Air India axes data centres in favour of the cloud.

Air India, India’s leading global airline, has successfully migrated to a cloud-only IT infrastructure, having closed its historic data centres located in Mumbai and New Delhi. This makes Air India one of the first major global airlines to have moved all computational workloads exclusively to the cloud.

The move brings remarkable technological agility and scalability to Air India, enabling it to accelerate its digital transformation effort and roll out new digital innovations and applications to enhance operational efficiencies, customer and employee experiences. The closure of the data centres will further result in net savings of nearly a million dollars every year.

Dr Satya Ramaswamy, Chief Digital and Technology Officer, Air India, said: “At Air India, we have adopted ‘cloud-only’ as our computational infrastructure philosophy. For us, cloud is not just about cost savings and operational efficiencies but is a fundamental way to reimagine computing itself and a critical lever to accelerate innovation. We have adopted a strategic mix of Software-as-a-Service, Platform-as-a-Service and Infrastructure-as-a-Service methodologies in Air India’s transformation journey, allowing us to innovate faster and provide a flexible and reliable computational and networking infrastructure for the company.”

Given the heavy interdependency on a variety of other systems in the data centres, the entire process of migration to cloud was skillfully and carefully strategized, mapped out, and managed by Air India’s top architects and engineers in Silicon Valley in the U.S., and Gurugram and Kochi in India. The exercise required the migration of all computational workloads from several mainframes, hundreds of servers, a large amount of data, and hundreds of equipment to the cloud.

 

Christmas all wrapped up, up and away at East Midlands Airport

East Midlands Airport (EMA) is preparing for a busy end to the year, with more than 100,000 passengers set to fly through its terminal in the last two weeks of the year.

More than 5,000 people will travel through on Friday 22 December alone, which is set to be its busiest day of the festive period.

The bumper Christmas travel season comes on the back of a strong November, with fresh figures revealing 188,556 passengers passed through EMA during the month – up by 29% on last year.

That brings the airport’s annual total to 3.2m, with it on course to break through the 4m mark by the end of March.

EMA’s Customer and Planning Director Mike Grimes said: “We’re delighted to welcome thousands of customers to the airport during the festive period – it’s a really special time of the year for people to get away. Our staff love to make the whole experience convenient and hassle-free.

“A strong performance this winter on top of a busy summer is expected to boost overall passenger numbers to above 4m by the end of the financial year, taking us to pre-Covid levels and giving us the promise of 2024 being a very Happy New Year. We also have a programme of improvements getting underway which will make the experience of flying from EMA even more comfortable and effortless.”

·       Passengers are attracted to EMA by its effortless travel experience and frequent low-cost flights to destinations at this time of year offering Christmas Markets, Alpine skiing or winter sun

·       On Friday 22nd December alone, 5,068 are expected to travel to a range of European destinations

·       Overall, the airport’s passenger numbers are up by almost 567,000 compared to November last year, showing an ongoing post-pandemic confidence among holidaymakers.

WestJet service to shore diving destination, Bonaire takes flight from Toronto

The Canadian airline, WestJet celebrated the commencement of service between the beautiful island of Bonaire and Toronto, with the departure of WS2550 at 10:10 ET. Growing Eastern Canada's leisure travel options, WestJet will be the only airline offering direct flights between the Canadian metropolis and the stunning Dutch Caribbean Island.

The addition of Bonaire to WestJet's growing network furthers the airline's commitment to bolstering its presence in Eastern Canada through connectivity to popular sun and leisure destinations. Through the airline's winter schedule, WestJet will operate weekly service between Toronto and Bonaire.

"We are thrilled to celebrate the departure of our inaugural flight between Toronto and Bonaire today as we continue to champion the WestJet Group as Canada's leading coast-to-coast leisure travel provider," said WestJet Vice-President of Airports, David Powell. "With the departure of today's flight, we look forward to providing this new connectivity to Toronto that will offer unforgettable experiences and tourism opportunities in both destinations." 

"We looked forward with great excitement to the arrival of our guests from Canada, and the much-anticipated day is finally here with the first WestJet flight landing in Bonaire," expressed Miles Mercera, CEO of Tourism Corporation Bonaire. "Canada remains one of our top 10 markets, and this historic new connection signifies a major step in accommodating the increasing desire for tourism on our picturesque island."

As part of the Dutch Caribbean, Bonaire is in the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean Sea and is accessible through The Flamingo International Airport. Known for its globally acclaimed shore diving and wind surfing, Bonaire is the ideal destination for warm weather, adventure-seeking Canadians.

AirAsia extends support for FLYsiswa 2024, allowing students to fly home affordably on 45 routes

As the people’s airline, AirAsia is proud to continue supporting the FLYsiswa programme next year, an initiative driven by the Ministry of Transport Malaysia to provide an opportunity for students to fly back to their hometowns affordably.

AirAsia’s e-voucher for the FLYsiswa programme applies for flight bookings across 45 routes in 10 destinations between Peninsula Malaysia from Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Kota Bharu and East Malaysia to Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Kuching, Bintulu, Miri, Sibu, Labuan. It is also applicable for flights between Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan.

This initiative not only demonstrates the airline’s commitment to ensuring affordability with great value fares and accessibility with a vast network but also enables students to benefit from its ecosystem. This includes airasia rewards points, inflight offerings, and more.

Boeing Names Stephanie Pope Chief Operating Officer

Boeing has named Stephanie Pope as executive vice president and chief operating officer of The Boeing Company. In this newly created position, effective January 1, 2024, Pope will report to Boeing President and Chief Executive Officer Dave Calhoun. 

As Boeing COO, Pope will oversee the performance of the company's three business units with responsibility for driving supply chain, quality, manufacturing and engineering excellence across the company. The business unit Chief Executive Officers, the Boeing Chief Engineer and the President of Boeing Global will report directly to Pope. Senior corporate functional leaders will continue reporting to Calhoun.

"Stephanie brings tremendous operational, financial and customer experience to this role, as well as a proven record of performance across our commercial, defence and services business units," said Calhoun. "Next year will be a significant transitional year in our performance as we continue to restore our operational and financial strength; and Stephanie will help drive the stability and predictability necessary to ensure we deliver on our customer, employee, regulatory, investor and other stakeholder commitments."

JetBlue celebrates 10 years of free unlimited fly-fi

JetBlue celebrates its 10-year anniversary of Fly-Fi—the airline’s fast, free and unlimited broadband satellite internet service. With this bold move that made JetBlue the first major U.S. airline to offer free Wi-Fi on every flight, Fly-Fi highlights JetBlue’s commitment to a customer-centric onboard experience with great service at low fares.

While Wi-Fi has now become ubiquitous in public spaces, providing free high-speed connectivity to aircraft travelling 500 mph at 35,000 feet was a unique challenge in 2013. To set a new standard of onboard connectivity, JetBlue worked with satellite internet provider Viasat to integrate the highest speeds offered inflight, making it possible for customers to have the bandwidth to stream video and use multiple devices at once—a radical capability that many airlines are just now integrating into their service. Through product testing and evolution, and the launch of second-generation satellites, JetBlue and Viasat were able to expand high-speed coverage across JetBlue’s network, paving the way for its transatlantic expansion.

“JetBlue has been a disruptor to legacy carriers and a trailblazer in onboard technology since its inception with seatback entertainment at every seat, and we have continued to raise the standard with our unparalleled inflight Wi-Fi,” said Mariya Stoyanova, director of product development, JetBlue. “Recently, we’ve seen other airlines adopt products and services that JetBlue has had onboard for years—legacy carriers realize that when we’re in-market, they can’t offer bare-bones service. We’re pushing the entire U.S. airline industry to provide a better inflight experience for travellers.”

British Airways to start Gatwick - Agadir route.....

Agadir has become the latest destination to join British Airways’ route network from London Gatwick.  

The four-times weekly flight will be operated by British Airways’ Gatwick short-haul subsidiary, BA Euroflyer, from 31 March 2024.  On sale now, Agadir joins Marrakech to become the second Moroccan destination on British Airways’ route map. This will be the first time in more than a decade that Agadir has been available to British Airways customers. 

Tom Stoddart, CEO of BA Euroflyer, said: “Agadir is a coastal destination that enjoys 300 days of sunshine per year, so we know it will see strong demand from our leisure customers and particularly those seeking holiday packages. It offers beaches, golf courses and water sports alongside the opportunity to experience cultural landmarks, such as Agadir Kasbah.”

Customers will have the choice of two cabins on every flight: Club Europe (business class) and Euro Traveller (economy). Euro Traveller customers enjoy a complimentary drink and snack, while Club Europe customers will have lounge access, a full meal service with drinks from the bar, priority boarding and additional baggage allowance is included in their ticket. 

Day of the week	Flight number	Departing LGW	Arriving  AGA	Flight number	Departing AGA	Arriving LGW
London Gatwick (LGW) to Agadir, Morocco (AGA): Summer 2024
Wednesdays	BA2664	08:15	12:00	BA2665	13:10	17:00
Fridays	BA2664	06:45	10:30	BA2665	11:45	15:35
Saturdays (from 25 May 2024)	BA2664	15:25	19:10	BA2665	20:10	00:00
Sundays	BA2664	08:25	12:10	BA2665	13:20	17:10

All timings are local 

United Airlines’ U.K. Fantasy Flight Supports Children from Honeypot to meet Santa at the ‘North Pole’

First time United Airlines partners with The Honeypot Children’s Charity for its U.K. Fantasy Flight

Children and young people supported by The Honeypot Children’s Charity in London enjoyed a special onboard experience this weekend at Heathrow Airport and met Santa at a unique ‘North Pole’ type setting at the Renaissance Hotel, courtesy of United Airlines. 

It is the first time United Airlines, which has been running the festive initiative in the U.S. and other countries across its global network for more than 25 years, has partnered with The Honeypot Children’s Charity for its U.K. Fantasy Flight. The children, many of whom had never been on a plane before, were brought together by the charity through the services it operates across the UK. 

Employees from United Airlines at Heathrow Airport, including customer service staff and flight attendants, worked together to organise the day of adventure at the airport. The United team, with support from the charity, collaborated to ensure a magical day for all of the children involved. 

Air India introduces new uniforms....

New Air India uniforms......

Introducing our new Pilot and cabin crew uniforms, an ode to Air India’s rich history and a promise of a bright future.

These uniforms, envisioned by India’s leading couturier Manish Malhotra, feature three quintessential Indian colours – red, aubergine and gold, representing the confident, vibrant new India.

Air India has appointed Hirsch to update lounges.....

Bedner Associates (HBA), a world-renowned hospitality interior design firm, to refurbish Air India lounges at Terminal 3, Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi and Terminal 4 of JFK Airport in New York. This marks a significant milestone in Air India’s transformation plan to enhance customer experience at every step of the customer’s journey.

Air India Lounges at Delhi and New York will emerge as signature lounges after the extensive refurbishment and rebuild which is planned to commence shortly, extending a world-class lounge experience to over four lakhs premium guests flying with Air India.

The lounges will be designed to reflect the rich cultural heritage of India with world-class state-of-the-art amenities embodying the vibrant spirit of the new Air India – a global airline with an Indian heart. In sync with India's rich culinary traditions, the lounges will offer a diverse and delectable selection of Indian and international cuisine wrapped in class and comfort.

The partner, HBA, has been known for creating award-winning signature projects for leading global institutions like the Taj group, Marriott, InterContinental, Hilton as well as Singapore Airlines. The collaboration with HBA will allow Air India to redefine new standards in comfort and aesthetics of its lounges and offer the best-in-class lounge experience for its guests. “We are committed to offer the highest standards of service to our guests as part of opur transformation journey, and the association with HBA will help us extend a warm and welcoming lounge experience that embodies the essence of Air India's commitment to excellence. In the last one year, we have taken several initiatives to enhance customer experience, including digital channels, airports, inflight services, and contact centres. The redesigned lounges will further strengthen our customer proposition,” said Rajesh Dogra, Chief Customer Experience Officer, Air India.

"We are honoured to partner with Air India and are dedicated to delivering an exceptional hospitality design experience. Our primary focus is to create a meaningful environment for Air India passengers allowing them to experience the airline’s inspirational brand and lounges in a fresh and innovative way," said Ian Carr, Co-CEO, HBA.

Flight Safety Foundation Calls for Global, Coordinated Action on Runway Incursions

Runway incursions are one of the most persistent threats to aviation safety, and the risk of incursions is likely to increase as air traffic grows, unless robust, coordinated safety defenses are implemented, Flight Safety Foundation said today in releasing the Global Action Plan for the Prevention of Runway Incursions (GAPPRI).

"Despite efforts over the years to prevent incursions, they still happen," said Foundation President and CEO Dr. Hassan Shahidi. "The risk of runway incursions is a global concern, and the potential consequences of an incursion are severe. Airport operations are complex and involve multiple parties, including operators, air traffic control and ground service providers. It is critical that all stakeholders work collaboratively to eliminate the risk of serious incursions."

GAPPRI was developed by an international task force of 200 aviation professionals from 80 organizations around the world. The findings and recommendations in the report are based on an analysis of multiple global and regional datasets, combined with insights from real-world experience and operational expertise.

In analyzing the data, the task force found that variability in human performance and breakdowns in communication and coordination play a role in incursions. Also, the absence of systemwide collision-avoidance barriers and technologies, combined with increased surface operations, is creating unfavourable conditions with increased risk of runway incursions. Many of the serious incidents could have been avoided through better situational awareness technologies that can help air traffic controllers and pilots detect potential runway conflicts.

Textron Aviation announces new SustainableAdvantage carbon offset program for Cessna, Beechcraft and Hawker owners

Textron Aviation has announced a new ProAdvantage program, SustainableAdvantage℠, to provide owners with an additional option for reducing their carbon dioxide emissions from operating aircraft. In collaboration with 4AIR, the program is set to launch in January 2024 and is available to eligible customers who own and operate Cessna, Beechcraft and Hawker turbine aircraft worldwide.

Beechcraft, Cessna and Hawker customers receive factory-direct support, maintenance and modifications by Textron Aviation Inc. through its global network of service and part centres, mobile service units and 24/7 1CALL AOG support.

“Owners have increasingly become interested in solutions that mitigate the carbon footprint of operating their aircraft,” said Brad White, senior vice president, of Global Parts and Programs, Textron Aviation. “SustainableAdvantage provides them the opportunity to have a seamless option to offset their carbon emissions through a Textron Aviation approved program and supplier.”

The SustainableAdvantage portfolio currently managed by 4AIR supports four projects around the globe:

• Rainier Gateway Forestry Project
• Cookstove Project
• Bundled Solar
• Solar Energy – Renewable Power by Adani

Heike Birlenbach named new SWISS Chief Commercial Officer

SWISS has announced an imminent change in its top management: Heike Birlenbach, presently Senior Vice President of Customer Experience Lufthansa Group Airlines, is to become SWISS Chief Commercial Officer with effect from 1 January 2024. She succeeds Tamur Goudarzi Pour, who will take over responsibility for the Lufthansa Group’s Customer Experience division. In addition to this role, he will also assume responsibility for a Lufthansa Group-wide taskforce with the aim of increasing customer satisfaction in the next year.

Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) has announced an imminent change on its Management Board. After five years with the company, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) Tamur Goudarzi Pour is to assume a Lufthansa Group position. In his new capacity, he will take over responsibility for the Lufthansa Group’s Customer Experience division. In addition to this role, he will also assume responsibility for a Lufthansa Group-wide taskforce with the aim of increasing customer satisfaction in the next year.

“I would like to thank Tamur Goudarzi Pour for all his work and all his commitment to our company,” says SWISS CEO Dieter Vranckx. “He successfully introduced our SWISS Premium Economy Class. He was instrumental in helping our company recover so swiftly from the coronavirus crisis years and regain its position as one of Europe’s most profitable airlines. Under Tamur’s leadership, we have prudently pursued our long-term capacity planning, and are now the stablest airline in Europe. Tamur has further advanced our fleet renewal with our new long-haul Airbus A350s; and in ‘SWISS Senses’ he has laid the foundation for our future SWISS product. We wish him all the best and every further success in his new Lufthansa Group capacity.”

JetBlue names Dawn Southerton, Vice President Controller and Principal Accounting Officer

JetBlue has announced the appointment of Dawn Southerton to vice president, controller and principal accounting officer. Southerton will oversee the company’s accounting, accounts payable, credit card fraud, payroll and tax teams. She will report to Ursula Hurley, JetBlue’s chief financial officer.

Southerton comes to JetBlue from PepsiCo, where she held a number of finance leadership roles over the course of nearly two decades at the company. Most recently, Southerton served as vice president and controller, of Pepsi Beverages Company. Southerton began her career at the public accounting firm KPMG before holding a number of accounting and finance roles with TransCanada Pipeline, Heinz and Neiman Marcus Group.

“Dawn brings extensive financial acumen, a track record of creating positive change for complex, large-scale organizations, and a passion for supporting and developing talent,” said Hurley. “I’m looking forward to working with her and our entire team as we continue to drive the business forward.”

Southerton added, “JetBlue has always stood out to me as both an innovative and purpose-driven company. I’m thrilled to join the team and help support JetBlue’s next phase of growth.”

Southerton is a graduate of the University of Alberta, where she earned a bachelor of commerce degree and is a chartered professional accountant.

Bloomberg Intelligence’s 2024 European Airlines Outlook

Even if strong leisure demand holds, European airlines' scope for earnings per share upgrades is more limited in 2024 vs. a bumper 2023, given capacity could temper yields as it climbs above pre-pandemic levels. 

According to Bloomberg Intelligence’s 2024 European Airlines Outlook, jet-fuel pricing is volatile, and peers would welcome relief amid persistent cost hikes elsewhere, such as wages and airport fees. Large network operators Lufthansa, Air France-KLM and IAG are driving consolidation to improve efficiency. Meanwhile, budget brands Ryanair, EasyJet and Wizz Air are intensifying short- to medium-haul competition, though Pratt & Whitney engine issues have temporarily hamstrung the latter.

The slow return of corporate and international Asian travellers, potential economic pressure from inflation and interest rates, and the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East remain industry risks, adds BI. 

Overall, BI sees three key trends in 2024:

Cost Inflation. Wage inflation, airport and route fees, carbon costs and maintenance may feed into higher costs. Jet fuel prices are relatively high again vs. history, and while this can be volatile, hedges may prove important in the short term.

Demand Normalization. Higher fares may be tougher to pass on as pent-up demand unwinds and consumer budget pressures continue, with the slow return of corporate travel unable to provide much of an offset.

Consolidation. Consolidation may eventually combat some structural profitability headwinds. The Lufthansa-ITA and Air France-SAS (as part of a consortium) minority deals are in process, together with IAG’s pursuit for the remainder of Air Europa. A controlling stake of TAP Air Portugal is also up for grabs.

 

Conroy Gaynor, BI Industry Analyst, commented: “European airline consolidation progress in 2024 may pave the way to offsetting some margin threats. Pending deals include Lufthansa's minority stake in ITA and IAG's Air Europa purchase. Air France-KLM, meanwhile, is helping rescue SAS. Ryanair can boost intra-region share as Wizz Air stumbles on engine issues and EasyJet remains tepid on expansion. 

“IAG, Lufthansa and Air France-KLM have either bought, or are buying, minority stakes in Air Europa, ITA Airways and SAS, respectively. If their midterm ownership ambitions are realized, our calculations show a boost to pro forma available seat kilometres (ASK) of up to 18% vs. their combined 2023 consensus of 944 billion. Still, antitrust reviews may force slot sales. IAG's Iberia and Vueling share the top four spots in Spain with Air Europa, while Lufthansa-ITA may have to cede territory, including in Munich and Milan.” 

Ryanair, EasyJet to Drive 2024 Europe Budget Airline Penetration

Ryanair and EasyJet are set to push European market share for budget airlines in 2024, believes BI, with Wizz Air giving up capacity gains on engine inspections. BI’s scenario analysis shows the three exceeding 45% of intra-region air traffic by 2025 as Wizz retakes the lead on growth rate. EasyJet is targeting a disciplined 5% annualized seat expansion from 2023-28.

Conroy Gaynor, BI Industry Analyst, commented: “European discount airlines are adding to their fleets more quickly than legacy counterparts, with newer aircraft and labour productivity proving an advantage. Wizz Air had 19% annualized passenger growth from fiscal 2015-20, boosting operating leverage and bringing unit expenses closer to larger rival Ryanair, which achieved 10% in the same period. The same figure for Ryanair was 5% in the 12 months to October vs. the equivalent in 2018-19, and 11% for Wizz, despite the pandemic. These are taking advantage of rivals exiting or restructuring. In the UK, Thomas Cook collapsed in 2019, followed by Flybe in 2020.”

Airbus Flight Academy Europe upgrades training fleet with more sustainable aircraft

Airbus Flight Academy Europe, a 100% subsidiary of Airbus providing civil and military pilot training, has received its first batch of more fuel-efficient, quieter Elixir training aircraft as part of its sustainable development strategy.

The first four aircraft, out of a total of eight to be delivered, are equipped with a cockpit specially designed for the Airbus Flight Academy, including two Electronic Flight Instrument Systems (EFIS), to prepare cadet pilots for the technologies in today's most advanced commercial aircraft.

“We are delighted to announce that, following the delivery of our very first Elixir aircraft, our cadets will now be flying this quieter, more fuel-efficient aircraft during the first flight phases of their training. This is a first step towards the gradual modernisation of the training fleet to reduce the environmental impact of our academy, says Jean Longobardi, Airbus Flight Academy Europe CEO & President”.

Airbus Flight Academy Europe Campus | Flight Bases & Resources | Airbus Flight Academy | Train | Services | Airbus Aircraft

Boeing delays 737 ramp up.

Boeing has signalled to suppliers that plans to ramp up production of its bestselling 737 narrowbody jetliner will move about two months more slowly than originally anticipated, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.

The U.S. planemaker now expects it will produce 42 of its 737s per month starting in February 2024, according to a new master schedule that Boeing briefed to its suppliers over the past week, the sources said, reports Valerie Insinna, Reuters. 

Both Boeing and its European rival Airbus (AIR.PA) have laid out ambitious plans to increase production, particularly for popular single-aisle models, to meet soaring customer demand. However, both planemakers have had to battle supply chain bottlenecks and production disruptions.

Analysts had already suspected Boeing would alter its on-paper schedule, which targeted the end of 2023 to reach 42 jets produced per month, after a supplier error slowed ramp-up plans this autumn.

The new schedule pushes subsequent rate increases as well, shifting Boeing's plan for 47.2 jets a month from June to August 2024, while its target to increase 737 production to 52.5 jets a month was moved from December 2024 to February 2025.

Proposed project changes to London Gatwick’s Northern Runway plan

Since submitting its Northern Runway plans to the Planning Inspectorate,  London Gatwick has refined its proposal and identified three discrete changes to reduce its environmental impact even further, while also providing additional design flexibility. 

 

Before submitting these changes to the Planning Inspectorate, the airport will next week on 13 December 2023, open a consultation so that the public, landowners and other stakeholders can give their views on the proposed changes.

These views will be taken into account before the airport submits a request to amend its DCO application to the Planning Inspectorate. It will be for the Planning Inspectorate to decide if the changes can be made to the application and included in the examination.

The consultation will close at 11:59pm on 21 January 2024.

The airport proposes making the three separate changes to the Project below. Further detailed information on these changes and information on how to submit responses to the consultation will be available on the London Gatwick website once the consultation is live.

Project Change 1: Increase to the design parameters for the North Terminal International Departure Lounge proposed southern extension

Project Change 2: Reduction in the height and change in the purpose of the replacement Central Area Recycling Enclosure (CARE) facility

Project Change 3: Revision to the Surface Water Treatment Works system

London Gatwick’s application to bring its Northern Runway into routine use, alongside its Main Runway, was accepted for examination by the Planning Inspectorate on 3 August 2023.

Cathay Group orders Airbus A350F freighters for its future cargo fleet.

Hong Kong’s Cathay has become the latest carrier to order the all-new A350F, following the signature of a purchase agreement for six aircraft. The A350F will join the airline’s cargo division, Cathay Cargo, and will become a central element in its future fleet, bringing new levels of efficiency across its extensive network.

Currently under development, the A350F can carry a payload of up to 111 tonnes and can fly up to 4,700 nautical miles / 8,700 kilometres at significantly lower cost than any other freighter available today. This will enable it to serve all heavy cargo markets, including the world’s biggest freight route between Hong Kong and Anchorage.

Cathay Group Chief Executive Officer Ronald Lam said: “As we move into 2024, our rebuild journey is gaining momentum. This order marks another major component in our investment for the future. It reflects Cathay’s confidence in the Hong Kong hub as we look ahead to the opportunities provided by the Three-Runway System.”

Virgin Orbit's Boeing 747 now flies for Stratolaunch.

Earlier this month Stratolaunch welcomed the latest edition to its fleet, a Boeing 747 that they've named The Spirit of Mojave. This 20+-year-old jet was previously called Cosmic Girl and flew with Virgin Orbit, before its recent downfall and prior to that it was a regular transatlantic commuter operating flights for Virgin Atlantic Airways.

The modified 747 was named by the Stratolaunch employees, the firm confirmed on social media,  as a tribute to the passion of the Mojave aerospace community that has built and tested some of the world’s most unique aircraft. The Spirit of Mojave symbolizes expanded capability and reach to execute our hypersonic test mission. 

The expansion of Stratolaunch's fleet will increase its in-flight test capacity and ability to support government and commercial customers globally.  "The addition of this aircraft is a transformational milestone," said Dr. Zachary Krevor, President and CEO of Stratolaunch. "With Roc remaining as our mainstay aircraft, an additional 747 brings expanded capabilities and flexibility to our platform. We will be able to increase both our flight test capacity and reach to become an even stronger partner to global customers.".

Stratolaunch has also confirmed the completion of a captive carry flight with the first powered Talon-A hypersonic vehicle, TA-1. The flight was the twelfth for the company's launch platform Roc and the first in which the aircraft carried a Talon vehicle with live propellant as part of a buildup approach for Talon-A's first powered flight.

The flight lasted a total of three hours and 22 minutes and represented a significant step forward in the company's near-term goal of completing a powered flight with the Talon-A vehicle, TA-1. A primary objective was to evaluate Talon-A's propulsion system and the Talon environments while carrying live propellant. A second objective was to verify Roc and TA-1's telemetry systems, which provides the situational awareness to ensure all systems are ready for powered flight during the release sequence. 

"Talon-A's propulsion system supports a liquid-propellant rocket engine that provides the thrust needed for Talon-A to reach hypersonic speeds. While we have conducted several successful ground tests fueling and igniting the system, we needed to evaluate how the system performs in the flight environment prior to release," said Dr. Zachary Krevor, Chief Executive Officer for Stratolaunch. "Initial results from today's flight show that the system has performed as predicted, and we will determine our next steps pending the full data review of the test."

US grounds V-22 Osprey

Reluctantly the United States Armed Forces has grounded all of its V-22 Osprey aircraft following a crash off the coast of Yakushima Island coast of Japan on 29th November.  

In the hours after the Japanese crash, which cost the lives of all eight service personnel onboard, the authorities of Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture requested that all Ospreys on the island chain be grounded. 

The Pentagon claims not to have had an official request to ground the strange-looking tilt-rotor craft but has finally confirmed the suspension of all operational activities until the cause of the crash is known.  The U.S. Navy's Naval Air Systems Command confirmed the grounding applies to all Navy’s variants of the aircraft, including the Marine Corps MV-22B, the Navy’s CMV-22B, V-22 and the CMV-22.

NAVAIR issued a statement which said:  “Preliminary investigation information indicates a potential materiel failure caused the mishap, but the underlying cause of the failure is unknown at this time.  While the mishap remains under investigation, we are implementing additional risk mitigation controls to ensure the safety of our service members. - The Joint Program Office continues to communicate and collaborate with all V-22 stakeholders and customers, including allied partners.”

Despite having a remarkable appearance and being seen around the world as part of the airborne entourage that accompanies the U.S. President on various trips, the  V-22 Osprey has had a rather troubled past. There have been somewhere in the region of 15 crashes of the type which caused the deaths of more than 60 service personnel. A particularly concerning record when you consider the U.S. Armed Forces have a fleet of less than 500 Osprey aircraft and the programme has cost many billions of dollars, some estimates are as high as $70 billion.   

However,  will the Osprey survive this latest grounding, will it soar to new heights in the months to come or has it become time to put these birds to bed for the final time?    I guess that's really just a question for after the current investigations are completed, or how much more money Boeing will pump into the programme to keep the authorities on side?  

Gatwick hit with NATS outage

Dozens of flights and hundreds of passengers have been deleted by an Air Traffic Control system outage at one of the UK's leading airports on Saturday morning. 

Travellers were faced with delays of hours at London Gatwick Airport after the systems outage grounded flights just after 8am this morning. 

A spokesperson for the West Sussex airport confirmed "There was an outage to a local Nats system earlier this morning which has now been rectified.  Some passengers may experience delays. We apologise for any inconvenience."

Joby, ANA Holdings join with Nomura Real Estate Development for Vertiports in Japan

Nomura Real Estate Development is one of Japan’s largest real estate developers

Three-way partnership includes Joby’s existing Japanese airline partner, ANA

Companies to jointly explore the design, location and financing of vertiports across Japan.

Joby Aviation, Inc. announced during the week that it has partnered with ANA Holdings Inc. and Nomura Real Estate Development Co. Ltd, one of Japan’s largest real estate developers, on the development of take-off and landing infrastructure, known as vertiports, to support the commercialization of its electric air taxi service across Japan.

The three companies plan to jointly explore the design, location, operation, and financing of vertiport locations that will serve as the backbone of future commercial air taxi services in Japan.

The partners will primarily focus on locations in the metropolitan areas such as Tokyo, expanding over time to include numerous urban areas across greater Japan. Joby recently became a technical advisor to the Tokyo Bay eSG Project, led by NRE and sponsored by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which will demonstrate various multi-modal mobility solutions including a floating landing port in the Tokyo Bay. The partners will also work with a wide range of local stakeholders to introduce the benefits of the technology and support community acceptance of air taxi services.

CDB Aviation Enters Into Inaugural Sustainability Linked Loan for $625 Million

CDB Aviation has confirmed it has entered into its inaugural Sustainability Linked Loan (“SLL”) on December 1, 2023, anchored with a $625 million syndicated term loan facility.

“This innovative facility marks a landmark transaction for the aviation finance space,” underscored Jie Chen, CDB Aviation’s Chief Executive Officer. “We’re thrilled to have leveraged our comprehensive sustainability strategy, with a particular focus on the activities across the Environmental and Social aspects of our operations, to secure this first major sustainability-linked loan syndicated facility among aircraft lessors.”

The SLL parameters of the facility are contingent on the satisfaction of Sustainability Performance Targets (“SPTs”), based on the lessor’s three Key Performance Indicators (“KPIs”), including two strong Environmental and one Social KPIs related to:

reducing the carbon intensity of the CDB Aviation’s fleet, focusing on the most fuel-efficient aircraft;

increasing the share of new generation aircraft in the lessor’s fleet, pursuing its target to reach 60% of new generation aircraft (by number of aircraft) by the end of 2025; and

increasing the level of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (“DEI”)-related training for the workforce.

Moody’s Investors provided the Second Party Opinion as to the appropriateness of the KPIs and SPTs, confirming the conformity of the facility with the Sustainability Linked Loan Principles (“SLLPs”), with a best-in-class SQS2 rating.

PLAY reports that 75% load factor, 42% increase in passenger numbers and demand picking up

PLAY Airlines carried 107,236 passengers in November, which is a 42% increase from November 2022 when PLAY carried 75,396 passengers. The load factor in November 2023 was 74.5%, down from 79% last year. This decline in load factor is a direct result of the seismic activity in the Reykjanes Peninsula and resulting global news coverage of a possible volcanic eruption that could disrupt aviation. This situation impacted last-minute bookings in the month. PLAY had an on-time performance of 88.9% in November 2023.

Despite the decline in load factor in November we continued to see year-on-year growth in our unit revenue (RASK), even with a 54% growth in available seat kilometres (ASK).Average ancillary revenue continues to rise for PLAY, being 30% higher in November 2023 compared to November 2022, and the trend is looking strong for the coming months. Of all passengers flying with PLAY in November 2023, 26.2% were departing from Iceland, 32.7% were traveling to Iceland, and 41.2% were connecting passengers (VIA).

PLAY has carried 1.4 million passengers year to date with an average load factor of 84%. Of all passengers flying with PLAY so far in 2023, 26.9% were departing from Iceland, 32.6% were flying to Iceland and 40.5% were connecting passengers (VIA).

Delta to fly to Taipei from Seattle hub

Delta, Seattle’s largest global airline, will further expand its Asia network next summer with the launch of daily nonstop service from Seattle (SEA) to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) starting June 6, 2024, subject to government approval.

This marks Delta’s inaugural nonstop flight to Taipei from the U.S. and the first Delta aircraft operation to TPE since 2017 via Narita International Airport.

“This route not only opens new doors to Taipei’s captivating skyline, vibrant night markets, and rich cultural heritage, but it also marks a significant stride in enhancing Seattle's global connectivity,” said Joan Wang, Managing Director – Global Sales, Seattle. “This strategic addition to Delta's trans-Pacific portfolio is poised to make a profound impact on the Seattle market, fostering increased business and leisure travel opportunities for our discerning customers.”

Delta is marking its 90th anniversary in Seattle this December, a history that dates back to the start of operations by Northwest Airways (later Northwest Airlines) in 1933. Delta flights began on June 1, 1980, with nonstop service between SEA and Atlanta (ATL), Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) and Portland (PDX). Delta now boasts over 160 daily departures from SEA to 50 destinations worldwide. Seattle serves as a key gateway for the airline’s operations across the Pacific, which – with the addition of TPE – features four non-stop trans-Pacific destinations, inclusive of existing routes to Incheon (ICN), Tokyo (HND), and Shanghai (PVG).

“The Port of Seattle welcomes today’s announcement as Delta continues to build on SEA’s status as a hub and its west coast gateway to Asia,” said Port of Seattle Commission President Sam Cho. “With the addition of the new International Arrivals Facility (IAF) in 2022, SEA is providing a dramatic welcome to the world visiting and doing business in the Puget Sound region. We are excited Delta is demonstrating its commitment to continuing to build on that vision.”

Delta continues to restore and expand service across Asia and the Pacific outside of Seattle as well. Over the course of 2023, the airline has:

Announced a second daily flight to ICN from ATL.

Increased flights to China from four times per week to 10 times per week (seven weekly flights to PVG from SEA and three weekly flights to PVG from DTW).

Resumed service to HND from Honolulu (HNL) and Minneapolis (MSP).

Launched first-ever Auckland (AKL) from LAX service, the only U.S. carrier operating LAX-AKL year-round.

Increased flights to Sydney (SYD) from 10 weekly to 14 weekly in Winter from LAX.