|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LATEST NEWS
|
|
Thursday, January 5th, 2023
|
|
|
|
|
Stellantis N.V. (Stellantis) and Archer Aviation (Archer) have announced their intention to strategically strengthen the already existing partnership between the two companies with a view to producing Archer’s flagship Midnight electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. The intention is for production to commence at the new Archer facility at Covington Georgia.
|
The Midnight eVTOL aircraft will be able to carry four passengers and one pilot, with a payload capacity of 1,000 pounds. The Midnight will have a range of 100miles, and is intended for short back-to-back trips of around 10 miles with a 10-minute charging time in between.
|
As a demonstration of its commitment to the JV, Stellantis will provide up to US$150 million (£120 million) in equity capital for potential draw by Archer at its discretion in 2023 and 2024, subject to the achievement of certain business milestones which Archer anticipates will be reached in 2023. Stellantis also intends to increase its strategic shareholding through future purchases of Archer stock in the open market. These actions, along with the other elements of this expanded partnership, will enable Stellantis to become a long-term, cornerstone investor in Archer.
|
Archer brings its world-class team of eVTOL, electric powertrain and certification experts while Stellantis will contribute advanced manufacturing technology and expertise, experienced personnel and capital to the partnership. This combination is intended to enable the rapid scaling of aircraft production to meet Archer’s commercialisation plans, while allowing Archer to strengthen its path to commercialisation by helping it avoid hundreds of millions of dollars of spending during the manufacturing ramp up phase. The goal is for Stellantis to mass produce Archer’s eVTOL aircraft as its exclusive contract manufacturer.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dubai Aerospace Enterprise has released that DAE Capital, aircraft lessor and financier, has acquired 94 aircraft in 2022 (owned: 46; managed: 48) and sold 33 aircraft (owned: 10; managed: 23). Furthermore, the company signed 143 lease agreements, extensions and amendments in 2022 (owned: 121; managed: 22).
|
At the end of 2022 the company´s fleet size of owned, managed, committed and mandated-to-manage was about 500 aircraft. DAE Capital had 118 customers in 59 countries at the end of 2022 and an owned fleet with an average age of 6.5 years.
|
Highlights of 2022 was the announced and completed acquisition of SKY Fund I, Irish Ltd in the fourth quarter and the signing of a new aircraft management mandate to acquire and manage up to US$1.75 billion of aircraft assets.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PTS Aviation has marked its first year under StandardAero ownership with a flurry of new CFM56-7B and -5B engine transactions.
|
PTS Aviation’s latest engine transactions, all completed during the month of December, include the sale of one CFM56-7B26 engine to a third-party North American maintenance, repair and overhaul provider (MRO), the sale of one CFM56-7B26 engine to a European customer, for delivery in January 2023 and the sale of one CFM56-5B4 to a major North American engine lessor.
|
Commenting on the announcement, David Blackburn, Senior Vice President - Asset Leasing & Trading for PTS Aviation said: “These latest engine transactions cap-off a busy first year for the PTS Aviation team under the ownership of StandardAero. We have had great success this year in leveraging our engine leasing and USM services in support of StandardAero’s own CFM56-7B MRO capabilities in order to meet the needs of the global customer base and look forward to further expanding these activities in 2023 as StandardAero introduces its new CFM56-7B hospital shop and test cell capabilities in Dallas-Fort Worth.”
|
PTS Aviation was acquired by StandardAero in December 2021. Founded in 1995, PTS Aviation has over 150 years of combined aviation management experience and significant expertise buying, leasing and selling engines, modules and high-quality used serviceable material (USM).
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Av8 Group has reported that it added a second CMMS (Coordinate Measuring Machine System) to its manufacturing process of PMA parts, providing a more efficient measure of larger parts which will increase the efficiency and value of the company’s landing gear overhaul process.
|
The new CMMS measures with an accuracy of up to one ten-thousandth of an inch (less than a human hair). Both CMMSs are computer driven, which efficiently measures multiple parts at a time, while also being run unattended. This is the company’s second similar in-house machine and doubles the capacity of work that can be completed. This new machine is also faster, thus tripling the through-put of inspecting parts overall.
|
Av8 produces thousands of parts every year and they all must pass through the CMMS, as the FAA requires 100% of the parts to be inspected under Av8’s current PMA authority.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In December 2022, Finnair carried 832,900 passengers, which was 38.2% more than in December 2021 and 10.9% more than in November 2022. Month-on-month figures are, however, not fully comparable as there was one day less in November.
|
Finnair’s cooperation with Qatar Airways began on November 1, as daily flights from Copenhagen and Stockholm to Doha were commenced. Daily Helsinki – Doha flights started in mid-December. Related traffic figures are reported by Finnair and those are currently visible in the European figures. Starting from January 2023 a new traffic area, Middle East, will be introduced and these flights as well as flights to Dubai and Israel will be transferred into the new traffic area.
|
The overall capacity, measured in Available Seat Kilometres (ASK), increased in December by 13.4% year-on-year and by 15.1% month-on-month. Finnair operated, on average, 263 daily flights (cargo-only included), which was 14.3% more than in December 2021 and 4.8% more than in November 2022. Finnair's traffic, measured in Revenue Passenger Kilometres (RPKs), increased by 51.4% year-on-year and by 17.2% month-on-month. The Passenger Load Factor (PLF) increased by 18.3% points year-on-year and by 1.3% points month-on-month to 72.7%.
|
The ASK increase in Asian traffic was 17.9% year-on-year. The North Atlantic capacity decreased by 35.4% as the operations between Stockholm and the North American destinations were discontinued at the end of October. In European traffic, the ASKs were up by 37.3%. The ASKs in domestic traffic increased by 16.4%.
|
RPKs increased in Asian traffic by 119.2% year-on-year but declined in North Atlantic traffic by 17.7%. In European traffic, RPKs increased by 51.7% and in domestic traffic by 23.5%.
|
In December, the PLF improved particularly in Asian traffic (72.4%) and North Atlantic traffic (71.3%) year-on-year. The PLF was 74.0% in European traffic and 68.4% in domestic traffic.
|
Passenger numbers increased in Asian traffic by 129.3% year-on-year. In North Atlantic traffic, the number of passengers decreased by 19.8%. In European traffic, passenger numbers increased by 37.2% and in domestic traffic by 28.8%.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Horizon Aircraft, an innovative leader in hybrid electric vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aerial vehicles, has successfully completed initial hover-testing of its “Cavorite X5” scale prototype.
|
Brandon Robinson, CEO of Horizon Aircraft said, “this aircraft has exceeded expectations during initial hover-testing. It is extremely stable, is capable of full hover at only 65% power, and has hovered with 20% of its fans purposely disabled in order to test system redundancy. This is a large-scale aircraft, with a 22-foot wingspan, over 15 feet in length and capable of speeds over 175 mph. It continues to yield valuable data that is constantly improving our full-scale design.”
|
Horizon’s innovative and patented eVTOL concept allows the aircraft to fly 98% of its mission in a very low-drag configuration like a traditional aircraft and is one of the only eVTOL aircraft currently able to do so. Flying most of the mission as a normal aircraft is safer, more efficient and will be easier to certify than radical new eVTOL designs. The full-scale aircraft will also be powered by a hybrid-electric system that can recharge the battery array in-flight while providing additional system redundancy.
|
|
Horizon Aircraft plans to move to transition flight testing in Q1 2023 at ACE Climatic Wind Tunnel located near Toronto, Ontario.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
click here to download the latest PDF edition
|
|
|
|
click here to download the latest PDF edition
|
click here to subscribe to our other free publications
|
|
AIRCRAFT & ENGINE MARKETPLACE
|
click here to view in PDF aircraft and engines available for sale and lease
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interested in advertising with AviTrader?
|
|
Vice President Sales & Business Development
|
|
|
|
|
