opportunities for local businesses within these destinations, particularly where repeat business can be identified ahead of time. 

Passenger numbers and cargo volumes continue to grow at Frankfurt and beyond

Frankfurt Airport welcomed 6.1 million passengers in August – Load factor remains high at 86.1 percent – A total of 22.2 million passengers across Fraport’s global network of airports.

Frankfurt Airport (FRA) served some 6.1 million passengers in August 2024, a 3.7 percent increase on the same month last year. Supported by summer school vacations in Hesse and neighbouring German states, FRA surpassed the 200,000 passenger mark on a total of 13 days across the month. By comparison, the 200,000 figure was exceeded on only five days in August 2023. Travel demand was particularly high for European holiday destinations in Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Greece. Meanwhile, intercontinental traffic at Germany’s largest aviation gateway saw particularly strong growth for China (up 48.5 percent year-on-year), India (up 36.5 percent), and Singapore (up 14.5 percent). Traffic to and from the Middle East, in contrast, fell by 25.8 percent year-on-year, driven by the tense security situation in the region.

Compared with pre-Covid levels, FRA’s passenger numbers last month remained around 12.1 percent lower than in August 2019.1

Cargo throughput, including both airfreight and airmail, surged by 10.1 percent year-on-year to 172,718 metric tons in August 2024. The number of aircraft movements edged up by 1.1 percent to 40,359 takeoffs and landings, while maximum takeoff weights (or MTOWs) climbed by 2.6 percent year-on-year to approximately 2.5 million metric tons.

Most airports in Fraport’s international portfolio also recorded passenger growth last month. Slovenia’s Ljubljana Airport (LJU) registered a 13.8 percent increase to 166,593 passengers. In contrast, the two Brazilian airports of Fortaleza (FOR) and Porto Alegre (POA) experienced significant declines, with combined figures falling by 49.5 percent year-on-year to 600,187 passengers. The drop was mainly due to the suspension of flight operations at POA since May 3 as a result of the heavy flooding in the Port Alegre region. Currently, a contingency schedule is in place for POA, with only a limited number of domestic flights being operated from a nearby military base. Elsewhere in Latin America, some 2.2 million passengers travelled via Peru’s Lima Airport (LIM) in August 2024, a notable increase of 11.4 percent compared to the same month last year. Fraport’s 14 Greek regional airports reported passenger growth of 6.1 percent year-on-year, with a total of 6.5 million travellers. In Bulgaria, the Fraport Twin Star airports of Burgas (BOJ) and Varna (VAR) saw a 4.1 percent year-on-year decline in combined traffic, to 801,868 passengers. On the Turkish Riviera, however, traffic at Antalya Airport (AYT) increased slightly by 0.2 percent year-on-year to around 5.8 million passengers.

Total passenger numbers at all airports actively managed by Fraport rose by 1.0 percent year-on-year to about 22.2 million passengers in August 2024.

 

¹  The Fraport Traffic Figures for the last ten years can be found in our digital TrafficSheet. The tool can be used to compare various traffic data by different categories
Monthly Traffic Results Frankfurt Airport PDF, August 2024     271 KB (fraport.com)

NASA selects Lockheed Martin to develop lightning mapper for NOAA

NASA, on behalf of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has selected Lockheed Martin Corp. of Littleton, Colorado, to develop a lightning mapping instrument as part of NOAA’s Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) satellite program.

This cost-plus-award-fee contract is valued at approximately $297.1 million. It includes the development of two flight instruments as well as options for two additional units. The anticipated period of performance for this contract includes support for 10 years of on-orbit operations and five years of on-orbit storage, for a total of 15 years for each flight model. The work will take place at Lockheed Martin’s facilities in Sunnyvale, California, and Littleton, Colorado, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The GeoXO Lightning Mapper will detect, locate, and measure the intensity, duration, and extent of lightning flashes. The instrument will continue critical observations provided by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites-R (GOES-R) Series Geostationary Lightning Mapper. Data from Lightning Mapper will be used to analyze severe storms, increase warning lead time for hazardous weather, and provide earlier indications of impending lightning strikes to the ground. The data will also be used for hurricane intensity prediction, wildfire detection and response, precipitation estimation, and to mitigate aviation hazards.

Forecasters need lightning information from geostationary orbit because the data are available where other sources are more limited, especially over oceans and in mountainous and rural areas. The data are also available more frequently than local radar and fill in radar coverage gaps.

Strong growth in passengers, starts and landings at Munich

At the end of the Bavarian summer holidays, Munich Airport has reported strong traffic figures: 6.2 million passengers used the airport in the past six weeks, ten percent more than in the previous year. 

The peak day was Sunday, September 1st – on that day 143,000 passengers passed through Munich Airport. The high demand for air travel was also reflected in the load factor of the aircraft: This was 86 percent during the holidays - an absolute record value. During the holiday season, airlines carried out 46,000 takeoffs and landings in Munich – an increase of 7.6 percent compared with the number of flights during the previous year's summer vacation.

In terms of passenger volume, the airport thus reaches 91 percent of the record year 2019. With regard to intercontinental travellers, the 2019 figures were exceeded by 14 percent on flights to North America. The number of passengers travelling to and from Mediterranean countries reached pre-crisis levels during the 2024 summer holidays.

In Terminal 2, which is used by Lufthansa and its partner airlines, the number of passengers during the holiday season exceeded the pre-crisis level for the first time on 19 days.