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LATEST NEWS
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Wednesday, February 1st, 2023
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German leisure carrier Condor Flugdienst GmbH (Condor), majority owned by Attestor Capital, has announced that the current CEO, Ralf Teckentrup, will be replaced in February 2024, as planned, by Peter Gerber.
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Berger has held various positions in the Lufthansa Group over the past 30 years, including as a member of the Executive Board of Lufthansa Passenger Airlines, as CEO and CFO of Lufthansa Cargo, and most recently as CEO and CCO of Brussels Airlines. He is currently Chief Representative for European Affairs of the Lufthansa Group, while previously he had held the position of President of the German Air Transport Association (BDL).
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"We are very pleased to have found Peter Gerber as the CEO for Condor that we were looking for in an extensive selection process: He is not only an extremely experienced aviation manager, but also the leader who will successfully take Condor further into the future," said Friedrich Andreae, Chairman of the Condor Supervisory Board. "Peter Gerber is taking on the major task of continuing to drive Condor's transformation, for example through the modernization of the entire fleet, a large number of digitalisation projects and innovations for the customer experience and setting the next course for growth. This is how Condor will become Europe's most successful leisure airline."
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With the delivery of the last commercial Boeing 747 to roll off the production line at its plant at Everett, Washington, the American planemaker is closing the final chapter in an over-fifty-year history of one of the world’s most iconic aircraft. The plane has been handed over to Atlas Air.
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The switch from airlines to smaller, more economical aircraft saw the last passenger 747 delivered some five years ago. According to analytics firm Cirium, there are only 44 747 jets currently in operation, down from 130 in service at the end of 2019. Many of these jets were grounded at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and have simply not returned to service, despite the Airbus A380 enjoying a current revival. However, there are still 314 747 freighters in use, according to Cirium, many of which were initially used as passenger jets before being renovated into freighters.
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A literal ‘gamechanger’, the 747, also known as the “jumbo jet” revolutionized intercontinental air travel, while it was also used to provide piggy-back rides to the Space Shuttle. Our headline states that this is the delivery of the last 747 to be used for commercial purposes. However there remain two more 747s scheduled for delivery, though these are technically called VC-25s. These are destined to replace the two current 747s operating as presidential aircraft under the call sign “Air Force One” when the US president is on board. With the demise of the 747, the future plans for the Everett, Washington facilities remain uncertain. The building where the 747 was produced is claimed by Boeing to be the largest building in the world, having been purpose built for the 747. It has since served as the main production location for Boeing’s wide-body airliners, the 767, 777 and 787, but the 737 is built at the Renton, plant near Seattle.
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More recently, Boeing also ceased production of the 787 Dreamliner at Everett, while the B767 is now showing signs of age and demand for the B777 remains sluggish, while everyone is waiting for the production of the B777X, which has suffered several delays and it is currently going through a certification and development process that is proving to be much lengthier and complex than expected.
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To ensure development and maintenance of the RM12 and RM16 fighter engines for the JAS 39 Gripen, the Swedish Armed Forces are investing in an extensive renovation and new construction of the engine test facility at GKN Aerospace in Trollhättan.
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GKN Aerospace currently develops and maintains the RM12 engine, while also building the same capability for the RM16. The engine test facility in Trollhättan is unique as it can replicate the same conditions that an engine is exposed to when flying at supersonic speeds.
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The investment reinforces GKN Aerospace’s unique position and extensive experience in aero-engine support and means technical support and maintenance for all versions of the Gripen aero-engines will be available in Trollhättan, Sweden for the long-term. GKN Aerospace is also the OEM and type certificate holder of the JAS 39 Gripen C/D RM12 aero-engine and has been supporting the RM12 aero-engines since the first JAS 39 Gripen aircraft went into service in 1997. Since the 1930s, GKN Aerospace has manufactured, maintained and developed the fighter aircraft engines for the Swedish Air Force.
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GKN Aerospace employs 2,000 people in Trollhättan of which about 250 work in its military engines design and support business.
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Global Crossing Airlines Group (GlobalX) has secured an up to US$5.0 million loan with a key long-term investor to provide working capital and additional liquidity to support GlobalX’s rapidly growing operations.
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“GlobalX is fortunate to have a committed group of investors who continue to fund and support the expansion of our operating fleet. We took possession Tuesday, January 26, of our first freighter and expect to take delivery of an additional three aircraft over the next 45 days and this facility will give us the flexibility needed to continue our investments in crews, aircraft and operating systems required to deliver our targeted 2023 revenue,” said Ed Wegel, Chair and CEO.
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The loan is a six-month facility that will be funded in two tranches of US$2.5 million each. The first tranche will be advanced within one business day and the second tranche will be advanced after the company delivers a draw-down notice, but subject to the lender receiving internal approval for the second tranche. The loan is unsecured, is not convertible, has no warrants and will bear interest at the rate of 20% per annum, accruing monthly and payable upon maturity.
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The net proceeds of the loan will be used to further the business objectives of the company and to secure additional passenger and freighter aircraft for charter operations that are expected to be delivered in the first quarter of 2023.
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Lilium N.V. developer of the all-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) jet and GKN Aerospace, a leading developer of sustainable aerospace technology, have signed an agreement to work together to design and build an integrated and certifiable electrical wiring interconnection system (EWIS) solution.
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From its facility in the Netherlands, GKN Aerospace will build the EWIS hardware sets and support Lilium with on-site installation into the Lilium jet at Lilium’s final assembly line in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. GKN Aerospace has a significant track record in the design and build of certifiable EWIS solutions within the aerospace industry.
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The scope of the collaboration covers the integrated design of the low-voltage and high-voltage electrical interconnections of the Lilium jet. This includes the integration of all wire bundles in the Lilium jet, the integration of the electrical EWIS components into operational systems to safely fly the Lilium jet and the development of innovative high-voltage, high-power interconnection solutions.
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For Lilium, this agreement represents an important step towards final assembly of the conforming aircraft due to begin later this year. Lilium already has agreements in place for aerostructures, avionics, battery cells, energy management systems, e-motors, propulsion system, aircraft interior and landing gear, among others.
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Stefano Marazzani has been appointed SVP Customer Support and Services effective January 16, 2023. He joins ATR’s Top Management team, reporting directly to Chief Executive Officer Nathalie Tarnaud Laude. Marazzani succeeds David Brigante who will take on new responsibilities within the Leonardo Group.
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Over the past 26 years Marazzani has enjoyed a global career within the aviation industry, holding various positions of increased responsibility in Alitalia and SuperJet International, where he was appointed CEO in 2017. In addition to his strong airline background, his wide practical experience in aircraft maintenance, customer support and operations, will bring huge added value to ATR and its operators.
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FL Technics, a global provider of aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services, has received certification update with extended CAMO (continuing Airworthiness Management Organization) capabilities to service Airbus A220, Boeing B737-MAX and B787 aircraft.
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The new approval is a result of rigorous FL Technics development in 2022 focused on industry trends related to efficiency and environment. With next-generation aircraft fleets targeting sustainable operations and environmental footprint reduction, maintaining these new aircraft airborne requires new specific knowledge and capabilities, which takes a lot of effort to acquire.
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Faced with increased disruptions, baggage mountains and staff shortages, airports and airlines are ramping up their investment in technology to digitalise their operations and speed up the passenger journey by offering more self-service options.
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SITA’s 2022 Air Transport IT Insights report, published January 31, reveals that with the post-pandemic recovery CIOs want to ensure operations are as agile and resilient as they are efficient, with IT solutions seen as central to their success. This has spurred an acceleration of digitalisation, with airlines and airports looking to key technology solutions to fortify their operations against disruption while automating the passenger experience.
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The industry’s IT spend is projected to continue its steady year-on-year growth trend since 2020 to support this push for digitalisation, with a full 96% of airlines and 93% of airports expecting their IT spend to stay the same or increase in 2023 compared to 2022. Last year airline and airport IT spend rose to an estimated US$37 billion and US% 6.8 billion respectively.
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Airlines are placing great emphasis on IT tools to manage irregular operations and provide the best passenger experience possible even amid staff shortages. Over the next three years, 90% or more of airlines are investing in IT service management enhancement and disruption warning systems, as well as business intelligence initiatives for aircraft turnaround management, passenger processing, and baggage processing.
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Business intelligence solutions are at the forefront of airport IT investment priorities too, with 93% or more planning business intelligence initiatives for asset management and flight operations by 2025. The emphasis on agility, adaptability to disruption, and prompt communication with customers and stakeholders is clear; by 2025 half of airports are seeking to implement automated predictive alerts prior to flight disruption events as well as business intelligence initiatives to enable scaling of operations based on demand.
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Both airlines and airports are investing in key technologies to smooth the passenger experience across every step of the journey, to help curb bottlenecks and in turn allow redistribution of key staff resource to focus on more complex tasks. Biometrics and self-service technologies are seeing major emphasis.
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Airlines have identified self-service technologies as key to helping manage irregular operations, and this remained their top investment priority in 2022, with touchless solutions and biometric ID management following closely.
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To support effective baggage management and empower passengers following a period of significant disruption, a majority of airlines plan to provide real-time baggage tracking information to passengers by 2025.
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Airports are similarly prioritising self-service initiatives, placing strong emphasis on self-check-in and self-bag drop, with 86% planning implementation by 2025. Airports’ implementation of a secure single biometric token across all touch-points has surged from just 3% in 2021 to 39% in 2022, with over half planning implementation over the next three years. This signals a strong commitment to the next-generation travel experience where passengers can breeze through the airport using their face as their boarding pass.
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