Al-Shabaab luring jobless Kenyans with Sh44,000 pay offer

Donations from wealthy businessmen and illegal exports of Somalia charcoal earned the militants tens of millions of dollars last year

A monthly pay offer of up to $500 (Sh44,000) by Al-Shabaab is luring jobless Kenyan youths to the Islamic militant group’s training camps in Somalia.

A report by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), a Pan African think-tank, says the Al-Qaeda linked terrorist group is offering recruits between $150 (Sh13,350) and $500 per month to join it.

The report, which is based on interviews with 95 former Al-Shabaab fighters, indicates that 52 per cent of them joined the group because of economic and religious reasons, 13 per cent were forced to enrol and one per cent went on an adventure.

The pay is higher than the Sh30,000 paid to an entry level police constable and that of Kenya’s average salary of Sh41,416 for those in formal employment.

The group has made active recruitments in Kenya, especially at the Coast and Nairobi, which contributed to a string of gun and grenade assaults that hit the capital and coastal resorts of Mombasa and Lamu in the recent past.

“It was therefore not surprising that interviewees who defined adverse economic circumstances as a recruitment factor saw Al-Shabaab as a potential employer,” says the ISS report based on interviews done between April 14 and 28.

For a country mired in poverty and where the unemployment rate stands at 40 per cent, the pay has been attractive. It takes less than a month to hire a large number of recruits, the study says.

Donations from wealthy businessmen and illegal exports of Somalia charcoal earned the militants tens of millions of dollars last year, UN investigators said in a recent report.

READ: Kenyan soldiers aided illegal Somalia charcoal export - U.N

The UN said the market value of Somalia charcoal exported in 2013 and 2014 was $250 million (Sh22.2 billion). But the group has faced a number of setbacks in recent weeks.

It lost the town of Barawe, a conduit for arms and a source of revenue through charcoal smuggling, to the Western-backed African Union force. It was Al-Shabaab’s last major coastal stronghold.

Its charismatic and ruthless leader, Ahmed Godane, was killed in a US missile strike last month.

The militants have carried out a string of assaults to punish Kenya for sending troops to Somalia in 2011. Al-Shabaab fighters killed at least 67 people in the Westgate raid last year. The raids spurred Britain, the United States, France and Australia to issue travel alerts in May, hitting Kenya’s tourism hard.

Hoteliers have reported occupancy levels of about 20 per cent during the high season which starts in July, compared to normal bed rates of more than 90 per cent.

Hotel owners say they need bed occupancy of between 60 and 70 per cent to break even. This has seen tens of top hotels close doors while the tourism sector slowed economic expansion to 5.8 per cent in the second quarter of this year, compared to 7.2 per cent in a similar period last year.

New airport radar to mitigate impact of wind turbines

A single radar that can provide traditional airport surveillance functions and mitigate against the effects of wind turbines may be a step closer following trials conducted through 2014.

Air navigation services provider, NATS, and the radar manufacturer, TERMA, trialled the use of Terma’s SCANTER system to assess its performance as an extended range wind turbine mitigation system between January and March this year.

Initial results indicated that the system was not only capable of mitigating the effects of wind turbines, but could also detect aircraft through wind farm locations, even at ranges beyond 40nm.

Following this successful initial trial, the radar was evaluated during August by the Civil Aviation Authority as part of its Spectrum Release Programme. The results confirmed that the system is capable of detecting even small targets beyond 40nm and with good low level coverage. Based upon these initial positive results, further testing is expected to be undertaken with the CAA moving forward.

Iain Harris, NATS Director of Engineering, Services, said: “We’re committed to working with a range of developers and radar manufactures to find the best way for airports to mitigate the impact of wind turbines. These latest trials with TERMA represent a breakthrough for airport operations, adding to our progress we have already made in the en-route environment.

Source and image: NATS

Golden toilet gifted by A king to his daughter on her marriage

AWAS closes its first Private Placement for $350m

AWAS closes its first Private Placement for $350m

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AWAS announced today that it has closed its first Private Placement Term Loan. Aviation Finance Company (AFC) acted as Lead Arranger and Sole Book Runner, with CACIB, Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo as Co-Leads and BNP Paribas as Manager.

The proceeds from the transaction were used to repay the existing debt on ten young narrow-body aircraft and for general corporate purposes.

This new facility rated BBB by S&P will have a 7-year term at a 4.87% coupon.Clifford Chance acted as legal counsel on behalf of AWAS and Vedder Price on behalf of AFC and the Co-Lead Arrangers.Simon Glass, AWAS Chief Financial Officer said: “ We are very pleased with the success of this Private Placement as it allowed AWAS to approach major US investors through AFC and to directly structure the transaction to fit our specific requirements while meeting the investors’ risk-return parameters”.

AFC CEO, Douglas Brennan mentioned: “We had a great result in this transaction thanks to the collaboration between the management team at AWAS, AFC and a strong group of investors, all working towards creative and innovative investment structures and results."

Source and image: AWAS

AerCap, 134 aircraft transactions completed in 3Q, 2014

Amsterdam, The Netherlands; October 8, 2014 - AerCap Holdings N.V. today announced the completion of 134 aircraft transactions during the third quarter of 2014.

Transactions completed:

• Signed lease agreements for 84 aircraft.
• Delivered 26 aircraft under contracted lease agreements.
• Purchased nine new aircraft, including five Boeing 787-8s, three Boeing 737-800s and one Airbus A321-200.

Executed sale and part-out transactions for 15 aircraft, including:

• one Airbus A300-600F, one Airbus A340-300, eight Boeing B737 classics, one Boeing B767-300ER and two MD-11s from AerCap's owned portfolio.
• one Boeing 737 classic and one Airbus A320-200 from AerCap's managed portfolio.

Signed financing transactions for $1.5 billion, including the previously announced private offering of $800 million. The total financing transactions completed year-to-date amount to $8.9 billion.

As of September 30, 2014, AerCap's portfolio consisted of approximately 1,680 aircraft that were either owned, managed, or under contract to purchase.

Source and image: AerCap

Nextant remanufactured business jets arrive in the UK

Nextant Aerospace (“Nextant”), maker of the Nextant 400XTi – the world’s only remanufactured business jet – and the forthcoming Nextant G90XT turboprop, today announced the delivery of its first 400XTi to the UK. It will be the UK’s first remanufactured aircraft and will be operated by Norwich-based SaxonAir.

This aircraft is the seventh 400XTi delivered to Europe and the first to the UK. The European 400XTi fleet has proven itself as a strong revenue generator on the European charter market with the majority of the fleet operating in excess of 80-90 hours per month. The aircraft can fly non-stop from London to any city in Europe faster than any other aircraft in its class. The spacious cabin features Wi-Fi, an espresso machine and a high tech acoustic dampening blanket that cuts ambient cabin noise by half.

“The 400XTi’s range allows our customers direct travel anywhere in Europe for considerably less than any other light jet and without sacrificing performance or comfort,” said Chris Mace, SaxonAir Group Commercial Director. “The aircraft allows us to offer the productivity benefits of business aviation to whole new customer segments.” SaxonAir, as well as operators, are also the exclusive UK sales representatives for Nextant.

As European operators focus on value for money, the value proposition of remanufacturing becomes stronger. The UK already recognizes the economic and environmental value of remanufacturing. Estimates suggest that the value of the overall remanufacturing industry in the UK is already £2.4 billion, with the potential to increase to £5.6 billion1“Remanufacturing. Towards a Resource Efficient Economy”. All-Party Parliamentary report, March 2014. and to support thousands of new skilled jobs2Next Manufacturing Revolution: Non-Labour Resource Productivity and its Potential for UK Manufacturing, July 2013.. Other benefits include reduced energy requirements, pollutant emissions, material use, and water consumption3Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre website. when compared to the manufacture of new products. The trend it global: in the US remanufacturing is a $50 billion industry, growing at 15% per year4United States International Trade Commission report, October 2012..

“There has been a lot of talk in Parliament and in the press about the benefits of remanufacturing,” continued Mr. Mace. “The 400XTi is proof of concept. The 400XTi performs like a new-build aircraft by every meaningful metric but costs a fraction as much to own and operate. That delivers value both to our business and our customer’s bottom line.”

Nextant is pioneering the concept of remanufacturing for business aviation. The defining feature of the 400XTi is its value proposition. The aircraft performs better than new production aircraft at half the purchase price and with superior operating economics. Nextant serialized factory-production process captures the technological, safety and comfort benefits of modern business aircraft without the hundreds of millions of pounds it takes to develop and certify a clean-sheet design. Those savings translate into a significantly lower purchase price.

“We are very pleased with the international acceptance of the 400XTi,” said Nextant President and CEO Sean McGeough. “By the end of this year, we will have delivered 50 aircraft to 10 countries and flown in excess of 50,000 flight hours. As the All-Party Parliamentary Sustainable Resource Group is calling for the increased adoption of remanufacturing in the UK, we hope Nextant can be a good example of how remanufacturing can create real value for operators, customers and the overall economy.”

Source and image: Nextant

Gulfstream introduces new aircraft family

Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics today introduced an all-new family of business jets: the Gulfstream G500 and G600. The two new aircraft optimize speed, wide-cabin comfort and efficiency to offer customers best-in-class performance with advanced safety features.

Gulfstream announced the clean-sheet aircraft before a crowd of approximately 3,000 people. During the event, the first G500 taxied up under its own power, and General Dynamics chairman and CEO Phebe Novakovic revealed a nearly 70-foot/21-meter mockup of the G600.

“Today’s announcement demonstrates the power of General Dynamics’ consistent and disciplined investment in both Gulfstream’s research and development and manufacturing facilities,” said Novakovic. “The effect of that investment is manifest in the two airplanes we announced today.”

The G500 can fly 5,000 nautical miles/9,260 kilometers at Mach 0.85 or 3,800 nm/7,038 km at Mach 0.90. The G600 is capable of traveling 6,200 nm/11,482 km at Mach 0.85 or 4,800 nm/8,890 km at Mach 0.90. The maximum operating speed for both aircraft is Mach 0.925, the same speed as Gulfstream’s G650 and G650ER.

“This is another extraordinary day in the storied history of Gulfstream,” said Larry Flynn, president, Gulfstream. “I could not be more pleased to announce the next generation of Gulfstream aircraft. The G500 and G600 build upon the technology present in our G650 and our latest aircraft, the G650ER. Once again, our customers played a major role in the development and creation of these aircraft. The G500 and G600 continue the long Gulfstream tradition of being the first original equipment manufacturer to ensure an optimal combination of speed, range, wide-cabin comfort and fuel burn.”

The cabins for the G500 and G600 are distinguished by their wide cross-sections, which maximize passenger comfort and aircraft performance.

The finished cabin of each aircraft, which measure 91 inches/213 centimeters wide and 74 in/188 cm tall, provide wide-cabin comfort with considerable head room and shoulder room for passengers. Carrying up to 19 passengers each, the G500 has three living areas, and the G600 has up to four, as well as an optional crew rest. Both aircraft have forward and aft lavatories and include a full-size galley that can be located in either the forward or aft portion of the aircraft. Ample storage space is also prevalent in the baggage compartment, which has 175 cubic ft/5.0 cu m of usable volume.

Both aircraft feature an industry-leading cabin altitude of 4,850 ft/1,578 m at FL510 and 100 percent fresh air that boosts mental alertness and productivity while reducing fatigue. The quietest cabins in the industry provide an ideal environment for work-related discussion or social conversation. Large oval windows, the same size as those on the G650, allow natural light to pour into the cabins.

All-New Symmetry Flight Deck With Touchscreens And Active Control Sidesticks
Gulfstream’s revolutionary new SymmetryTM Flight Deck is the most advanced, stylish, comfortable and intuitive inbusiness aviation. The cutting-edge technology comes in the form of active control sidesticks (ACSs), integrated touchscreen controllers, a next-generation enhanced vision system (EVS) and Honeywell Primus Epic avionics.

The industry-first ACSs offer enhanced safety and situational awareness over passive sticks through tactile feedback. With electronic linking of the ACSs, the pilot and co-pilot can see and feel each other’s control inputs, which helps improve pilot coordination in the cockpit.

“The active control sidesticks enable both pilots to be consistently on the same page, enhancing safety,” said Dan Nale, senior vice president, Programs, Engineering and Test, Gulfstream. “No other business aircraft on the market has this feature.”

Adding to the pilots’ more intuitive interaction with the aircraft are 10 integrated touchscreens, which will be used for system controls, flight management, communication, checklists and monitoring weather and flight information.

The G500 and G600 incorporate a third-generation Gulfstream EVS, the Synthetic Vision-Primary Flight Display system and Head-Up Display II.

Similar to the G650 and G650ER, the G500 and G600 offer a full three-axis digital fly-by-wire system with benefits that include flight-envelope protection, stability augmentation, increased redundancy and reduced maintenance.

Source and image: Gulfstream