Ground-breaking alliance to transform Europe’s airspace

The modernisation of European airspace took a major step forward today with the appointment of a unique aviation industry partnership to coordinate and synchronise €3bn worth of upgrades to the continent’s air traffic management infrastructure.

The European Commission has tasked the SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research) Deployment Alliance, an unprecedented cross industry partnership made up of four airline groups, operators of 25 airports and 11 air traffic control providers, to plan and coordinate a wholesale modernisation of European airspace, making it fit for the 21st Century. It has been appointed to the European Commission-mandated role of SESAR Deployment Manager.

Europe’s fragmented airspace structure is inefficient and costs more to operate than equivalent regions around the world. The European Commission’s Single European Sky initiative, of which SESAR deployment is an important pillar, will improve efficiency, lower delays and raise environmental performance.

The modernisation is not only vital for the future competitiveness of Europe’s aviation industry, but for the wider health of its economy. Aviation supports 11.7 million jobs in Europe, equating to one person in every 40 people employed, generating €452 billion per annum of European GDP.

However, with air traffic forecast to increase by 50% by 2035 to approximately 14.4 million flights, Europe’s aging air traffic control technologies and infrastructure will begin to undermine its position as a leading aviation hub if nothing is done to address it.

The SESAR Deployment Manager will ensure that new technologies and solutions that have already been tested and validated through the SESAR Joint Undertaking are delivered into everyday operations across Europe, delivering significant benefits to airspace users and the environment. The SESAR Deployment Alliance, comprised of the A6 Alliance of ANSPs, the A4 airlines and the SESAR-related Deployment Airport Operators Group (SDAG), will coordinate and synchronise for an initial 6-year period the work of ensuring Europe maintains its competitive edge.

The appointment of the SESAR Deployment Alliance will be confirmed at a signing ceremony in Brussels later today. Richard Deakin, Chief Executive of UK ANSP NATS, on behalf of the SESAR Deployment Alliance, will sign the Framework Partnership Agreement with Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc.

Source and image: NATS

SAA announces airline's 90-Day Action Plan

The acting South African Airlines (SAA) chief executive officer Nico Bezuidenhout has announced the airline's 90-Day Action Plan.

It is a rapid implementation plan intent in steering SAA back to full implementation of the Long-Term Turnaround Strategy (LTTS); the cabinet submitted plan designed to return SAA to commercial sustainability and provide even greater support for the national development agenda.

The airline has seen years of challenging financial performance with full implementation of the LTTS critical to its continued on-going operations. 

“The importance of the 90 Day Action Plan cannot be underestimated,” said Acting SAA chief executive officer Nico Bezuidenhout. “The implementation of the LTTS has stalled and an immediate intervention is required to set the implementation and the business back on track.” He added that there are major commercial challenges facing the airline and that the urgency of the matter is at the top of the newly constituted Board and SAA Executives’ agenda.   

Bezuidenhout said that the 90 Day Action Plan comprises 6 main areas of focus as approved by the newly constituted Board: 

Imediate address the airline’s liquidity position, on-going solvency and medium-term funding requirements. Amongst the interventions are:

Addressing the solvency and liquidity of the business and engage with its Shareholder and other Stakeholders to ensure going concern status is maintained. 

Immediate review of the SAA network to stem losses. 

Focus on working capital optimisation 

Renew cost compression efforts and expedite LTTS implementation that will immediately impact the Income and Cash Flow Statements.         

Immediate investigation of options to future-fund the business 

The initiation of a process to investigate and determine options for future-funding the business. This includes a process of examining the possibility of a strategic equity partner.    

Substantial focus on Governance defects and remedies 

Immediate investigation and correction of any governance failures within the business. This includes a wide-ranging review of processes and command and control structures within SAA with particular reference to the implementation of the LTTS.    

Legal and High-Level Governance 

An immediate review of all contractual burdens and governance implications or defects within the legal framework of the company. This includes the review of onerous agreements, correction thereof and other matters that impact the framing of remedial activity; the re-establishment of foundation laying for LTTS implementation within a tight governance environment.   

Reorganisation and Optimisation of Assets 

Examination of all assets in the business and reorginisation thereof in terms of the requirements of the LTTS. This includes the formation of a Holding Structure within the Group that will incorporate all areas of the current structure within a broader “Whole Of State” approach to State-Owned Aviation Assets. Further optimisation will occur in line with the approved interventions per the LTTS.      

Improved Communication 

 AA will reengineer its internal and external communication efforts to effectively communicate with all direct and indirect Stakeholders and South African citizens, particularly with reference to the implementation of the 90 Day Action Plan as well as the LTTS.          

“We are working closely with our Shareholder (the Department of Public Enterprises) and National Treasury to ensure implementation progress against the six 90 Day Action Plan interventions is highly visible and closely monitored”, said Bezuidenhout.

Fastjet sells off two ATRs as part of restructuring plan

The deal is believed to be worth a total of $21.4 million. The aircraft were previously financed by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) with the value at $23.7million leading to a $2.3 million loss on the transaction for Fastjet.

The low-cost carrier had made provisions for $2.1million in its interim accounts,
“The ATRs have not been in use since operations ceased in Ghana and Angola earlier this year. The ATRs are surplus to current business needs and have not been generating a profit for the Fastjet group, but have been accruing finance lease and other costs in both 540 Ghana and 540 Angola,” the airline said in a statement.

Fastjet is restructuring the regional operation businesses operated by Fly540 and suspended flights at both bases, in order to focus on its core Airbus A319 operations. 

Proflight Zambia has achieved silver status under the internationally recognised Basic Aviation Risk Standard (BARS)

Proflight Zambia has achieved silver status under the internationally recognised Basic Aviation Risk Standard (BARS) audit system, which gives it recognition as meeting international standards and paves the way for IOSA standards.

The award comes after the airline passed a series of rigorous international aviation safety audits, conducted over the past four years by BARS.
Proflight is the only Zambian airline to have been awarded the silver Basic Risk Standard by the Flight Safety Foundation, which provides a global industry benchmark for airline safety.
“Safety is the number one priority for Proflight Zambia, and continued recognition of this by international inspectors reinforces our position as Zambia’s leading aviation company,” said Proflight’s Chitalu Kabalika.
“The standard is a measure of how seriously we take safety, and how much we are prepared to invest in order to ensure international safety standards are met. It also demonstrates that safety is part of Proflight’s everyday activities and we do not cut corners,” he added.
Proflight undergoes on average five external safety audits every year, including two audits conducted by the Zambia Civil Aviation Authority and on average three by international safety organisations such as the Flight Safety Foundation.
Proflight has now passed three Flight Safety Foundation audits.
The Basic Risk Standard (BARS) was developed from an industry-identified need to establish a common global aviation safety audit protocol that can be applied to on-shore resource sector aviation support activities. It is a risk-based model framed against the actual threats posed to aviation operations, particularly those found in challenging and remote environments. It directly links these to associated controls, recovery and mitigation measures, as opposed to the outdated prescriptive format previously used within the industry.
BARS is recognised within the aviation industry as the second highest aviation safety tier with the ultimate goal of achieving the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) widely considered as being the highest safety tier.
The latest standard comes two years after the airline was awarded an Air Operators Certificate (AOC) by the then Department of Civil Aviation (DCA). The AOC was issued by the DCA under the oversight of the aviation industry’s international regulator, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), confirming that the airline meets strict international safety, airworthiness and security standards.

Ethiopian voted as The Best Airline to Africa by Premier Traveler Magazine survey

Ethiopian Airlines has announced that it has been recognised as "Best Airline to Africa" by one of the most prominent travel magazines in the United States, Premier Traveler, at a ceremony held on 4 December 2014 in Los Angeles, California.

CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Group, Tewolde Gebremariam, said: "We are honoured that Premier Traveler Magazine’s readers in the U.S. have selected us as the best airline for travel to Africa. I wish to thank them for this vote of confidence, which once again reaffirms the quality of the service and product we offer. We currently offer the best connectivity options for the travelling public between Africa and the US, thanks to our daily flights from Washington D.C. using the ultra-modern B777s and B787s, and our extensive African network covering 49 destinations with daily and more flights.

In June 2015, we will further cement our position as the airline of choice for travel between Africa and the U.S. by adding Los Angeles as our second point in the U.S. Our flights connecting Addis Ababa, Dublin and Los Angeles will be operated with the B787s, which offers unmatched on-board comfort, and will be the only direct service connecting Africa with Ireland and the West Coast of the United States."

Emirates and the Lions, one of South Africa's top rugby teams, has announced a five-year sponsorship agreement

Emirates and the Lions, one of South Africa's top rugby teams, has announced a five-year sponsorship agreement.

The announcement was made at a media conference by Orhan Abbas, Emirates senior vice president, commercial operations for Latin America, Southern and Central Africa, and Rudolf Sraeuli, the CEO of the Golden Lions Rugby Union.

Starting from January 1 2015, the Lions will become known as the Emirates Lions, and the familiar “Fly Emirates” logo will adorn the match and training jerseys of the team for the next five years. Ellis Park, will be named Emirates Airline Park. The agreement also includes in-stadia hospitality as well as a number of other marketing rights and activities.

“Emirates is a strong champion of rugby worldwide and South Africa is one of the top rugby playing nations with very passionate supporters. We are therefore delighted to have the opportunity to sponsor one of the country’s most popular and established teams. It’s the first major sponsorship by Emirates of a South African team, and this will certainly raise the visibility of the Emirates brand not just here, but also in our key markets of New Zealand and Australia where the Super Rugby competition is played, and a number of other markets in which the games are televised,” said Abbas.

“Our new association with the Lions enables us to be part of Ellis Park, which is an historical and famous venue in the country, most notably for hosting the Rugby World Cup final in 1995 which South Africa won. This was the same year in which Emirates first started operations to the country, and today we enable trade and provide connections for South Africans from Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg to Dubai and beyond to our network of more than 140 destinations around the world,” he added.

“At the Golden Lions Rugby Union we pride ourselves on growth and performance. We are thus thrilled to partner with Emirates – a world-leader in its field who is constantly looking to expand and develop. We are tremendously grateful to Emirates for their support and belief. It is wonderful to have financial stability, as a result of the support from this international, iconic brand, over the next five years,” said Straeuli.

“We are looking forward to working closely together in not only developing rugby at grassroots level in both South Africa and the United Arab Emirates, but also expanding the game of rugby across the globe. As 2015 will mark the 20th anniversary of the Springboks’ 1995 Rugby World Cup win at Ellis Park, it is exciting for us to have secured Emirates as a stadium sponsor from next year. We know that we will share many more happy memories, alongside Emirates, at this hallowed ground,” he added.

GE wins vital systems contract on B777X

“This is a critical win for GE to supply the avionics computing system for the Boeing 777X, building on the success of our common core system on the 787,” said Alan Caslavka, president of avionics & digital systems for GE Aviation. “With the 787 and now the 777X, we have made future civil and military programmes more affordable by resetting the avionics cost curve and doing away with escalating software development costs.”
Selecting the GE common core system and enhanced airborne flight recorder enables Boeing to bring the latest generation of proven capabilities from the 787 to the 777X. The 777X has 300 orders and commitments from customers Lufthansa, Etihad, Qatar, Emirates, ANA and Cathay Pacific. 
The latest systems technology for the 777X will touch two major GE Aviation facilities including the common core system and the enhanced airborne flight recorder from Grand Rapids, Michigan and the remote data concentrators from Cheltenham, United Kingdom.
The CCS is often referred to as the “central nervous system and brain” of the airplane and hosts the aircraft’s avionics and utilities functions, eliminating several boxes and reducing hundreds of pounds of wire. GE’s CCS on both the 787 and 777X share common components and technologies and can be scaled up or down depending on customer needs. The CCS open system architecture significantly reduces the cost of modifying software so that the developer may only be required to test and certify functions that have been altered. 
GE’s EAFR for the 777X will record flight crew audio, parametric flight data, and data link communications. This data is stored in non-volatile, crash-survivable memory located within the EAFR and can be retrieved and analyzed for maintenance or in the event of an aircraft issue. GE’s flight recorders are on thousands of military aircraft as well as on the Boeing 787.
Design of the 777X is underway, and production is set to begin in 2017 with first delivery targeted for 2020. The 777X family includes the 777-8X and the 777-9X. The 777X will be the largest and most efficient twin-engine jet in the world, with 12 percent lower fuel consumption and 10 percent lower operating costs than the competition. Engine supplier GE Aviation was the first partner announced on the program. The GE9X engine should be more than five percent more efficient than anything in its class according to the American manufacturer.