AIFA increases Seminole order as student numbers grow

South Africa's AVIC International Flight Training Academy (AIFA) at George has been stepping up its fleet as it has welcomed an increasingly international cohort of students from Asia and across Africa.

The academy has acquired seven Piper PA44-180 Seminoles with glass cockpit configuration, to enhance its multi-engine flight training programme.
The school took two Seminoles in October but has stepped up its order.
The first four are equipped with Garmin 500 cockpits, and the remainder with Garmin 1000.
In January AIFA took delivery of eight new Cessna 172's at its Lanseria facility. This brings the number of new 172's they have had delivered up to 19
"The Seminole comes with a long history and excellent track record, and the 180hp engines make it a dynamic machine which needs to be well mastered," said director Willem Marais. “We operate at sea level and lower temperatures from our base at George and the aircraft gives us an excellent service," he said

DHL named Africa's top international freight forwarder

DHL Global Forwarding scooped the award for Africa's International Freight Forwarder of the Year for the 3rd time. In a ceremony at the Air Cargo Africa event in South Africa yesterday.

Roger Olsson, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding Sub Saharan Africa, who received the award, said: “DHL offers tailor-made solutions to businesses in Africa and it’s a service that’s second to none. It’s a tribute to DHL’s strong African team that their dedication to excellence in international freight forwarding has been recognised yet again. DHL has been supporting the business in Africa for more than 35 years now but what’s most important is that we have continued to anticipate, adapt and create services that clearly meet Africa’s fast evolving business needs and help fulfill its vast potential.”

According to the 2014 year-end report by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), trade activity across the African region remained positive despite major economies Nigeria and South Africa underperforming for parts of 2014. Regional growth supported demand for air freight and capacity rose just 0.9% for the year as a whole, helping to strengthen load factors. 

African carriers’ freight tonne kilometers (FTKs) grew by 12.2% in December and 6.7% for the year as a whole. Globally, the air cargo business is growing again after several years of stagnation with demand growth up 4.5% compared to 2013 measured by freight FTKs.

DHL Global Forwarding was recognized for being the leading service provider in the region’s air freight industry. With a focus on the Oil and Gas and the Mining sectors in the past few years, DHL’s freight management team has been very successful in developing customized solutions for customers in these sectors. “We also saw significant volume growth in Africa in both its regular and charter operations connecting all regions with Africa for the Oil and Gas and the Mining sectors. In addition, the India-Africa and China-Africa lanes are growing strongly, driven mainly by the life sciences, pharmaceutical and high tech sectors,” Olsson said.

O.R. Tambo is Africa's cargo airport of the year

O.R. Tambo International Airport walked away with the title “African Airport of the year” at an awards ceremony held as part of Air Cargo Africa 2015 in Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg yesterday evening.

“We are especially proud as this is the second time in a row that our airport has been bestowed with this accolade,” said Ms Bongiwe Pityi, the General Manager of O.R. Tambo International Airport.
“Together with our excellent location, accessibility and connectivity, O.R. Tambo International also has great and reliable infrastructure. We also collaborate well with the relevant stakeholders to continue providing efficient service to our cargo customers,” he said
The African Airport of the year award comes hot on the heels of Airports Company South Africa’s signing of a cargo management cooperation agreement with Mitteldeutsche Airport Holding of Leipzig/Halle Airport. The agreement, signed at the Air Cargo Afirca event, will expand international air cargo market opportunities, elevating both airports’ status in the air transportation industry. The strategic partnership will involve the exchange of information and individual expertise along with cooperation in customer acquisition.
O.R. Tambo International Airport services over 50 airlines to approximately 100 destinations, locally, regionally and internationally. The airport is the largest cargo airport in Africa and boasting capacity of 390 000 tons per year.

Hurghada passengers benefit from SITA solutions

Hurghada International Airport is transforming the passenger experience at its new terminal with airport solutions from air transport IT specialist, SITA.

The airport is using SITA’s passenger processing platform, baggage management and airport operations systems to enhance the passenger experience with new self-service options, the latest baggage management solutions and shorter queues. 

The new solutions are also helping the airport improve operational efficiency by integrating airport systems and providing a single control point for airport operations.

Dr. Mahmoud Esmat, chairman of Egyptian Holding Company for Airports and Air Navigation, said: “SITA was able to provide us with a complete solution that corresponded exactly to our needs. We have worked with SITA for many years, and we appreciate their strong presence and support team in Egypt.” 

Ismail Aboulez, chairman and CEO of the Aviation Information Technology Company (AVIT), the organization that manages the airport, said: “We have made major renovations at Hurghada Airport to better serve the growing number of leisure passengers in the region as Egypt’s tourism sector continues to recover. SITA’s airport solutions incorporate the industry’s most advanced technology and align with industry trends, such as self-service. So we’re creating a more enjoyable passenger experience, while at the same time cutting costs and improving operational efficiency.” 

SITA has implemented a full range of industry-leading airport solutions in Hurghada. SITA’s AirportConnect Open  passenger processing platform provides the airport with more than 135 common-use workstations and 10 common-use AirportConnect Kiosk self-service kiosks for check-in.  With the new platform, all airlines using the airport can access their respective IT applications in real-time on shared equipment. They can also use any airport desk, gate or self-service kiosk for passenger check-in and boarding for maximum flexibility and convenience. 

SITA’s Airport Management Solution helps integrate and simplify operations management so the airport has a single control point and can take action as needed. This includes an advanced resource management tool, AirportResource Manager, which enables the airport to manage resources and equipment in real time and make sure they are available when and where they are needed. 

And SITA’s BagManager baggage management system is improving baggage processing efficiency at the airport, while simplifying baggage operations and facilitating on-time departures. 

Hani El-Assaad, SITA president, Middle East, India & Africa said: “SITA has partnered with Egypt’s Aviation Information Technology Company for more than a decade, helping to facilitate its strategic growth plans with innovative technology. We worked very closely together on this project to design and deliver an in-house turnkey solution aligned with the airport’s specific needs.” 

Hurghada International Airport provides regular service to the Egyptian capital, Cairo, and offers direct connections to several European destinations. More than 40 airlines offer seasonable charter flights to cities in Eastern and Western Europe, Scandinavia and Russia. The new terminal, which was officially inaugurated in December 2014, will raise the airport’s capacity by 115% to 13 million passengers annually.

Hurghada passengers benefit from SITA solutions

Hurghada International Airport is transforming the passenger experience at its new terminal with airport solutions from air transport IT specialist, SITA.

The airport is using SITA’s passenger processing platform, baggage management and airport operations systems to enhance the passenger experience with new self-service options, the latest baggage management solutions and shorter queues. 

The new solutions are also helping the airport improve operational efficiency by integrating airport systems and providing a single control point for airport operations.

Dr. Mahmoud Esmat, chairman of Egyptian Holding Company for Airports and Air Navigation, said: “SITA was able to provide us with a complete solution that corresponded exactly to our needs. We have worked with SITA for many years, and we appreciate their strong presence and support team in Egypt.” 

Ismail Aboulez, chairman and CEO of the Aviation Information Technology Company (AVIT), the organization that manages the airport, said: “We have made major renovations at Hurghada Airport to better serve the growing number of leisure passengers in the region as Egypt’s tourism sector continues to recover. SITA’s airport solutions incorporate the industry’s most advanced technology and align with industry trends, such as self-service. So we’re creating a more enjoyable passenger experience, while at the same time cutting costs and improving operational efficiency.” 

SITA has implemented a full range of industry-leading airport solutions in Hurghada. SITA’s AirportConnect Open  passenger processing platform provides the airport with more than 135 common-use workstations and 10 common-use AirportConnect Kiosk self-service kiosks for check-in.  With the new platform, all airlines using the airport can access their respective IT applications in real-time on shared equipment. They can also use any airport desk, gate or self-service kiosk for passenger check-in and boarding for maximum flexibility and convenience. 

SITA’s Airport Management Solution helps integrate and simplify operations management so the airport has a single control point and can take action as needed. This includes an advanced resource management tool, AirportResource Manager, which enables the airport to manage resources and equipment in real time and make sure they are available when and where they are needed. 

And SITA’s BagManager baggage management system is improving baggage processing efficiency at the airport, while simplifying baggage operations and facilitating on-time departures. 

Hani El-Assaad, SITA president, Middle East, India & Africa said: “SITA has partnered with Egypt’s Aviation Information Technology Company for more than a decade, helping to facilitate its strategic growth plans with innovative technology. We worked very closely together on this project to design and deliver an in-house turnkey solution aligned with the airport’s specific needs.” 

Hurghada International Airport provides regular service to the Egyptian capital, Cairo, and offers direct connections to several European destinations. More than 40 airlines offer seasonable charter flights to cities in Eastern and Western Europe, Scandinavia and Russia. The new terminal, which was officially inaugurated in December 2014, will raise the airport’s capacity by 115% to 13 million passengers annually.

Kenya tops the region's on-time performers.

Kenya Airways was the best on-time performer among Africa's major airlines in Janurary according to the results issued today by flightstats.com.

The Nairobi-based national carrier achieved more than four out of every five flights arriving on time with an average of 84. 41%.

Ethiopian Airlines also performed well with almost three quarters of its flights arriving on time.
With an average of 69.24% of on-time arrivals by Middle East and African carriers, many of the others fell below.
EgyptAir achieved 65.16%.
The Gulf carriers that have been making an impact in Africa were not so hot . Qatar was the best with 81.17% but Emirates achieved only 66.15% and Etihad was the most delayed major airlines was with more than half of its 7,968 flights failing to arrive on time.
 

Gulfstream G650ER demonstrates its long-range capability

Gulfstream Aerospace has announced that the Gulfstream G650ER has once again demonstrated its ability to go the distance by completing the farthest flight in its history.

In January, a G650ER, owned by Steve Wynn, CEO of Wynn Resorts, flew 8,010 nautical miles/14,835 kilometers nonstop, traveling from Singapore Changi Airport to McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas with four passengers, including Wynn, and three crew members on board. 

The trip took 14 hours and 32 minutes at an average speed of Mach 0.85, with tail winds of 76 knots. The G650ER landed with fuel in excess of the National Business Aviation Association instrument flight rules reserves. 

“This flight demonstrates how powerful an aircraft the G650ER is,” said Larry Flynn, president, Gulfstream. “To be able to travel distances like this is remarkable and truly captures the essence of this aircraft. Its range and speed are just two of the many reasons for its success and will continue to be the driving forces behind the demand for this aircraft.” 

At Mach 0.90, the G650ER can travel 6,400 nm/11,853 km. Its max speed is Mach 0.925. The G650ER is powered by twin Rolls-Royce BR725 engines. 

“The G650ER is a game-changer,” said Wynn. “It’s a vital business tool that gives me peace of mind thanks to its superior range, speed, cabin comfort and enhanced safety features. I fly around the world for my business, and this aircraft takes me there. Gulfstream continuously goes above and beyond; the proof is in the performance.” 

Wynn was one of the first G650 customers to receive a G650 when the aircraft entered service in 2012. He was also one of the first to upgrade to the extended range G650 when Gulfstream began offering the option last year.