Ethiopian to debut flight to Geneva

Ethiopian Airlines, the largest Aviation Group in Africa and SKYTRAX certified Four Star Global Airline, is pleased to announce that it will launch direct thrice weekly service to Geneva, Switzerland on June 3, 2018.

Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam, said: “Geneva hosts the highest number of international organizations in the world, making it a global hub for diplomacy. It’s a perfect complement to Addis our main hub and Africa’s diplomatic capital with the headquarters of the African Union and the UN-ECA (Economic Commission for Africa). 

Government officials and staff from regional and international organizations in Geneva and across our extensive African network will be able to enjoy seamless and convenient connectivity enabling to carry out their mission with ease and conveniences.”

The route will be operated with a Boeing 787-800, one of the most technologically advanced aircraft in the carrier’s fleet family, featuring up-to-date amenities with redefined travel experiences.

Africa World Airlines to add B767s for intercontinental routes

Africa World Airlines co-chairman Togbe Afede XIV has confirmed the Ghanaian carrier will introduce widebody aircraft to service intercontinental routes, reports ch-aviation.

Afede said three B767s would be added to enable the launch of flights to Europe, the United States, and South America.

"Subsequently we look forward to receiving three Boeing 767 that will enable us to connect Africa to London, New York, São Paulo Guarulhos, and Istanbul Atatürk ," he said.

Mauritanian carrier becomes the first in Africa to fly the newest version of the best-selling 737

Mauritania Airlines International today became the first operator in Africa of the new Boeing737-800.

"We are proud to be the first carrier in Africa to operate the 737 MAX," said Mohamed Radhi Bennahi, chief executive officer of Mauritania Airlines International. "The introduction of the 737 MAX into the growing Mauritanian fleet will help to profitably grow our network as we introduce new routes to Europe and the Middle East." 

According to Boeing, the 737 MAX delivers the highest efficiency, reliability and passenger comfort in the single-aisle market by incorporating the latest technology CFM International LEAP-1B engines, Advanced Technology winglets, the Boeing Sky Interior, large flight deck displays, and other improvements. The efficiency gains have helped make the MAX the fastest selling airplane in Boeing history with more than 4,000 orders to date from 92 customers worldwide. 

"We are delighted that Mauritania Airlines International becomes the first operator of the MAX in Africa and I would like to thank everyone at the airline for their partnership and continued faith in the 737 program," said Marty Bentrott, senior vice president sales for Middle East, Turkey, Africa, Russia & Central Asia, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "The 737 MAX will be a great addition to its fleet providing greater efficiency, range and passenger comfort to its operations."

Mauritania Airlines International serves more than 10 destinations across Africa and Europe from its base at Nouakchott-Oumtounsy International Airport in Mauritania's capital city of Nouakchott.
 

UAE carriers stop Tunisian links after terrorist risk.

Initially the Tunisian authorities were reacting to claims that the Emirates action was discriminatory and racial but reports now suggest Tunisia has been made aware of credible intelligence which led to the action by the Gulf carrier.
Last night, Emirates said it was suspending its flights to Tunisia indefinitely shortly after the Tunis government said it had banned UAE carriers. 

“As instructed by the Tunisian authorities, Emirates will stop all its services between Dubai and Tunisia starting from 25 December 2017 until further notice. Affected passengers are advised to contact their travel agent or booking office for assistance,” a statement from Emirates said.

Sources suggest that there were intelligence reports regarding young Tunisian women (under the age of 30) who had returned from Syria or Iraq having been fighting with Daesh and were targeting aviation.
It is understood that Tunisia has withdrawn the ban but recognises the validity of the intelligence following a meeting with the UAE ambassador to Tunis.

UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash, said on Twitter, “We met with our brothers in Tunisia about security procedures that have been imposed.”

“Here in the UAE, we are proud of our experience in empowering women, we appreciate Tunisian women, respect them and value their pioneering experience, and we see them as the protectors of safety. We will avoid attempts at misinterpretation and misrepresentation.”

Boeing and Royal Air Maroc announce orders for four 787 Dreamliners

The orders, previously listed as unidentified on Boeing's Orders & Deliveries website, include two 787s purchased in December 2016 and two purchased this month.

Royal Air Maroc, which has already taken delivery of five 787-8s, will grow its fleet of fuel-efficient 787s to a total of nine airplanes. Royal Air Maroc flies 787s on international routes from Casablanca to North America, South America, the Middle East and Europe, and with the additional airplanes plans to expand service to these areas.

"Today Royal Air Maroc has direct flights to 80 international destinations. Thanks to our unique position as a geographic hub and high quality of service, we bring customers from all over the world to their destinations. With more than 850 flights per month to Africa, Royal Air Maroc has the broadest presence across the continent of any airline," said Abdelhamid Addou, CEO and Chairman of Royal Air Maroc. He added, "Our vision is to be the leading airline in Africa in terms of quality of service, quality of planes and connectivity. Ordering new-generation planes such as the Dreamliner puts our airline on the right track to fulfill our vision."

"Royal Air Maroc's additional 787 orders are a terrific endorsement of the Dreamliner's economic performance, fuel efficiency and unrivalled passenger experience," said Ihssane Mounir, senior vice president of Global Sales and Marketing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "Expanding the relationship between our companies that began nearly 50 years ago, Boeing is proud to support Royal Air Maroc's growth plans within Africa and further connect Morocco to the world."

Royal Air Maroc is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. Its fleet includes more than 56 Boeing airplanes, including 737s, 767-300ERs, 787s and a 747-400. The Casablanca-based carrier operates a domestic network throughout Morocco and serves more than 80 destinations across Africa, the Middle East, Europe, North America and South America. 

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a family of super-efficient airplanes with new passenger-pleasing features. The 787-9's fuselage is stretched by 20 feet (6 meters) over the 787-8 and can fly 290 passengers up to 14,140 kilometers in a typical two-class configuration. The 787's unparalleled fuel efficiency – reducing fuel use and carbon emissions by 20 percent compared to airplanes it replaces – and range flexibility enable carriers to profitably open new routes and optimize fleet and network performance. To serve passengers, the Dreamliner offers large, dimmable windows, large stow bins, modern LED lighting, higher humidity, a lower cabin altitude, cleaner air and a smoother ride.

Boeing also is a longstanding partner to Morocco, supporting the country's development of its aerospace industry and workforce. Boeing and Safran are joint venture partners in Morocco Aero-Technical Interconnect Systems (MATIS) Aerospace in Casablanca, a high-quality supplier that employs more than 1,000 people building wire bundles and wire harnesses for Boeing and other aerospace companies.

Chinese take over Diamond for a GA jewel in the crown

News of the takeover broke just as employees of the Wiener Neustadt factory were breaking up for their Christmas holidays.
Diamond also had a subsidiary business in London, Ontario, Canada, which Wanfeng had bought a major shareholding a year ago.

In a statement, Diamond’s CEO Christian Dries said: “Diamond is my life’s work. In the interest of a successful long-term future, we needed to find the right partner to continue our good work. Wanfeng and specifically Mr. Bin Chen share my vision of the future of general aviation and are investing for the right reasons, with a long-term strategy and the resources to see their vision through” 

Bin Chen, the new chairman of Diamond Aircraft Industries and chairman of Wanfeng Aviation and president of the Wanfeng Automotive Holding Group said: “Under the 25-year leadership of founder Mr. Christian Dries, the Diamond team has developed a broad range of superb aircraft that have gained worldwide respect for their performance, efficiency, safety and innovation. Based on this excellent foundation, we intend to take Diamond to a long-term leadership position in worldwide general aviation.”

Although producing a series of successful GA programmes, The DA-40, DA-42 Twinstar and more recently the DA-50 and DA62, the company has been focusing on military variants and has been progressing with autonomous aircraft development.

The DA50-V with the largest cabin of any single-engine piston airplane is expected to be certificated during 2018.

First SSJ100 test flight with the Saberlets performed successfully

The saber-like configuration of the tips installed on to the Sukhoi Superjet 100 turned out to be the result of a number of research, engineering  and experimental activities carried out by the Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company with the assistance of Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI).

The geometry of the tips was determined with the implementation of the innovative methods of 3D optimization based on numerical computation called Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) – the unique TsAGI know-how used in Russian aviation industry in particular for Sukhoi Superjet 100 program.

The results of research and experiments showed that the installation of the saber-like tips allows to simultaneously improve the take-off and landing performance and decrease the fuel consumption for not less than 3%. The expected improvement of the take-off and landing characteristics will be obvious for the carriers operating the aircraft at regional runways and in hot weather conditions as well as on mountain aerodromes (Hot&High).

Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company is consequently implementing the Sukhoi Superjet 100 improvement program aiming at market expansion and the increase of the number of Customers, the current Operators satisfaction level growth and the maintenance of the high competitive level of the product. The wing tips installation being the part of the improvement program will provide the operators with cost cut up to $70 000 per year per one SSJ100», points the President of the Sukhoi Civil Aircraft  Company Alexander Rubtsov.

The end of a full-scale programme of ground and flight tests will result in the certification of the SSJ100 with the horizontal tips – saberlets and they will be offered as an option to the Customers. The installation of the tips is possible not only to new aircraft but to the already delivered aircraft as well.

VASO (Voronezh aircraft manufacturer) is the manufacturer of the saberlets kits, the materials used are certified in Russia as well as abroad.