Flight Lieutenant ‘Boz’, RAF Typhoon pilot on the exercise told us: “Whilst on Spears of Victory, a number of us will take part as the Mission commander, Deputy Mission commander, or a Package Lead.“During one sortie I was the Air to Air package lead. What that means is whilst I am leading a formation of Typhoons, I'm also feeding into the bigger picture and in charge of other assets within the area of operations. With this being a network-enabled exercise I not only have the situational awareness of my own formation, but also what other call signs are doing and that is a critical element of modern warfighting."
16 February, 2024
RAF Typhoons are flying on a large scale Saudi Arabian multinational air exercise
New Cancun service from Toronto with budget airline Lynx Air
Eurowings expands BIZclass
One of the leading airlines in Germany, Eurowings is expanding its BIZclass offer in response to the significant increase in demand on short and medium-haul flights.
As of recently, the first four rows on all Eurowings A319 and A320 flights have been reserved for BIZclass travellers instead of the previous three. Passengers who book the premium fare benefit from advantages such as a preferred seat, a free middle seat, more baggage, à la carte catering and lounge access.
Davina McCall suns herself on location in The Maldives with TUI BLUE
TV presenter Davina McCall enjoys a range of activities on a social media shoot in The Maldives.
From snorkelling to cooking on the beach she went behind the scenes with TUI’s global hotel brand TUI BLUE.
Surf Air Mobility and Electra enter bilateral agreement to bring eSTOL aircraft to market
Surf Air secures preferred delivery positions on 90 eSTOL aircraft from ElectraSurf Air and Electra will collaborate on the development of route networks to be served by Surf Air’s air mobility network leveraging the Electra eSTOL aircraftSurf Air is the preferred lessor and provider of Electra eSTOL aircraft to Surf Air customers under its Aircraft-as-a-Service leasing program
15 February, 2024
Bombardier launches U.S. Technician Apprenticeship programme in collaboration with WSU Tech
Bombardier confirmed it has collaborated with Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (WSU Tech) to create an apprenticeship programme aimed at training future airframe and powerplant (A&P) mechanics. During the two-year paid apprenticeship programme, students will complete hands-on instruction at Bombardier Group’s Wichita site and in-class training at WSU Tech. They will have the opportunity to learn from experienced instructors and aviation maintenance leaders, as well as gain valuable knowledge on Bombardier’s world-class portfolio of business jets.
Holiday giant TUI to start using Ryanair flights for package holidays.
The safest and most dangerous countries to drive in for European travellers
- Romania is the most dangerous European country to drive in, based on 2022 statistics.
- Serbia and Bulgaria are second and third, respectively.
- Norway ranks as the safest country to drive in.
The study, which was carried out by Vignetteswitzerland.com analysed the latest data from the European Transport Safety Council to see which countries had the highest road deaths per million inhabitants.
It found that Romania is statistically the most dangerous country to drive in in Europe. 2022 shows that the country had 85.81 deaths per million inhabitants, the highest of any country in the study. However, this is a 10.26% drop from 2012, which saw 95.62 deaths per million inhabitants.
Serbia comes second on the list, with the south-eastern European country coming in with 82.65 road deaths per million inhabitants. Compared to 2012 data, this is a drop of 13.01% from when the country had 95.01 road deaths per million inhabitants.
Coming in third place is the Balkan nation Bulgaria, which comes in with 77.64 road deaths per million inhabitants. It has the most minor change in road deaths out of the top ten, only seeing a drop of 6.02% since 2012, with 82.62 road deaths per million inhabitants.
Croatia takes fourth place on the list, with 71.20 road deaths per million inhabitants in the 2022 data. This is a 22.53% drop from 2012 when the country had 91.91 road deaths per million inhabitants.
Rounding out the top five is Portugal, which comes in with 62.30 road deaths per million inhabitants. This is an 8.53% drop from the 2012 data, which had 68.11 road deaths per million inhabitants.
The most dangerous European countries to drive in
Rank | Country | Road deaths per mln inhabitants (2012) | Road deaths per mln inhabitants (2022) | Percentage change 2012-2022 |
1 | Romania | 95.62 | 85.81 | -10.26% |
2 | Serbia | 95.01 | 82.65 | -13.01% |
3 | Bulgaria | 82.62 | 77.64 | -6.02% |
4 | Croatia | 91.91 | 71.20 | -22.53% |
5 | Portugal | 68.11 | 62.30 | -8.53% |
6 | Greece | 87.51 | 60.71 | -30.63% |
7 | Latvia | 86.69 | 60.24 | -30.51% |
8 | Luxembourg | 64.78 | 55.78 | -13.89% |
9 | Hungary | 60.76 | 55.22 | -9.12% |
10 | Italy | 61.71 | 53.70 | -12.97% |
The study also found that Norway is statistically the safest country to drive in in Europe. 2022 shows that the country only had 21.38 deaths per million inhabitants, the lowest of any European country. Compared to 2012 data, this is a 26.48% drop from across the decade, with 2012 having 29.08 deaths per million inhabitants.
Contracts awarded for novel software that will control future UK MOD satellites
The awards, as part of Project Beroe, will underpin government control of future satellite constellations, further enhancing the UK’s multi-domain integration efforts.
Worth a total of £4 million, the contracts were placed with Rhea in Bath and Lockheed Martin’s Space Systems UK in Oxfordshire. They will aid the agile development of software for satellite system management, designed to capture and process onboard system data to control and monitor the performance of the satellite.
Commodore David Moody, Head of Capability at Space Command, said:
"This is a pivotal moment for UK Defence and the UK Space Sector as we develop software and partnerships that will determine the future of how we manage our activities in space.
This project will enable us to define and understand how we will control and optimise the use of our satellites in a safe and sustainable way, and is an important part of UK MOD’s future satellite aspirations.
These contracts also support the wider goals of enabling growth in the Space Sector to develop resilient space capabilities and services."
The contracts were placed by the Space Delivery Team at Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), the procurement arm of the UK MOD, and support the UK’s National Space Strategy, reinforcing innovation within the Space Sector.
DE&S project manager Melanie MacDonald, said:
"We are developing critical software that will provide the UK government with direct control of a range of future satellites. As well as supporting wider government access to diverse satellite data, this capability will support UK Armed Forces operations and provide them with the edge they need to protect the nation."
Delta's Ed Bastian on the importance of financial well-being
This week, Delta Air Lines is doing something extraordinary – paying $1.4 billion in profits directly to our employees, a profit-sharing arrangement for frontline workers unmatched in its scope and impact. Every eligible Delta employee will receive a check that, this year, totals more than 10% of their annual salary. It’s something we do every year on Valentine’s Day to demonstrate our gratitude and love for our people, who serve our customers and ensure their safety and comfort every day.This year’s payment is no anomaly. Over the past 10 years, Delta has shared more than $1 billion in annual profits with our employees seven times. All told, since we began our profit-sharing program in 2007, the company has paid our employees $11 billion. We are unaware of any major company in our country with a comparable level of success sharing.Rewarding our people is fundamental to Delta’s values-centered business model. But writing well-earned checks isn’t always enough. Recent data indicates more than 50% of Americans don’t have access to $1,000 in savings in case of a financial emergency. That creates an enormous amount of stress and uncertainty for families across our nation. While we can’t solve the problem for everyone, we wanted to help Delta employees achieve a level of financial security by boosting their savings and financial wellness.That’s why last year, we launched the Emergency Savings Program, in partnership with Operation HOPE and Fidelity Investments. Participating employees can earn $1,000 from Delta to fund a rainy day account, along with individualized coaching and a host of tools from Operation HOPE and Fidelity to enhance their financial literacy and well-being.The results have been remarkable. Since the start of the program, more than 35,000 Delta employees have begun contributing towards an emergency savings account. Over 21,000 have completed the program, earning a $1,000 safety net contribution from Delta – and 94% of that group have kept money in their accounts, allowing it to accumulate interest until it’s truly needed for an emergency. Most participating employees are actively growing that safety net with their own earnings, on average saving $74 from every paycheck via payroll deduction.
United Airlines wins a Gold Medal at the Business Traveller Cellars in the Sky Awards 2023 for Best Business Class Rosé
British Airways invests in new predictive automated maintenance reporting system
Andy Best, Chief Technical Officer at British Airways, said: “We’re using the latest technology to help ensure we continue delivering a consistently high standard of service for our customers – always with a focus on safety.Our investment in innovative tools like this, means we can support our teams to identify and put solutions in place ahead of time. By replacing time-consuming manual processes with digital technology we are constantly improving the reliability of our aircraft fleet and as a result our customers’ experience.”
Aircraft technical logs are a regulatory requirement that have historically been paper-based.
Finnair Group Financial Statements Release 1 January – 31 December 2023
Finnair has posted its latest results that show the carrier achieved a solid end to a strong year due to a robust market and visible results from revenue and a cost-cutting programme.
October – December 2023
Revenue increased by 5.8% to 727.2 million euros (687.3*).Comparable operating result was 22.5 million euros (17.9) and operating result was 27.3 million euros (38.0).Earnings per share were 0.004 euros (0.005**).Result for the period included positive, one-off deferred tax items of 46 million euros based on previous years’ tax losses.Cash funds were 922.0 million euros (1 524.4) and they decreased from Q3 mainly due to the 220-million-euro pension premium loan repayment and the over 200-million-euro acquisition of previously leased aircraft during the period. The equity ratio was 15.6 per cent (9.9).Net cash flow from operating activities was -5.7 million euros (29.9), and net cash flow from investing activities was -177.7 million euros (-54.3).*** Gross capital expenditure totalled 268.6 million euros (61.8).Number of passengers increased by 6.5 per cent to 2.6 million (2.5).Available seat kilometres (ASK) increased by 10.5 per cent to 9,047.5 million kilometres (8,185.5).Passenger load factor (PLF) was 73.1% (72.3).
January – December 2023
Revenue increased by 26.8% to 2,988.5 million euros (2,356.6).Comparable operating result was 184.0 million euros (-163.9) and operating result was 191.4 million euros (-200.6).Earnings per share were 0.022 euros (-0.060**).Result for the period included positive, one-off deferred tax items of 145 million euros based on previous years’ tax losses.Net cash flow from operating activities was 472.3 million euros (259.0), and net cash flow from investing activities was -464.0 million euros (-75.5).*** Gross capital expenditure totalled 484.2 million euros (199.6).Number of passengers increased by 20.8 per cent to 11.0 million (9.1).Available seat kilometres (ASK) increased by 15.5 per cent to 36,154.5 million kilometres (31,298.4). This is c. 77 per cent compared to 2019 ASKs. When wet leases are included, ASKs were c. 81 per cent compared to 2019.Passenger load factor (PLF) was 76.4% (67.6).
Innovations at Kaunas Airport: passengers' hand luggage is already being checked by the latest generation of aviation security scanners
Electronics and liquids will remain in your luggage
The requirement for the volume of liquids in luggage is not changing
BOC Aviation signs lease deal with Indigo for four Airbus A320NEO jets
United Airlines adds new corporate partners to sustainable flight fund which now exceeds $200 million.
Aircastle, Air New Zealand, Embraer, Google, HIS, Natixis CIB, Safran, and Technip Energies are now part of first-of-its-kind effort to reduce emissions and drive production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by providing startups with both financial and strategic capital
United customers play a role too, with more than 115,000 people contributing nearly $500,000 since February 2023