Category Archives: General News and Airshow Reviews
Cathay Pacific strives for leadership and embraces collaboration as it takes major steps towards its sustainability goals
As the Cathay Pacific Group continues to make important strides towards becoming a sustainability leader, it is pleased to announce the release of its 2022 Sustainable Development Report, which underscores the Group’s ongoing commitments and progress in achieving its sustainability goals. Titled “Greener Together,” the report reflects Cathay Pacific’s belief that driving progress towards a sustainable future requires strong partnerships and collective action.
Chief Executive Officer Ronald Lam stated: “As we enter an exciting new phase of rebuilding Cathay Pacific for Hong Kong, one of our key development areas is becoming a leader in sustainability. This means working together with many different stakeholders, partners and corporate customers to reconnect Hong Kong to the world in sustainable ways. The title of this year’s report, ‘Greener Together’, reflects our determination to foster stronger partnerships to help drive the sustainable development agenda and build a more sustainable future for our customers, our people and our communities.
“Despite the very difficult start we had to the year, 2022 saw a number of important milestones achieved in our sustainability journey. These involved yet more important steps towards developing the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) supply chain, reducing single-use plastics in our operations and continuing to advance the agenda of wellness and diversity for our people. Moving people forward is our business and as we look ahead to the future, we are excited to continue contributing to important projects and being a positive driving force towards making aviation more sustainable.”
Key highlights from the 2022 report include:
Driving progress towards decarbonisation: As part of efforts to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and using SAF for 10% of our total fuel consumption by 2030, we launched Asia’s first major Corporate SAF Programme. Garnering support from eight launch customers, the programme sends a strong signal to the SAF supply chain that there is firm interest in the region.
Extending our carbon-offset programme: First launched in 2007, Cathay Pacific’s long-standing voluntary carbon-offset programme, Fly Greener, has now been extended to our cargo operations – an extremely important part of our business. This provides our customers with a more sustainable cargo solution.
Surpassing our target to cut single-use plastics: We have reached a 56% reduction of single-use plastics use on a per passenger level compared to our 2018 baseline and are now in the process of launching a new target.
Driving Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) across our operations: We set a new and more ambitious goal to not have more than 65% of the same gender at senior positions by 2025, and as of April 2023 we will have a 50/50 gender split in our Executive Committee. We also became the first commercial airline to be listed on the 2023 Bloomberg Gender Equality Index.
Promoting and enabling wellness: COVID-19 has been especially impactful to people’s wellbeing. We introduced a week-long Mental Health and Wellbeing Festival filled with various activities and workshops to promote wellness and support our people.
RwandAir and Turkish Airlines sign landmark codeshare agreement
RwandAir has signed a major new codeshare agreement with Turkish Airlines as it continues to expand its global reach.
The new codeshare partnership will offer the African airline’s customers greater travel choices and seamless connection opportunities in both Kigali and Istanbul.
RwandAir customers travelling from Africa can now enjoy easy access to Turkish Airlines’ extensive network of over 300 worldwide destinations, giving Africa even greater global connectivity.
Those travelling with Turkish Airlines can also benefit from this codeshare agreement, with customers arriving in Kigali now being able to enjoy smooth onward connection across RwandAir’s African network.
Yvonne Makolo, RwandAir CEO, said: “We are incredibly excited to have signed this new codeshare agreement with one the world’s largest and leading carriers, Turkish Airlines.
“This landmark move will not only allow our customers to access the 124 countries served by Turkish Airlines, but will improve connections for inbound travellers to Africa via our extensive continental network.
“RwandAir is always exploring new commercial opportunities to expand its reach into markets which can deliver financial return and benefit our growing customer base.”
Currently, Turkish Airlines offers daily flights between RwandAir’s Kigali base and the carrier’s home hub in Istanbul.
This agreement follows the African airline’s recently launched codeshares with leading airlines such as Qatar Airways and British Airways.
From its hub at the heart of Africa at Kigali International Airport, RwandAir is renowned for its excellent on-time performance, customer service, and safety.
RwandAir currently operates to 24 destinations across East, Central, West and Southern Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Asia.
New airline contributes to East London’s’ leisure and business travel
The arrival of CemAir in East London has been great news for the Buffalo City Metropolitan as it will provide the flying public with additional travel options as well boost the regions leisure and business travel.
The airport welcomed the new stakeholder on Thursday 6 April, with flights initially scheduled to service the Cape Town route.
“The launch of CemAir Airlines air services to East London is a welcome addition to King Phalo Airport, improving the much-needed capacity on one of South Africa’s most popular routes – East London Cape Town,” said Local Airport Manager, Nicola Smith.
It is crucial to have a vibrant and competitive aviation industry as it not only facilitates international trade and drives rapid growth in tourism, but brings with it great business and employment opportunities.
“We have no doubt that this event will contribute immensely to our efforts of attracting more visitors to the city as we aim to surpass 2019 passenger numbers.”
Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, King Phalo airport handled 916 192 passengers with between twenty and thirty flights a day, serviced by five airlines. With CemAir servicing the Cape Town route, the airport will be servicing 20 flights a day, possibly taking us back to 2019 where the airport was extremely busy.
King Phalo Airport has been fully operational since 2022 and has continuously been working on improving the infrastructure and undertaking projects to accommodate and improve passenger experience to meet international standards.
Lizelle Maurice, Border Kei Chamber of Business CEO, “We extend our warmest welcome to FlyCemAir. The launch of the new route is significant to the region, as it stimulates our tourism and business sectors. East London has many untapped opportunities, and through this additional airline, we trust that these will be further unlocked. As the business sector, we pledge our full support and look forward to the growth of the airline in our region.”
Czech aircrew completes Marine-Led training ahead of aircraft delivery
Members of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Training Squadron (HMLAT) 303 and the H-1 Light/Attack helicopters program office (PMA-276), recognized a group of airmen from the Czech Republic Air Force during a ceremony on Feb. 9 for completing maintenance and flight training on the H-1 family of the aircraft.
The students have been embedded with the HMLAT-303 since July 2022, taking the same courses and hands-on training utilized by the U.S. Marine Corps’ military occupational specialties (MOS) for the AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom. The syllabus is designed to provide the initial knowledge, skills, and experience required to maintain, operate, and fly the H-1 platform.
“The training we did with the Czechs provided the foundational knowledge to fly and maintain these machines [AH-1Z and UH-1Y],” said Lt. Col. Mark Koval, Commanding Officer, HMLAT-303. “They now have the basic skills to transition to tactical training with their own fleet of helicopters.”
In 2019, the Czech Republic selected the H-1, specifically four AH-1Z and eight UH-1Y aircraft, to modernize the country’s armed forces and strengthen its homeland defense. As part of the foreign military sales contract, the customer had the opportunity to send its first wave of H-1 aircrew and maintainers through the HMLAT-303 training pipeline, preparing them for aircraft deliveries throughout 2023.
The training syllabus included familiarization, navigation, ordnance, formation, night vision goggle, terrain and instrument training. In addition, maintenance students completed training with the Center for Naval Aviation Technician Training Detachment Camp Pendleton, Ca.
“This training is part of our larger efforts to ensure the Czech Republic Air Force has all of the tools and resources required to fly its new aircraft for decades to come,” said Col. Vasilios Pappas, PMA-276 program manager.
Once back in country, the H-1 crew will continue training, working with representatives from the H-1 original equipment manufacturer, Bell, and their supplier, Pinnacle Solutions. Based on a “train-the-trainer” model, pilots, crew chiefs and maintainers will learn the final skills required to operate and sustain its fleet of AH-1Z and UH-1Y helicopters, and train other members of its force.
The Czech Air Force squadron is expected to be independently operating in late-2024.
“We are committed to the success of our customer in their deployment of the H-1 platform and grateful to HMLAT-303 for their role in that success story,” said Pappas.
PMA-276 manages the end-to-end procurement, development, support, fielding and disposal of the Marine Corps rotary wing close air support, anti-armor, armed escort, armed/visual reconnaissance and fire support program systems.
SAAF Museum Flying Day April 2023
There was no time for jokes on the April edition of the SAAF Museum Flying day at Mobile Deployment Wing Swartkop.The now Mobile Deployment Wing known as MDW, was the old Snake Valley, then Swartkop Airfield which then fell under AFB Waterkloof after the base was disbanded.
This was the final flying day to be held before the SAAF Museum Airshow on 6th May 2023,where the public will be able to see both current and museum aircraft of the South African Air force, as well as civilian display teams!
The friends of the South African Air force museum had refreshments on sale as well as as giving guided tours to visitors. The SAAF Museum Spitfire restoration also had memorabilia on sale and were able to show you the restoration progress on the museum spitfire and newly built hangar. The team at the Buccaneer 421 restoration also allowed visitors to sit in the cockpit of the buccaneer.
From the flying exhibits we saw the Museums Cessna C185,Bosbok and brighly coloured Siyandiza Harvard from the fixed wings.
Rotary Museum flying exhibits had the Aerospatiale Puma Helicopter, Alouette II and Alouette III. One of the other Museum Alouette III departed for Nasrec near Johannesburg, where it will be on static display during the duration of the Rand Easter show from Thursday, April 6th, 2023 – Monday, April 10, 2023.We also had a surprise fly-past by a Aerospatiale SA 315B Lama a French single-engine helicopter developed to meet hot and high operational requirements.
We look forward to seeing you all at the SAAF Museum Airshow 6th May 2023.
For now keep them up where they belong
TAAG ANGOLA Airlines join WTM AFRICA 2023 addressing intra-regional cooperation as major topic for the Aviation Eco-System ahead
TAAG ANGOLA AIRLINES is invited to discuss critical issues affecting the aviation and tourism
industries in Africa during two not-to-be-missed content sessions at WTM Africa, which is taking
place at the CTICC in Cape Town from 02 to 05 April.
In conversation with Aaron Munetsi, CEO Airlines Association of Southern Africa, Abdérahmane
Berthé, Secretary-General African Airlines Association and Olivier Ponti, Vice President ForwardKeys,
the discuss will focus on critical initiatives to liberalise civil aviation and boost intra-regional travel.
This content session, which aims to highlight the importance of regional cooperation in tourism
across Africa, will take place on Monday, April 3 from 16h00 – 16h45 on the Global Stage at the
CTICC.
On Tuesday, April 4, from13h30 to 14h15, TAAG ANGOLA AIRLINES will also have a seat and
participate in a panel on WTM Africa’s Global Stage to debate the opportunities for aviation into
Africa and what to expect in the future. Joining the panel will be David King, Project Manager at
WESGRO: Cape Town Air Access and Rodger Foster, CEO & Managing Director, SA Airlink.
“The importance of boosting intra-regional cooperation in Africa and improving intra-African
connectivity cannot be overemphasised. As such, TAAG is committed to playing a significant role in
achieving these objectives. With direct connections to nine cities in Africa, two in the Americas, and
two in Europe, TAAG is the interlink enabler for North-South and South-South connectivity. We
strongly believe that Luanda can be a central hub in Austral/Africa, offering strong opportunities for
East-West (e.g., Asia-Africa-Americas) and North-South (Europe-Africa) connectivity,” says Eduardo
Fairen, CEO TAAG.
Angola’s long transatlantic coastline and TAAG´s relevant connections highlight the country´s hyper-
competitive geographic advantage. With the continent’s attractive potential for business
development, TAAG is well-positioned to be the airline of choice for bridging connections to and
from Africa.
WTM Africa is expected to be a crucial platform for leaders in the travel and tourism industry to
share insights, best practices, and form partnerships to boost Africa’s tourism sector. TAAG
representative at the event will be Rui Carreira, as a Board Member while this a significant
opportunity for attendees to hear from a leading aviation expert on the importance of intra-regional
cooperation in Africa.
RwandAir continues fleet expansion with new wide-body jet
RwandAir has expanded its fleet with the delivery of its third long-haul aircraft.
The Airbus A330-200, registered 9XR-WX, is based at the carrier’s Kigali hub, and offers customers a leading experience in the skies.The aircraft will allow the Rwandan carrier to further expand its long-haul operation, with additional flights operating between Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Customers will be able to choose from 30 seats in Business Class and 222 seats in Economy Class, giving a greater choice of flexibility. Yvonne Makolo, RwandAir CEO, said: “We are excited to be expanding our fleet further with the addition of our third long-haul aircraft.
“Its addition will allow us to continue our route expansion and offer customers even more connections.”RwandAir will operate the new wide-body aircraft to its key destinations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, including London, Brussels, Lagos and Dubai.
The addition of the new Airbus will bring the African airline’s fleet to 13, consisting of three long-haul, one freighter and nine short-haul aircraft. Last November, the Rwandan airline received its first dedicated freighter aircraft, as the carrier highlighted the ever-increasing importance of cargo in Rwanda and the aviation industry as a whole.
From its hub at the heart of Africa at Kigali International Airport, RwandAir is renowned for its excellent on-time performance, customer service, and safety.
RwandAir currently operates to a variety of destinations across East, Central, West and Southern Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Asia.
Elbit Systems Awarded Four Contracts to Supply Solutions to the Romanian Armed Forces
Elbit Systems Ltd. was awarded four contracts to supply the Romanian Ministry of National Defense with aircraft upgrades as well as electronic warfare suites, electro-optical infrared (EOIR) payloads and Brightnite™ systems for the IAR 300 helicopters.
As part of one of the contracts, the Company will integrate Elbit Systems SPECTRO XR™ payload onto IAR 330 helicopters to enhance the Romanian Navy’s operational capabilities. This contract, which follows a successful upgrade of the Romanian Navy’s IAR helicopters, will be performed over the coming year.
In a second contract, Elbit Systems will supply a comprehensive electronic warfare (EW) suite including Radar Warning Receiver (RWR), Laser Warning System (LWS), Infrared Missile Warning System (IR MWS) and Counter Measure Dispensing System (CMDS). The suites will be supplied to a domestic supplier for the installation and integration onboard six PUMA helicopters with an option for an additional six in the future. The contract is a follow on order to additional EW suites that are already installed other Romanian Armed Forces’ platforms. It will be carried out over a period of three years.
The Company will also provide, as part of a third contract, Elbit Systems HDTS type head systems, SPECTRO XR electro-optical systems and an aircraft mission package that includes smart displays, digital maps and reconnaissance systems. Elbit Systems will also supply Brightnite™ systems to IAR Brasov for the Romanian Air Force’s Puma 330 SAR helicopters. This contract will be carried out over two years.
The SPECTRO XR multi-spectral electro-optical payload is a leap forward in complex intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance capabilities. Suitable for today’s operational complexity, the lightweight payload system is designed for day-and-night extended-range surveillance under various weather conditions. It also provides continuous target scanning capabilities for enhanced situational awareness.
The BrightNite system is designed to overcome visibility limitations and enable to safely and effectively fly mission helicopters in pitch dark nights and in DVE conditions including poor weather conditions, brownouts, whiteouts and sandstorms. It transmits high-resolution video to the Helmet-Mounted Display (HMD), enabling pilots to fly in a head-up, eyes-out position. The system can present information to multiple pilots simultaneously on an intuitive multi-functional display.
Under a fourth contract, Elbit Systems will supply advanced avionic suites, live training embedded virtual avionics system, advanced monitors, overhead display, navigation system and weapons activation systems to Avioane Craiova that is upgrading the Romanian Air Force’s (RoAF) IAR99 advanced fighter trainer aircraft.
The IAR99 SOIM is an advanced trainer and the upgrade will support the an effective transition of RoAF pilots to fighter aircraft, including the Romanian Air Force’s F-16s. The contract will be carried out over a period of four years. This upgrade program follows a previous contract for the Romanian Air Force’s trainer aircraft in collaboration with Avioane Craiova and was awarded approximately 25 years after Elbit Systems first contract to upgraded the IAR99 aircraft.
Norwegian Air Ambulance expands its H145 fleet
The Norwegian Air Ambulance is ordering two five-bladed H145s to be used for life-saving missions in Norway.
“I would like to thank the Norwegian Air Ambulance for its continued trust in our helicopters to support their essential, life-saving missions,” said Thomas Hein, Head of Europe Region at Airbus Helicopters. “We’re proud that they are further expanding their fleet of five-bladed H145s.”
“The five-bladed H145 has proven to be the perfect helicopter for our HEMS operations,” said Leif Olstad, CEO of the Norwegian Air Ambulance. “With the new helicopters we will continue to serve the people of Norway with state of the art equipment to ensure the best service possible.”
Today, Norwegian Air Ambulance operates all 13 HEMS bases in Norway using a 100% Helionix-equipped fleet of H135s and H145s. The organisation’s mother company, the Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation, was the first operator in the world to take delivery of a
five-bladed H145 in 2020.
The new version of Airbus’ best-selling H145 light twin-engine helicopter adds a new, innovative five-bladed rotor to the multi-mission aircraft, increasing the useful load of the helicopter by 150kg (330 lbs.). The simplicity of the new bearingless main rotor design also
eases maintenance operations, further improving the benchmark serviceability and reliability of the H145, while improving ride comfort for both passengers and crew.
In total, there are more than 1,600 H145 family helicopters in service, logging a total of more than seven million flight hours. Powered by two Safran Arriel 2E engines, the H145 is equipped with full authority digital engine control (FADEC) and the Helionix digital avionics suite. It includes a high performance 4-axis autopilot, increasing safety and reducing pilot workload. Its particularly low acoustic footprint makes the H145 the quietest helicopter in its class, while its CO2 emissions are the lowest amongst its competitors.
Airbus Helicopters is the leading provider of helicopters to the air medical transport industry, providing some 54% of the 2,700 EMS helicopters flying in the world today.
Lockheed Martin And Royal Bahraini Air Force Celebrate Bahrain’s First F-16 Block 70
Bahraini, American and Lockheed Martin officials today celebrated the first F-16 Block 70 for the Royal Bahraini Air Force today at Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] in Greenville, South Carolina.
The Kingdom of Bahrain has a unique history with the F-16: It was the first F-16 operator in the Gulf Cooperation Council beginning in the early 1990s, and now is receiving the first F-16 Block 70.
“Today’s ceremony GREENVILLE, S.C., March 10, 2023 represents the next generation of the powerful and proven legacy of the F-16, and demonstrates Lockheed Martin’s commitment to advancing this program and getting this much-needed aircraft and its advanced 21st Century Security capabilities to the warfighter,” said OJ Sanchez, vice president, Integrated Fighter Group, which includes the F-16 program. “With the Block 70 iteration, we are transforming 4th generation for the next generation for the Royal Bahraini Air Force and other partners and allies around the world.”
This F-16 Block 70 jet is the first of 16 jets for Bahrain, and took its first flight on Jan. 24, 2023. From here, it will begin additional flight tests at Edwards Air Force Base before arriving in Bahrain in 2024.
Six countries have selected Block 70/72 aircraft. In addition to the current official backlog of 127 jets to-date to be built in Greenville, Jordan has signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) for 12 jets and Lockheed Martin has received a contract to begin its long-lead activities. Bulgaria has also signed an LOA for an additional eight jets for its fleet. Once these are finalized, the backlog will increase to 147.
“The F-16 celebrated today was built by our talented, committed workforce in Greenville,” said Danya Trent, vice president, F-16 Programs and Greenville site leader. “We are proud to call Greenville the global home of the F-16 and look forward to continuing to produce jets serving missions around the world.”