FARNBOROUGH – 70 YEARS OF INNOVATION

w w w. a i r l i n e r w o r l d . c o m

Azul
t h e g l o b a l a i r l i n e s c e n e

Under
Brazilian
Skies

Power
Struggles
New Engines
New Problems

Operation Kiev
Champions League Airlift
August 2018

Turboprop From the UK £4.95

Turnaround Cockpit
Changing Feeding the
Perceptions FedEx Chain
Billy Bishop Toronto’s City Centre Airport
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 Welcome

R
egular readers of Airliner World will know we election pledges. This vote is also about integrity and the
have frequently ‘banged the drum’ for increased promises we make to our voters.”

airport capacity in the southeast of England.
So, it was most welcome that the British
government formally – and finally – backed
a third runway at London/Heathrow, confirmed by
Parliament in a crunch vote on June 25.
Government policy on such issues as infrastructure has,
for decades, been largely dictated by whichever way the
electoral wind seems to be blowing. The Department for
The Team
For his part, Johnson has long been determined to block
any move to expand Heathrow, telling supporters after
being elected for his Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat: “I
Craig West
will lie down with you in front of those bulldozers and stop Editor
the building, stop the construction of that third runway.” Barry Woods-Turner
However, rather than defying the party line, he missed News Editor
the vote entirely and travelled to Afghanistan on an official Andy Martin
visit – a move criticised by many of his fellow MPs. Contributing Editor

Transport may have finally planted its flag firmly in the In a letter to local councillors, obtained by the Evening Stuart Qualtrough
Group Editor
Heathrow Airport camp, but the matter is far from over Standard, Johnson defended his decision, adding: “I will
Steve Donovan
and some sizeable hurdles remain before construction can continue to lobby colleagues from within government.” Group Art Editor
begin on the new third runway. Of course, a third runway at Heathrow is by no means
Andy O’Neil
I appreciate such a momentous decision should not be the perfect solution. If starting from scratch, it’s extremely Art Editor
taken lightly, but sadly the issue of airport expansion is unlikely anyone would suggest building London’s major Andy Mason
as much political as it is economical. Short-termism is hub airport in such a highly populated area. But, from a Advertising Manager

rife, and many politicians appear more concerned about national perspective, it can be justified by the economic Johanna Buckley
Production Controller
protecting their constituency seats than making long-term benefits alone and, without such expansion, the UK as a
choices for the greater good. whole faces a major infrastructure bottleneck and one that Sue Blunt
Production Editor
At face value, the Airports National Policy Statement could potentially cause lasting damage. Meanwhile, the
Carol Randall
received overwhelming support, a move that should eye-watering price that airlines currently pay for landing Dep. Production Editor
theoretically end decades of political debate on one of the slots reinforces the message that Heathrow is, and will Norman Wells
UK’s most pressing infrastructure issues. continue to be, the country’s primary gateway. Sue Campbell
Sub-Editors
But 415 votes and a majority of 296 (see full story on Notwithstanding Parliament’s approval, the initiative
page 6) does not necessarily reflect just could still fall down at any of the subsequent
how divisive the expansion is. The stages. It will be subjected to another round
proposal was backed by representatives of public consultation before firm plans
from all parties, but Conservative MPs are drawn up for construction, while it also
were bound by a three-line whip, leaving faces the prospect of fresh legal challenges
just eight to rebel against the government. – several local councils are preparing for
Other opponents either abstained or such action – if not a full judicial review.
stayed away, including foreign secretary Let’s hope the government can see its long-
Boris Johnson. His absence from the vote awaited decision through…
in the House of Commons came in stark
contrast to Greg Hands, the Tory MP, who Craig West
resigned as a trade minister a week earlier Editor
so he could vote against expansion.
Speaking ahead of the vote, Hands
pointedly told MPs: “This is not just for
me a debate about Heathrow, important THIS IMAGE: Construction of
Azul Embraer 195, PR-AUA (c/n 19000652), a third runway at Heathrow
though that is; it’s also a debate about blasts off from Rio de Janeiro/Santos Dumont. could start in 2021.
being true to your word and to your ALLESANDO IGLESIAS/AVSTOCK HEATHROW AIRPORT

www.airlinerworld.com 3
6 News
Airliner World’s comprehensive coverage of worldwide
news, including a green light for Heathrow’s third

this
month
runway, Trent troubles continue for Rolls-Royce and
Airbus closes in on C Series acquisition.

24 EBACE 2018
A selection of photos from the European Business
Aviation Convention & Exhibition in Geneva.

26 Operation Kiev
Behind the scenes of Liverpool John Lennon Airport’s
Champions League Airlift.

32 Turboprop Turnaround
The demise of turboprops has been predicted more
than once by certain airline observers, but sales in
recent years tell the opposite story – that they are truly
appreciated with a firm future ahead.

40 An Asian Odyssey…
in Europe
On board with Hainan Airlines for its
maiden departure from Scotland – and it’s
first arrival into Ireland.

44 Farnborough at 70
As the global aerospace industry prepares to decamp
to the Hampshire airfield for the biennial Farnborough
International Airshow, we review some of the highlights
of 70 years of innovation.

53 Power Struggles
A new generation of powerful and more efficient
engines are entering service, but it has been a far from
smooth introduction.

60 Bigger, Better and Busier

Toronto’s downtown Billy Bishop Airport has seen a
dramatic rise in passenger numbers in recent years, a
trend that looks set to continue.

66 Feeding FedEx
Commercial pilot Doug Haddaway outlines a typical day
flying for a global logistics firm under its mantra ‘when it
absolutely, positively has to be there overnight’.

POWER
53
72 WestJet’s New Look
The Canadian carrier has offered a first look at its
incoming Boeing 787s, on which it will debut its business

STRUGGLES
class product along with a striking new livery.

76 Deliveries
The latest commercial acquisitions.

80 MRO News
Updates from maintenance, repair and overhaul providers.
New Engines, New Problems
82 Aviation Training
A round-up of recent developments.
66
84 Departure Gate
A selection of readers’ comments and photographs.

85 Caption Competition
Win a year’s subscription to Airliner World.

86 Air Safety
Up-to-date accident reports and crash information.

88 Under Blue Brazilian Skies

As Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras approaches its tenth
anniversary, its former marketing and brand director
Gianfranco Beting reflects on the carrier’s rapid growth.
 44

53

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News
Review
AIRLINER WORLD’S COMPREHENSIVE COVERAGE OF WORLDWIDE NEWS
Air
Belgium
Makes its
Debut
AIR BELGIUM has made its
commercial debut after launching
direct services between its Brussels
Charleroi (BSCA) base and Hong
Kong. The first flight, which departed
on June 3, was operated by Airbus
A340-313 OO-ABB (c/n 844), one of
two former Finnair examples owned
by the carrier. It was preceded by
a special ceremony – attended by
airline and airport executives as
well as ministers and local authority
representatives – during which
the start-up also unveiled its new
business class lounge.
Air Belgium chairman Eric Bauche
remarked that the carrier was “very
proud” of the route launch: “Both
our own and BSCA’s people have
worked on this project for two years.
Hong Kong is only the first stop in our
Chinese adventure and we’ll soon
be announcing new destinations.
We’d like to thank the authorities, the
federal and regional governments
and all our partners for their
unwavering support.”
The inaugural service comes
almost two months later than
originally planned after the carrier,
which secured its AOC in March,
encountered delays in acquiring
overflight permission from Russia.
Vueling
Vueling’s latest Airbus A320-232, EC-MYC (c/n 8238), has been painted in dual Spiderman/Captain America markings to promote the ‘Marvel Summer of Super Heroes’ event at Disneyland Paris.
The jet was delivered from Toulouse/Blagnac to Barcelona/El Prat on May 25. JAVIER RODRÍGUEZ
6 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018
HEATHROW AIRPORT has moved a
step closer towards approval of a
third runway after the UK government
formally backed the London hub’s
expansion plans. Voting on June 25,
MPs from across the political parties
overwhelmingly supported the Airports
National Policy Statement by 415 votes
to 119, a majority of 296. The move
ends decades of political debate on one
of the UK’s most pressing infrastructure
issues and paves the way for the
airport to submit an application for
development consent for the project.
Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye
said: “Parliament has ended 50 years
of debate by deciding that Heathrow
expansion will go ahead. This vote
will see us deliver more jobs, create
a lasting legacy of skills for future
generations and guarantee expansion
is delivered responsibly. We are
grateful that MPs have made the right
choice for Britain and today we start
work to create the best-connected hub
airport in the world.”
The vote came barely three weeks after
Prime Minister Theresa May signed
off on the £14bn plan to expand the
airport, before putting it to her full
Cabinet for approval. Earlier, Transport
Green Light
for Heathrow
Expansion
Secretary Chris Grayling reported to
the House of Commons: “I am laying
before Parliament our final proposal for
an Airports National Policy Statement
which signals our commitment to
securing global connectivity, creating
tens of thousands of local jobs and
apprenticeships, and boosting our
economy for future generations by
expanding Heathrow Airport.”
Reaction to the vote has, unsurprisingly,
been split between those supporting
expansion and those opposed to
it. Virgin Atlantic CEO Craig Kreeger
said Heathrow “is the right choice
for expansion and [we] applaud this
landmark decision,” and trade body
The Airport Operators Association
along with other airports across the UK
were similarly in favour.
Adam Marshall, director general of
the British Chambers of Commerce,
remarked: “The message from business
to Parliament couldn’t be simpler:
no more delays, no more excuses on
Heathrow expansion. A green light
for Heathrow’s third runway will show
international investors, our trading
partners and our competitors that the
United Kingdom is serious about being
at the heart of the global economy.”
Super Jet
The development does face further
obstacles though. Those opposing
expansion include high-profile MPs
such as the former transport minister
Justine Greening, shadow chancellor
John McDonnell, leader of the Liberal
Democrats Vince Cable and foreign
secretary Boris Johnson, all of whom
claim the costly project will be an
environmental and social disaster.
One of the main stumbling blocks may
yet be the prospect of a full judicial
review, while several local councils
have confirmed they are planning to
take legal action.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan added that
although he considered the vote to be
the “wrong decision” for Londoners, it
did not represent the end of the fight.
“I’m joining the legal action brought
by local authorities in opposition to
Heathrow expansion,” he said.
Meanwhile, Heathrow is set to embark
on a second public consultation before
submitting a development consent
order application, kick-starting a
process that is expected to take
18 months. If approval is granted,
construction could begin in 2021 ahead
of the new runway opening in 2026.
(Photo Heathrow Airport)
 News Review • Europe

More MAXs for LOT in brief

Norwegian regional carrier Widerøe
has unveiled plans for a new connection
between Bergen and Liverpool John
Lennon Airport. The new twice-weekly link,
which will be served by a 114-seat Embraer
E190-E2, will start on August 17, operating
each Monday and Friday.

Turkish low-cost carrier Pegasus Airlines

LOT Polish Airlines has unveiled a special livery to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the nation’s independence. Fresh from Boeing’s Everett
paint shop, the carrier’s latest 787-9, SP-LSC (c/n 39293), carries a striking red and white representation of the Polish flag along with additional
‘Proud of Poland’s Independence’ titles.
LOT POLISH Airlines has increased
its outstanding commitments for the
Boeing 737 MAX after ordering a
further six examples. The additional
aircraft – which will take the carrier’s
MAX fleet to 12 – will be leased from
ALAFCO. Five of them will be delivered
directly from Boeing in Renton,
Washington state this year, while the
final aircraft will follow in 2020.
“These new-generation aircraft are
perfect on our most popular mid-
haul routes, including from Warsaw to
London, Madrid, Frankfurt and to Tel
Aviv from regional airports,” the LOT's
director of corporate communications,
Adrian Kubicki remarked.
The incoming MAXs are in addition to
the six examples being supplied by Air
Lease Corporation (ALC), two of which
are already in service. The remaining
four of those are due for delivery
between June 2018 and May 2019.
Elsewhere, the Polish flag carrier
has outlined plans to launch services
from its Warsaw base to London
City Airport, the 100th destination
in its network. The twice-daily link
will start on January 7 and will be
operated by four 106-seat Embraer
190s that will be acquired from Nordic
Aviation Capital (NAC) by the end of
this year.
has signed a codeshare agreement with
Egyptian counterpart Nile Air. The new
deal, which came into force on June 15, sees
the two airlines co-operating on services
between Istanbul/Sabiha Gökçen and
Cairo. It is the sixth such tie-up for Pegasus,
following similar arrangements with KLM,
Flynas, Alitalia, Qatar Airways and Delta.
Airbus Helicopters has delivered the first of
six H145 helicopters to Swiss Air-Rescue
Rega. The incoming aircraft are set to
replace Rega’s existing fleet of EC145s,
the last of which is due to be phased out
by mid-2019. (Photo Airbus Helicopters/
Christophe Keller)

Aegean Airlines has firmed up its order

for 30 Airbus A320neo Family aircraft. The
deal, which follows March’s memorandum

Flying the Flag

of understanding (MOU), consists of ten
A321neos and 20 A320neos

Spanish low-fare carrier Volotea has

Icelandair has painted Boeing 757-3E7, TF-ISX (c/n 30179), in this patriotic livery to celebrate further grown its network in Germany
100 years of Icelandic sovereignty. The aircraft was also used to transport the national football after launching twice-weekly services from
team to Russia in early June for the FIFA World Cup. AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/ARTYOM ANIKEEV
Munich to Montpellier and Zaragoza. The
Boeing 717-operated connections are in
addition to existing links from the Bavarian

Cobalt Looks East city to Bordeaux, Mykonos and Asturias.

British Airways is set to expand its presence

CYPRIOT CARRIER Cobalt Air has
signed an interline agreement with
Etihad Airways. The tie-up, announced
on June 7, strengthens the Larnaca-
based airline’s presence in the Middle
East and extends its reach east beyond
Abu Dhabi to more than 100 Etihad-
operated routes
Cobalt Air’s CCO Paul Simmons
commented: “Cobalt is less than
two years old and to be adopted
as an interline partner by Etihad
Airways, one of the biggest and most
prestigious carriers in the world, is
a major recognition for us. We are
delighted to start this exciting new
relationship and offer Cyprus people
more convenient connections beyond
Abu Dhabi. We anticipate great
demand year-round from the UAE
for our beautiful island and this new
connection with Etihad opens the
market up even more. UAE-originating
passengers can also fly onwards from
Larnaca on our growing network.”
The partnership with Etihad is the
latest development for Cobalt, which
continues to invest heavily in its
product and offering. The carrier,
which joined IATA at the end of last
in the South Pacific after agreeing a new
partnership with Fiji Airways. Under the
terms of the tie-up, signed on June 6, the
London-based carrier is now selling seats
on Fiji Airways-operated flights between
Singapore, Los Angeles and San Francisco
to the Fijian gateway of Nadi. The new
partnership came just days after Fiji Airways
signed up to become the first oneworld
connect partner, a new platform for carriers
to link up to the global airline alliance.

Virgin Atlantic is poised to develop its

Manchester operation after unveiling
The Eagles Have Landed plans to boost its transatlantic network
from the northwest England hub for next
Celebrating its partnership with Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt, SunExpress Germany has added summer. This includes introducing direct
special titles to Boeing 737-8Z9 D-ASXB (c/n 30420). This includes the club crest and large ‘The Return thrice-weekly flights to Los Angeles, while
of the Eagles’ markings while the airline titles have been overwritten to read ‘SGE Express’, a reference doubling its existing connection to Las
to the club’s original name and a popular moniker among fans. SIERRA AVIATION PHOTOGRAPHY Vegas from twice- to four-times weekly,
increasing its Boston rotation to three per
week and upgrading some of its daily New
York and Atlanta services from Airbus A330s
to Boeing 747s. Elsewhere, the carrier has
confirmed CEO Craig Kreeger will retire at
the end of the year. He will be replaced by
CCO Shai Weiss.

www.airlinerworld.com 7
Gatwick Plans Billion Pound Investment More Interest
GATWICK AIRPORT has announced a
further five-year capital investment plan
with £1.11bn to be spent on supporting
airline growth as well as enhancing the
airport experience for passengers.
Unveiling the strategy, which will
bring total investment to more the
£3bn since the airport’s acquisition
by Global Infrastructure Partners
in December 2009, CEO Stewart
Wingate said the spend will run up
to 2023, with £266m planned for
2018/19 as Gatwick continues to
explore how it can make best use of
all its existing infrastructure.
With the planned growth of long-haul
operations at Gatwick, the airport
is confidently predicting passenger
numbers will increase to nearly 53
million by 2023, up from 45.6m in 2017.
Various wide-ranging projects have
been identified across the airport,
some of which will be started this year.
These include:
• Pier 6 Western Extension – this will
incorporate work on Pier 5 to handle
Airbus A380s, so the extension can
take place. Upgrades will also include
widening and reconfiguring a taxiway
to accomodate the super jumbo.
• A new domestic arrivals facility and
Ryanair
Lands at
Southend
RYANAIR AND London Southend
Airport’s owner, Stobart Group have
entered into a five-year agreement,
extendable to ten, that will see the
Irish low-cost carrier open a new base
at the Essex facility. Three aircraft
will operate out of the airport from
summer 2019, providing 13 routes to
eight European countries, including
six new destinations.
Warwick Brady, CEO of Stobart Group,
said: “Passengers are increasingly
turning to London Southend Airport
amid the capacity crisis found
elsewhere in the capital, where
holidaymakers and business travellers
face frustration from overcrowded
airports, impacting on customer
service. In contrast, Southend offers
an excellent, efficient experience,
and we are delighted that this is
becoming increasingly recognised,
demonstrated by the tremendous
momentum within our aviation
division. We have a clear and focused
strategy to grow our airport in order
to welcome 5m passengers a year by
2022. This long-term partnership with
a leading airline such as Ryanair will
help us achieve that aim.”
8 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018
baggage reclaim in South Terminal.
• A new mezzanine-level extension in
the North Terminal departure lounge
to accommodate new restaurants.
• Completion of the road system and
taxiway to the new Boeing aircraft
hangar to connect it to the airfield.
Commenting on the latest investment,
Wingate remarked: “By committing
to spend another £1.1bn, Gatwick can
continue to grow sustainably, attract
new airlines and offer more global
Baltic Breakthrough
LATVIAN CARRIER airBaltic has
signed an agreement to acquire up
to 60 Bombardier C Series. The deal,
announced on May 28, includes a firm
order for 30 CS300s, along with 30
options. The incoming aircraft, valued
at almost $5.9bn if all purchase rights
are exercised, are in addition to the
20 examples the Riga-based airline
already had on order, nine of which are
now in service.
“As an early adopter of the C Series,
we took a forward-looking decision
on advanced technology to support
our turnaround plan leading to
sustainable profitability,” airBaltic
The Latvian carrier welcomed its ninth Bombardier CS300, YL-CSI (c/n 55034), in Riga on
June 17. Its fleet is expected to grow to 14 examples by the year-end. AIRBALTIC
connections. Our continued growth
and ability to attract new long-haul
carriers is vital to the health of the
UK economy, particularly in a post-
Brexit world. Looking beyond this
capital investment programme, we
welcome the government’s support
for airports making best use of their
existing runways and we will plan for
our longer-term future by developing a
masterplan later this year.”
(Photo Gatwick Airport)
CEO Martin Gauss remarked. “Today
we are benefiting from the most fuel-
efficient small single-aircraft. With
demonstrated fuel savings of more
than 22%, the aircraft plays a vital role
in maintaining our operating cost at
a low level. In 2017, we experienced
outstanding growth and showed the
world the unique capabilities and
comfort of this innovative aircraft.
We successfully executed our fleet
modernisation strategy, and are
excited to further grow our fleet up to
80 CS300 aircraft while phasing out
our other aircraft types in the next
three years.”
in Norwegian
LUFTHANSA IS the latest potential
suitor to be linked with a move for
Scandinavian LCC Norwegian after
the German flag carrier’s CEO Carsten
Spohr revealed the firm has been
“in contact” with its Oslo-based
counterpart. However, he cautioned
that any potential deal would depend
on price, the strategic advantages
such an opportunity could provide,
and approval by the various
competition authorities.
Norwegian’s shares increased by
more than 10% on the news, reviving
hopes it would be taken over by
a larger airline group. The carrier
revealed it has received expressions
of interest from several parties,
ranging from the acquisition of shares
through to a full takeover, as well
as various forms of partnerships –
all of which it believes show “the
attractiveness of our business”.
In April International Airlines Group
purchased a 4.6% stake in Norwegian,
paving the way to a potential takeover.
It has since had two separate bids for
the airline turned down.
The CEO added: “We are now
commencing the implementation
of the next phase of our business
strategy – Destination 2025 – which
foresees airBaltic expanding the map
of our operations. A critical part of
this new strategy is the introduction
of a larger and exclusive fleet of all-
CS300 aircraft, which are the most
suitable aircraft for the markets in
which we operate.”
The incoming jets – due for delivery
from the fourth quarter of 2019 –
will help the airline develop its route
network from all three Baltic states –
Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
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 News Review • CIS
Saratov Revival Grounded
SARATOV AIRLINES owner Arkady
Evstafiev said he plans to create a
new airline after a bid to relaunch the
grounded carrier was turned down by
Russia’s aviation authorities.
Saratov applied for a new AOC on
May 29, just days after its original
approval was revoked by the Federal
Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsia,
amid safety failings discovered by the
agency during its investigation into
the fatal loss of one of its Antonov
An-148s, RA-61704 (c/n 27015040004),
near Moscow in February (see Airliner
World, July 2018).
The airline had outlined provisional
plans to relaunch services with three
Embraer 195s and five Yakovlev Yak-
42Ds but has since terminated the
remaining lease agreements amid
claims it had been “consciously
Qazaq Air
Eyes Chinese Investment
ALMATY-BASED QAZAQ Air has paved
the way for a potential buyout after
signing a strategic agreement with
China Express Airlines.
The deal was signed in Beijing on
June 11 at a meeting of the Kazakh-
Chinese Business Council. It laid the
foundations for improved co-operation
on international regional passenger
transportation and for the Chongqing-
based carrier to participate in the
planned privatisation of its Kazakh
Superjets for Severstal
Severstal Avia is poised to take delivery of its maiden Sukhoi Superjet 100. The aircraft, seen
during pre-delivery testing wearing the manufacturer’s serial 97016, is the first of six examples
ordered by the Cherepovets-based airline. YURY KIRSANOV/TRANSPORT-PHOTO IMAGES
Red Wings Set for
C Series Debut
RED WINGS revealed it will take
delivery of its first Bombardier C
Series next May. The carrier was
designated as the Russian launch
operator for the Canadian-built jet
in late April when it placed an order
for six CS300s, all of which will be
acquired from parent and lessor
10 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018
forced” by the regulator to close
its business.
The carrier added: “After a June 9
meeting between the management
of the airline and Alexander Neradko,
the head of Rosaviatsia, the decision
was taken to revoke our application
for a new AOC. Neradko insisted that
a positive decision would not be made
under any circumstances.”
Responding, the agency’s head told
Russian media that Rosaviatsia was
“interested in developing regional air
services, and creating new regional
airlines”. He added that the regulator
understood the challenges facing new
market entrants, “but to start with
the same [aircraft and management
structure], which has the same
deficiencies in flight safety is, in my
view, just not serious”.
counterpart, which is currently owned
in its entirety by the National Welfare
Fund, Samruk-Kazyna.
Commenting on the tie-up, Qazaq
Air CEO Blair Treherne Pollock
said: “Within this memorandum,
two regional airlines will have the
opportunity to discuss the exchange
of cross-border passenger traffic
and the possibility of direct financial
investment by China Express Airlines
into the development of our company.”
Ilyushin Finance via the Russian State
Transport Leasing Company (GTLK).
According to Russian Aviation Insider,
the incoming aircraft are expected to
be registered to Moscow-based Red
Wings but shared with partner airline
Nordavia and operated across their
joint network.
Ruslan Return?
THE RUSSIAN government has again
raised the possibility of relaunching
serial production of the Antonov
An-124. The outsized transporter, the
last of which was rolled out in 2004,
was developed during the Soviet era
by the Kiev-based Antonov Design
Bureau. It has been subject to various
revival attempts over the past decade,
all of which have been subsequently
abandoned amid growing tensions
between Russia and Ukraine. More
recently, the aircraft has been at the
centre of a dispute as to which nation
holds intellectual property rights to
the design.
Viktor Bondarev, Chairman of Russia’s
Federation Council Defense and
Security Committee told Russian
news agency TASS: “Ukraine wants
to illegally privatise the right to
manufacture these aircraft, and
therefore claims we cannot produce
Doing it Myway
GEORGIAN START-UP Myway Airlines
has launched scheduled services. The
new carrier, which was co-founded by
China’s Hualing Group and currently
operates a pair of Boeing 737-800s,
made its debut between its Tbilisi
base and the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv
in mid-June.
The inaugural scheduled flights, which
follow several months of charter
Sporting Life
Aeroflot subsidiary Rossiya has applied special markings to Airbus A319-111 VQ-BCP (c/n 3998)
to promote sports in Russia. The country is playing host to a variety of international competitions
and events this year, including the FIFA World Cup and the European figure skating and
wrestling championships. JACK GORCZYNSKI
them.” He continued: “I believe it is
expedient [for Russia] to resume serial
production of the An-124 aircraft.
Of course, it will have a different
name – it will be a completely
new aircraft, Russian-made and
developed by our designers.”
The senator added the revived heavy
lifter – also known as the Ruslan –
could be produced by the Aviastar-SP
plant in Ulyanovsk and will incorporate
new, domestically produced engines
and navigation systems.
Russia’s state-owned manufacturing
group United Aircraft Corporation
(UAC) is expected to assume control
of the project. It’s VP Transport
Aviation Aleksey Rogozin noted:
“If we talk about the resumption of
their production, this is an extremely
difficult, but solvable task.”
(Photo Artyom Anikeev/
Transport-Photo Images)
operations, pave the way for further
expansion of its network to include
Amman, Jordan and Tehran, Iran,
both of which are expected to come
online imminently. The carrier has
also applied for permission to link the
Georgian capital to Samara, Moscow
and St Petersburg to coincide with the
delivery of its third and fourth aircraft
due in July and December respectively.
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 News Review • Africa/Middle East

SA Express Grounded

THE SOUTH African Civil Aviation
Authority (SACAA) has suspended
state-owned SA Express’ Air Operator
Certificate (AOC) and aircraft
maintenance organisation (AMO)
approvals after an audit uncovered
“severe cases of non-compliance that
posed serious safety risks”. In addition,
the regulative authority also cancelled
the certificates of airworthiness of nine
of the Johannesburg-based carrier’s
fleet of 21 aircraft.
Announcing its decision on May
24, the SACAA said SA Express
“could not ensure that operational
requirements, and more importantly,
safety obligations are met always,
therefore the grounding of the airline’s
operations were inevitable.”
It added that the safety management
system of the airline was found to
be deficient. “As the custodian of
aviation safety and security in the
country, we couldn’t turn a blind
eye to any operation where there
is an overwhelming evidence that
safety measures are compromised,”
remarked Poppy Khoza, Director of
Civil Aviation for SACAA. “We are fully
aware and regret the inconvenience
and disruption this decision will
have on passengers, however, the
decision to revoke licences is naturally
challenging, but are necessary in
ensuring that the operator safety
systems are beyond reproach.”
Responding to the move, SA Airlink
confirmed it was organising continency
plans to accommodate passengers
following the SACAA’s decision
to “temporarily suspend” its AOC
and AMO. Acting CEO Matsietsi
Mokholo commented: “We regret the
inconvenience this frustrating situation
has caused our passengers. We assure
you that we are doing everything in
our power to resolve the situation
urgently.” (Photo Timothy Brandt)

Dreamliner Debut for Gulf Air

BAHRAIN FLAG carrier Gulf Air has
introduced its recently delivered Boeing
787-9 Dreamliners on its double-daily
services to London/Heathrow.
Captain Waleed Abdulhameed Al Alawi,
Gulf Air’s deputy CEO, commented: “We
are delighted to introduce our newest
aircraft on Gulf Air’s Heathrow route.
With five 787-9s entering our fleet in
2018, an additional two arriving by the
end of 2019 and three arriving by end
2020, Gulf Air’s Dreamliner orders will
ensure we maintain one of the youngest
fleets in the region while building upon
our award-winning reliability, on-time
performance and product and service
standards. I am looking forward to
receiving passenger feedback on this
exciting addition to our fleet and how
our enhanced product will elevate the
passenger experience for all.”
Gulf Air has equipped its Dreamliners
with 26 seats in Falcon Gold Class, and
256 in economy.

A Century for Ethiopian

ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES is in a celebratory
mood after taking delivery of its
100th aircraft. The jet, Boeing 787-9
Dreamliner ET-AUQ (c/n 38787), is
being leased from AerCap and was
handed over on June 5.
Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO
Tewolde GebreMariam remarked:
“It’s an immense honour to reach
the milestone of 100 aircraft. This
landmark is a continuation of our
historical aviation leadership role
in Africa and a testimony to the
successful implementation of our fast,
profitable and sustainable growth
plan, Vision 2025.”
The Addis Ababa-based flag carrier has
been at the forefront of jet-powered
aviation in Africa and has recorded
a number of historic feats. In 1962,
it became the first airline on the
continent to fly jet aircraft, while it also
pioneered operations in Africa with
the 767, the freighter and long-range
variants of the 777-200, the 787-8 and
-9 Dreamliner and the Airbus A350.
“This 100-fleet milestone, which we
have achieved ahead of our Vision
2025 targets, compels us to revise
our plans with a view to phase in more
aircraft and further expand our network
so as to meet the growing travel
needs of our continent and support its
economic development and integration
by facilitating the flow of investment,
trade and tourism,” the CEO added.

Fly, Eagles Fly Mauritian Neo Breaks Cover

Tunisair is lending its support to the Tunisian national football team at this year’s FIFA World Cup
via special markings carried on Airbus A320-211 TS-IMP (c/n 1900). The jet features additional Air Mauritius’ maiden Airbus A330neo has made its first appearance at the manufacturer’s
‘Official carrier of the Carthage Eagles’ titles, along with the team crest and a stylized eagle Toulouse/Blagnac facility. The jet, F-WWCN (c/n 1884), is expected to be registered 3B-NBU when
motif on the forward fuselage. SIERRA AVIATION PHOTOGRAPHY it is handed over to the carrier in September and is one of two examples on order. EUROSPOT

12 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018


Zimbabwean Grounding
FLY AFRICA Zimbabwe has been
temporarily grounded after its Air
Operator Certificate was revoked by
the country’s aviation authorities.
The Harare-based carrier had only
launched flights in April using a Boeing
737-500 wet leased from South Africa’s
Africa Charter Airline but, according to
The Financial Gazette, was forced to
Cheetah
Express
Capacity Boost for RJA
ROYAL JORDANIAN Airlines has
received a significant increase in
capacity after finalising short-term
lease deals for three additional
aircraft. This includes a pair of 149-
seat Airbus A319s, which have been
acquired from Pakistani carrier
Shaheen Air International on a three-
month wet lease, and a Boeing 737-
Paris Upgrade for Etihad
ETIHAD AIRWAYS has revealed its
Abu Dhabi-Paris route will become an
all-Airbus A380 service later this year.
The UAE-based carrier confirmed
plans to upgrade the second of its
two daily rotations to the French
capital from the current Boeing 777-
300ER from October 1.
Etihad’s CEO Peter Baumgartner said:
“Paris has always been a very special
destination on the Etihad network
News Review • Africa/Middle East
cease services amid claims from the
Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe
(CAAZ) that it had failed to implement
reliable, scheduled operations – a
condition of its approval.
Speaking to Swiss airline intelligence
provider ch-aviation, the carrier’s
managing director Cassidy
Mugwagwa said: “Fly Africa has,
300 from South Africa’s Star Air.
RJA’s president and CEO Stefan Pichler
commented: “We are keen to meet
the high demand for travel during this
summer season, thus bringing more
aircraft into our fleet, dedicated to
serving short- to medium-haul routes
along with our current airliners. The
three wet leased aircraft, different in
and the number of visitors from
France to Abu Dhabi, and vice versa
has continued to show significant
growth. The route has never been
more in demand.
“We have seized the opportunity
to place our flagship A380 on our
second daily flight, following the
great reception the aircraft has
received from our guests, and to
ensure we offer product consistency
after consultations and guidance
from CAAZ, taken the decision to go
through a re-certification exercise, in
order to move the airline’s operating
aircraft leases from an ACMI [wet
lease] arrangement to a permanent dry
lease agreement. The re-certification
should conclude soon and see us
unreservedly returning to the skies.”
ATA Airlines is celebrating its
partnership with the Iranian
national football team via this eye-
catching livery applied to Airbus
A320-231, EP-TAC (c/n 405). The
aircraft, which carries the same
Asiatic cheetah as the team’s kit,
was used to transport the squad
to Russia for the FIFA World Cup.
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/MEHRAD WATSON
design and configuration, comply with
the highest international service and
technical standards.”
The two A319s are expected to remain
in service with the Jordanian flag
carrier until early September, while the
737 – configured in a 126-seat, two-
class layout – will return to its parent at
the end of the year.
on the route. This will also allow
us to significantly increase the
number of leisure and premium seats
available, providing more options
for those wanting to travel point-to-
point between Abu Dhabi and Paris,
two capitals now also united by
Louvre museums, or to connect via
our Abu Dhabi hub to points all over
the Middle East, Asia and Australia.”
(Photo Etihad Airways)
in brief
Irkut has signed a memorandum of
co-operation with Saudi Arabia’s state
investment agency, SAGIA, paving the way
for the supply of Russian-built airliners
into the Middle East and Africa. The tie-
up, announced on May 25, delegates
responsibility to the Saudi firm for the local
certification, sale and leasing of Superjet
100s and MC-21s as well as providing
aftersales support and potentially localised
production and installation of components
and aircraft painting.
South African charter specialist Global
Aviation Operations is set to relaunch its
widebody offering after taking delivery of
the first of two Airbus A340-500s. The
Johannesburg-based firm, which has
previously owned McDonnell Douglas
DC-10s, has now acquired a pair of former
Emirates jets, believed to be 2-RLAV (c/n
694) and 2-RLAW (c/n 611). They will be
flown alongside its seven-strong fleet
of A320s, which includes two examples
currently operating with Mango Airlines,
while four others are on lease to Corendon
Airlines, Corendon Airlines Europe, Jubba
Airways and Sunrise Airways.
RwandAir has outlined plans to add Airbus
A330neos and Boeing 737 MAXs to its
fleet over the next 12 months, ch-aviation
reports. The former are understood to
be the two examples originally ordered by
the now-defunct airberlin – c/n 1844 and
1861 – both will be acquired from Air Lease
Corporation and are due for delivery in
January and February 2019 respectively.
The incoming Airbus jets, which will be
joined by a pair of 737 MAX 8s, are expected
to pave the way for the Rwandan flag carrier
to launch direct services from Kigali to New
York next summer. (Photo Key-Craig West)
Wings of Lebanon has agreed a deal to
lease a pair of Boeing 737-500s for the
summer season. According to ch-aviation,
the two aircraft, ZS-THY (c/n 25188) and
ZS-VDF (c/n 27346), have been acquired
from Africa Charter Airline and Star Air
respectively and will operated for the Beirut-
based carrier under a three-month contract.
Comoros-based start-up Amani Air
Services is expected to launch services
imminently after acquiring its first aircraft.
The BAE Systems Jetstream 41, ZS-NOM
(c/n 41047), has been wet leased from South
African carrier MCC Aviation and, according
to a post on Amani’s Facebook page, will be
employed initially on domestic connections
from Moroni to Anjouan and Mohéli.
Cairo-based leisure carrier FlyEgypt has
acquired a pair of Airbus A319s on lease
from Shaheen Air International. The two
aircraft, AP-BNK (c/n 2452) and AP-BNN
(c/n 2738), were ferried from Karachi to
Alexandria on June 5 and have been put
to use on services from Egypt to Kuwait,
Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
www.airlinerworld.com 13
 News Review • Africa/Middle East
Seven Up for Emirates
Emirates’ meteoric growth continues with the airline launching another new route to the UK.
Andy Martin reports from London Stansted.
EMIRATES HAS launched a daily service
from Dubai International to London
Stansted (STN). It is the carrier’s third
London link, complementing the long-
standing connections to Heathrow
and Gatwick, and its seventh to the
UK. An eighth comes online when
Edinburgh launches in October. As
the first flight arrived to a traditional
water canon salute on June 8, Emirates’
divisional senior vice president
Commercial Operations West, Hubert
Frach, explained the rationale of the
development to an expectant audience
of dignitaries and guests.
“We decided to add London Stansted
to our network because we saw an
opportunity to directly connect the local
community with some of the world’s
most popular leisure and business
destinations” said Frach. “Previously,
London’s north east, and the wider
7.5m people that live within Stansted’s
catchment areas had to travel into the
city, or further, to access airports with
global reach. Now, this daily flight to
Dubai connects passengers seamlessly
to Emirates points across the Middle
East, Africa, Asia and Australasia.”
First Class
Stansted is only the third route to
feature the airline’s newly reconfigured
three-class interior installed in its latest
Boeing 777-300ERs, after Brussels
and Vienna. At the front of the aircraft
the eight first class suites are now fully
enclosed with sliding doors along the
aisle, while the 42 angle-flat business
seats and 304 reclining economy seats
The first Emirates service to London Stansted
arrives to a traditional water cannon salute.
KEY – ANDY MARTIN
14 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018
have received significant makeovers.
The inflight entertainment offering has
also been revamped across all cabins.
Although some pundits wondered
whether the move into Essex was
prompted by a lack of slots at Heathrow,
Emirates’ divisional vice president UK
Richard Jewsbury was quick to counter
that suggestion. He told Airliner World
that the airline sees an opportunity to
capitalise on burgeoning demand for air
travel from north of London, particularly
from the lucrative high-tech and
pharma industries that are becoming
well established in the Cambridge-
Peterborough corridor. Jewsbury
also noted Stansted’s convenience
for affluent travellers from the east
side of London and the city’s financial
district, with easy access available via a
frequent 50-minute direct rail service.
The fully
enclosed
first class suites
are new. Stansted
is only the third route on
which they are available.
KEY – ANDY MARTIN
He acknowledged that it was “a bit of
risk” to move into a new market and
offer a first class product from day one.
But he also made it clear the airline has
done its sums and believes a three-
class service – which will become four
when premium economy is launched
next year – is not only viable but will be
a success. Meanwhile, freight is also
on the radar, with the firm’s SkyCargo
division moving around 140,000 tons
into and out of the UK every year. The
new STN service is expected to carry
around 20 tons on each sector.
Jewsbury explained that he expects
traffic to be split roughly 60/40
in favour of beyond-Dubai travel,
with its network contribution to
those other routes being extremely
valuable. The flight, which leaves
STN at 21:10, is timed to feed
passengers into the morning bank
at DXB, making it particularly
effective for connections
to Thailand and Indian
subcontinent
destinations.
Fastest Growing
Emirates is the 22nd carrier serving
STN. Airport CEO Ken O’Toole was
clearly delighted by the opening of the
first eastbound long-haul route since
his watch started less than a year ago.
He claims that the commitment is a
vindication of the £150m Manchester
Airport Group has invested at STN since
it took control five years ago. In that
time throughput has increased by 10m
ppa and the number of airlines using
it has doubled.
O’Toole pointed out that STN is one
of very few airports in the southeast
with runway capacity available, and
he expects it to accommodate 50% of
the air transport growth in the London
area over the next ten years. The CEO
explained: “Stansted is set to be the
fastest growing London airport and
a key enabler of economic growth
for both the UK and East of England,
and the addition of the new Emirates
service will provide a further boost to
our long-haul ambitions and ultimately
save local passengers valuable time
and money that is associated with flying
from other airports across London.”
Emirates’ customers will be able to use
the fast track channels to pass through
security at STN, but initially travellers
in the premium cabins will use the
Escape Lounge in the main terminal. In
mischievous mood, O’Toole told Airliner
World that space has been earmarked
in Pier 1 where he “hopes a dedicated
facility will be built when the service
goes double-daily.” As yet there is no
commitment to do so though.
Emirates’ UK routes are currently running
with percentage load factors in the high
80s and the airline said it has no reason
to believe STN will be any different. If
that comes to pass, perhaps O'Toole's
vision isn’t so fanciful after all.
 News Review • Americas
More Freighters for FedEx
FEDEX EXPRESS has signed a contract
with Boeing for 24 medium and large
freighter aircraft. The deal – valued at
$6.6bn – consists of 12 767Fs and 12
777Fs which will be used to modernise
its fleet.
The Memphis-based company
revealed the former will be delivered
between next June and May 2022,
while the 777Fs will follow between
June 2020 and May 2025.
David L Cunningham, president and
CEO of FedEx Express, remarked:
“We are taking another positive step
in our modernisation programme
Blue Neo
Delta Adds CRJs
DELTA AIR LINES is poised to expand its
Bombardier CRJ900 fleet after placing
an order for a further 20 examples. The
deal, valued at approximately $961m,
also makes the US carrier the launch
operator for the manufacturer’s new
Atmosphère cabin.
“We are thrilled that Delta continues
to select the CRJ Series as the airline
First US-built A321neo Delivered
HAWAIIAN AIRLINES has taken delivery
of its first US-produced Airbus A321neo.
The jet, N212HA (c/n 8129), was handed
over to the carrier on June 11 and is also
the first new engine option aircraft to be
completed at Airbus’ US manufacturing
16 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018
as we add more efficient, lower
emission aircraft. The Boeing 767
and 777 freighters have brought
greater efficiency and reliability to
our air operations.”
Boeing said the order comes as the
air cargo industry continues to gather
strength – market demand increased
by almost 10% last year with the
manufacturer predicting a further
rise of 4-5% in 2018. Including the
24-strong commitment from FedEx,
the US firm has attracted orders for
more than 50 widebody freighters
this year alone. (Photo Boeing)
The first Airbus A330neo for Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras, F-WWYP (c/n 1876), has
broken cover at the manufacturer’s Toulouse/Blagnac facility. The aircraft, which will be
re-registered PR-ANZ on delivery, is one of five examples the carrier has on order. EUROSPOT
looks into the future growth of its
regional operations,” said Fred Cromer,
president, Bombardier Commercial
Aircraft. “Together with Delta, we have
driven the development of regional
aviation in the US.”
Deliveries of the incoming 70-seat
aircraft, which will operate under the
Delta Connection brand, are due to start
facility in Mobile, Alabama.
Jon Snook, executive vice president
and chief operating officer at Hawaiian,
commented: “We are honoured to
accept the first US-built A321neo. It is
the ideal aeroplane for us to share our
later this year and will run until 2020.
They will be the first to feature the
Atmosphère cabin which, Bombardier
claims, “sets new standards of
passenger experience in the regional jet
market segment.” This includes more
personal space, upgraded overhead
bins, a more spacious lavatory and
increased cabin connectivity options.
Hawaiian hospitality with more guests
as we grow our western US network, as
well as providing greater access to our
entire island chain.”
Hawaiian currently offers daily non-
stop A321neo flights from Portland,
Connecting
Cape Cod
MAINE-BASED RECTRIX Aviation
has launched non-stop services
between Cape Cod and New York.
Operating as the Rectrix Shuttle, the
connection was introduced on May 31
and flies from the Marine Air Terminal
at LaGuardia Airport to Nantucket
Memorial Airport.
“The Rectrix Shuttle Service will
be the most convenient way to
travel between New York City and
Nantucket this summer,” said Rectrix
CEO Richard Cawley. “People in
the northeast cherish their summer
weather and weekend getaways. Our
shuttle service provides an easy way
to make the most of the season.”
The hour-long flight, which operates
on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays,
is served by the carrier’s fleet of nine-
seat Beechcraft King Air 300s
Oregon and Long Beach, California to
Honolulu. The carrier will receive a total
of 18 A321neos through to 2020, with
additional routes being announced later
between the US West Coast and the
Hawaiian Islands. (Photo Airbus)

Golden State Warrior
Alaska Airlines has lent its support to Golden State Warriors player and airline ambassador Kevin Durant by applying a larger-than-life image
of the basketball superstar to Boeing 737-990ER N280AK (c/n 60582). The aircraft made an appearance at Oakland on May 31 ahead of the
team’s NBA finals game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. CARY LIAO
LATAM Spreads its Wings
LATAM AIRLINES is set to further expand
its presence in Europe after outlining
plans for new services from São Paulo
to Lisbon and Munich.
Enrique Cueto, CEO of LATAM Airlines
Group, said “We continue to offer new
and unrivalled travel options connecting
Latin America with the rest of the world.
In the last two years, LATAM Airlines
Sunwing Airlines is using its latest Boeing 737-8 MAX, C-GMXB (c/n 60387),
as a flying billboard to promote Royalton Luxury Resorts, the Canadian
firm’s five-star hotel brand.
PenAir Axes East Coast Ops
ALASKAN CARRIER PenAir has cited
staff shortages for its decision to
suspend East Coast operations.
A statement published on the
Anchorage-based airline’s website
on May 30 said the move had been
prompted by the “loss of mechanics
and pilots, who have accepted
positions at other airlines after the US
Department of Transportation awarded
all of the essential air service routes to
other carriers.”
The carrier had launched services
between Boston and Presque Isle and
Bar Harbor in Maine, and Plattsburg,
has launched 30 new routes, including
new destinations in Europe, North
America and Oceania, and has also
strengthened existing routes with more
frequencies and connection options.”
The five-times weekly service between
Lisbon and Guarulhos is set to launch
on September 2 and will be operated
by a Boeing 767 configured in a 221-
Five-Star Jet
New York, in June 2012 under the
government’s Essential Air Service
Program. However, it lost out to
other operators – SkyWest Airlines,
Silver Airways and United Airlines
respectively – in the most recent
bidding renewal process.
PenAir CEO Danny Seybert explained:
“We have remained committed to
these communities. Our intentions
have been to remain until replacement
carriers began service [later this year].
To accomplish this, we agreed to pay
retention incentives to mechanics and
pilots to remain with the company.
News Review • Americas
seat, two-class layout. The Munich
service is expected to follow during the
first half of next year.
The new destinations – LATAM’s eighth
and ninth in Europe – are part of a
wider expansion of the South American
carrier’s international network that
included 13 new routes last year and 17
more during 2018.
However, due to the continued loss of
mechanics and pilots as a result of the
DOT’s decision, many have accepted
employment elsewhere and after
May 31, we will not have the required
resources to continue operations.
“This is not a new situation for airlines
to be put in at times like this when
the DOT chooses to change carriers
in a community. While we have done
everything, we can commit to our
contractual agreement, safety is above
and beyond our number one priority.
We will remain steadfast as long as it
is safe”.
in brief
Amerijet International Airlines has taken
delivery of its sixth Boeing 767-300ER
converted freighter. The ex-American
Airlines example, N378CX (c/n 27184) was
handed over on May 31 and was acquired
from Cargo Aircraft Management (CAM) on
an eight-year dry lease agreement. It is
the third newly converted 767 that CAM
has delivered during 2018, with the US firm
expecting to complete a further seven by
the year-end.
Piedmont Airlines was expected to have
concluded turboprop operations on July 4,
ch-aviation reports. The regional carrier,
which flies on behalf of American Airlines,
has just five de Havilland Canada Dash
8-300s remaining in its fleet, having
previously retired its smaller Dash 8-100s.
It will transition to an all-jet fleet of 43
Embraer ERJ-145.
Santo Domingo-based LCC flycana has
outlined plans to launch services in the
fourth quarter of this year (see Airliner World,
July 2018). The airline, previously known as
Dominican Wings until it was sold by owner
Avion Express to a local consortium earlier
this year, intends to operate throughout the
Caribbean using its predecessor’s AOC and
fleet of Airbus A320s.
Californian charter carrier Encompass
Aviation has withdrawn its application for
Commuter Air Carrier Authorization after
ending its commercial partnership with Surf
Air. The firm is currently limited under
its FAA Part 135 approval to intrastate
operations within California, but had
applied to extend this last summer with
the aim of supporting Surf Air and flying
nationwide in its own right under the Roam
brand. This was, however, cancelled
in early June, just days after Advanced
Air replaced Encompass as Surf Air’s
capacity provider. The Hawthorne-based
carrier said it planned to submit a revised
application “based on a new business plan.”
(Photo Surf Air)
WestJet Link is the name of the new
regional feeder service launched by
Canadian low-fare carrier WestJet on June
20. The new division, which links Calgary
with several small communities in Western
Canada, is served by three Saab 340s
operated by Pacific Coastal Airlines.
The US Justice Prisoner and Alien
Transportation System (JPATS) has retired
its sole Saab 2000 and put the aircraft
up for auction. According to ch-aviation,
the department had previously indicated
its intention to dispose of the 23-year-old
turboprop, N92225 (c/n 028), amid claims it
was too expensive to maintain and operate.
JPATS, which also operates a pair of Boeing
737-400s, said it plans to replace the Saab
with a larger aircraft.
www.airlinerworld.com 17
News Review • Asia/Pacific
ATR Goes Big in Japan
ATR IS celebrating the placement of its
first ATR 72-600 in Japan. Expected
to join Japan Airlines subsidiary Japan
Air Commuter (JAC) before the end
of the year, the 70-seat aircraft is a
conversion from the carrier’s existing
order for nine ATR 42-600s, four of
which are now in service.
JAC president Hiroki Kato said: “The
ATR 42-600 has clearly represented
an efficient choice in our operations
and its cabin comfort has been well
received by passengers. We are
very satisfied with the operational
versatility and results of this aircraft.
“With the conversion of one of our
current aircraft on order into an ATR
72-600 we will now benefit from the
strong commonality of both models,
while further decreasing the operating
costs per seat of our fleet.
“We strongly believe that this aircraft,
which brings flexibility and efficiency
Air India
Privatisation
Shelved
THE INDIAN government said its
plan to sell its 76% stake in the debt-
ridden national carrier, Air India, has
been shelved after it failed to attract a
single bidder.
The government, a year after
approving the sale, will now look at
improving Air India’s efficiencies and
bringing in experienced individuals to
help its management. Measures to
cut costs and monetarise Air India’s
assets will also be explored to try to
reduce its debt burden.
Junior civil aviation minister Jayant
Sinha told reporters in New Delhi that
the government was still committed
to privatising Air India and will review
its plans to sell its stake sometime in
the future, but he wouldn’t be drawn
on a specific timeframe.
Meanwhile Air India, which employs
27,000 people, said this month it’s
seeking a short-term loan of 10bn
rupees ($148m) to continue day-to-
day operations.
18 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018
especially to our trunk routes with
many business and sightseeing
passengers, will be very useful to
serve regional communities.”
ATR CEO Christian Scherer noted:
“The introduction of the ATR 72-600
in Japan is an illustration of the
suitability of the ATR aircraft family
for developing new commercial
opportunities at the lowest costs.
“For more than a year, JAC has
benefited from the operational
versatility and cost efficiency of the
ATR 42-600. The airline will now
be able to respond even better to
the increasing needs of regional
connectivity across the country.”
(Photo ATR)
Australia’s JetGo
Suspends Scheduled Services
AUSTRALIAN REGIONAL carrier JetGo
has entered voluntary administration,
suspending scheduled services from
1 June after reportedly accruing debts
of more than AUD$17m during its six
years of operations.
It started operating charter and fly-in,
fly-out services, primarily linking the
resource and mining industries, before
Tasman Codeshare
AIR NEW Zealand (ANZ) and Qantas
have set up a reciprocal codeshare
agreement to leverage the strengths
of their domestic networks, saying it
will make travelling within Australia
and New Zealand much easier for all
their customers.
From October 28, Qantas will add its
code to 30 routes on ANZ’s domestic
network while the New Zealand flag
carrier will add its code on up to 85
Qantas flights. Co-ordinated check-in
and baggage handling at all airports
will mean shorter connection times for
passengers, this will in turn opening
up more onward flights and faster
journey times.
Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce
commented: “Our relationship with
Air New Zealand goes back almost
80 years and we’ve been partners at
various stages over that time.
launching initial scheduled services
between Sydney and Gladstone in
December 2014; it later added more
rotations including Brisbane to Albury,
Melbourne/Essendon to Dubbo and
Rockhampton to Townsville.
At the time of the suspension, JetGo
operated four Embraer ERJ-135s and
one ERJ-145, and was poised to take
A codeshare deal on our respective
domestic networks makes sense
because it leverages the strengths we
each have in our home markets.”
Christopher Luxon, Air New Zealand’s
CEO, added: “While the two airlines
will continue to compete very strongly
across all markets, ANZ and Qantas
are known for having a commitment
to innovation, customer service
excellence, operational performance
and safety. We’re confident that our
customers will enjoy the reciprocal
benefits on both sides of the Tasman.”
Both CEOs acknowledged the
agreement is potentially just the
first step and could lead to more
co-operation between their airlines,
and say they will explore other areas
of mutual interest such as freight and
ground-handling opportunities and
biofuels research. (Photo Qantas)
delivery of an additional ERJ-145 and
an E190. This latter jet was being
acquired for the launch of a new
Brisbane-Karratha-Singapore service
that was due to start later this year.
Despite entering administration, the
airline has said it will continue flying
limited chartered services.
(Photo and story Roy Choo)

JAL Celebration Express
Japan Airlines has rolled out its latest logo jet using Boeing 767-346ER JA612J (c/n 33848), to promote the 35th anniversary of the opening
of Disney’s Tokyo Resort. AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/ANDREW HUNT
Cathay Pacific
Takes the Stretch
HONG KONG-BASED Cathay Pacific
took delivery of its first Airbus A350-
1000 at the manufacturer’s Toulouse
facility on June 20. The jet, B-LXA (c/n
118), then flew to the carrier’s home-
base at Chek Lap Kok International
Airport after a 12-hour flight.
It’s the first of 20 -1000s the airline
has on order, with seven more due to
First XWB for PAL
The first Airbus A350-900 for Philippine Airlines on its maiden flight from Toulouse/Blagnac on June 7. The jet, F-WZNA (c/n 221), will enter a short
flight-test programme before being handed over to the carrier, as RP-C3501, later this summer. EUROSPOT
arrive before the end of this year. It
already operates 22 of the smaller
variant, the A350-900, and by 2021 he
carrier says it will have 46 A350 XWBs
in service.
Cathay Pacific says it will introduce
the -1000 into service on July 1 on its
busiest rotation – Hong Kong to Taipei
– and, after initial regional flying to
News Review • Asia/Pacific
familiarise crews, it will launch a new
long-haul service to Washington DC on
September 15, the longest route ever
flown non-stop by the carrier at 8,153
nautical miles (15,100km).
For an in-depth report on the
handover see the September issue of
Airliner World.
(Photo Key-Barry Woods-Turner)
in brief
Vietnamese start-up airline, Bamboo
Airways has announced a commitment for
20 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. The deal,
if converted to a firm order, will be worth
$5.6bn, with deliveries scheduled to start
in April 2020 running through to 2021. The
airline is planning to connect Vietnam to
key markets within Asia, Europe and North
America. Bamboo Airways said it will launch
domestic commercial operations next year
from the capital Hanoi before expanding
into China, Korea and Japan.
Boeing has handed over the first 737 MAX
8 to China’s fast-growing carrier Xiamen
Airlines. The aircraft, B-1288 (c/n 42956),
is also the 200th Boeing jet to be delivered
to the south-eastern China-based airline,
which has doubled its fleet size in less
than five years. Che Shanglun, Xiamen
Airlines’ chairman, said its fleet will double
again to 568 aircraft by 2035 as it plans
to serve more domestic and international
destinations. (Photo Boeing)
North Korean flag carrier Air Koryo has
been granted permission to open its fifth
route into China. The new service, from
Pyongyang to Xi’an, will start in July and
follows the launch of flights to Chengdu
in May – both routes meeting a demand
from local tour agencies, which see a new
market for North Korean tourism. Air Koryo
also operates regular flights to Beijing,
Shenyang, Shanghai and the neighbouring
Russian city of Vladivostok.
Nippon Cargo Airlines (NCA) has
temporarily grounded its fleet of 11 Boeing
747 Freighters following the discovery of an
error in maintenance records. The carrier
said the fault – which concerned lubricating
oil supply to aircraft parts on one of its 747-
8Fs – had been discovered by government
inspectors during an investigation of its
records after it had been found to be
negligent in reporting damage following a
bird strike in January. NCA said it expects
to resume flying again in July.
Financially troubled Chinese conglomerate
HNA Group has signed a strategic
co-operation agreement with Commercial
Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) for
the purchase of up to 300 aircraft plus
associated operational and maintenance
services. It plans to introduce 100 ARJ21s
and up to 200 C919s built by the Chinese
aircraft manufacturer, but it’s unclear
whether the deal represents a firm order or
a mix of orders and options.
Philippine Airlines (PAL) has taken
delivery of its first Airbus A321neo at the
manufacturer’s Finkenwerder, Hamburg
facility. The aircraft, RP-C9930 (c/n 8117),
is the first of 21 the carrier has on order
under its fleet renewal programme. PAL
is planning to use its A321neos on services
across the Asia-Pacific region, including to
Australia and India.
www.airlinerworld.com 19
 News Review • International

Airbus Closes on C Series Acquisition

EUROPEAN MANUFACTURER Airbus
firmed up a deal to acquire majority
control of Bombardier’s C Series
programme. The move, which will
be consolidated on July 1, has come
earlier than anticipated, and follows
the two companies’ receipt of all
necessary regulatory approvals
and the successful completion of
contractual negotiations.
Airbus will become the majority
shareholder in the C Series Aircraft
Limited Partnership (CSALP) with a
50.01% stake, Bombardier will control
31% and Investissement Quebec (IQ)
will retain a 19% stake.
The CSALP was formed in June 2016
by the Canadian manufacturer and
the Government of Québec through
its investment arm, IQ, following a
Can$1bn injection of state funds into
the financially struggling C Series
airliner programme.
Tom Enders, Airbus’ chief executive
officer, said the partnership “extends
our commitment to Québec and to
all of Canadian aerospace, and we’re
very glad to welcome so many C
Series team mates into the extended
Team Airbus.
“The strength of the entire Airbus
organisation will be behind the C
Series. Not only will that enable
this outstanding aircraft to fulfil
its market potential, but we’re
convinced [its] addition to our
overall aircraft product offering
brings significant value to Airbus,
our customers and shareholders.”
(Photo Airbus)

Fourth A320 Family Boeing Deliveries

Production Line for Hamburg
AIRBUS HAS opened a fourth
A320 Family production line at its
Finkenwerder, Hamburg facility.
Using digital technologies and a more
flexible industrial set-up, the new line
is a key element in the ramping up of
single-aisle production to 60 aircraft
per month by the middle of next year,
the company claimed.
The improved manufacturing process is
enhanced using two seven-axis robots
for automatic drilling – which, Airbus
sad, will drill almost 80% of all holes on
the upper sections of the fuselage with
greater accuracy than achievable by a
human, ensuring a consistent level of
production quality.
The company, which plans to transfer
many of these processes to other
production lines worldwide, has also
opened a larger, modernised delivery
centre to facilitate a better delivery
process and increased hospitality
services. (Photo Airbus)
Deliveries of Boeing 737 MAX 8s to Air Canada continue apace. The Canadian flag carrier received
its 15th example, C-FSLU (c/n 61221) on May 28. JOE G WALKER
Boeing delivered the following aircraft during May:
Air Europa, BOC Aviation (2), China Development Bank Finance, China Eastern Airlines,
737-800 24 China Southern Airlines (2), Hebei Airlines, ICBC Leasing, Japan Transocean Air, Ryanair
(8), Shenzhen Airlines, Southwest Airlines (5)
Air Canada (2), Air China, Air Lease Corporation (3), American Airlines (2), BOC Aviation,
737 MAX 8 16 GECAS, Lion Air, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Qatar Airways (Air Italy), TUI Travel (2), Xiamen
Airlines
737 MAX 9 3 United Airlines (3)
737-900ER 4 Alaska Airlines (2), Delta Air Lines (2)
767-300F 2 FedEx Express
777-300ER 5 Air China, Emirates, Korean Air, Qatar Airways (2)
777F 1 EVA Air
787-8 1 Uzbekistan Airways
Air Canada (2), Air Lease Corporation, Aviation Capital Group, British Airways, China
787-9 10 Southern Airlines, International Lease Finance Corporation, Japan Airlines, Scoot Tigerair,
TUI Travel
787-10 2 Singapore Airlines (2)
Total 68

Brexit Warning from Airbus

AIRBUS HAS warned that “severe
negative consequences” of Brexit
may force it to pull out of the UK,
following concerns among businesses
that worryingly there’s still no clear
indication of how trading conditions
will be when the UK leaves the
European Union next March.
Tom Williams, chief operating officer
of Airbus’s commercial aircraft
division, told the BBC Radio 4's Today
programme: “We’ve come to the
point where we have to make serious
decisions. We can’t continue with the
current vacuum in terms of clarity…
and come to a point where we have to
make serious decisions.”
A Brexit risk assessment published by
the manufacturer warns that leaving
the single market and customs union
without a transition deal would lead
to severe disruption and force it to
reconsider its future in the UK, where
it directly employs more than 14,000
people across 25 sites in the UK and
supports a further 110,000 jobs in the
wider supply chain.
Downing Street has downplayed
the concerns, insisting Britain
will get a “good deal” that would
negate the need for the company to
relocate. But some ministers have
been more emphatic, International
Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox said
Airbus should be “making the case”
against a “no deal Brexit in Europe
– not just to the UK”, while Health
Secretary Jeremy Hunt remarked that
“threats” from large businesses were
“completely inappropriate”.

20 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018

 News Review • International

BelugaXL One Step Closer to Flight in brief

AIRBUS HAS issued an update on
the BelugaXL programme as the first
aircraft is prepared for its maiden
flight this summer. The prototype,
F-WBXL (c/n 1824), has passed
a ground vibration test (GVT), a
requirement for its certification.
The test’s objective is to measure
the dynamic behaviour of the jet and
confirm theoretical models of flight
conditions such as manoeuvring,
gusty conditions and landing,
data from which will help clear the
aircraft’s flight envelope.
The GVT trial was performed by
the Office National d’Etudes et de
Recherches Aérospatiales (ONERA),
the French national aerospace
research centre in collaboration
with Deutsches Zentrum für Luft-
und Raumfahrt (DLR), its German
equivalent ,over eight days,
using several hundred external
accelerometers while the aircraft
was stimulated by external shakers
or seismic exciters.
Launched in November 2014, the
BelugaXL – the new oversize air
transporter based on the A330-200
freighter – will address the transport
and production ramp up capacity
requirements for Airbus. After
the type’s first flight it will begin a
certification programme leading to
service entry in 2019.
(Photo Airbus)
Commercial Aircraft Corporation of
China (Comac) has grounded its two C919
prototypes for modifications which will take
around three months and involve upgrades
on the type’s tail – following delamination
of the carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP)
elevators – and strengthening of the flaps.
The fuel tanks are also receiving attention,
with the work expected to be complete by
July. The changes will also be made to the
four flight test aircraft under construction.
Pratt & Whitney estimates its customers
have saved more than 40 million gallons
of fuel, valued at $75m, since its Geared
Turbofan (GTF) engine entered service in
early 2016. It said it’s demonstrated a
reduced fuel burn of 16%, a 50% cut in NOx
emissions and a 75% smaller noise footprint
on 165 aircraft using the powerplant across
three aircraft platforms serving 23 airlines
around the world.

The Chinese-Russian commercial

aircraft consortium (CRAIC), a joint
venture between Russia’s United Aircraft
Corporation (UAC) and Commercial Aircraft
Corporation of China (Comac), has agreed
the general layout of the next-generation,
long-range CR929. CRAIC is planning a
family of aircraft – the CR929-600, the
basic version carrying 280 passengers in
a three-class configuration with a range of
7,456miles (12,000km); a shortened -500
variant for 230 passengers; and a stretched

Hypersonic Transport More Trent CR929-700 with seating for 320.

Rolls-Royce’s Trent 700 engine passed

BOEING HAS unveiled a concept for a
passenger carrying hypersonic airliner
Based on a hypersonic military design
the company released a year ago, the
Troubles its 50 millionth flight-hour on June 1 –
equivalent to flying around the world
more than a million times – when 380
the US manufacturer said could be aircraft would fly at around Mach 5, ROLLS-ROYCE has revealed that Trent 700s (powering Airbus A330s) were
available in the “next decade or two”. eight times faster than the cruising durability issues affecting in-service airborne across the globe. The event was
The futuristic aircraft is a vision of the speed of current airliners, allowing Trent 1000s may be more widespread witnessed by engineers monitoring data at
sort of vehicles that might be possible passengers to cross the Atlantic in two than first thought. The firm had earlier the company’s Airline Aircraft Availability
in 20-30 years’ time. hours and the Pacific in three. this year identified problems affecting Centre in Derby, UK, who observe the health
the Intermediate Pressure Compressor of all Rolls-Royce engines worldwide, 24
hours a day. (Photo Rolls-Royce)
(IPC) in Package C engines but
Airbus Deliveries confirmed that a wide-ranging analysis
of the powerplant had uncovered
similar issues “on a small number of
high-life Package B units”.
The company has agreed with the
relevant regulatory authorities, and
Boeing, to carry out one-off inspections
across the Trent 1000 Package B fleet,
which currently spans 166 engines,
saying they will be supported by an
EASA Airworthiness Directive. Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC), has agreed
Preparing for a pre-delivery test flight from Toulouse is the tenth Airbus A350-900 for Lufthansa. “As a result, we anticipate there will to acquire all 29 Embraer E-Jets owned by
The aircraft, D-AIXI (c/n 202) was one of two examples that were delivered to the German flag be a limited impact on customer Aldus Aviation Fund, increasing its owned
carrier during the month. EUROSPOT operations to enable inspections fleet to 413 aircraft. NAC has managed
Airbus delivered the following aircraft during May: the fleet, which is leased to nine airlines
to take place,” added Rolls-Royce.
AirAsia, Allegiant Air, AWAS (flyadeal), AWAS (Vueling), easyJet (2), Global Aircraft Trading including HOP!, Flybe and Royal Air Maroc,
A320ceo 8
(Aeroflot), International Airfinance Corporations (Saudia)
“Engines will be inspected on-wing since 2016.
AerCap (S7 Airlines), BOC Aviation (Avianca Brasil), CIT Leasing (Jazeera Airways), GoAir (3),
using existing techniques. We’re
A320neo 10 committed to eliminating this issue
Iberia, IndiGo, Loong Air, Royal Brunei Airlines The Airbus A330neo, the manufacturer’s
A321ceo 11
Cebu Pacific Air, CMB Financial Leasing (Capital Airlines), Delta Air Lines (6), Sichuan Airlines, and have already successfully run latest widebody airliner, is embarking on a
Wizz Air Hungary (2) a redesigned Package C IPC in a worldwide tour to demonstrate its readiness
AerCap (China Southern Airlines) (2), AerCap (Interjet) (2), Air Lease Corporation (Sichuan development engine. for airliner operations. This, the final stage
A321neo 12 Airlines), ANA Holdings (All Nippon Airways), Aviation Capital Group (Interjet) (2), Aviation of the aircraft’s certification, will see the
Capital Group (Primera Air), GECAS (Virgin America), Hawaiian Airlines, Philippine Airlines “As a precautionary measure we’ve
jet visit 15 cities on five continents, testing
A330-200 2 Airbus Defence and Space (Republic of Singapore Air Force), IAG (OpenSkies) also launched a redesign of the relevant
its extended-range twin-engine operational
A330-300 1 Shenzhen Airlines part in the Package B engine as well as performance standards (ETOPS) credentials
A350-900 7
Air Lease Corporation (Malaysia Airlines), Delta Air Lines, Ethiopian Airlines, Lufthansa (2), in the Trent 1000 TEN, where, although and ability to land at diversion airports, as
Qatar Airways, Thai Airways International, a young fleet, we have not seen any well as assessing airport handling services.
Total 51 examples of reduced IPC durability.”

www.airlinerworld.com 21
 News Review • Business Aviation
First European PC-24 Delivered
FORMER NESTLÉ Group chairman
and CEO Peter Brabeck-Letmathe has
become the first European customer to
take delivery of a Pilatus PC-24.
The jet, T7-LCE (c/n 104), was handed
over to the long-time Pilatus PC-12
owner and pilot during a special
ceremony at the manufacturer’s facility
in Stans, Switzerland.
Gulfstream Sets Speed Records
GULFSTREAM’S G500 and G600 jets
have set tandem city-pair records
from Asia to North America for their
respective weight classes. The jets flew
from Shanghai to Honolulu on April 20
at an average speed of Mach 0.90. The
G500 completed the journey in 8hrs
34mins with the G600 taking just 60
seconds longer.
The following day the two aircraft
flew to the manufacturer’s Savannah
22 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018
Brabeck-Letmathe’s company
Brabair has purchased the PC-24
and is making it available for charter,
together with his PC-12 NG, via the
newly formed Flying Club 24. It will be
based in Sion.
The CEO commented: “I’ve been
totally convinced by the PC-24 project
since the earliest days. It’s a logical
facility, in 7hrs 44mins and 7hrs 49mins
respectively. Gulfstream said the city-
pair records are pending confirmation
by the National Aeronautic Association.
Mark Burns, president, Gulfstream,
remarked: “Gulfstream customers
are accustomed to flying practically
anywhere in the world at record speeds,
and the G500 and G600 have been
doing just that as they near certification.
Our flagship G650ER has proven
continuation of the Pilatus product
family. The cockpit environment is
exceptional within this category and
the quality of the workmanship is
exactly as one would expect from
a Swiss product. I’m really looking
forward to taking the pilot’s seat
and getting familiar with the unique
capabilities of my super versatile jet.”
itself time and again as the highest-
performing aircraft in the industry, and
the G500 and G600 are performing
equally well in their classes, even before
customer deliveries. These records
showcase the real-world capabilities of
these impressive aircraft.”
The airframer confirmed the G500
remains on track for certification this
summer with the G600 following later
in the year. (Photo Gulfstream)
Oscar J Schwenk, chairman of Pilatus,
remarked: “I’m delighted that such well-
known personalities are happy to place
their trust in our aircraft. Peter Brabeck-
Letmathe has flown our single-engine
PC-12 NG for a long time and will now
operate a PC-24 in parallel. I’m confident
that he will be as happy with the PC-24
as we are.” (Photo Pilatus)
OJets
Acquires
Elit’Avia
NEW SINGAPORE-BASED business
aviation provider OJets has acquired
Slovenian aircraft management
and charter firm Elit’Avia. The deal
expands OJets’ fleet from two to 23
aircraft and enables the company
to operate on the Maltese AOC that
Elit’Avia holds. This provides the
OJets with global access, including
flights to the US.
“OJets represents the optimization
of luxury business aviation services,”
said Nick Houseman, CEO, OJets.
“With our private fleet, we are
offering services that respond
to current market conditions by
minimising capital commitment and
eliminating asset risk.
Elit’Avia chairman Michel Coulomb
and CEO Puja Mahajan will continue
to serve longstanding clients and
manage the day-to-day operations
of Elit’Avia as a wholly-owned
subsidiary of OJets.
Houseman added: “Collectively, our
clients will benefit from access to
more aircraft and more pilots, and
an extended global reach with fixed
operations and offices in Asia, Europe
and North America.
“Our vision is to draw from our
numerous strengths to offer an
unprecedented level of service to
discerning clients worldwide.”
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News Review • Business Aviation

EBACE 2018New aircraft launches dominated the headlines at the European Business Aviation
Convention & Exhibition, where James and Mike Ronayne found the industry
in a positive mood.

BUSINESS AVIATION’S key players
provided an optimistic outlook for the
industry during this year’s European
Business Aviation Convention &
Exhibition (EBACE), held in Geneva
between May 21 and 23.
Bombardier and Honda Aircraft both
launched new aircraft models, while
Embraer and Gulfstream gave the
European market its first glimpse
of their Phenom 300E and G600
jets. The static, which consisted of
54 aircraft, was sold out, and the
main hall hosted 418 exhibitors, an
increase on last year’s event. The
show’s global appeal was evident with
attendees representing almost 100
different countries.
“This was a decidedly upbeat, optimistic
EBACE week, which highlighted the
passion and enthusiasm at the heart
of the business aviation community,”
European Business Aviation Association
Chairman Juergen Wiese remarked.
“The show reflected a reverence for the
industry’s history, as well as an embrace
of its future.”
NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen
added: “EBACE once again showed
that business aviation is an industry
focused on innovation and investment
in the future. The new aircraft models,
the new business models, the featured
speakers and the trends we discussed
all point to an energetic industry
looking toward tomorrow.”

Local airframer Pilatus was well represented at the show, with a PC-24 and two PC-12s on display. HondaJet N420TF (c/n 42000081) was displayed in the stylish new livery of Wijet. The European
The latter included Oriens Aviation’s smart new demonstrator, G-DYLN (c/n 1760). air taxi operator signed a deal for 16 examples at this year’s Singapore Airshow.

Honda Aircraft launched its new HondaJet Elite at EBACE. The manufacturer said the upgraded Another EBACE newcomer was the Embraer Phenom 300E – ‘E’ for enhanced. The new jet features
aircraft features a 17% range increase, a shorter take-off roll and improved avionics. an entirely redesigned cabin including Lufthansa Technik’s ‘nice HD’ Cabin Management System.

24 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018

 News Review • Business Aviation
Canada’s Bombardier stole the headlines Visitors were particularly interested in the Gulfstream G600, which was
at the show, unveiling the Global 5500 and appearing in Europe for the first time. The jet flew from the manufacturer’s
6500. The jets, upgrades to its existing 5000 facility in Savannah, Georgia, to Geneva using a “renewable-fuel blend” and
and 6000 models, feature new Rolls-Royce set a city-pair record in the process, completing the journey in 7hrs 49mins.
Pearl engines and a redesigned wing, which
the manufacturer claims make the aircraft
“cleaner and more efficient”.
Bombardier presented its prototype
Global 6500, C-FTIO (9313), at a spectacular
ceremony held on the eve of the show.
BOMBARDIER

Daher TBM 930 N2PD (c/n 1141) glistens in the sunshine during EBACE. The French turboprop
The Montréal-based manufacturer launched its ‘Me & My TBM’ smartphone app at the show. The cloud-based
manufacturer also application, which is available for Android and iOS platforms, automatically collects data
announced that its during every phase of flight.
flagship Global 7000
would be renamed the
Global 7500 to align the
jet with its new offerings
and to better reflect
improvements in
its performance.

Textron Aviation presented a wide selection of its Citation business jet range, the largest of which
was the Longitude.

Rotary exhibits included Air Zermatt’s newly delivered Textron Bell 429 Global Ranger, HB-ZOZ (c/n
57330). ALL PHOTOS RONAYNE AVIATION MEDIA UNLESS STATED

www.airlinerworld.com 25
OPERATION
KIEV
T
errific teamwork,
communication and
co-ordination were crucial
when 4,000-plus football
fans descended on the UK’s
12th busiest airport on one of the most
hectic travel weekends of the year.
Just as in the Beautiful Game,
preparations needed to kick off
with “a very good plan”, according
to Steve Melia, one of the Liverpool
John Lennon Airport’s terminal duty
managers. Football-related charter
26 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018
“The airlift was an
enormous success. It
has been a great advert
for Liverpool John
Lennon and really does
demonstrate what we
can do here.”
Steve Melia, Manager, Liverpool John
Lennon Airport
flights are nothing new for the facility,
with the club’s success in Europe
during the late 1970s and early ’80s,
and again in 2004/05 matches, but
this season’s achievements called for a
significantly larger operation.
Early Planning was Key
“Fortunately, we had a taste of what
we could expect with the semi-final
2nd leg tie against Roma with around
half a dozen extra services flying to
Italy. But even after the club’s 1st leg
A group of Liverpool fans
waits patiently in the
check-in area ahead of their
flight to Kiev. ALL IMAGES
LIVERPOOL JOHN LENNON
AIRPORT UNLESS STATED
Excited fans boarding an
Enter Air Boeing 737-800,
SP-ESA (c/n 30680), one of
more than 30 charter
flights the airport handled
during the Champions
League airlift.
win at Anfield we started receiving
enquiries from specialist tour operators
regarding flights for the final.”
Work began almost immediately after
the semi-final result. Melia recalled:
“We already had pre-existing plans for
stand planning and football charters,
but these required dusting down
and bringing up to date.” In fact, the
amount of work involved required two
managers to devote most of their time
for the three weeks prior to the airlift
starting, developing a strategy with all
 Liverpool John Lennon Airport soared to a logistical challenge when the
city’s Reds qualified for the Champions League final in Kiev. Steve Melia,
who headed the plan to handle thousands of fans journeying to Ukraine, tells
Airliner World how it was done.

partners and stakeholders to ensure its

smooth running.
“Our CEO was very insistent to
ensure scheduled passengers, who are
our ‘bread and butter’, had an as near
normal experience passing through
the airport during this period," Melia
explained. “The managers spent a
lot of time talking to the various tour
operators planning to fly to Kiev, trying
to agree the best times and which day
for fights, so that we could handle as
many flights as possible, but at the

www.airlinerworld.com 27

Blasting off the runway,
McDonald Douglas MD-83s,
UR-COC (c/n 49808),
operated by Ukraine-based
Bravo Airways. NIGEL COOTE
The Liverpool football team
flew out on the Thursday
before the game, on board
KlasJet Boeing 737-524,
LY-KLJ (c/n 28923).
SPENCER BENNETT
same time not compromising the
normal schedule.”
The operation was very quickly split
into two distinct parts – airfield and
terminal activities. Managers from
both were appointed as leaders and
reported to a head of department. This
small group met most days on the run-
up to the big day. But there were far
more interested parties, and all had to
be served; from the police to cleaners,
and from ground handling to security.
A series of multi-agency meetings
were held where concerns could be
raised, and actions apportioned to
those responsible. This worked "very
well", and all our partners could see the
progress of the overall plan and ask for
The airport joined in the
spirit of the occasion with
good luck messages to the
team on its information
display boards.
assistance with their own preparations
as well as being able to help others
where they could.
Melia pointed out: “To give you some
perspective of the operation over the
Friday and Saturday we handled 30
additional charter flights to Kiev, 23
of those departing between 3am and
11am on what was already going to
be a busy Saturday morning for the
airport, it being school half-term and a
bank holiday weekend!"
We had a Fan Zone
“Scheduled passengers were
given priority throughout,” Melia
emphasised. “We depend on our loyal
customers for our continued success
and every effort was made to ensure
their experience was unaffected. The
main issue was to ensure that the
football fans did not overwhelm the
check-in desks.”
Melia noted that the whole plan relied
on a group of 40 airport volunteers.
They were informed about the overall
strategic plan and on the day of the
final (May 26) were given specific tasks
and briefed on what to do.
Previously, in 2005, the airport set-up
a marque outside where fans brought
their luggage and were checked in
for flights; this year it was able to
designate an area in the terminal
which became a Fan Zone.
“We benefited from the experience and
knowledge of people who worked at
the airport in 2005.
“We created the Fan Zone in the
west of the terminal, using low
temporary partitioning around it to
define the area. Capable of handling
4,000 people at a time we were able to
provide fans with information relating
to their departure time and when they
would be called to check in.”
The area also had its own retail
outlets to provide refreshments while
fans waited for their flights to be called.
There was an additional PA System
and information screens that help the
volunteers keep travellers updated, as
well as desks and chairs for the tour
operators to work from. Melia said this
kept the fans in one area and enabled
his team to control the flow going
through check-in and security, both
potential choke points.
“At Security we changed the
configuration so football supporters
went to one side and our scheduled
passengers to the other, this also gave
an option to move people to either side
depending on how busy each was.
This worked very well.”
One potential bottleneck was after
security, where the two distinct groups
would merge. However, with timings
well controlled, fans would move
quickly to their departure gates rather
than hanging around in the lounge.
“I walked around the terminal during
the day and spoke to many passengers
and they were so positive about the
work we were doing to ensure their
safe travel, they were also very positive
about the atmosphere in the terminal
that day.”
Liverpool’s ground handling agent,
Swissport, agreed to manage a
common check-in procedure for most
travellers, with all fans required to get
their boarding cards at the airport,
rather than downloading them online
(a lesson learned from a previous
airlift when the scanners could not
read some boarding cards, causing
major delays). This enabled managers
to monitor the progress of each
individual flight and control the flow of
fans throughout the terminal.

28 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018

From the airport’s view the
busy two days went
according to plan, with many
non-football fans enjoying
the atmosphere generated
by supporters in the terminal.
Another Kiev-based
operator, Wind Rose
Aviation, deployed this
218-seat Airbus A321-200,
UR-WRJ (c/n 1869), to
Liverpool to help transport
fans. SPENCER BENNETT
Several widebody airliners
were used for ‘Operation
Kiev’ including a Boeing
787-8 Dreamliner from
Ethiopian Airlines, and this
South African Airways Airbus
A340-600, ZS-SNC (c/n 436)
in its Star Alliance livery.
NIGEL COOTE
Time to Reflect
Liverpool handled 33 charter
services taking fans to Kiev over
the two days (the team flew out on
Thursday May 24). There were nine
flights spread across the Friday, and
an additional 23 services on the day of
the final. Fans returned over the next
couple of days.
“Our plan was executed very well,
particularly the way our teams worked
with the tour operators and handling
agents. There were few issues from
an ATC perspective, but as we had
plenty of capacity to cope, it was more
about finding enough space on the
apron to accommodate the different
sized aircraft and the volumes of
passengers moving through the
terminal,” Melia explained
“We did experience two last-minute
cancellations, both were for reasons
that were out of the tour operator’s
hands – one couldn’t get slots at Kiev
and the other had problems when
the aircraft it was going to use wasn’t
certified to fly in Europe – that left
a few fans frustrated. But to their
credit, both tour companies came
to the terminal to speak to any fans
that didn’t get on flights. It was a
brave thing and the right thing to
do, and we supported them on that.
However, it was our co-ordination
with Merseyside police that was key
to the overall success. There was no
antisocial behaviour reported, and the
whole event went off as we planned.
“From our perspective, with the
number of passengers handled over
the weekend and the amount of
aircraft on the apron this was one of
the busiest periods for us ever. The
airlift was an enormous success. It
has been a great advert for Liverpool
John Lennon and really does
demonstrate what we can do here.
Our one team approach is so
important, we were determined to
make the weekend work and that is
what exactly happened. Feedback has
been very positive, scheduled
passengers experienced very few
problems and the majority said they
really enjoyed the atmosphere
during their journey through the
airport. We are proud of what we
achieved, and it is a good example to
showcase going forward.”
www.airlinerworld.com 29
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 More than once, the demise of turboprops has been
predicted by certain airline observers, but sales in recent
years tell the opposite story – that they are truly appreciated,
with a firm future ahead, as Bernie Baldwin discovers.

Turboprop
Turnaround
“W
e all know there The ATR family of Quite simply, demand began to 41 and ATP, Embraer 120 Brasilia and
will always be turboprops continues grow at the beginning of the decade the Dornier 328, leaving just ATR and
to perform strongly, Bombardier as the two major players.
a demand for and has continued since. To give
attracting firm orders
turboprops, for 113 aircraft, along this some context, consider that, in The rise of regional jets during
because they with a further 40 options the early part of the 2000s, Franco- that period also hit turboprop
simply have better economics in very last year alone. Italian manufacturer ATR managed sales. As hundreds of shiny RJs
TOSHIHIKO TAKAMIZAWA/AVSTOCK
short and low-density routes and [can to survive a period of around two to were delivered around the world,
operate from] challenging runways.” three years on sales in the mid-teens particularly in North America,
So says Rodrigo Silva e Souza, vice- – and a similar number of deliveries. propeller-driven aircraft were looked
president of marketing for Embraer These figures were recorded even on as old technology, even to the
Commercial Aviation. His comment after a market shakeout had seen point where the flying public didn’t
raises the question: if there will always the end of production of turboprop even recognise that, just like the RJs,
be a demand, why are you discussing types such as the Saab 340 and 2000, they were powered by gas turbines,
a resurgence? Fokker 50, BAE Systems Jetstream commonly referred to as jet engines.

32 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018


As an aside, a classic example that
counters this misconception is that
the turbomachinery in the core of the
Rolls-Royce AE2100, which powers the
Saab 2000, is identical to the AE3007
fitted to the ERJ family. The former
has a propeller hung on the front while
the latter has a fan and casing around
the core, but they are essentially the
same engine.
Market Revival
With ATR struggling at the turn of
the millennium, rival Bombardier had
started making inroads with what was
still a relatively new model, the Q400
(see Airliner World, July 2018). In the
UK, the type was at the core of Flybe’s
transition from regional to low-fare
airline, while on the other side of the
Atlantic, Alaska Air Group subsidiary
Horizon Air also went against the
RJ tide and assembled a sizeable fleet
of Q400s.
During the rest of the decade, both
manufacturers continued to sell aircraft,
but in relatively modest numbers
compared to current figures. ATR
decided to revamp both its types – the
ATR 42 and ATR 72 – by launching the
-600 Series in October 2007, featuring
upgraded engines and avionics, plus
other modifications.
A real turning point for turboprops
Changing Perceptions:
The turbomachinery
in the core of the
Rolls-Royce AE2100,
which powers the Saab
2000, is identical to
the AE3007 fitted to
Embraer's ERJ family.
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/
SIMONE CIARALLI
came nine months later when global
financial turmoil drove the price of
crude oil up to a record $147 a barrel.
It didn’t stay at this level for long,
but it was enough to prompt airlines
to reconsider their fleet options,
particularly when analysts forecast that
the low prices of the past (crude oil was
just $30 a barrel in early 2004) were
unlikely to be seen again.
The effects of that fuel price event
took time to filter through, but by
2011 turboprop sales were on the up,
particularly for one manufacturer:
www.airlinerworld.com 33

Bombardier has landed
orders for more than 170
Q400s since January 2013,
around half of its total
regional aircraft sales.
The majority of these deals,
around 60%, were reorders
from existing customers.
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/
ADAM TETZLAFF
Once popular turboprop
types such as the Saab 340
and 2000, Fokker 50, BAE
Systems Jetstream 41 and
ATP, Embraer 120 Brasilia
and the Dornier 328 are all
out of production, leaving
just ATR and Bombardier as
the two major players.
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/
FELIX GOTTWALD
34 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018
that year, ATR posted 157 firm orders
(13 ATR 42s and 144 ATR 72s) plus 79
options compared with just seven
commitments for Bombardier’s Q400s.
Of those orders, 23% came from
new operators and 21% from lessors, a
phenomenon not seen for many years
in the regional turboprop market.
ATR’s success was partly the fruit of
hard work in placing used aircraft into
new markets during its years of low
orders. When these operators began
to look for upgrades they turned to the
new -600 Series.
Fighting Back
While its Canadian rival has
responded, it’s been a real fight, as
acknowledged by Colin Bole, senior
vice-president, sales and asset
management, Bombardier Commercial
Aircraft, who told Aviation Week in
March 2018: “ATR ate our lunch in that
market for an extended period of time,
because we were not focused on the
product and on selling it for what it is:
an exceptionally performing machine.”
Patrick Baudis, VP marketing at
Bombardier Commercial Aircraft,
assesses the change in interest and
orders the company has seen for the
turboprop over the last five years:
“Since January 2013, we’ve sold more
than 170 Q400s – about half of our
regional aircraft sales. The majority
of the deals, around 60%, are reorders
from existing customers.”
He believes recent successes are not
simply due to an upturn in the market
cycle, but a combination of that and
programme investments, including
new aircraft variants. “The 90-seat
Q400 was unveiled at the Singapore
Airshow in 2016. SpiceJet will be the
first operator to take delivery of that
variant later this year. An 86-seat
variant is already flying with Nok Air
and PAL Express,” he notes.
Africa has also been a successful
hunting ground, Baudis saying the
market is taking notice of the Q400’s
successful operations there in hot and
high conditions, adding: “The African
region is the base of a third of our
Q400 operators [20-plus customers out
of 60-plus].
“The dual-class, with the true
business class configuration, is also
very popular. Ethiopian Airlines has
recently ordered the Q400 for the sixth
time and opted for a higher-density
configuration of 82 seats.”
Another new variant is the Cargo
Combi, intended for markets where
freight by trains and trucks is not
possible or inefficient. “We have
combined a 50-seater with a small
cargo aircraft,” explains Baudis. “Japan’s
Ryukyu Air Commuter (RAC) was the
launch customer and is using its aircraft
to carry high-value cargo [such as fresh
produce and seafood].”
Continuous Investment
Assessing whether there has been a
change of interest in ATR aircraft over
the past five years, the manufacturer’s
CEO, Christian Scherer, provides a
quirky response. “Yes and no. We’ve
been the market leader since 2010.
When you consider that ATR has sold
nearly 1,700 aircraft, with over 700 of
them being -600 Series, it shows that
the last eight years account for over 40%
of the sales of a programme that’s more
than 35 years old.
“So, while the industry is cyclical,
the fundamentals of the success of
the ATR -600s remain strong. What
has changed is that we’re now making
progress with large, sophisticated
and low-cost airlines, which serves as
interesting testimony to the modernity
of our solution.
“We must also think long term,
and while the industry is cyclical we
evaluate a demand for nearly 3,000
aircraft over the next two decades.
Naturally, we must continue to invest
in the product to ensure that the ATR
remains the preferred choice to satisfy
this demand.”
Speaking at the Aviation Club of
the UK last September, Embraer
Commercial Aviation’s president and
CEO John Slattery revealed he wants Bombardier, ATR’s Scherer concurs: “While
his company to become “the supplier believes the expensive fuel is not good for anyone,
of choice” for aircraft up to 150 seats. turboprop when prices do rise, airlines need the
Rodrigo Silva e Souza acknowledges market remains most efficient aircraft more than ever.
that, with that goal in mind, the very strong, Turboprops allow airlines to maintain
turboprop market is “definitely with healthy services, remain profitable and even
something” the company is following order backlogs open new routes – our aircraft opened
closely: “It’s a market with good stability and encouraging around 150 new routes around the
and the current players are based on sales in emerging world last year.”
30-year-old platforms. countries. “Turboprop Baudis notes that Bombardier
“Also, to mature our view on this aircraft continue to be the Bombardier claims
possible programme, last year we met most economical aircraft for routes up the recent upsurge in
orders for the Q400
for the first time with some airlines in to 400nm [740km] in range; however, have been driven by
an advisory board on a topic addressing we’re also seeing airlines utilising a combination of
the turboprop market. Airlines turboprops on longer routes, up to increasing demand
want competition and they see us 1,000nm [1,850km],” the company says. and the availability
of new configurations,
as a leading brand coming into this “The economic benefits of turboprops such as the high-
important market.” cannot be beaten, especially on short density 86- and
Pratt & Whitney Canada, the engine routes, and we see a stronger demand 90-seat variants.
BOMBARDIER
supplier of choice for ATR and when fuel prices are increasing.”

Turboprop aircraft are

playing a key role in
developing new
markets. According
to ATR, its aircraft
pioneered 150 new
routes around the world
during 2017 alone.
ATR

ATR CEO Christian

Scherer was "very
happy" with the
Toulouse-based
manufacturer's
performance last year,
which included a
return to the US via
SIlver AIrways and
FedEx Express.
ATR

www.airlinerworld.com 35

customers operating both CRJs and Q
Series aircraft are most likely to deploy
turboprops on longer missions than
usual when the fuel price goes up. But
he argues that “since aircraft acquisition
projects and deliveries are usually
spread over many years, it’s difficult to
find a correlation between fuel prices
36 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018
and airline choices”.
Notably, Bombardier’s Q400 has
enjoyed success in every region
with the possible exception of South
America, where Baudis is frank about
the Q400’s relatively slow start: “Our
current customer footprint [there]
is probably the result of the limited
The latest-generation
resources and support we deployed in turboprops feature
the region for too many years.” cutting-edge glass cockpits
He is, however, confident this and advanced flight
tide is turning: “In South America, management systems.
ROBERTO ACEVEDO/AVSTOCK
between 2007 and 2017, there were
about 450 intra-regional routes
dropped, representing about 16
million passengers per year unable to
obtain a direct flight. The Q400’s hot
and high capabilities make a perfect
fit for difficult environments and
challenging airports.
Multiple Models
“We believe the Q400 can be a good
replacement for smaller turboprops
facing payload limits in challenging
environments. It can be used as a
complement or feeder to single-aisle
fleets. It could also be introduced as a
second type for LCCs/hybrids looking Turboprops offer a highly
economical solution,
at new growth opportunities.” particularly on routes
The Q400 has already proved its of up to 400nm, but
worth with low-fare operators such airlines are increasingly
as Flybe, WestJet and SpiceJet, employing the types on
longer-range missions.
and Baudis sees this continuing, RICHARD PARKHOUSE/AVSTOCK
particularly in the Asia Pacific region
via the higher-density variant. “With
WestJet, we’ve just celebrated the five-
year anniversary of the first Q400
commercial flight at subsidiary WestJet
Encore. Now with a fleet of over 45
aircraft, they’ve clearly demonstrated
how the Q400 can compete in a low-
cost environment and complement
bigger single-aisle aircraft.
“In May 2018, Flybe concluded that
the Q400 is the best core aircraft for its
current and future needs. This is a big
endorsement of the Q400’s economics
and long-term viability.”
India's SpiceJet, meanwhile, already
has 22 of the turboprops in service and
in 2017 signed an order for 25 plus 25
options, the largest-ever commitment
for the type.

ATR’s Achilles’ heel in recent years
has been sales into North America, a
barren spell that came to an end earlier
this year when Floridian carrier Silver
Airways signed for 16 ATR 42-600s
and four 72-600s on lease from Nordic
Aviation Capital.
But Scherer is still perplexed by the
attitude to turboprops there. “North
America has a somewhat irrational
attachment to jets. Irrational because
their airlines’ attachment to those
aircraft is at the expense of optimising
their profits.
Changing Perceptions
“The turboprop is sometimes seen as
old technology – noisy, uncomfortable
and outdated. That’s simply not the case.
In 2016 we took an ATR 72-600 to the
US on a demonstration tour. It began
to change people’s minds regarding the
quality of modern turboprops.
“The important thing is we now
have a foothold in the US. When Silver
Airways begins operating its ATRs, its
passengers are going to experience
first-hand the quality and comfort of the
aircraft, and naturally their perception is
going to change.
“Let me also mention FedEx [which
placed an order for up to 50 new ATR
72-600Fs last November], one of the
world’s most respected airlines. Yes,
Canadian manufacturer
Bombardier launched the
90-seat variant of the Q400
at the Singapore Airshow
in 2016. The first example
will be delivered to India's
SpiceJet later this year.
BOMBARDIER
Like its Montreal-based
counterpart, ATR is also
working to optimise the
space inside its cabins. The
first, 78-seat high capacity
ATR 72-600 was handed
over to launch customer
Cebu Pacific in 2016.
KEY-CRAIG WEST
It's now almost a decade
since production of the Saab
2000 came to a close but the
type remains popular on the
second-hand market.
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/
MATTHIEU DOUHAIRE
they operate freighters, but would
FedEx go for ‘old and inefficient’
aircraft off the production line? I don’t
think so.”
The Toulouse-based manufacturer
has indeed done good business in
freighters but, as with the Q400, the
strongest growth has come from low-
fare carriers such as Azul, Cebu Pacific
and, most recently, IndiGo.
“ATRs support a range of business
models, but a trend for higher-capacity
configurations has certainly been
visible throughout the industry recently
– especially in single-aisle aircraft,”
Scherer confirms.
“In developing markets, LCCs can
have the opportunity to be the first
to enter the market and therefore
benefit from a lack of competition.
Often, national carriers in countries
with developing economies focus on
long-haul travel, meaning that as the
country’s domestic economy grows
there’s huge potential, and indeed
necessity, for regional connectivity.
“Of course, LCCs have a far greater
opportunity to be profitable by
operating the most efficient aircraft.”
There are no prizes for guessing what
Scherer thinks that is.
www.airlinerworld.com 37

Irrespective of which stable they
acquire their aircraft from, turboprop
operators agree with ATR’s CEO.
Luxair’s EVP Martin Isler confirms:
“Turboprops are very valuable for us,
specifically on routes up to 400nm
[740km]. [They have] lower operational
cost resulting from fuel consumption,
and lower weight and maintenance
costs, which result in better seat cost
compared to a regional jet.
“For regional operations on thin
routes, regional jets are too big and
costly – turboprops offer better scaling
of size for all shorter routes, which can’t
be achieved with jets.”
Porter Airlines president and CEO
Robert Deluce agrees: “The Q400 has
been a foundation of Porter’s business
The Remote Region Challenge
Remote regions are always likely
to need turboprops, but limited
passenger traffic means the demand
is for aircraft smaller than those
currently in production. Widerøe, for
example, employs 39-seat Dash 8-100s
extensively in northern Norway, but
there’s no sign of a new successor to
such aircraft.
Bombardier is looking to promote a
50-seat Combi variant of its Q400
which, marketing VP Patrick Baudis says,
is catching attention. “With a lower
take-off weight due to a lower number
of passengers and cargo, the Combi
configuration is capable of getting into
shorter airfields where the classic Dash 8/
Q100/200/300 used to operate,” he says.
38 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018
Air Iceland Connect’s
managing director Árni
Gunnarsson foresees a firm
future for propeller-driven
aircraft. He does, however,
believe there are still
developments to be had
that could benefit the entire
turboprop sector.
AIR ICELAND CONNECT
ATR CEO Christian Scherer, meanwhile,
says the European firm is evaluating
the launch of a new version of the ATR
42-600 “with even better operational
capabilities on shorter runways, thus
increasing their potential to open
new routes”.
With no direct replacement in the
pipeline for out-of-production types
such as the Dornier 328, Saab 340
and Jetstream 41, any new offering
will most likely require a step change
in technology.
As Embraer seeks to establish its
‘supplier of choice’ position for
all aircraft up to 150 seats, its VP
marketing, Rodrigo Silva e Souza,
predicts some possibilities: “We believe
to reach commercial passengers in this
segment the airline industry will need
unconventional aeroplanes.
“Take, for instance, Widerøe.
The Norwegian government has
announced a goal to make all short-
haul flights electric by 2040, and
aircraft with less than 35 seats will
likely play a key role in making this
vision feasible.
“Reflecting on those future demands
– and driven by one of our values,
‘innovation is one of our hallmarks’
– we recently launched the Embraer
Business Innovation Center, based in
Melbourne, Florida, and with outposts
in the Silicon Valley and Boston as well
as future centres around the world.”
This market is already a target for
Zunum Aero, a collaboration involving
Boeing, JetBlue Technology Ventures
and the US Department of Commerce,
which is developing a hybrid-to-electric
aircraft to serve the regional sector.
The first – a 12-seater – is expected to
be delivered by 2022, with a range of
around 700nm (1,300km), which the
company aims to increase to more than
1,000nm (1,800km) by 2030.
With a waiting market to replace all
those turboprops with fewer than 35
seats, the step that follows will be to
increase the size of the aircraft to meet
growing demand – and keep all those
remote regions connected.
(Photo Erland Karlsen/Avstock)
plan since the airline began operating
in 2006. It’s the ideal aircraft for our
regional operations, particularly given
the short-field length and jet restrictions
at our home base of Billy Bishop Toronto
City Airport.
“Our business model promotes speed,
convenience and service and the Q400
helps us deliver the premium passenger
experience our airline is known for.”
Deluce confirms the Bombardier
type will remain in Porter’s fleet for
the foreseeable future. “We have
more purchase rights and fully expect
to exercise these in the near term.
Operating costs for turboprops make
a lot of sense and Porter’s average
sector length is right in the sweet spot
for the aircraft.
“If anything, I’m surprised more
airlines aren’t operating them today in
certain markets, so there’s definitely an
opportunity for the global fleet to grow.”
Air Iceland Connect’s managing
director Árni Gunnarsson shares this
enthusiasm and foresees a firm future
for these aircraft: “I think the long-term
prospects are positive for turboprops –
we will always have shorter sectors to
operate, both within our organisation
and in general, worldwide.”
For the longer term, Gunnarsson
believes there are some developments
that could benefit all turboprops. “First,
the development of STOL [short take-
off and landing] operation for bigger
aircraft than are operating today; and
secondly, bigger turboprops in general
– up to 100 seats – could open up new
markets for this type of aircraft.”
Building for the Future
Airlines are keen to share their visions
for turboprops of the future, but what of
manufacturers?
According to Silva, Embraer is still in
the early stages of evaluating a business
case. “We can say that, as both the
ATR 72 and Q400 feature technology
that’s ‘decades old’, we expect new-
generation aeroplanes to take advantage
Older, smaller variants
of the Dash 8 remain of current technologies for better
in service, and while a economics and passenger comfort.”
'de-plugged, 50-seat Bombardier’s Baudis posits that, to
variant of the Q400 is
take the next step in reducing operating
technically feasible,
Bombardier does not costs, “manufacturers will have to look
have any plans to scale at emerging technologies like ‘electric
down its turboprop. or hybrid aircraft’ [see panel] and
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/
ADAM TETZLAFF
determine the applicability and risk.
Until then, this segment is more likely
to see incremental improvements from
an engine efficiency, aerodynamics and
weight reduction perspective.”
But it’s unlikely the Canadian firm
will downsize its Q400 to create a
50-seat offering. “De-plugging an
aircraft for a lower capacity is an easier
technical challenge versus a clean
sheet design, which means a PW150A-
ATR continues to attract powered 50-seater is technically
new orders from
established and feasible,” says Baudis. “However, the
emerging markets, operating economics of a 50-seat
while it is also confident turboprop are only marginally better
it can attract further than a larger variant.
sales of new-build
freighters. ATR “Unless there’s a large demand, most
airlines and manufacturers will agree
that the larger aircraft is a better long-
term investment.”
ATR meanwhile has identified new-
build freighters as one of its priorities,
but its position on a 90-seat variant is
less clear. Scherer sees both sides of the
equation: “Is there a market? Probably.
But does it make sense without bringing
new technologies to our customers? I
think not. It would be a questionable
business case with today’s technology.
“We must get back to basics,” he adds.
“Research has to focus on the cost
drivers of our customers: energy (ie
engines), labour (ie pilots and
maintenance) and capital (ie production
costs). That’s where manufacturers
must focus their research.”
www.airlinerworld.com 39
 An Asian Odyssey
…in Europe
I
t’s not that long ago that Edinburgh
Airport’s marketing slogan –
‘Where Scotland meets the world’
– might have been considered an
ambitious statement of intent and
little more. But a concerted effort by the
airport’s operator, in partnership with
local and national authorities, has seen
the Scottish capital expand its network
extensively over the past five years,
adding an extra 50 daily movements to
points in round the globe.
This growth has been impressive,
but what the airport – and the Scottish
Government – has really longed for
is a direct link to China. The Chinese
Consul General in Edinburgh, Pan
Xinchun, revealed former First Minister
Alex Salmond was so keen to have a
air services to the Asian powerhouse
that he would raise the subject at every
meeting with Chinese officials.
40 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018
Angus Duncan joins Hainan
Airlines for its first departure
from Scotland – and it’s first
arrival into Ireland.
The Jewel in the Crown
Chinese tourists are flocking to
Scotland like never before. Data
released by VisitScotland shows
that around 41,000 people are
now travelling from China for
a holiday or business trip each
year, a near 200% increase over the last
decade and valuing the Chinese market
at an estimated £36m compared with
just £7m ten years ago.
With such strong demand direct
links remain an attractive proposition,
so it was unsurprising that Hainan
Airlines’ plans for the first non-stop
connection to Scotland was greeted
with much jubilation. The seasonal
charter programme, which started on
June 12, sees the carrier fly a four-times
weekly triangle service from Beijing to
Ireland via Edinburgh on Tuesdays and
Saturdays, and to the Scottish capital
Hainan Airlines' seasonal
charter programme, which
started on June 12, sees
the carrier fly a four-times
weekly triangle service
from Beijing to Ireland via
Edinburgh on Tuesdays
and Saturdays, and to the
Scottish capital via Dublin
on Thursdays and Sundays.
AIRTEAMIMAGES/COM/
FELIX GOTTWALD
via Dublin on Thursdays and Sundays.
Commenting at the route launch in
March, Edinburgh Airport CEO Gordon
Dewar said: “This is a fantastic day
for us and for Scotland as we connect
Scotland and China for the first time.
We are two countries steeped in
history and rich in culture, offering
new destinations for people from both
countries to visit and explore.
“Edinburgh is second only to London
as the most popular UK destination for
Chinese tourists, and we have worked
incredibly hard with partners across the
city and country to get to this point.”
Scottish Government Business
Minister, Paul Wheelhouse added: “It’s
taken ten years to get where we are
today. We have very strong links with
China, both in academia and business,
as well as our obviously growing
tourism market. By demonstrating the
 “We are two countries steeped in history and rich in
culture, offering new destinations for people from
both countries to visit and explore.”
Edinburgh Airport CEO Gordon Dewar

value of these new routes,

we can encourage other
airlines and other airports
to connect to Scotland.”
The departure lounge at
Unique Selling Point Dublin featured a traditional
Chinese paifang (gateway),
The headlines that accompanied the made from red, white and
launch rightly focused on the non-stop yellow balloons.
link to China. But notably, the carrier ALL PHOTOS AUTHOR
UNLESS STATED
is also selling seats on the legs between
Scotland and Ireland. At around 220
miles (350km) and 45 minutes’ flying
time, this connection is currently the
shortest widebody-operated flight in
Europe (Hainan is deploying its Airbus
A330-300s on the route), and competes
directly with the scheduled services of
Ryanair and Stobart Air.
The chance to sample such a unique
opportunity was too good to miss, so
I moved quickly to become one of the
lucky few to travel on the first service.

www.airlinerworld.com 41
 Arriving at Edinburgh Airport around
6.30am, I find the Hainan check-in
area an oasis of calm. There are three
desks allocated to the flight, but only
one is required – I’m the only passenger
currently checking in and there are no
fewer than five staff on hand to help me.
“There are only 59 [economy class
passengers] and 18 [in business] today,”
the ground handling agent tells me
as they hand over my boarding pass.
I’m pleasantly surprised to see this is
both gold and for business class. I’m
also given a tag (gold, naturally) which
invites me to use to the Swissport
Aspire lounge, a two-minute walk from
my gate. I opt against this in favour
of attending the media reception held
before the flight boards.
Hainan Airlines Chairman Bao
Qifa tells reporters and dignitaries:
“The flight was full and we arrived
early. I would like to share our joy of
the success of the first flight.” By this
reasoning, it seems likely Bao was
perhaps less than overjoyed by the
loadings on the Edinburgh-Dublin leg.
Slippers and Hot Towels
Today’s service is operated by
three-year-old Airbus A330-343
B-5972 (c/n 1634) which, like all
of Hainan’s widebody fleet, is
configured in a two-class layout.
Boarding starts at 7.15am ahead of the
planned 8.00am departure and takes
barely five minutes.
42 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018
ABOVE AND TOP • The four-
abreast seating in business
class features a generous
64in (162.5cm) of legroom
– double that of economy –
along with a large table that
folds across from the seat
in front, a universal plug
socket, personal lamp and a
small storage area.
TOP RIGHT • The economy
class cabin is configured in
the Airbus A330-standard
eight-abreast layout.
ABOVE RIGHT • Despite
being advertised as a cold
offer, breakfast includes
two freshly baked rolls, a
generous helping of smoked
salmon, fresh fruit and a
bowl of muesli.
The Chinese carrier is selling
seats on the legs between
Scotland and Ireland. At
around 220 miles (350km)
and 45 minutes’ flying time,
this connection is currently
the shortest widebody-
operated flight in Europe
It’s a beautiful morning
as we touch down in
the Irish capital.
Thanks to the triangular
routing, Edinburgh’s
first departure to China
is also Dublin’s first
arrival from China.
With a very short flight ahead, the
crew set to work and, by the time
the aircraft’s doors are closed, I’ve
been offered a hot towel, a choice
of Chinese and English-language
newspapers, drinks and nuts and I’ve
placed my order for breakfast.
The four-abreast seating in business
class is comfortable and the various
controls are intuitive. Each suite
features a generous 64in (162.5cm)
of legroom – double that of economy
– along with a large table that folds
across from the seat in front, a
universal plug socket, personal lamp
and a small storage area.
There’s no amenity kit for this short
flight, but there are slippers, while
an impressive pair of Bose over-ear
headphones are provided for use with
the in-flight entertainment system,
which offers a sizeable selection of
movies and boxsets.
Another First
There’s a short delay while we wait
for an inbound aircraft to taxi clear
before making our way to Edinburgh’s
easterly runway. At 8.18am, the crew
starts the take-off run – the aircraft
is lightly loaded and we use little
more than half of the 8,386ft (2,556m)
runway before rotating.
After departure, the cabin crew quickly
springs into action and Jerry, one of just
two men working in the cabin, delays
serving my breakfast until I’ve finished
taking photographs. Despite being
advertised as a cold offer, I’m presented
with two freshly baked rolls, which look
good and taste even better. There’s also
a generous helping of smoked salmon,
fresh fruit and a bowl of muesli.
No sooner have I finish eating then
we begin our descent over the Irish Sea,
flying towards Wales before turning to
make a westerly approach to Dublin.
It’s a beautiful morning as we touch
down in the Irish capital. Thanks to
the triangular routing, Edinburgh’s first
departure to China is also Dublin’s first
arrival from China. We taxi to the stand
a couple of minutes behind schedule
to be greeted by a small contingent of
journalists and photographers.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the Chinese
Hainan Airlines is aiming to
capitalise on the increasing
number of Chinese tourists
flocking to Scotland. Data
released by VisitScotland
shows that around 41,000
people are now travelling
from China on holiday or on
business each year.
LEFT AND RIGHT • In the
arrivals hall at Dublin,
there was little in the way
of recognition – just a
new airline listed on the
arrivals board and some
duty-free vouchers written
in Mandarin.
hospitality, but it’s now the end of the
journey for both myself and for the
crew, which brought the aircraft from
Hainan and has now been on duty
for more than 13 hours. I’m landside
quickly by virtue of the aircraft being
parked on one of the closest gates to
customs and baggage reclaim.
The return leg to Hainan departs in
just two hours but, in the arrivals hall at
least, there’s little in the way of
recognition – just a new airline listed on
the arrivals board and some duty-free
vouchers written in Mandarin. Fanfare
or not, it doesn’t detract from the fact
that history has just been made.
www.airlinerworld.com 43
As the global aerospace
industry prepares to decamp to
the Hampshire airfield for the biennial
Farnborough International Airshow,
Airliner World’s Barry Woods-Turner
reviews some of the highlights of 70
years of innovation.

Farnborough
at 70
F
arnborough can trace its roots
back to the pre-World War Two
Hendon Air Pageants, the first
of which took place on June
19, 1932, where the Society of
British Aircraft Constructors (SBAC)
displayed the latest developments in
aviation engineering. There were to
three further events held at Hendon
before moving to de Havilland’s airfield
at Hatfield.
The graceful shape of the
world’s first production jet
airliner, the de Havilland
DH 106 Comet. The
prototype attended the
second Farnborough show
in 1949. This example, a
Comet 3, wears the colours
of British Overseas Airways
Corporation (BOAC) and was
displayed in 1957.
AIRTEAMIMAGES COLLECTION
The following year (1937) saw it being
extended to two days. However, with
the threat of war looming this was
to be the last of the SBAC’s airshows
for nine years, a period during
which time the industry changed
considerably. Immediately after the
end of the war, the SBAC display moved
to Radlett, Hertfordshire, the home of
manufacturer Handley Page, where it
was staged for two consecutive years.
By this time the post-war British
aerospace industry had grown so much
that manufacturers needed a bigger
shop window to promote their products
to potential overseas customers. So, in
1948 the display relocated to the Royal
Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough,
Hampshire, due to its long runway,
extensive facilities and easy access to
London. The event, which was held on
the north side of the airfield, was the

44 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018

 Although unable to land
at Farnborough, the
huge Saunders-Roe SR
45 Princess flying-boat
appeared in the 1952
and 1953 flying displays.
Plagued by production
problems and having gained
no orders, the programme
was terminated.
AIRTEAMIMAGES COLLECTION
Visitors take a closer look
at the Vickers 701 Viscount,
the world’s first turboprop-
powered airliner to enter
service. This example
was displayed in the 1952
display in the colours of
British European Airways.
AIRTEAMIMAGES COLLECTION
It was a five-day event with three trade and two
public days, an adult paying three shillings
(15p) admission...
first SBAC show where members of the
public were admitted at the weekend.
Almost 200 companies attended with
an equipment exhibition inside the
RAE’s famous ‘Black Sheds’, while 64
aeroplanes were parked on the apron
outside ready for inspection. All were
designed and built in the UK, including
the world’s first civil jetliner the Rolls-
Royce Nene-powered Vickers Viking
and the prototype four-engined
turbine-powered Vickers Viscount.
In contrast, the days of the flying boat
were coming to end. These giants had
pioneered aerial routes across the British
Empire. Passengers were transported
in unprecedented levels of comfort
for the time. This continued with the
appearance that year of the Short Solent,
equipped with a cocktail bar and dining
salon representing an era when flying
was only for the very rich.
A year later the trade and public
visitors were able to witness the debut of
the world’s first production commercial
jet airliner, the prototype de Havilland
DH 106 Comet. Also appearing was
the behemoth 180-passenger Bristol
Brabazon, the world’s largest passenger
aeroplane at the time.
As Farnborough entered the 1950s, the
decision was taken to move the display
to the other side of the runway (south
side) where it has remained ever since.
The exhibition was moved as well from
the ‘Black Sheds’ to an area at the end of
Runway 29 where the static aircraft park
starts today. It was a five-day event with
three trade and two public days, an adult
paying three shillings (15p) admission –
a far cry from the £42 charged this year.
Records Tumble
The 1952 show will be remembered
for two very different reasons: it was the
most popular ever with 330,000 people
attending, but was also marred by
tragedy. On the Saturday the prototype
de Havilland DH110 which broke-up in
mid-air, with the loss of the pilot John
Derry and navigator Tony Richards.
Twenty-eight spectators were killed and
a further 60 injured.
www.airlinerworld.com 45
 The following year the Saunders-Roe The one and only Bristol
SR.45 Princess prototype, powered by Brabazon, G-AGPW, comes
ten Bristol Proteus engines, graced the into land at the 1949
Farnborough Airshow over
Hampshire skies. It was the largest 'Cody's Tree'.
all-metal flying boat to have ever been AIRTEAMIMAGES COLLECTION
constructed, but sadly, like the Brabazon
before it, the programme was cancelled
due to lack of sales. Farnborough became the
shop window for the British
The famous Farnborough blue-and- aerospace industry after
white exhibition and hospitality tents the war. Avro exhibited its
appeared for the first time in 1956 with prototype 748, G-APZV, at
the 1960 show.
the organisers creating four terraces
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/
of suites where important business THE SAMBA COLLECTION
could be conducted in relative comfort.
Throughout the 1950s and into the
1960s Farnborough was held on an
annual basis as British manufacturers
continued to promote the latest
technological innovations.
However, the 1962 show was the last
of the annual events with the display
going biennial from 1964, alternating
with the Paris Air Show held at Le
Bourget. Also, in 1964 the Society of
British Aircraft Constructors changed
its name to the Society of British
Aerospace Companies to better reflect
the dramatic changes happening
within the UK industry. Debutants

46 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018


Farnborough audiences
always expect to see the
latest technology from
manufacturers and they
were not disappointed
in in 1970 when the Sud
Aviation/British Aircraft
Corporation Concorde made
its public debut in the UK.
AIRTEAMIMAGES COLLECTION
Northern Ireland-based
Short Brothers exhibited
its distinctive SC.7 Skyvan
turboprop for the first
time in 1964 – it went
on to serve both civilian
and military operators,
with 153 examples built.
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/
WORLD AVIATION ARCHIVE
In 1982 the European
consortium Airbus Industrie
introduced its prototype
A310. This year also
saw Boeing 757 and 767
prototypes attending,
marking the first salvo of the
battle for orders between
the manufacturing duopoly.
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/
BOB ROBINSON
LEFT • The Bristol Aeroplane
Company displayed
Britannia, G-ANBA, at the
1954 show in the colours of
BOAC. However, by the time
the aircraft’s development
was complete, jet airliners
had started entering service
and only 85 Britannias
were built.
AIRTEAMIMAGES COLLECTION
that year included the British Aircraft
Corporation’s One-Eleven and the Short
Skyvan turboprop.
By the middle of the decade, the
SBAC finally relaxed the British-only
rule, allowing foreign aircraft to display
providing they were either powered
by British engines or had significant
British content. This permitted
companies such as de Havilland
Canada to participate courtesy of their
products’ British heritage. This year
(1964) also saw the Britten-Norman
Islander appear for the first time,
alongside the Rolls-Royce Dart-powered
Fokker F27 Friendship.
International collaboration was now
becoming increasingly important
for manufacturers to enable them to
meet the rising costs of developing
new airliners. The Sud Aviation/
British Aircraft Corporation supersonic
Concorde made its first public
appearance in the UK at the 1970
Farnborough. Also attending the show
that year was the prototype Britten-
Norman Trislander, which arrived at
the Hampshire airfield on the day of its
maiden flight.
With the British aerospace industry
consolidating and contracting in size,
the airshow’s organisers opened its
doors to all European manufacturers
for the first time in 1972. The star of
that year’s show was the Rolls-Royce
RB211-powered Lockheed TriStar, the
first widebody airliner to make an
appearance at Farnborough. Two years
later the SBAC finally decided to drop
all restrictions and make it a truly global
event sending invitations to the world’s
aerospace industry. Another example
of European co-operation debuted
in 1974 in the shape of the prototype
Airbus A300B2.
Airbus went head-to-head with its
main rival Boeing for the first time
at the 1982 event. The European
consortium displayed its latest A310,
while the Americans flew prototype
examples of their 757 and 767 models
across the Atlantic, sowing the seeds of
competition that have dominated the
headlines of many shows since.
One of the most significant milestones
in Farnborough’s history came in 1984
when Russian manufacturers made
their first appearances at the UK event.
Antonov attended with its An-70 STOL
transport and Ilyushin showed its Il-86
long-haul airliner. Other debutants that
year were the de Havilland Canada
www.airlinerworld.com 47
Dash 8, Embraer Emb.120 Brasilia and
the Saab 340.
The industry’s thirst for new
innovative designs was ably
demonstrated in 1988 by General
Electric’s GE36 ultra-high bypass
unducted fan powering a McDonnell
Douglas MD-80 flying test bed.
Although these engines never made
it past prototype stage, the carbon
composite fan blade technology was
used in the company’s GE90 and GEnx
engines powering the latest 747s, 777s
and 787 Dreamliners.
All Change
The initial Farnborough show of the
new millennium marked a radical
change by the organisers. Instead
of the event’s traditional slot in early
September, it moved to mid-July when
it was hoped that the British weather
would be better. In 2004, 35 years
after its maiden flight the ‘Queen
of the Skies’, Boeing’s 747 jumbo jet
appeared for the first time when a -400
variant, VH-OJB (c/n 24373) ‘Wunala
Dreaming’, belonging to Qantas
participated in the flying display. Just
two years later the 747s rival in the ultra-
large aircraft market, Airbus’ A380, was
the star of the 2006 event.
In recent years the Airbus/Boeing
duopoly battle has captured all the
major headlines with huge orders and
the display of their new products such
as the 787 family, the 737 MAX and,
from the European stable, the A350
XWB. Debutants at the 2016 show
also included Bombardier’s CS100 and
Embraer’s E190-E2. This year also
promises several ‘firsts’ including the
A320neo Family and the A350-1000
48 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018
Britten-Norman’s BN-2
Islander, a light utility
aircraft, was exhibited at
Farnborough in 1978 with
experimental ducted Dowty
fans and the appropriate
registration G-FANS.
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/
KEITH BLINCOW
ABOVE RIGHT • An 1988
General Electric displayed its
ultra-high bypass unducted
turboprop engine with
contra-rotating propellers
on a McDonnell Douglas
MD-81 flying testbed.
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/
CARL FORD
The Airbus A380 super
jumbo attended for the first
time in 2006, wowing the
crowds with its slow speed
handling and steep climbing
turns. AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/
DEREK PEDLEY
Boeing Dreamliners
have visited the last four
Farnborough shows –
usually the manufacturer
sends one of its prototypes,
but in 2012 it used a
production aircraft destined
for Qatar Airways.
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/
OLEG BELYAKOV from Airbus, Bombardier is likely to urbanisation of the land surrounding
send a CS300, while Japanese entrant the Hampshire airfield plus the
Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation is tightening of flying display regulations
Bringing the Farnborough
story up to date, the
promising to present two MRJ90s. post-Shoreham, have not diminished
Bombardier CS100 made As Farnborough enters its eighth the allure of the event. Company test
its first appearance at the decade, the aerospace industry pilots will undoubtedly continue to
2016 show with prototype, continues to evolve, introducing entertain trade visitors and the public
C-GWXZ taking part in the
daily flying programme. innovative technologies and the throughout the week while still
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM public’s appetite for the show is as providing a shop window for the
ALEX PEAKE sharp as ever. The increasing global aerospace industry.
AIRLINER CLASSICS 9
CELEBRATING THE HISTORY OF COMMERCIAL AVIATION

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 W
atching and, more
importantly, listening
to the latest airliners
from Airbus and
Boeing taking off
makes you even more aware of the
huge strides that have been made
in powerplant technology. This is
especially so with Pratt & Whitney’s
PW1100 Geared Turbofan (GTF) and
CFM International’s LEAP-1A and
-1B engines, which are considerably
quieter and cleaner than those they
are replacing. The good news for
airport communities as well as the

A new
environment is that a lot of these –
more than 15,000 LEAPs and 8,200
generation of GTFs – are entering service over the
powerful and next few years. However, the speed
of their introduction is slower than
more efficient originally intended due to a series of
engines are technical and production issues.
now entering Geared Turbofan Issues
service, but it Pratt & Whitney’s GTF has been
has been far in commercial service since
from a smooth manufacturer seems to have found
January 2016, but it is only now the

introduction, workable solutions to a range of issues

as Richard plaguing the programme. Developed
over a 20-year period, the GTF differs
Schuurman in that its power gearbox is right
discovers. behind the fan, allowing the fan to spin
slower than the low-pressure turbine
(LPT) and high-pressure turbine (HPT),
optimising each component. The
concept is a solid one. However, it has
experienced more than its fair share
of problems. Even before entering
service, the infamous ‘rotor bow’
initially appeared in 2015. Caused by
irregular cooling of the main shaft, it
was susceptible to bending along with
the fan, causing the blades to scrub on
the inner fan case.
The problem first became
apparent during test flying of the
prototype Airbus A320neo fitted
with PW1100G-JMs. An early
fix prescribed by P&W used a careful
seven-minute start-up procedure to

Struggles
prevent rotor bow; this was later

www.airlinerworld.com 53

reduced to three and now to just one
minute. The manufacturer has since
reinforced the engine’s shaft and P&W
reports that additional software has
solved the issue. However, this came
too late for launch customer Qatar
Airways, which cancelled a deal to
acquire 50 GTF-powered A320neos
despite the first examples being
built and ready for delivery. Airbus
renegotiated the contract with the
carrier’s CEO, Akbar Al Baker, and both
parties finally agreed to upsize the order
for the larger A321neo, although the
airline has selected the rival LEAP-1A
for when deliveries start next year.
Humid and Salty
Sadly, this didn’t end the woes for
P&W – soon after deliveries started
to ramp up, more problems besieged
the programme. These particularly
affect Indian low-cost carriers, IndiGo
and GoAir, both early operators of
the A320neo. The humid and salty
54 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018
Low-cost carrier Spirit
Airlines has deferred further
deliveries of its P&W Geared
Turbofan powered Airbus
A320neos until problems are
fixed. AIRBUS
Lufthansa became the first
operator of the PW1100G-JM
Geared Turbofan variant
of the Airbus A320neo on
January 20, 2016. AIRBUS
Airbus has used four
A320neos, two A319neos
and two A321neos for its
re-engined narrowbody
flight test programme. For
each variant, half have been
powered by the PW1100G
and half by CFM LEAP-1A
engines. AIRBUS
Indian climate have eroded combustor
chambers, leading to clogging in
cooling holes inside vanes and blades.
This, and frozen bleed-air valves,
were found to be the cause of several
in-flight shutdowns. Meanwhile, Spirit
Airlines has grounded its five A320neos
due to a carbon air-seal problem that
has also been reported by others. The
US carrier has decided to defer all its
2018 deliveries into next year, when it
is confident P&W will have solved the
outstanding issues.
The manufacturer requested that
airlines carry out additional inspections
and replace faulty engines while it
completes a redesign of parts involved.
A new combustor has been tested,
increasing durability five-fold at least,
P&W spokesperson Jenny Dervin said.
This will also eliminate a vibration
that was tracked down to the number
three bearing carbon air seal, which
allowed metal particles to enter into
the oil system. “We didn’t see this
during testing”, Dervin remarked. “We
redesigned and tested the part within
30 days and immediately started
retrofitting it.”
Canadian Concerns
It isn’t only Airbus that has been
affected by the GTF issues; Bombardier
and its C Series programme has, too
– the highest profile of which was an
uncontained failure of a PW1500G
during ground runs in May 2014. It
damaged a prototype CS100 and left
the test fleet grounded for more than
three months. Launch customer of the
larger CS300, airBaltic admitted it ran
into minor issues with the powerplant,
which resulted in a temporary
suspension of services in October
2017, but it said these were nothing like
those suffered by Airbus.
Martin Gauss, airBaltic’s CEO, told
Airliner World: “We have had to change
engines more frequently than planned.
Depending on what our engineers
have found during inspections, we
have had to swap them between 200
and 1,000 flight hours. Replacement
powerplants are delivered from the
manufacturer straight to our Riga base
after we agreed to create a spares pool.
It’s an interim solution; as we have
had to replace engines, new ones are
supplied, but this is likely to continue
until the last of the upgrades have
been incorporated.”
Aeromexico has selected the
Boeing 737 MAX powered
by the LEAP-1B engine The European
for its single-aisle fleet
replacement programme
manufacturer has made
and will receive up to 90 clear its dissatisfaction
MAX 8s and MAX 9s. BOEING
with Pratt & Whitney,
frequently calling on it
“to get its act together.”

Boeing is using the CFM
International LEAP-1B
powerplant for all four
variants of the 737 MAX.
BOEING
OVERLEAF •General Electric’s
GEnx engine suffered initial
teething problems when it
first entered service due to
ice crystals accumulating
in the core of the engine
at high altitudes in certain
weather conditions.
A simple software
modification fixed the issue.
SIMON GREGORY/
AVIATION IMAGE NETWORK
Supplier Issues
While the technical problems were
slowly being solved, other issues
came along. In 2016, production of
the aluminium-titanium fan blades
was failing to keep up with demand as
engine manufacture ramped up. The
opening of a third fan blade production
facility – there are two now in the US
and one in Japan – has cleared some
of the backlog, but last July deliveries to
Airbus were again briefly disrupted.
Just when the GTF programme had
started to settle down, a new cause
for concern arose in early 2018. Also
affecting the A320neo Family, this time
a modified knife-edge seal was causing
in-flight shutdowns and rejected take-
offs. In February, EASA and the FAA
issued airworthiness directives for
98 PW1100Gs, 43 of them already in
service. The issue was solved by P&W
reverting to an earlier design.
Since March, deliveries have gradually
resumed, but the rate was not quick
enough to affect Airbus’ first quarter
earnings. The European manufacturer
has made clear its dissatisfaction with
Pratt & Whitney, frequently calling on
it “to get its act together”. With this
latest setback seemingly behind them,
both companies are sounding more
confident about prospects for the rest of
this year as the programme slowly gets
back on track.
Pratt & Whitney, part of United
Technologies Corporation (UTC),
reports that it will deliver. Dervin said:
“Sure, we are aware our reputation has
been damaged, but we are determined
to regain the confidence of our
customers. We are ramping up our
schedule and getting our supplier chain
quality back on track. Could we have
prevented the issues with more testing?
I don’t think so. Some of these might
have come along only after flying a
million hours or so.
“On a more positive note, the GTF
has delivered on its promises. We are
already getting the 16% improvement in
specific fuel consumption as predicted,
50% lower NOx-emissions and a 75%
lower noise footprint.”
These impressive figures are also
being supported by early data being
supplied by aircraft manufacturers
and operators, with Bombardier
reporting that its CS100s and CS300
are achieving fuel burn savings of
21 and 23% respectively, while better
specific fuel consumptions have
allowed Embraer to increase the range
for its E-Jet E2 family which entered
service in April. Meanwhile, the
two other constructors using GTFs
in their designs, Mitsubishi Aircraft
Corporation (MRJ) and Irkut Aviation
(MC-21) say they haven’t experienced
any problems.

www.airlinerworld.com 55
The first A321neo powered
by CFM LEAP-1A engines
completed its maiden flight
on February 9, 2016 from the
manufacturer’s facility in
Hamburg, Germany. AIRBUS
Opened for inspection –
trade visitors at the 2016
Farnborough International
Airshow were invited to
check out a P&W PW1500G
engine fitted to a prototype
Bombardier CS100.
JAMES ROWSON/AVSTOCK
56 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018
Leaping Ahead
While Pratt & Whitney has had
problems with the GTF, arch rival in the
single-aisle market CFM International
has faired a little better. The GE
Aviation and Safran joint venture hasn’t
had it all its own way, with the LEAP
turbofan facing its own problems albeit
less high profile than its competitor.
The -1A variant entered service in
August 2016 and the programme has
run very much to schedule since then.
William Brown, GE’s marketing
manager, commercial engines,
reported: “We now have a strong fleet
of A320neo Family jets flying and
every day they are doing two more
flight hours compared to our rival.
Confidence in the LEAP has been very
high right from entry into service, while
the specific fuel consumption is 15%
as promised, so we are very happy.”
Brown noted that the first aircraft
operated by Pegasus Airlines flew for
33 days, completing 300 cycles without
any significant issues, demonstrating
the maturity of the programme.
The LEAP design is also being used by
other manufacturers, most significantly
by the A320neo Family’s biggest
competitor, the Boeing 737 MAX
family. The powerplant, designated
the LEAP-1B, is used exclusively on all
MAX variants, the first of which entered
service with Lion Air subsidiary,
Malindo Air in May 2017.
However, its handover was delayed by
several weeks due to concerns about
the LEAP-1B. Brown said: “During
tests, we found an issue on a low-
pressure turbine disc from one of our
three suppliers. We didn’t find any
 CFM manufactured 500 LEAP
The FAA issued a engines in 2017 nd said it
grounding order for is on course to more than
double that figure this year,
the entire MAX fleet, predicting that production
albeit briefly, which will ill be up to 1,200
powerplants. AIRBUS
also affected the MAX
9 test and certificate
programme. A PW1900G engine is
mounted on the wing of the
first production Embraer
cracks. However, the manufacture of E190-E2, which was
the disc wasn’t up to the standard we delivered to Widerøe on
expected. After further checking of all April 9. PRATT & WHITNEY
engines that had already been delivered
to Boeing, we found another 30 discs
had the same problem.” Bombardier CS300
The FAA issued a grounding order launch customer, airBaltic
has experienced minor
for the entire MAX fleet, albeit briefly, problems with the PW1500G
which also affected the MAX 9 test engines powering its
and certificate programme. It seemed jets. AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM /
an isolated problem, but in October MATTHIEU DOUHAIRE
an almost identical issue was found
on the LEAP-1A. EASA requested
inspections of the HPT rotor stage 2
disc after a forging deficiency during
manufacturing was detected.
The ramp-up in production saw CFM
manufacture 500 LEAPs last year,
allowing Airbus to deliver 108 LEAP-
powered A320neo Family aircraft and
Boeing to hand over 74 MAX 8s.
Despite opening a third fan blade
production line in Mexico, CFM is still
lagging behind its ramp-up target to
build up to 1,200 LEAPs this year, but
it says it is confident it will achieve the
2,000 units per year in 2020. Brown
said: “That should be no problem for us
as we have done 1,700 CFM56s before.”
CFM has invested as much in getting
the supply chain right as in building
the powerplant itself: “We did stress
tests to simulate production at the level
planned for 2018 to see if our suppliers
were up to the job. We found some
issues, like overheating of 3D-printers
producing fuel injectors, but the test
has helped us to address these.”

www.airlinerworld.com 57
Trent Troubles
Turning to the widebody market,
Rolls-Royce is embroiled in problems
relating to its Trent 1000 engine used
on the 787 Dreamliner. Since late 2015,
it has been trying to solve issues with
cracks appearing in the intermediate
pressure compressor (IPC) seal on both
rotor 1 and 2 blades and on the IPT
and HPT blades on powerplants with
the Package C update. The company
has found that excessive vibration can
cause blade fatigue and cracking. The
problem was initially detected on All
Nippon Airways (ANA) 787-9s and has
since spread to other carriers, including
those operating the smaller 787-8.
Rolls-Royce is replacing engines and
producing new blades, but limited
production capacity has led to delays
and the grounding of aircraft. In April
it requested extra on-wing compressor
inspections and blade repairs/
replacements on 380 powerplants,
an action that was later reinforced by
EASA and FAA airworthiness directives.
The aviation authorities also limited
787 ETOPS flights to 140 minutes to
prevent over-stressing the remaining
powerplant. In June Rolls-Royce found
the same IPC issues on 166 Package B
engines, again requesting airlines to
carry out extra inspections.
The engine manufacturer reports
that it expects solutions to the Trent
1000 problems, including redesigned
parts, to be fully embodied in the
fleet by 2022. It is also introducing
an extended-life turbine blade for the
A380's Trent 900, and it intends further
redesigns to be available in 2020. Rolls-
Royce has a lot to do to recover the
situation…and its reputation.
58 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018
The cowlings of a GEnx-1B
belonging to a Japan Airlines
Boeing 787-8 are opened ready
for technicians to inspect them
in the carrier’s maintenance
hangar at Tokyo/Narita.
TOSHIHIKO TAKAMIZAWA/AVSTOCK
The GE9X – the engine
designed to power the next
generation of Boeing 777s – is
unloaded from its transporter
into the test rig ahead of its
maiden test run. GE AVIATION
GE Concerns
This leaves the other major western
manufacturer, GE Aviation, which
is currently striving to get its GEnx-
1B76 powerplant certified for the 787-
10 by this autumn. However, it too
has experienced issues with earlier
variants of the GEnx. In April 2016, the
FAA ordered airlines to modify GEnx-
1B PIP2 engines due to ice building up
on fan blades – when the ice broke off,
it caused the blades to move forward
slightly and the tips to rub against the
case. The fix GE devised was to shave
2.5mm off the abradable seal material
along the interior of the fan case – a
process that took about 16 hours per
engine using a fan grinding machine.
The problem affected 176 Dreamliners
that were operating at the time.
The engine manufacturer reported
that this incident was not related to
an earlier issue, which affected GEnx-
powered 787s in 2013 – ice crystals built
up inside the core of the engine at high
altitudes in certain weather conditions.
This was fixed by modifying engine
control software. Now GE is focusing
its attention on developing the next
model of the GEnx family, the GE9X,
with a fan diameter of 134in (3.4m), the
largest built to date, and will be used on
Boeing’s next generation 777X airliner.
Engine technology has come a long
way in a short time, but as
manufacturers continue to push the
boundaries of knowledge and materials,
it’s hardly surprising that new products
entering service today encounter a few
teething troubles.
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Bigger, Better
and Busier
Toronto’s downtown Billy Bishop Airport has seen a dramatic rise in
passenger numbers in recent years, a trend that looks set to continue.
James Careless explains how and why this is happening
O
verlooking the
skyscrapers of the
city’s downtown area,
the busy Billy Bishop
Toronto Airport is
booming. In something of a rags to
riches tale, its transformation has
been little short of remarkable. Driven
almost exclusively by incumbent
carrier Porter Airlines, passenger
traffic has grown from 25,000 in 2006
to 2.8 million last year, making the
city-centre airport the ninth busiest
in Canada.
Gene Cabral, the airport’s EVP
commented on last year’s numbers:
“In 2017, we had over 129,000 flights,
and 58,900 of these were by scheduled
commercial carriers operating from
our passenger terminal.”
Every day, Bombardier Q400 twin
turboprops flown by Air Canada Jazz
and Porter Airlines, the airport’s two
scheduled carriers, bring passengers
from across Canada and the US
directly into the heart of the nation’s
largest city. They wing past tall
buildings to land on the downtown
60 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018
hub’s main 3,988ft (1,215m) runway,
with Lake Ontario lapping at either
end. The secondary runway, which
is used by general aviation aircraft, is
2,460ft (750m) long.
Easy Access
Reaching the airport, which lies
on the Toronto Islands, is easy.
The people who have flown in can
walk directly downtown using an
underground pedestrian tunnel
that connects the islands to the
‘mainland’. A super-short ferry
service – 400ft (121m) – also runs
every 15 minutes from around 5am
until midnight. The ferry was plying
the route long before the tunnel was
built in 2015, and remains the only
way of getting vehicles to and from
the island airfield.
Billy Bishop Airport – named after In something of a
the famous World War One Canadian rags to riches tale, its
fighter ace – also serves non-terminal transformation has
been little short of
commercial airlines such as FlyGTA
and Pascan Aviation, along with
charter fixed-wing and helicopter remarkable...
companies, plus around 50 private

aircraft. An air ambulance service and
two fixed base operators (FBOs) are
housed in airport’s hangars.
Its modern terminal facilities, easy
access to downtown, and plentiful
regional air services have been
recognised and rewarded by several
passenger-driven awards. “In March
2018, Billy Bishop was named one of
North America’s top regional airports
in the 2017 Skytrax World Airport
Awards and in the Airports Council
International’s (ACI) 2017 Airport
Service Quality Awards. It was also
ranked sixth in a top 10 list of global
airports by Condé Nast Traveler’s
readers’ choice awards,” Cabral told
Airliner World. “Its location on an
island on the doorstep of downtown
Toronto has also helped us rank among
[global charter flight booking service]
PrivateFly’s most scenic landings.
The main terminal building
is currently subject to an
upgrade programme that
will increase the size of the
domestic and transborder
passenger lounges.
An overview of Billy Bishop
Airport, illustrating its
close proximity to
Toronto's city centre.
ALL PHOTOS BILLY BISHOP
AIRPORT UNLESS STATED
“All of this award-winning activity
occurs between 6.45am and 11pm,
because the airport is surrounded
by resident-occupied condominium
towers on the mainland and cottages
on the Toronto Islands. This is why
the airport has a curfew in place to
ensure there are no overnight flights
– except medevac or emergency
flights – during the time when the
community is asleep,” said Cabral.
Toronto’s Main Airport?
When it opened in 1939, what is
now known as Billy Bishop Airport
was designated as Toronto’s main air
entry point. Malton, which lies 12
miles (19.3km) to the northwest, was
its understudy. “Billy Bishop Airport
was planned and built to be the main
gateway to Toronto due to its close
proximity to the city’s businesses and
financial institutions,” said Cabral.
“Around the same time, a secondary
reliever airport was built in Malton
[what is now Toronto Lester B Pearson
International Airport] as a contingency
for weather.”
www.airlinerworld.com 61

At one point the original terminal
buildings at both locations were
identical. Bishop’s terminal –
although retired and removed to
another part of the site – still exists
and is due to be renovated. Pearson’s
twin was taken down in 1964 to make
room for a cargo handling facility,
which has since been demolished for
an even larger terminal.
So why did Billy Bishop Airport –
originally known as the Port George
VI Island Airport until being renamed
in 2009 – end up being superseded by
Pearson? It comes down to location
– it having been built on a series of
sandbars that were in-filled to create
the current site.
Even with subsequent runway
extensions made possible by dredging
materials from the lake, the facility is
confined to a much smaller footprint
given that it is surrounded by water.
Pearson, on the other hand, occupies
a rural location outside of Toronto
and its ability to expand has led to
62 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018
it becoming the primary airport
for the region and country. During
the first three months of this year
alone, Pearson handled 11.3 million
passengers and 113,379 aircraft
movements, compared with 2.8
million and 129,303 for the entire year
at nearby Billy Bishop.
LEFT AND RIGHT • An influx
of Royal Norwegian Air
Force personnel in the early
1940s led the airfield and its
surrounds to be nicknamed
'Little Norway'.
Toronto's 'Island Airport'
attracted a wide array of
General Aviation traffic
during the post-war years.
Driven almost exclusively
by incumbent carrier Porter
Airlines, passenger traffic
has grown from 25,000 in
2006 to 2.8 million last
year, making the city-centre
airport the ninth busiest
in Canada. BAILEY/
AVIATION IMAGE NETWORK
War Footing
The first commercial flight landed at
Port George VI Island on September
8, 1939 and was an American Airlines
Douglas DC-3 carrying trombonist
Tommy Dorsey and his swing band.
Dorsey and friends were booked
for a two-day engagement at the
nearby Canadian National Exhibition
Grandstand. According to the
PortsToronto (the federal government
agency that runs Billy Bishop), this “was
the first time the entire band had travelled
by air, so they marked the occasion by
playing a few tunes right at the airport.”
Two days later, Canada declared war
on Hitler’s Germany, and Port George VI
Island’s time as Toronto’s primary airport
was cut short. The need to train pilots
for the struggle saw it converted into a
military training base from 1940 to 1943.
Pearson took over as Toronto’s main point
of entry from the air from that point on.
For a while, an influx of Royal
Norwegian Air Force personnel surged
into the flight school and nearby
A 1981-vintage photo
showing the then rather
rudimentary airfield and
the ferry that still links it
to the mainland.
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/
CAZ CASWELL
TOP RIGHT • Canadian carrier
City Express operated
scheduled services from
Billy Bishop using its fleet of
de Havilland Canada Dash 7s
(pictured) and Dash 8s until
its demise in 1991.
temporary barracks on the mainland.
This led to this part of Ontario being
renamed ‘Little Norway’.
War’s End and Beyond
In 1945, the military withdrew from
the aerodrome, and commercial air
travel once again took precedence.
The training school started producing
civilian pilots, and a resident customs
officer was added to handle aircraft
coming from the US. The first
scheduled passenger/freight air
service was inaugurated in 1957, with
It didn’t help that Toronto Islands’
residential/commercial areas had
been largely cleared to become
public parklands in 1956. Although
the resulting green spaces were (and
are) extremely popular with Toronto
residents, the small year-round
cottage community that had grown
up on the Islands was destroyed.
Only a determined, last-ditch battle
The airport did not so
much as thrive between
with groups lobbying for its closure
to this day. Opposition to the airfield
was formalised into the Community
AIR (Airport Impact Review) volunteer
association in 2001. The group
was formed by activist and former
councillor Allan Sparrow and local
residents who oppose expansion on
the grounds of increased air and noise
pollution, safety concerns and that
the increase in air traffic will hamper
recent government initiatives to
rejuvenate the Toronto waterfront.

AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/ the main runway extended to 4,000ft
CAZ CASWELL
(1,219m) by dredging up materials
from Lake Ontario.
More upgrades were carried out in
the 1960s, including installing a new
hangar, renovating the main runway,
and adding lights to support night-
time operations. This said, the airport
did not so much as thrive between
World War Two and 2006, more likely
it just ‘got by’.
World War Two and
2006, more likely it just
‘got by’...
by the remaining 300 homeowners
that won public support saved what
cottages were left.
The move to turn the islands into
parkland caused hostility towards the
‘Island Airport’, as it was locally called,
An Airport Reborn
Several factors led to Bishop Airport
getting a new lease of life. The
biggest of these was Porter Airlines’
decision to make it the hub of its
Q400 regional air operations in 2006.
This move pumped new traffic and
money in, and Porter worked closely
with government airport operator
PortsToronto to improve the site and
its services.

Then and Now: The terminal

is adorned with artwork
reflecting the airfield's long
and varied history.

FAR RIGHT • Passengers

arriving at Billy Bishop
are welcomed by a replica
of the namesake pilot’s
World War I-era Nieuport 17
fighter plane.

The airport's facia is

understated but functional.

www.airlinerworld.com 63
 One of Porter Airlines'
Bombardier Q400s,
C-GLQL (c/n 4249),
departs on another
scheduled service.
JAMES ROWSON/AVSTOCK
start flying Bombardier C Series jets
from Bishop, to serve most distant
destinations but hasn’t been able to
win federal government approval to do
so, due to noise concerns.

The airfield chart for

Toronto/Billy Bishop.
COPYRIGHT 2018 JEPPESEN ALL
RIGHTS RESERVED. THE CHARTS
ARE AVAILABLE TO THE FLIGHT
SIMULATION COMMUNITY
VIA NAVIGRAPH CHARTS,
WWW.NAVIGRAPH.COM
Good neighbours
The airport has introduced extensive
measures to keep its operations as
quiet as possible. For example, it built
a sound barrier wall in 2013, and a
three-sided, open-top ground run-up
enclosure (GRE) in 2017.

Next, the old island terminal was game-changer. No longer did

moved off its site, and a sparkling new
facility was built by Porter for C$50
million. It provides gates for Porter
and Air Canada Jazz, plus lounges,
an espresso bar, a duty-free shop for
international passengers and a café in
the non-secure part of the terminal.
“The friendly customer service,
enhanced shuttle service, shorter
queues and full-service lounges
have made the airport the travel hub
of choice for business and leisure
travellers alike,” said Cabral.
It is also far quicker for people in
downtown Toronto to fly out of Bishop
than it is to depart from Pearson.
This is true even with the opening
of the ‘Union Pearson Express’ train
that takes downtowners from Union
Station to Pearson in just 25 minutes
(the same journey by road can take up
to an hour).
The opening of the underground
pedestrian tunnel in 2015 was a
passengers have to wait 15 minutes for
the short ferry ride to the airport. Now
they can take an elevator down from
street level on the mainland side to
the tunnel, where moving walkways
whisk them to the terminal, and back
again upon return, a trip that takes
barely six minutes.
Of course, none of this access
would matter if the airport had lacked
scheduled flights. Porter Airlines has
regular services to and from Ottawa,
Montreal, and cities throughout
Ontario and Canada’s east coast. It
also serves US destinations, such
as Boston, Chicago, New York and
Washington DC, as well as offering
seasonal flights to Orlando-Melbourne
in Florida – a popular winter
destination for Canadians.
For its part, Air Canada Jazz flies 15
flights daily between Bishop Airport
and Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau
International Airport. Porter wants to

64 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018

 The public can also track arriving and
departing flights by using the free
WebTrak website, and file reports on
any they perceive as being too loud.
As for the future, the airport is set
to enter the third year of its airfield
renovation programme, a push to
replace lighting and pavement on
the aprons, runways and taxiways.
Various upgrades and enhancements
are also under way to improve and
expand the terminal facilities. This
project will create additional space in
both the domestic and transborder
passenger lounges, thereby enabling
more seating and additional amenities
such as improved retail, food and
beverage services to be installed.
The construction will also feature
an additional gate and space for a
new pre-clearance facility; including
US customs.
All told, Billy Bishop Airport is poised
Porter dominates “Engine run-ups, which are required to enter 2019 – its 80th year – bigger,
movements at Billy and regulated by Transport Canada as The opening of the better and busier than ever before.
Bishop. The facility
is also served by
part of standard aircraft maintenance, underground pedestrian The downtown facility may not be
Air Canada, which have been cited by the community as
a primary source of noise,” said Cabral.
tunnel in 2015 was a Toronto’s primary gateway anymore,
but it is certainly a very special and
game-changer...
operates just one
route - to Montreal. “In 2013, 161 noise complaints related thriving place.
BAILEY/AVIATION IMAGE to engine run-ups were received,
NETWORK
which made up 32% of all noise
complaints for that year.”
Officials from the To remedy this problem, the $9m
airport and Toronto GRE was built and opened in April
Port Authority (now
PortsToronto), officially
2017. Since that time, only one noise
launch construction of complaint related to engine power
the pedestrian tunnel, tests has been received, he said.
which opened to The airport also has a noise
passengers in 2015.
management office that collects,
analyses and responds to grievances
while monitoring daily operations. “In
2017, 99.7% of the complaints received
In 2017 the facility were addressed within the five-day
handled more than window that the airport adheres to
129,000 flights, of which
almost 59,000 were by as part of our commitment to the
scheduled carriers. community,” said Cabral.

www.airlinerworld.com 65
 an T
av PI
F
edEx needs no introduction. hub in Memphis, Tennessee, before

ar K
The US logistics giant can making the onward trip to California,

C C
8 CO move almost anything, almost
anywhere, almost anytime,
a journey of more than 2,700 miles
(4,350km) and all undertaken within
20 E
and as a pilot in the FedEx 24 hours.
a TH

Feeder
Feeder System, I’m an integral part of
So You Fly For FedEx?
sn M

that network.
Commercial pilot
es O

Much of the company’s work is I’m not actually directly employed

C FR

Doug Haddaway taken for granted. A couple sitting
in a five-star restaurant in San
outlines a typical day Francisco are unlikely to consider that
flying for a global the sautéed soft crabs they’re eating
logistics firm under originated from the other side of the
country. The crabs were packed in
its mantra ‘when it Crisfield, Maryland and shipped to
absolutely, positively nearby Salisbury where they were
by FedEx but rather by Mountain Air
Cargo, one of the half-dozen feeder
companies operating on its behalf. It’s
a somewhat convoluted arrangement
– the Caravan I fly is owned by FedEx
and dry-leased to Mountain Air Cargo,
which provides maintenance and
flight crews under the logistics

has to be there loaded on a FedEx Feeder Cessna 208

Caravan. From here, they were flown
firm’s supervision. Each
feeder has its own Air
overnight’. to Baltimore and then onto the firm’s Operator Certificate

66
Feeding
AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018
 Captain Doug
Haddaway poses for
a photo alongside his
aircraft. FedEx Caravans
are flown under single-pilot
operations – the crews
are well trained and
highly experienced.
AUTHOR
The Super Cargomaster
is a dedicated freighter
variant of the Cessna 208
Caravan, featuring an
extended fuselage and a
more powerful PT6 engine.
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/
DIPANKAR BHAKTA
and is an independent company, but
the FedEx-owned aircraft are only
permitted to carry FedEx-authorised
cargo. I may work for Mountain Air
Cargo, but I know where my pay
cheque comes from…
Developing the Aeroplane
FedEx’s affiliation with
the Caravan stems back
to the early 1980s when
the firm, then known as
Federal Express, was first
developing its feeder
system. The Memphis-based business
quickly established that it needed an
aircraft that was more substantial
than the tired Beech 18s and Cessna
402s that were hauling packages
to the smaller cities on its network.
Quite simply, these types were ‘ridden
hard and put away wet’, and lacked
the reliability and capacity to satisfy
Federal Express’ growing needs.
This led Federal Express to
partner with Cessna on the
development of the model
208A Cargomaster, a pure
www.airlinerworld.com 67

FedEx Feeder Caravans carry
an array of cargo, including
hazardous materials. It’s
the pilot-in-command’s
responsibility to ensure the
safety, documentation and
legality of each piece before
it is loaded. AUTHOR
TOP • The Super Cargomaster
is powered by the Pratt &
Whitney Canada PT6A-114A,
which delivers 675shp.
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/EUROPIX
RIGHT • FedEx has retrofitted
its fleet of Caravans with
the Garmin G600
glass cockpit.
AUTHOR
68 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018
as I make my way across the tarmac. no surprises today. The fleet is
My Caravan is one of four examples also very well looked after – FedEx
on the apron – two of these are expects its aircraft to fly when they’re
scheduled to Key West (including supposed to, and invests heavily in its
mine), another to Marathon a little maintenance programme to ensure
further east up the Florida Keys, and that’s the case. As a result, the Caravan
the fourth is a spare, just in case we has an impressive dispatch reliability
run into any difficulties. of 99.7%, a level few other types can
As I get closer to my aircraft I compete with.
conduct a visual inspection. I’ve been
flying this particular Cessna all week Launch the Second Caravan
and gave it a thorough post-flight As you can imagine, the Florida
yesterday, so now I’m checking for Keys receives an enormous amount
any obvious signs of disrepair, such of freight. The 113-mile-long (182km)
as fluid leaks or damage. Fortunately, Overseas Highway is the only way in
a good post-flight inspection makes and out, and traffic can easily grind
for an easy pre-flight so there are to a halt. For FedEx customers with
cargo variant of the Caravan. After
an initial purchase of 40 examples, it
soon became apparent that an even
bigger aircraft was needed so Cessna
extended the fuselage by 4ft (1.2m).
This enlarged version was mated with
the uprated Pratt & Whitney Canada
PT6A-114A (675shp) engine to become
the Super Cargomaster. It is this
aircraft around which FedEx has built
its North American feeder network.
An Easy Run
Today’s trip originates in the
Floridian city of Fort Lauderdale. As far
as feeder flights are concerned, this is
an easy run; down to Key West to drop
off a load of freight and then back to
Fort Lauderdale.
After passing through security, I
step out onto the FedEx ramp. Even
at 6:30am south Florida’s notorious
humidity already has me sweating
perishable or time-sensitive items,
this is simply unacceptable. This is
why the feeders are so essential to
supporting commerce in the Keys.
The first scheduled Key West service
departs around 7.30am. The aircraft’s
cargo holds are generally full of all
kinds of imaginable items. The pods
underneath the fuselage are loaded
with documents stuffed in clear
plastic bags, along with dozens of
smaller boxes – heavy-duty latches
are essential in ensuring the packed
freight bay does not open in flight.
The main cargo deck behind the
cockpit accommodates the bigger
items – vehicle tyres, boxes of
electronic gear for the US Navy,
Amazon Prime packages and, oddly
enough, fresh seafood. A FedEx
ground handler, affectionately known
as a ‘ramper’, hangs a cargo net over
the amassed packages and parcels and
snaps down the nylon straps to ensure
the load doesn’t shift in flight. He
exits the cargo hold as the belt-loader
is signalled to reverse away from the
aircraft, making way for the pilot to
close and lock the main cargo door.
They also confirm the pod doors are
closed and secure, and then complete
one final walk-around while waiting
for the paperwork.
In addition to fuel and oil, a FedEx
Caravan needs one more essential
ingredient to fly – documentation.
Load manifests, position summaries
and hazmat (hazardous material)
papers are required before every
revenue flight. Once the paperwork
is reviewed and signed, the pilot can
board their Caravan, strap in and
start up.
Since the first scheduled Caravan
is maxed out, the second Key West
Caravan is launched with the overflow
– it’s not uncommon during the peak
season in December for a third flight
to follow.
The fleet is also very well
looked after – FedEx
expects its aircraft to fly
when they’re supposed
to, and invests heavily
in its maintenance
programme...
The congested ramp
at Key West, where
Cleared for Take-Off
My aircraft is already pre-flighted and
the FedEx Feeder
Caravans mingle with my route clearance is copied as the
commercial airliners ramp crew guides the belt-loader up to
and business jets. the aircraft. I watch every package, box
and envelope loaded on board, looking
for anything that may cause a problem,
such as leaking parcels, improper
packaging and unusual smells.
Notably, FedEx ships hazmat packages
even in Caravans and the pilot-in-
command is responsible for ensuring
the safety, documentation and legality
of each piece before it’s loaded. Today,
the paperwork arrives in good time
and I inspect each hazmat box for
proper labels, damage and leakage as
if my life depended on it (and it does!).
After ensuring proper placement on
the aircraft, I sign all required flight
documentation and receive a copy that
Key West can be reached
is sent on to Mountain Air Cargo.
I strap in and start the engine before
via the 113-mile-long
Overseas Highway, ground control clears me to make
but for customers with the short taxi to Runway 10 Left. On
perishable or time-
sensitive items, delivery
reaching the threshold I complete
the pre-flight checks before receiving
by air is essential.
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/ clearance to take-off from the tower.
SIMON WILLSON Climbing away from Fort Lauderdale/
www.airlinerworld.com 69

Hollywood, I’m transferred to a
controller at Miami Approach who
directs me to fly a heading of 190°
and maintain an altitude of 1,500ft.
This keeps me well below the traffic
entering and leaving nearby Miami
International Airport (MIA).
Miami ATC does a superb job –
handling hundreds of flights every
day from all over the world, these
70 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018
ABOVE RIGHT AND BELOW •
Departing from Key West and
arriving in Fort Lauderdale.
AUTHOR AND SEBASTIAN SOWA/
AVSTOCK
The DVALL 3 STAR. COPYRIGHT
2018 JEPPESEN ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED. THE CHARTS ARE
AVAILABLE TO THE FLIGHT
SIMULATION COMMUNITY VIA
NAVIGRAPH CHARTS,
WWW.NAVIGRAPH.COM
professionals keep the flow of air
traffic separated and safe.
South of MIA, I’m cleared direct to
JANKA, a waypoint near Marathon.
There I’m handed over to Navy
Key West, which in turn tells me to
“descend and report Key West in sight”.
One visual with the airfield, I’m passed
to Key West Tower and cleared to land.
Key West
No other place in America has the
appeal of Key West; a tropical paradise
you can reach by car. This is fine when
you’re in no hurry, otherwise air travel
is essential.
I taxi my Caravan to the tiny
FedEx ramp, bordered by bizjets
and commercial airliners, and am
marshalled to a stop before the
ground crew springs to work. Like
a Formula One pitstop, the rampers
rush to unload the aircraft. While the
freight is put onto roller tables and
distributed to various trucks, I close
my flight with Mountain Air Cargo
dispatch and then copy my return
clearance back to Fort Lauderdale.
In almost no time at all, the aircraft is
unloaded and the marshaller gives me
the signal to start the engine. Rotating
beacon on to warn the ground crew,
the prop starts to spin as the Pratt &
Whitney PT6A-114A whines into life.
A quick taxi to Runway 9 and I’m on
my way once again. After departure,
I turn northeast and climb to 5,000ft
to fly the DVALL 3 standard arrival
route (STAR) into Fort Lauderdale. The
Everglades look beautiful at this altitude,
but it’s not the kind of place where you
want to make an unscheduled landing
and I’m very grateful for the excellent
maintenance and the most reliable
engine ever built; the PT6A.
With the airport in sight, I’m cleared
for the visual approach to 10L and waste
little time getting the aircraft back onto
terra firma. I slow the Caravan to
walking pace, vacate the runway and
make the short taxi back to the FedEx
ramp – my day is done.
 The Canadian low-cost carrier has offered a first look at its incoming Boeing 787 Dreamliners, on
which it will debut its business class product along with a striking new livery.
Airliner World reports.
C
algary-based WestJet is
introducing a refreshed
livery, logo and cabin
interior to coincide with
the arrival of its first Boeing
787-9 Dreamliner. The Canadian low-
cost carrier is due to receive its first of
ten examples early next year and has
options for another ten.
“The introduction of Boeing’s
787-9 Dreamliner, a state-of-the-
art aircraft, is the dawn of a new era
for WestJet and the next step in our
transformation to a global network
airline,” said Ed Sims, the company’s
president and CEO. “The updated
livery is modern and dynamic, while
the interior is world-class, distinctly
Canadian and uniquely WestJet. Both
reflect WestJet’s transition from a
regional airline in 1996 to a new era of
connecting Canada with the world and
bringing the world to Canada.”
Business Debut
For the first time in its history, the
carrier will introduce a three-class
cabin, designed by London-based
consultancy PriestmanGoode, which is
intended to draw on Canadian themes.
Business class will debut on the 787
and feature touchscreen services,
on-demand dining and lay-flat beds.
The carrier said premium economy
WestJet’s New Look
72 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018
will provide “comfort enhancements
and service with an elevated guest
experience” as well as a premium
menu and self-serve social area.
Guests travelling in economy will
have access to an upgraded in-flight
entertainment and connectivity
system, and in-seat device charging.
Louis Saint-Cyr, the carrier’s vice
president guest experience, remarked:
“Our guests’ in-flight comfort is
enhanced by the uncompromising
quality of the interior finish and custom
details. Both WestJet and our guests
are on their way to bigger things, but
as only WestJet can, we will make the
journey as enjoyable as the destination.”
Ben Rowan, director PriestmanGoode
and design lead for the project, added:
“We set out to create a design tour of
Canada on board… taking inspiration
from the country’s stunning
landscapes. This new interior scheme
will provide an enhanced and complete
passenger experience that is uniquely
WestJet. We believe this cabin design
will ensure WestJet can compete
confidently in new markets.”
Livery
Ove Brand Design oversaw the
creation of the airline’s latest logo and
livery, which is being brought to life
on the fuselage by Boeing and Seattle-
Canadian carrier WestJet
has unveiled an updated
corporate livery and
onboard product to coincide
with the arrival of its first
Boeing 787 Dreamliners
early next year.
ALL PHOTOS WESTJET
based design firm Teague. The font
has been updated to give the titles
a more “uniform and current style”,
while it also uses a single colour
which the designers claim softens the
“regional emphasis on ‘west’.”
Commenting on the new look,
Michel Viau, president and CEO of
Ove explained: “This updated design
retains the WestJet wordmark, but in
a more modern font and with a more
refined feel. Although WestJet is an
airline based in Western Canada,
it is an international carrier, which
is the reasoning behind using a
single colour across the full WestJet
wordmark. This is the most Canadian
airline and it’s now truly reflected in
the new look and logo.”
The revised scheme features a
revamp of the carrier’s stylised maple
leaf while the Canadian flag has been
kept on the front of the aircraft.
Elsewhere, ‘The Spirit of Canada’
titles will feature on one side of the
fuselage with the French translation,
‘L’esprit du Canada’, on the other.
WestJet will debut the livery on a
factory-fresh Boeing 737 MAX 8 in
June, and will eventually roll the new
colour scheme out across its entire
fleet as jets are delivered and older
aircraft are repainted as part of their
normal cycle.
The Calgary-based airline
is introducing a business
class cabin for the first time
in its history. This will be
configured in a 1-2-1 layout.

WestJet has retained its

stylised maple leaf logo as
part of the revised livery.

WestJet said passengers

travelling in premium
economy will enjoy “an
elevated guest experience”.
Those in economy will
benefit from an upgraded
in-flight entertainment
system and in-seat charging
points for personal
electronic devices.

www.airlinerworld.com 73
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and lessors.

Deliveries of Boeing
737 MAX 8s to Air
Canada continue apace.
The flag carrier
now has 17 examples
in service, including
C-FSJH (c/n 61218),
which was handed Mack Air ex F-WTDC, dd 04.05.18, lsd fr China Aircraft
B-300Z A320-214 8042
over in late April. Cessna 208B/ Leasing Group
JOE G WALKER A2- 208B5433 ex N842JT, dd 07.05.18, lsd fr Tuareg Energy
EX HK Express [UO/HKE ‘Hong Kong Shuttle’]
Abu Dhabi Aviation B-LCP A320-271n 7598 ferried Toulouse – Hong Kong 26.05.18
5Y-JXA DHC-8 402 4491 ret fr Jambojet lease, lsd to Camair-co TransAsia Airways [GE/TNA]
Air Arabia [G9/ABY ‘Arabia’] B-22815 ATR 72-2600 1133
rr 2-ATRC, ferried Taipei TSA – Woensdrecht
A6-ABM A320-214 3246 ex JY-PTD, ret fr Air Arabia Jordan 25-29.05.18
A6-AOV A320-214 8149 ex F-WWDI, dd 12.04.18 B-22821 ATR 72-600 1251 rr 2-ATRF, as above
Emirates [EK/UAE] B-22823 ATR 72-600 1318 rr 2-ATRA, as above
A6-EVA A380-842 167 ex F-WWSM, dd 26.04.18 Air Canada [AC/ACA]
Etihad Airways [EY/ETD] C-FSJH 737-8 61218 ex N1786B, dd 20.04.18, fleet # ‘511’
A6-BLT 787-9 39667 ex N1014X, dd 24.04.18 C-FSJJ 737-8 61217 ex N1786B, dd 27.04.18, fleet # ‘512’
Qatar Airways [QR/QTR ‘Qatari’] Air Canada rouge [RV/ROU ‘rouge’]
A6-ALA 350-941 100 ex F-WZFV, dd 24.04.18 ex D-AVYR, dd 24.05.18 Montreal YMX –
C-GITP A319-112 1562
A6-ALZ A350-941 143 ex F-WZFO, dd 18.04.18 Toronto, lsd fr AerCap
A6-APK A380-861 254 ex F-WWAJ, dd 24.04.18
Chartright Air
C-FULM S-76C+ 760583 ex N584CC, reg’d 15.05.18
DHL Aviation [ES/DHX ‘Dilmun’]
ex N775AX, dd 05.18, lsd fr Cargo Aircraft
Helicopter Transport Services (Canada)
A9C-DHQ 767-281(F) 22790 C-GHTN Bell 214ST 28196 ex N726HT, reg’d 02.05.18
Management
Gulf Air [GF/GFA], Helijet International [JB/JBA]
A9C-FA 787-9 39996 ex N1789B, dd 25.04.18 C-GBHJ S-76C++ 760643 ex N786P, reg’d 29.05.18
ex EI-FBV, dd 02.05.18, lsd fr AlMasria C-GHJK S-76C++ 760634 ex N784P, reg’d 11.04.18
SU-TCG A321-211 0852
Universal Airlines Pacific Coastal Airlines [8P/PCO ‘Pasco’]
Air Guilin [GT/CGH ‘Welkin’] C-GPCF Saab 340B+ 340B-426
ferried Bangor – Vancouver 19.05.18 in
ferried Toulouse – Guilin 22-24.05.18, was WestJet cls
B-1039 A320-214 8053 ‘officially’ handed over 29.12.17 to China Swoop [WO/WSW]
Aircraft Leasing Group ex C-FURH, reg’d 01.06.18, fleet # ‘838’,
C-GDMP 737-8CT 60131
Capital Airlines (Beijing Capital Airlines) [JD/CBJ ‘Capital Jet’] named ‘#Hamilton’
Key to Abbreviations ex D-AVXO, dd 13.04.18, lsd fr CMB Financial HiFly [5K/HFY]
B-300F A321-231 8223
a/c aircraft Leasing ex D-AXAW, dd 06.04.18, lsd fr BOC Aviation,
CS-TVA A320-251n 8043
als airlines Chengdu Airlines [EU/UEA ‘United Eagle’] named ‘Padre Américo’
awys airways B-8853 A319-115 8046 ferried Toulouse – Nanning 22.05.18 Condor [DE/CFG]
bf bought from China Express Airlines [G5/HXA ‘China Express’] D-AICE A320-212 0894 ret fr easyJet Europe wet lease
b/u broken up/scrapped B-3346 CRJ900LR 15446 ex C-GWFV, dd 16.05.18 ex OE-LCO, reg’d 30.05.18, lsd fr Babcock &
canx cancelled D-ATCC A321-211 6501
China Southern Airlines [CZ/CSN] Brown, op by Thomas Cook Aviation
cls colours
cn manufacturer’s B-1236 737-800 63259 ex N1786B, dd 25.04.18 ex OE-IGE, reg’d 29.05.18, lsd fr Avolon, op
D-ATCE A321-211 6639
construction/serial B-1242 787-9 63978 dd 30.04.18, Charleston # 226 by Thomas Cook Aviation
number China Postal Airlines [CF/CYZ ‘China Posta’] ex OE-LNZ, reg’d 29.05.18, lsd fr Avolon, op
D-ATCE A321-211 6979
cnvrtd converted by Thomas Cook Aviation
dbf destroyed by fire B-2831 757-2Y0(F) 26153 ex (MT-1044), dd 04.18
ex OO-TVX, dd 04.05.18, op by Thomas Cook
dbr damaged beyond China United Airlines [KN/CUA ‘Lianhang’] EC-MVF A320-212 1381
Airlines Balearics
repair ex N1786B, dd 27.04.18, lsd fr China Eastern LY-NVX A320-232 2689 ex XU-720, dd 29.05.18, lsd fr Avion Express
B-1277 737-800 63061
dd delivery date Airlines
LY-NVY A320-232 1909 ex XU-717, dd 24.05.18, lsd fr Avion Express
ex previous reg'n ex N5002K, dd 27.04.18, lsd fr China Eastern
ff first flight B-1278 737-800 63060
Airlines Eurowings [EW/EWG]
frtr freighter Hainan Airlines [HU/CHH] D-ABAG 737-86J 30879 ex N1786B, dd 15.05.18, wet-lsd fr TUIfly.com
lrf last revenue flight ex D-ABCG, dd 27.03.18, wet lsd fr
lsd fr leased from B-1103 737-800 44400 ex N1786B, dd 12.04.18, lsd fr BoCom Leasing OE-LCG A320-211 1988
LaudaMotion
lsd to leased to B-1387 737-8 62196 ex N1786B, dd 28.04.18
ex D-ABCJ, dd 04.05.18 Vienna – Cologne,
msn see cn Jiangxi Airlines [RY/CJX ‘Air Crane’] OE-LCJ A321-211 5126
wet lsd fr LaudaMotion
ntu not taken up B-1268 737-800 63688 dd 13.04.18, lsd fr Xiamen Airlines
oo on order ex D-ABFC, dd 27.03.18 Vienna – Stuttgart,
SF Airlines [O3/CSS ‘Shun Feng’] OE-LOC A321-211 4161
op operated wet lsd fr LaudaMotion
pax passenger B-1257 757-2B7(F) 27807 ex N942UW ex D-ABFF, dd 26.04.18, wet lsd fr
OE-LOF A321-211 4329
pwfu permanently N601AN 757-223 27052 Wells Fargo Bank Northwest LaudaMotion
withdrawn from use as N601AN, rr B-1231, cnvrtd to 757-223(F) & Germania [ST/GMI]
reg’d registered N675AN 757-223 29425
ferried Chengdu – Shenzhen 10.05.18 ex OK-OER, dd 14.05.18 Prague – Berlin SXF,
reg’n registration D-ASTG A319-112 3892
N935UW 757-2B7 27201 as N601AN lsd fr BOC Aviation
ret fr returned from
Shandong Airlines [SC/CDG ‘Shandong’] LY-EWE 737-33R 28873 ex YR-CBE, dd 01.05.18, wet-lsd fr GetJet als
ret to returned to
rr re-registered B-1226 737-800 61439 ex N1786B, dd 16.04.18 TUIfly.com [X3/TUI]
rts return to service B-1227 737-800 43908 ex N1786B, dd 23.04.18, lsd fr ICBC Leasing ex C-FTUA, ferried Toronto – Hannover
D-ATUA 737-8K5 37245
sb sold by Shanghai Airlines [FM/CSH ‘Shanghai Air’] 17.05.18, ret fr Sunwing Airlines lse
scr scrapped/broken up D-ATUB 737-8K5 37247 ex C-FJUB, as above
B-1261 737-8 61629 dd 23.04.18, lsd fr China Eastern Airlines
st sold to D-ATUL 737-8K5 38820 ex C-GUUL, as above
std stored Sichuan Airlines [3U/CSC ‘Sichuan’]
tba to be advised B-8589 A330-343E 1856 ex F-WWCM, dd 23.04.18 Fiji Airways [FJ/FJI]
unk unknown Tianjin Airlines [GS/GCR ‘China Dragon’] DQ-FJO A330-243 751 ex S7-ADB, dd 01.05.18
wfu withdrawn from use ex LZ-CMB, dd 30.04.18, lsd fr CMIG Aviation AB Aviation [Y6]
w/o written off/destroyed B-300S A320-232 7922 ex 5R-AMA, dd 10.05.18, lsd fr Sahara African
Leasing ZS-SOC Emb-120ER 120266
ex LZ-CMC, dd 30.04.18, lsd fr CMIG Aviation Aviation
B-300T A320-232 7974 Air Nostrum [YW/ANE ‘Nostru Air’]
Thanks to Dave Leasing
Richardson and Tibet Airlines [TV/TBA ‘Tibet’] EC-MVZ CRJ1000 19063 ex C-GICL, dd 29.05.18
LAASI Aviation for B-1046 A330-243 1859 ex F-WWCC, dd 25.04.18 Iberia [IB/IBE]
the above Yunnan Hongtu Airlines [A6/HTU ‘Hong Land’] EC-MSY A330-202 1835 reg’d 25.04.18

76 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018

EC-MX A320-251n 8221 ex F-WWIG Air France [AF/AFR]
F-HRBF 787-9 42488 dd 05.04.18 & reg’d 06.04.18
Airliner
EC-MXV
EC-MXY
A350-941
A320-251
219
8256
ex F-WZNP, named ‘Plácido Domingo’
ex F-WWDE JN [JN/JON] Deliveries
Level [IB/IBE] F-GLZO A340-313X 246 reg’d 11.05.18
F-HLVL A330-202 1864 ex F-WWKH Transavia France [TO/TVF ‘French Soleil’] We welcome
Thomas Cook Airlines Balearics [CTB ‘Sunnyheart’] ex EC-JNF, dd 05.18 Woensdrecht – Paris any feedback
F-GZHZ 737-85P 33977
ferried Manchester – Hannover 04.05.18, ORY, lsd fr Castlelake
EC-MVF A320-212 1381 BA CityFlyer [CJ/CFE ‘Flyer’]
on this listing.
op for Condor
EC-MVH A320-214 2142 ex G-ZBAR ex VH-NJA, reg’d 03.05.18, lsd fr Falko
G-LCYZ E190-100SR 19000404
Vueling [VY/VLG] Regional Aircraft (The listing is
EC-MUM A320-214 4101 reg’d 26.04.18, Bristow Helicopters [BHL ‘Bristow’] alphabetical with
G-CKXL S-92A 920242 ex C-GFCH, reg’d 18.05.18 reference to the
EC-MVM A320-232 2747 ex EI-GEK, dd 11.05.18, lsd fr AerCap
British Airways [BA/BAW ‘Speedbird’] registration of the
EC-MXP A320-232 8244 ex F-WWIE, dd 24.04.18, lsd fr DAE Capital
G-TTNA A320-251n 8108 ex F-WWIV, dd 10.04.18 country of origin.
EC-MYC A320-232 8238 ex F-WWBF Columns indicate
Volotea [V7/VOE] G-TTNB A320-251n 8139 ex F-WWDV, dd 25.04.18
the registration,
EC-MTL A319-111 2053 reg’d 04.04.18 easyJet [U2/EZY ‘easy’]
type, construction
EC-MTM A319-111 2062 reg’d 04.04.18 D-AZFR BAe 146-200 E2108 ex G-RAJJ, dd 01.05.18, wet lsd fr WDL
number and notes.)
EC-MUC A319-112 2122 reg’d 26.04.18 G-EZRV A320-214 8263 ex D-AVVJ, dd 25.04.18
ex G-EZAM, dd 02.05.18 Stansted – G-EZRW A320-214 8299 ex D-AXAE
EC-MUX A319-111 2037 G-EZRX A320-214 8321 ex D-AXAM
Ljubljana, lsd fr Apollo Aviation
EC-MUY A319-111 2050 ex G-EZNC, dd 16.05.18 as above G-EZRY A320-214 8344 ex D-AUBJ
9H-AHA 737-505 24647 ex N647EL, wet lsd fr Air X Charter G-EZRZ A320-214 8358 ex D-AUBV
Aer Lingus [EI/EIN ‘Shamrock’] G-POWD A321-211 3708 ex OE-LCA, dd 07.05.18, wet-lsd fr Titan awys
EI-GEY A330-202 441 ex A7-ACH, dd 11.05.18, lsd fr Castlelake G-UZHF A320-251n 8193 ex D-AXAN, dd 17.04.18
ex G-THOG, dd 01.05.18, wet-lsd fr ASL G-UZHI A320-251n 8304 ex D-AXAF
EI-STA 737-31S 29057
Airlines Ireland G-UZHJ A320-251n 8338 ex D-AUBH
Norwegian Air International [D8/IBK ‘Nortrans’] G-UZHK A320-251n 8356 ex D-AUBU
ex LV-HQH, ret fr Norwegian Air Argentina G-UZHL A320-251n 8375 ex D-AUBM
EI-FVO 737-8K5 37255
for summer lease G-UZMA A321-251n 8314 ex D-AVZU
named ‘Maria Zambrano – Spanish Jet2.com [LS/EXS ‘Channex’]
EI-FYG 737-8 42831
philosopher’
G-DRTC 737-808 34702 ex EI-RUN, reg’d 29.05.18
Ryanair [FR/RYR]
G-DRTD 737-808 34703 ex EI-RUO, reg’d 21.05.18
EI-GJN 737-800 44838 dd 11.04.18
G-VYGL A330-243 1555 ex ZZ341, dd 23.05.18, lsd fr Air Tanker
EI-GJO 737-800 44833 ex N1786B, dd 19.04.18
G-JZBM 737-800 63170 dd 26.04.18
EI-GJP 737-800 44834 ex N1786B, dd 23.04.18
G-JZBN 737-800 63168 dd 29.04.18
EI-GJR 737-800 44835 dd 26.04.18
ex F-WTDH, dd 03.05.18, wet-lsd fr
EI-GJS 737-800 44836 dd 27.04.18 YL-LCV A321-231 2216
SmartLynx Airlines
Scandinavian Airlines Ireland [SK/SZS ‘Spinnaker’] Jota Aviation [ENZ ‘Enzo’]
ex D-AUBG, dd 12.04.18, named ex EC-MHR, reg’d 16.05.18 to Jota Aircraft
EI-SIF A320-251n 8109 G-JOTC BAe 146-300QT E3166
‘Turgesius Viking’ Leasing
EI-SIG A320-251n 8333 ex D-AUBC Norwegian Air UK [DI/NRS ‘Rednose’]
EI-SIH A320-251n 8350 ex D-AUBQ dd 24.04.18, lsd fr AerCap, named ‘Ernest
Stobart Air [RE/STK ‘Stobart’] G-CKWD 787-9 38789
Shackleton – British Polar explorer’
LZ-VAR E190-100ST 19000496 ex PT-TPT, dd 24.05.18, lsd fr Bulgaria Air Thomas Cook Airlines [MT/TCX]
ATA Airlines [I3/TBZ ‘Atalar Air’] ex ZZ342, dd 18.05.18 Brussels –
G-VYGM A330-243 1601
ex UR-DNY, dd 23.05.18 Perpignan – Tabriz, Manchester, lsd fr Air Tanker
F-HFKC ERJ145LR 145252
lsd fr Enhance Aviation Group LY-NVZ A320-214 0921 ex XU-719, dd 25.05.18, lsd fr Avion Express
Air Moldova [9U/MLD] LY-VEA A321-231 2234 ex OE-IGB, dd 04.05.18, lsd fr Avion Express
YR-URS A319-132 3614 ex P4-YAS, dd 18.05.18, lsd fr Just Us Air LY-VEC A321-211 3267 ex VP-BUM, dd 07.05.18, lsd fr Avion Express
FlyOne [5F/FIA ‘Fia Airlines’] LY-VED A321-211 3334 ex VP-BUP, dd 05.05.18, lsd fr Avion Express
ex XU-118, dd 08.05.18, lsd fr MC Aviation LY-VET A319-112 1778 ex N718CT, dd 25.05.18, lsd fr Avion Express
ER-00003 A320-211 3577
Partners, named ‘Tirospol’ Titan Airways [ZT/AWC ‘Zap’]
SmartLynx Airlines Estonia [MYX ‘Tallinn Cat’] G-POWV A321-211 3749 ex OE-LCB
ES-SAS A320-214 1725 ex HK-4817 TUI Airways [BY/TOM ‘TUI Air’]
ex N141WG, dd 04.18, ferried Victorville – ex N292AG, dd 17.05.18, wet-lsd fr Sunwing
ES-ZGI A320-214 1413 C-FEAK 737-86Q 30292
Tallinn 24-25.05.18 Airlines
Ethiopian Airlines [ET/ETH] G-TAWC 737-8K5 39922 ex C-FAWC, reg’d 04.05.18, as above
ex F-WZNC, dd 20.04.18, named ‘The G-TAWD 737-8K5 37265 ex C-GFWD, reg’d 14.05.18, as above
ET-AVC A350-941 196
Pyramids’
G-TAWN 737-8K5 37251 ex C-GMWN, reg’d 04.05.18, as above
ET-AVD A350-941 205 ex F-WZGY
G-TAWO 737-8K5 37255 ex C-GEWO, reg’d 18.05.18, as above
Belavia [B2/BRU]
Virgin Atlantic Airways [VS/VIR]
EW-513PO E190-200LR 19000754 ex PR-ENQ, dd 11.05.18
ferried Cambridge – Gatwick 11.05.18 after
Khatlon Air [KHT ‘Khatlon’] G-VLNM A330-223 322
painting prior to eis
EY-335 An-74-200 36547097938 ex RA-74045 ferried Tupelo – Manila 04-06.05.18 for
Air Corsica [XK/CCM ‘Corsica’] G-VWIN A340-642 736
checks prior to ret to service
F-HZGS A320-214 1286 ex RP-C8987 G-VNYL 787-9 37981 dd 24.04.18, named ‘Penny Lane’

Bulgarian Eagle
has introduced its
second Airbus A319
into service. The
aircraft, LZ-AOC (c/n
2739), wears the
basic colours of
Shaheen Air, though
its lease to the
Pakistani carrier
was cancelled before
the aircraft was
handed over.
JAVIER RODRÍGUEZ

www.airlinerworld.com 77
 Airliner
Deliveries

Royal Brunei Airlines’

second Airbus A320neo,
V8-RBB (c/n 8261) was
ferried from Toulouse to
the capital, Bandar Seri
Begawan, via Dubai
in early June.
MARK STEVENS
Wizz Air UK [W6/WUK] ANA – All Nippon Airways [NH/ANA]
G-WUKD A320-232 8311 ex D-AXAG JA137A A321-272n 8291 ex D-AVYP
G-WUKE A320-232 8327 ex D-AXAP JA138A A321-272n 8349 ex D-AYAX
G-WUKG A321-231 8236 ex D-AVXT, dd 13.04.18 JA381A A380-841 262 ex F-WWSH
Wizz Air [W6/WZZ] Ibex Airlines [FW/IBX]
HA-LTA A321-231 8216 ex D-AVXL, dd 23.04.18 ex C-GWFD, dd 30.04.18, in special
JA14RJ CRJ702ER 10347
HA-LTB A321-231 8271 ex D-AYAG ‘Omusubimaru’ cls
HA-LTE A321-231 8325 ex D-AVZY J-Air [JL/JLJ ‘Jal Bird’]
HA-LTF A321-231 8328 ex D-AYAA JA228J E170-100ST 17000720 reg’d 26.04.18
HA-LYX A320-232 8183 ex D-AXAS, dd 18.04.18 JA253J E190-100ST 19000753 reg’d 25.04.18
HA-LYZ A320-232 8355 ex D-AUBT Japan Transocean Air [NU/JTA ‘Jai Ocean’]
Edelweiss Air [WK/EDW] JA07RK 737-800 61483 repainted into special ‘Amuro Jet’ cls 05.18
ex PR-MHB, dd 09.05.18, lsd fr Macquarie Skymark Airlines [BC/SKY]
HB-JJK A320-214 1692
AirFinance JA73NC 737-8FZ 31743 reg’d 04.04.18, adds to last month’s section
Holiday Jet [GM/GSW ‘Eiger’] Aero Mongolia [M0/MNG]
LZ-AOC A319-132 2739 ex 2-AERE, lsd fr Bulgarian Eagle JU- ERJ145LR 145800 ex N568RP, dd 15.05.18
Swiss International Air Lines [LX/SWR] Bristow Helicopters
HB-JCK CS.300 55027 ex C-FOWY, dd 01.05.18 LN- S-92A 920166 ex G-MCGA
HB-JCL CS.300 55029 ex C-FPBD, dd 19.05.18 Norwegian Air Shuttle [DY/NAX ‘Nor Shuttle’]
HB-JCM CS.300 55030 ex C-FPBE, dd 01.06.18 ex 9V-SRA, dd 14.04.18, wet-lsd fr
CS-TFM 777-212ER 28513
HB-JCN CS.300 55032 ex C-FOVH EuroAtlantic Airways
Avianca Ecuador [2K/GLG ‘Aerogal’] CS-TQY A340-313 190 ex A6-ERQ, dd 16.05.18, wet-lsd fr HiFly
HC-CTX A320-214 4789 ex N789AV, dd 22.05.18, lsd fr Avolon Norwegian Long Haul [DY/NLH ‘Norstar’]
Sky High Aviation Services LN-LNP 787-9 63310 ex G-CKHL
HI1013 Jetstream 4101 41056 ex N679AS, reg’d 20.04.18 Widerøe’s Flyveselskap [WF/WIF]
Avianca – Aerovías del Continente Americano [AV/AVA] LN-WEA E190-E2 19020009 reg’d 06.04.18 to WF Jets 1 B.V
ex F-WWBQ, dd 24.04.18 to Wells Fargo Bank LN-WEB E190-E2 19020006 dd 16.05.18, also reported as 19020010, tbc
Key to Abbreviations N769AV A320-251n 8170
Northwest NA LN-WIX DHC-8 103 593 ferried Toronto – Bergen 29-31.05.18 for eis
a/c aircraft N776AV A320-251n 8280 ex F-WWBE Flybondi [FO/FBD]
als airlines
N803AV A330-343E 1357 ferried Abu Dhabi – Medellin 19-20.05.18 LV-HFQ 737-8BK 33029 ex C-FYLC, to be lsd fr Avolon
awys airways
bf bought from Asiana Airlines [OZ/AAR] Avion Express [X9/NVD ‘Nordvind’]
b/u broken up/scrapped HL7771 A350-941 198 ex F-WZFF, dd 10.04.18 LY-COM A320-212 0528 ret fr Cubana lease
canx cancelled Jeju Air [7C/JJA] LY-VEB A320-214 1571 ret fr Condor lease
cls colours HL8302 737-8FH 29671 ex EI-DMZ, reg’d 04.05.18, lsd fr SMBC Small Planet Airlines [S5/LLC ‘Small Planet’]
cn manufacturer’s
construction/serial Jin Air [LJ/JNA] LY-SPA A320-232 1715 ret fr IndiGo lse
number HL8225 737-8Q8 38823 dd 20.12.17, lsd fr AerCap LY-SPB A320-232 2987 ret fr IndiGo lse
cnvrtd converted HL8242 737-8Q8 38824 dd 25.05.18, lsd fr AerCap LY-SPI A320-214 0914 ex XU-709, ret fr Sky Angkor Airlines lease
dbf destroyed by fire Korean Air [KE/KAL] Bul Air [LB/BVL ‘Bulgary’]
dbr damaged beyond
HL8313 CS.300 55031 ex C-FPBQ LZ-BVM 737-31S 29100 ops for FlyOne, wet-lsd to Ellinair for summer
repair
dd delivery date Copa Airlines [CM/CMP] Alaska Airlines [AS/ASA]
ex previous reg'n HP-1857CMP 737-800(V3) 44160 ex N1786B, dd 16.04.18 N290AK 737-900ER 64300 reg’d to Boeing Co 24.05.18
ff first flight DHL Aero Expresso [D5/DAE] N292AK 737-900ER 64301 as N290AK
frtr freighter HP-3110DAE 737-4Q3(F) 29487 ex YV567T, dd 05.18 Virgin America, reg’d to Alaska Airlines
lrf last revenue flight N362VA A320-214 6965
Thai Lion Air [SL/TLM ‘Mentari’] 02.05.18
lsd fr leased from
lsd to leased to HS-LSI 737-9 42992 dd 27.04.18, lsd fr Lion Air N363VA A320-214 7063 as N362VA
msn see cn flyadeal [F3/FAD ‘Purple’] N364VA A320-214 7138 as N362VA
ntu not taken up HZ-FAG A320-214 8230 ex D-AUBS, dd 23.04.18, lsd fr Avolon N365VA A320-214 7207 as N362VA
oo on order HZ-FAH A320-214 8285 ex F-WWIN ex D-AZAA, dd 27.04.18, lsd fr GECAS & reg’d
op operated N926VA A321-253n 8120
flynas [XY/KNE ‘Nas Express’] to AFS Investments 70
pax passenger Allegiant Air [G4/AAY]
pwfu permanently PK-LQH 737-8 42996 dd 12.08.18, lsd fr Lion Air
withdrawn from use PK-LQL 737-8 42986 ex 9M-LRD, dd 12.05.18, lsd fr Lion Air ex VQ-BDR, reg’d 30.05.18 to Sunrise Asset
N235NV A320-214 1130
reg’d registered Management
Saudia – Saudi Arabian Airlines [SV/SVA]
reg’n registration N256NV A320-214 8220 ex F-WZMS
ret fr returned from HZ-AR23 787-9 40049 dd 13.04.18
N260NV A320-214 4104 ex HZ-AS13
ret to returned to HZ-AS72 A320-214 8189 ex F-WWIT, dd 10.04.18, lsd fr IFC
N261NV A320-214 4115 ferried San Salvador – Sanford 24.05.18
rr re-registered HZ-AS75 A320-214 8298 ex D-AXAD
rts return to service ferried Greensboro GSO – St. Petersburg
HZ-AS76 A320-214 8315 ex D-AXAH N316NV A319-111 2481
sb sold by PIE 25.04.18
HZ-AS78 A320-214 8394 ex D-AVVR ferried Goodyear – Greensboro GSO
scr scrapped/broken up N317NV A319-111 2477
st sold to Air Italy [IG/ISS] 04.05.18 prior to eis
std stored A7-LAG A320-214 6717 ex F-WWDO, dd 01.05.18, wet-lsd fr Qatar Aw N335NV A319-111 2852 ferried Goodyear – Las Vegas 17.05.18 for eis
tba to be advised D-AIRI 737-86J 36881 rr EI-IRI to Wings Aviation 36881 02.05.18 Alpine Aviation [5A/AIP ‘Alpine Air’]
unk unknown EI-GFX A330-203 571 ex A7-ACE, dd 04.05.18, lsd fr Qatar Airways N132KC Beech 1900 UE-132 ex ZS-SNK, reg’d 08.05.18 to Alpine Aviation
wfu withdrawn from use
EI-GFY 737-8 64605 ex N1786B, corrects reg’n American Airlines [AA/AAL]
w/o written off/destroyed
EI- A330-203 521 ex A7-ACD, to be lsd fr Qatar Airways N604AA 757-223 27055 as N602AN
Blue Panorama Airlines [BV/BPA ‘Blue Panorama’] Amerijet International [M6/AJT ‘Amerijet’]
Thanks to Dave EI-GEP 767-323ER 24040 ex N359AA rr N387AM, dd 30.05.18 Wilmington ILN –
Richardson and N378CX B77-323ER 27184
EI-GFP 737-89L 29878 ex B-2643 Miami, lsd fr Cargo Aircraft Management
LAASI Aviation for I-BPAC 737-4K5 27074 ret fr Cubana lease Atlas Air [5Y/GTI ‘Giant’]
the above N662GT 767-31AER 27619 ferried Marana – Amarillo 23.05.18

78 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018

Boutique Air [4B/BTQ] Piedmont Airlines (American Eagle) [PT/PDT]
N614AE ERJ145LR 145086 dd 02.05.18, lsd fr American Airlines
Airliner
N7YR
N814WA
PC-12/45
PC-12/47
532
814
ex N532WA, reg’d 31.05.18
ex PR-DOG, reg’d 23.05.18 N647AE ERJ145LR 145222 ex PT-STT, dd 28.05.18, lsd fr American Als
Deliveries
Business Aviation Courier N907AE ERJ145LR 14500895 ex PT-SYH, dd 23.05.15, lsd fr American Als
N158MC SA227-AC AC-726B reg’d 21.05.18 SkyWest Airlines [/SKW] We welcome
N690WW SA227-AC AC-690B D-COLT, reg’d 21.05.18 N198SY E170-200LR 17000724 ex PR-ENL, dd 10.05.18, Alaska Airlines cls any feedback
Delta Air Lines [DL/DAL] N268SY E170-200LL 17000725 ex PR-ENR, dd 10.05.18, Delta Connection cls on this listing.
N344DN A321-211 8171 ex F-WZMN, dd 13.04.18, fleet # ‘3044’ N279SY E170-200LR 17000727 ex PR-ENV, dd 25.05.18, Delta Connection cls
ex F-WZMQ, dd 30.04.18 & reg’d 01.05.18, South Aero
N345DN A321-211 8191 (The listing is
fleet # ‘3045’ N327WL Cessna 208B 208B0547 ex XB-AHW, reg’d 01.05.18
alphabetical with
N346DN A321-211 8227 ex D-AVXO, dd 09.04.18, fleet # ‘3046’ N458PT Cessna 208B 208B1073 ex N107LA reference to the
N349DX A321-211 8233 ex F-WZMT Southwest Airlines [WN/SWA] registration of the
N350DN A321-211 8207 ex F-WZMR N8568Z 737-800 64248 ex N1786B, dd 13.04.18, reg’d 14.05.18 country of origin.
N351DN A321-211 8251 ex F-WZMU N8569Z 737-800 36954 dd 19.04.18, reg’d 17.05.18 Columns indicate
N352DN A321-211 8279 ex F-WZMW N8571Z 737-800 36957 reg’d to Boeing Co 15.05.18 the registration,
N353DN A321-211 8322 ex D-AVZX N8718Q 737-8 42546 ex N1786B, dd 30.04.18 type, construction
N354DN A321-211 8332 ex D-AYAB Spirit Air number and notes.)
N355DN A321-231 8359 ex D-AYAZ Cessna 208B/
N247JP 208B5047 ex RA-67186, reg’d 24.05.18
N357DN A321-211 8339 ex D-AYAQ EX
N358DN A321-211 8316 ex F-WZMZ N654NK A320-232 8176 ex F-WZMO, dd 23.04.18 & reg’d 24.04.18
N359DN A321-211 8370 ex F-WZMC Sun Country Airlines [SY/SCX]
N509DN A350-941 199 ex F-WZFH, dd 11.09.18, fleet # ‘3509’ N 737-8F2 34411 ex TC-JGM, to be lsd fr ALAFCO
N511DN A350-941 210 ex F-WZNE United Airlines [UA/UAL]
N895DN 737-900ER 32003 ex N1786Bdd 17.04.18, fleet # ‘3895’ N67501 737-9 43430 ex N67609, dd 23.04.18, fleet # ‘7501’
N896DN 737-900ER 62777 dd 30.04.18, fleet # ‘3896’ ex N1787B, dd 26.04.18 & reg’d same day,
N37502 737-9 43431
Eastern Airlines [2D/DYA] fleet # ‘7502’
N250MY 767-238ER 23306 N602KW reserved 14.05.18 N2747U 777-300ER 64991 ex N5511Z, dd 20.04.18, fleet # ‘2147’
N254MY 767-336ER 25443 N700KW reserved 14.05.18 UPS – United Parcel Service [5X/UPS]
N740JM 767-336ER 24343 N703KW reserved 14.05.18 ferried Goodyear – Singapore QPG 01.05.18
N362UP 767-346ER 33493
N767DA 767-246 23213 N603KW reserved 14.05.18 for cargo conversion
N770JM 767-233ER 24145 N604KW reserved 14.05.18
Wings of Lebanon [W7/WLB]
T7-WLA 737-7K5 35277 ex D-AHXJ, dd 20.05.18, leased fr AerCap
N793JM 767-336ER 24342 N705KW reserved 14.05.18
N796JM 767-336ER 24339 N706KW reserved 14.05.18
easyJet Europe [U2/EZY ‘easy’]
ex G-EZ, reg’d 24.05.18 & ferried Ljubljana –
N928SS 767-266ER 23180 N605KW reserved 14.05.18 OE-ICB A320-214 6606
Milan MXP 25.05.18
ExpressJet Airlines [AV/ASQ ‘Acey’]
ex G-EZOT, reg’d 30.05.18 & ferried Ljubljana
N13997 ERJ145LR 145298 as N12996 OE-ICC A320-214 6680
– Paris CDG same day
N14998 ERJ145LR 145302 as N12996 ex G-EZOG, reg’d 17.05.18 & ferried Ljubljana
FedEx Express [FX/FDX ‘Fedex’] OE-IJY A320-214 6451
– Milan MXP 18.05.18
N158FE 767-300F(S2) 63097 dd 06.04.18 OE-IJZ A320-214 6502 ex G-EZOD, reg’d 22.05.18 & ferried as above
N370FE DC-10 10(F) 46608 w/o 28.10.16 OE-INH A320-214 7904 ex G-EZRN, reg’d 28.05.18 & ferried as above
Freight Runners Express [FRG ‘Freight Runners’] OE-INI A320-214 8065 ex G-EZRO, reg’d 15.05.18 & ferried as above
N583SW Emb 1200ER 120351 N128HL reserved 18.05.18 OE-IZC A320-214 4033 ferried Montpellier – Milan MXP 24.05.18
Frontier Airlines [F9/FFT] OE-IZD A320-214 4013 ferried Montpellier – Milan MXP 17.05.18
N329FR A320-251n 8135 ex D-AVVF, dd 19.04.18, named ‘Trixie the Fox’ OE-IZW A320-214 3055 ferried Stansted – Gatwick 18.05.18
ex D-AUBO, dd 23.04.18, named ‘Junior ex G-EZBJ, reg’d 11.05.18 & ferried Ljubljana
N330FR A320-251n 8219 OE-LKN A319-111 3036
the Lynx’ – Milan MXP same day
N331FR A320-251n 8239 ex D-AXAV OE-LKO A319-111 4069 ex G-EZFM, reg’d 14.05.18 & ferried as above
Horizon Air [QX/QXE] ex G-EZDS, reg’d 07.05.18 & ferried as
OE-LKP A319-111 3702
ex PR-ENU, dd 23.05.18 & reg’d to Horizon above day
N634QX E170-200LR 17000726
Air Industries OE-LKQ A319-111 3061 ex G-EZBN, reg’d 08.05.18 & ferried as above
Island Air Express LaudaMotion [OE/LDM ‘Expert’]
N1229C Cessna 208B 208B0589 ex N5267J ex D-ABCK, dd 30.05.18 Sofia – Vienna, lsd fr
OE-LCK A321-211 5133
N1229X Cessna 208 20800212 ex C-GSFA Lufthansa Group
N1245X PC-12 496 ex RA-01512 OE-LOC A321-211 4161 as OE-LCG
N32009 Cessna 208 20800022 ex CP-1987 OE-LOF A321-211 4329 as OE-LCG
jetBlue Airways [B6/JBU] Travel Service [QS/TVS ‘Skytravel’]
N987JT A321-231 7855 named ‘Sky’s the LiMint’ C-GTVG 737-8Q8 30719 ex OK-TVG, dd 24.05.18, lsd fr Sunwing Als
N991JT A321-231 7994 named ‘Catch Mint if You Can’ N276EA 737-8AL 35070 ex 5Y-KYB, dd 15.05.18, lsd fr Swift Air
N994JL A321-231 8185 ex F-WZMP, dd 27.04.18 & reg’d 02.05.18 N624XA 737-86J 32624 ex VP-BLD, dd 16.05.18, lsd fr Swift Air
Kalitta Air [K4/CKS ‘Connie’] N917XA 737-86J 32917 ex VP-BEN, dd 15.05.18, lsd fr Swift Air
ex HL7400, reg’d 31.05.18, ferried Pusan – OK-TSC 737-8FH 35093 ex C-GTQX, reg’d 03.05.18, ret fr Air Transat
N712CK 747-4B5F 26414
Oscoda 01.06.18 OK-TSF 737-86J 37360 ret fr Surinam Airways lease 01-02.05.18
ex 2-EUNF, reg’d 18.05.18, ferried Shanghai OK-TSS 737-8Q8 35272 ex A4O-BP, dd 16-17.05.18, lsd fr AerCap
N765CK 767-3P6ER 26238
PVG – Oscoda 17.05.18 as 2-EUNF OK-TST 737-886N 37884 reg’d 24.04.18
New England Airlines OK-TSU 737-8FZ 31717 ex B-5526, dd 16.05.18, lsd fr Babcock & Brown
N906GD BN2A-26 3008 rr N409WB 25.05.18 OK-TVF 737-8FH 29669 ret fr Air Transat lease
Omni Air Express [OY/OAE ‘Omni Express’] OK-TVH 737-8Q8 35275 ex C-GVVH, ret fr Sunwing Airlines lease
N495AX 767-316ER 27613 ex HB-JJF, reg’d 04.05.18 to Omni Aviation OK-TVJ 737-8Q8 29351 ex C-GYQW, ret fr Air Transat lease
PenAir [KS/NLA ‘Peninsula’] OK-TVL 737-8FN 37076 ex C-GKVL, ret fr Sunwing Airlines lease
N462PA Saab 2000 2000-046 ex SE-LSE, reg’d 08.05.18 OK-TVM 737-86N 37077 ret fr Air Transat lease

Pegas Fly took delivery

of its first Embraer 190
in mid-May. The E-Jet,
VP-BZC (c/n 19000461),
is being leased from
Nordic Aviation Capital.
AKTUG ATES

www.airlinerworld.com 79
MRO Asian MRO Centre
The latest
news from Revealed
maintenance,
repair and
Airbus and Thai Airways International
have signed an agreement to establish
overhaul a new joint venture maintenance
providers and overhaul facility at U-Tapao
International Airport near Bangkok.
The new MRO centre will provide heavy
maintenance and line services across
all widebody aircraft types for both the
Thai national carrier as well as third
party airlines. It will feature the latest
SR Technics Supports
New Types
Zürich-based SR Technics is expanding
line maintenance capabilities at its
line stations in the UK to support the
latest aircraft types from Airbus, the
A330neo and A350 XWB. In addition,
the MRO provider has opened a new
line station at East Midlands Airport,
its ninth such facility in the UK, further
expanding its portfolio to meet
customer requirements.
More Success for MAEL
Monarch Aircraft Engineering (MAEL)
has secured two new line maintenance
contracts for Air Transat and Thomas
Cook Airlines.
The first agreement covers the full line
maintenance support of the Canadian
carriers’ fleet of Airbus A310 and A330
aircraft operating to and from Glasgow
airport. Air Transat, a MAEL customer
since 2007, currently operates six
weekly departures from the Scottish
airport as part of the airline’s summer
flight programme.
Meanwhile, MAEL has secured a
landmark agreement to handle
elements of British leisure carrier
Thomas Cook Airlines' line
maintenance requirements across
the UK. The airline is transferring the
80 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018
digital technologies to analyse aircraft
maintenance data, as well as advanced
inspection techniques including using
drones to monitor aircraft airframe
condition. The complex will include
specialised repair shops, including one
for composite structures, and a training
centre offering a wide range of courses
for technical personnel from Thailand
and overseas. (Photo Airbus)
Jakob Straub, head of aircraft services
and line maintenance at SR Technics,
remarked: “The new station at East
Midlands allows us to grow and
diversify our service offering, coupled
with the addition of the latest Airbus
models we are continuing to offer
industry-leading delivery levels as well
as aligning our service to meet the
demands of our customers.”
work at five UK airports – Gatwick,
Birmingham, Glasgow, Newcastle
and East Midlands – to MAEL as well
as some maintenance engineers
that previously worked for the airline
will also be reassigned to the MRO
provider as part of the deal.
Geir Steiro, group airline director of
maintenance, Thomas Cook Airlines,
commented: “Monarch Aircraft
Engineering’s proven reputation and
skills as a business, particularly in line
maintenance, made them the obvious
choice as a partner for us. This
agreement is just the latest phase in
the longstanding relationship between
our two companies and follows many
years of base maintenance support
that MAEL has provided to us.”
North
American
Parts Deal
The AJW Group has signed a
component repair agreement with Las
Vegas-based leisure carrier Allegiant
Air. The contract, covering 150 part
numbers, is a significant win for the
aircraft component maintenance and
repair specialist, and all the work will be
undertaken by the Group’s Montreal-
based AJW Technique.
Allegiant has outlined ambitious growth
plans for AJW to support up to 100
aircraft by the end of the decade. The
fixed price repair contract will increase
the on-wing life of components, helping
to improve aircraft despatch reliability.
AJW will also provide Allegiant with
access to a full pool of A320 forward
exchange spares.
Gavin Simmonds, chief operating
officer for the AJW Group, said: “We
are delighted about our strategic
partnership with Allegiant. It is one of
the US’s most exciting and ambitious
airlines, and this deal continues our
longstanding relationship with the
company. We have seen, through our
work with other low-cost carriers, the
transformational impact that can be
achieved through a strategic approach
to component MRO.”
Component
Support
Extension
Kenya Airways and Spairliners, a joint
venture between Lufthansa Technik
and Air France Industries, have
extended their existing integrated
component care contract covering full
support of the carrier’s 15-strong E-Jet
fleet. The agreement has been further
enhanced by the addition of an on-site
customer representative based in
Nairobi and line maintenance training
for Kenya Airways aircraft mechanics.
Spairliners said parts will be supplied
from the MRO’s component pool and
logistic centres in Paris and Munich
while an optimised on-site stock
holding will be delivered to Kenya
Airways maintenance centres for its
proprietary use.
Ron Lussier, head of material
management at Kenya Airways,
remarked: “With this contract extension
our co-operation with Spairliners
will be further strengthened. The
innovative approach of Spairliners
enables us to optimise our costs and
further increase aircraft availability.”
WHEELS
& BRAKES
IT’S THAT SIMPLE

TPAEROSPACE.COM
 Aviation
Training European Expansion
L3 Commercial Training Solutions (L3
The latest CTS) is expanding its L3 European
training aids Airline Academy at Ponte de Sor,
available for Portugal, to enable the throughput of
the aviation 500 students per year. To achieve this,
professional the academy is adding 12 new Diamond
DA40s and four Cessna aircraft.
The top floor of the facility is being
Alternative A320 Training
United Kingdom-based V-Prep Visual
Training offers potential pilots an
alternative to the laborious memorising
of hefty training manuals. The company
says the training package will save
time and money, as well as taking the
stress out of type ratings and recurrent
checks. The service, which includes 85
specially adapted instructional videos
with more than 140 procedures was
launched last July and now has around
4,000 annual subscribers.
82 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018
developed to provide modern on-site
accommodation for more than 100
additional cadets, with the work due to
be completed by September.
Mário Spínola, L3 Airline Academy
director, Europe, commented: “Ths is a
truly world-class environment, and we
are excited to be investing to expand
It was created by Captain James Feeney,
a training captain with more than ten
years’ experience, and Captain Keith
Longdon, a former senior trainer with
Airbus Training. Between them they
have logged more than 40,000 hours’
instructional experience on the A320.
Captain Feeney remarked: “Not only
will the platform make the training and
studying for A320 pilots a lot easier,
but it will also save airlines thousands
of pounds because pilots have less
capacity. This will further boost the
local economy and means that we will
be able to provide even more fantastic
cadet training to a diverse range of
aspiring pilots, further supporting our
airline customers by developing more
high-quality new pilots.”
(Photo L3 CTS)
chance of failing their recurrent checks.
When a pilot fails, the costs increase
dramatically with additional training and
testing required, as well as having to
pay the pilot’s wages while they cannot
fly. Pilots learn better by observing,
rather than reading instruction manuals,
so it is very important to have access
to accurate and high-quality visual
training. We show the pilot what to do,
when to do it and more importantly,
why they are doing it.”
First C
Series VSIM
The world’s first Bombardier C Series
virtual simulator (VSIM) has been
installed at the airBaltic Training
Center in Riga.
Vilmantas Mažonas, managing
director of airBaltic Training, revealed
the new device would be used for
pilot “pre-training” ahead of type
ratings, operational procedures
testing as well as recurrent training
and quality improvement.
“This virtual simulator is a prelude
before the acquisition of a C Series full
flight simulator in the future,” he added.
The Latvian national carrier has 50
CS300s, plus options and purchase
rights on 30 more, and will complete
the delivery of 20 examples from its
original order by the end of 2019.
(Photo airBaltic Training)
Training expertise Instructor & examiner courses
and efficiency. Crew resource management
Command assessment & upgrade
Built for airlines, our portfolio of exceptional
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/L3CTS /L3CTS
 Departure
Gate Chilean Dak on the Move
Regular contributor Álvaro Romero
has sent us this photo of Douglas
DC-3, CC-PJN (c/n 26958), which
has been in open storage for many
years at Santa Teresa del Almendral
airfield near Melipilla. The aircraft
was operated by the Chilean Navy as
‘Naval 124’ between 1969 and 1979
after acquisition from the US Navy.
Gate Delivery
Hamburg is the first commercial airport
in Germany to launch a test of a new
‘Gate Delivery’ service, whereby
passengers order snacks and drinks
online that are sent directly to their
boarding gate. The inventive service
is being trialled in co-operation with
VAAIR Airport – the company that
already operates Café Scoom and Pier
2 Bar at the airport. The test phase will
initially run until mid-July.
Manchester
Alcock and Brown Airport?
Author Brendan Lynch has called for
Manchester Airport to be renamed to
honour the achievements of two local
aerial heroes, Captain John Alcock
and Lieutenant Arthur Whitten Brown.
Lynch, who has written a book about
the pair’s conquest of the Atlantic, has
called for the airport to be renamed
to commemorate the historic flight’s
June 14, 2019 centenary.
He explained: “Alcock and Brown’s
84 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018
He writes that the DC-3 is to be
preserved by local collector Ricardo
Prambs, with the airframe being
disassembled and moved to Osorno,
660 miles (900km) south of Santiago.
Work started on the airframe in mid-
May with the right wing and horizontal
stabiliser transported south on June 4.
(Words and photo Álvaro Romero)
Lutz Deubel, head of centre
management at Hamburg Airport,
commented: “Gate Delivery is an
innovative extension to our digital
service offering. The service has many
advantages for our passengers, ranging
from waiting time at the gate being
saved, to the reduced distance to be
covered in the terminals.”
In just a few steps, passengers can
place their orders online at www.
hamburg-airport.de/shop. After
choosing the snacks and drinks they
want, they pay online via PayPal or
credit card, and registration is not
necessary. The service is available
daily between 5 and 10am and prices
are the same as in the VAAIR cafés and
bars, with no extra charge for delivery.
The order is delivered to the departure
gate specified by the customer within
a specified 10-minute time window. If
the test proves successful a permanent
all-day service is planned. (Photo
Hamburg Airport/Michael Penner)
achievement was the most
momentous aviation feat after the
Wright brother’s first flight in 1904.
Not only was it the first non-stop
flight crossing, but it’s also by far the
longest distance flown at that time. It
opened up the world to commercial
long-distance flight.”
Ireland is planning to mark the
centenary and is unveiling a
programme of events but, so far Lynch
Events
Enthusiast shows, and events worldwide may be listed
here – FREE. Organisers are invited to send correspond-
ence to the editorial department (email: airlinerworld@
keypublishing.com). Alternatively, visit our website at
www.airlinerworld.com
Jul 9-15
Guild of Aviation Artists – Aviation Paintings of the Year
The Mall Galleries, London www.gava.org.uk
Oct 21
Midland Air Museum (Coventry) Aviation Enthusiasts Fair
Carl McQuaide, 07903 848726,
email: speedbird707@aol.com
www.speedbird707.wixsite.com/midlandaviationfair
Nov 25
Heathrow Aircraft Enthusiasts Fair
Kempton Park Racecourse, Staines Road East, Sunbury-on-
Thames, Middlesex TW16 5AQ
www.aircraftenthusiastfair.co.uk,
email: keith768@btinternet.co.uk
Jan 6, 2019
Croydon Airport Aviation Collectors Show
Aerodrome (Hallmark Hotel), A23 Purley Way, Croydon,
Surrey CR9 4LT Dave Sutton, 07973 885754,
email: davidsutton16@aol.com
Shows/Displays
Jul 16-22
Farnborough International Airshow, Farnborough,
Hampshire, UK www.farnborough.com
Jul 23-29
EAA AirVenture, Oshkosh, USA www.eaa.org
Sep 5-07
The Aviation Festival, Business Design Centre, London, UK
www.terrapinn.com
Sep 15-18
World Routes, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
www.routesonline.com
Sep 19-23
Africa Aerospace and Defence, Centurion, City of Tshwane,
South Africa www.aadexpo.co.za
Oct 2-4
Kuala Lumpur International Aerospace Business
Convention. Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition
Centre, Jalan Dutamas 2, Kompleks Kerajaan, 50480 Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia www.malaysia.bciaerospace.com
email: Ruiching Portier: rportier@advbe.com
Oct 9-11
ERA General Assembly, Edinburgh, Scotland
www.eraa.org
Oct 16-18
NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition, Orlando,
USA www.nbaa.org
Oct 16-18
MRO Europe, Amsterdam, Netherlands
www.mroeurope.aviationweek.com
Nov 6-11
China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition
(Airshow China), Zhuhai, China www.airshowm.com.cn
Nov 14-16
Bahrain International Airshow, Sakhir Air Base, Kingdom of
Bahrain www.bahraininternationalairshow.com
Events are subject to change without Airliner World’s
knowledge. Please check details prior to travel.
says, their home city has remained
silent. “It’s now time for the airport
and city authorities to properly honour
its shamefully neglected trailblazers.
Renaming the airport in their honour
would be a fitting tribute.”
The Airliner World team would be
interested to hear if you think Alcock
and Brown should be honoured in this
way? Please get in touch with us at:
www.airlinerworld@keypublishing.com
 Departure

Southend Cabin Trainer Gate

Southend-based Jota Aviation has
taken delivery of former Brussels
Airlines Avro RJ100, OO-DWE (c/n
E3327), to use as a new cabin trainer.
It was originally built at Woodford,
Cheshire before being delivered to
Sabena in 1998. Several Belgian
airlines including Delta Air Transport, SN
Brussels and Brussels Airlines operated
the aircraft until its last flight in July
2017 when it was retired and ferried to
Southend after 20 years of flying. It was
parted out for spares by Falko Regional
Aircraft before the fuselage and cockpit
sections were delivered to Jota.
(Words and photo Simon Murdoch)

A Father’s Day to Remember

Norwegian marked Father’s Day
this year by operating a Boeing 787
Dreamliner from London to New York,
flown by a captain and his co-pilot son.
Captain Sven-Bertil Johannson (60) and
his son, Erik (27), flew more than 320
passengers from London to the ‘Big
Apple’ on June 6, marking a first for the
airline’s Gatwick operation.
Sven-Bertil and Erik were on the same
pilot training course when they joined
Norwegian together two years ago.
Sven-Bertil was a member of Sweden’s
sailing team at the 1976 Montreal Olympic
Games and shortly afterwards began
his flying career as a fighter pilot in the
Swedish Air Force in 1978. He has now
Golden Anniversary
amassed nearly 23,000 flying hours.
He said: “It’s an absolute joy to fly the
787 Dreamliner with my son to one of
our favourite destinations. We joined
Norwegian together, so our Father’s
Day flight was also an opportunity to
check whether Erik’s flying skills have
developed to be as good as mine!”
Erik responded: “I didn’t feel any
pressure flying next to my father as
we’re both professionals, but it was very
exciting, and a dream come true to fly
the Dreamliner with my dad.”

Win
Caption
Comp
a year's subscription This month's
caption
competition.

to
For the chance to
win a one-year Thanks to everyone who
subscription to AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM COLLECTION entered the April 2018
competition and con-

Airliner World simply gratulations to Alan Wight

who was selected as the

write an amusing winner with:

caption to this “That’s Sully

Sullenberger,
photograph that is. Get him!”
Highly commended:
Send your caption, name, address, phone
number and email address (if you have “Talk to me Goose!”
one) to: Caption Competition, Airliner (NIGEL DEAN)
World, August 2018, Key Publishing, PO
Box 100, Stamford, Lincolnshire PE9 1XQ. “Airbus’s plan to get
Alternatively, you can submit your entry via airlines to migrate
email, addressing it to from their older
barry.woods-turner@keypublishing.com A320’s to the NEO
with ‘August 2018 Caption Comp’ didn’t exactly go as
in the subject box. planned...” (GREG LLOYD)
Closing date for entries is October 19, 2018
at 15:00 GMT. The winner will be notified
no later than October 31, 2018.

www.airlinerworld.com 85
 Air
Safety
Reports Lufthansa is assessing the damage
and details caused to an Airbus A340-300 after it
of recent was partially enveloped in flames.
incidents. The aircraft, D-AIFA (c/n 352), was
being repositioned on the ground at
Frankfurt Airport on the morning of
June 11 ahead of a scheduled service
Frankfurt Fire
to Philadelphia when the tug towing it
caught fire.
Pictures circulated on social media
show the tug in flames under the
A340’s cockpit, while the area beneath
the nose cone is charred and covered
with soot.
The Airbus widebody was empty at the
time of the incident, though ten people
were taken to hospital to be treated
for smoke inhalation, the carrier’s
maintenance division Lufthansa Technik
confirmed. (Photo AirTeamImages.com/
Carlos Enamorado)

BA Blaze Traced to Fatigue Crack

Investigators have traced an engine fifth of the 29,800 cycles predicted by to run for 43 second after the evacuation
failure suffered by a British Airways GE for such an issue (the powerplant order, resulting in two emergency slides
Boeing 777 in Las Vegas in 2015 to a in question had accumulated 11,459 being blown out of position by the jet
fatigue crack in its GE Aviation GE90 cycles at the time of the incident). The blast, rendering them unusable.
powerplant. The aircraft, G-VIIO (c/n manufacturer has since implemented The authority added that the captain
29320), had commenced its take-off roll inspection procedures designed to did not use the quick reference
bound for Gatwick when it experienced detect such cracks. handbook to read and perform
an uncontained failure of its port engine. The authority was also critical of the checklist items – it was only when
In its report issued on June 20, the crew’s actions during the evacuation. a third pilot in the cockpit noticed
US National Transportation Safety Detailing the timeline, the NTSB said the instruments indicating the right engine
Board (NTSB) said a crack had been captain aborted the take-off around two was still running, that the powerplant
discovered in the high-pressure seconds after hearing a “bang”, bringing was shut down.
compressor (HPC) stage 8-10 spool. the aircraft to a halt on the runway “Because the captain did not follow
This, in turn, had caused the main fuel before commanding an evacuation of standard procedures, his call for the
supply line to detach from the fuel the 157 passengers and 13 crew via the evacuation checklist and the shutdown
pump, spraying fuel into the engine and starboard emergency slides. “Thus, of the right engine were delayed,” the
resulting in a fire. the captain made a timely decision to NTSB report said.
The NTSB said the crack, which had reject the take-off and performed the Although only two of the aircraft’s
occurred in an area not currently manoeuvre in accordance with company eight door exits were used, the
required by the FAA or the manufacturer training and procedures,” the report passengers and crew were able
to be inspected, had most likely formed explained. It noted, however, that the to evacuate before smoke and fire
after around 6,000 cycles, barely one unaffected starboard engine continued surrounded the fuselage.
DATE REG'N C/N TYPE OWNER FATALITIES LOCATION NOTES
Jun 26 HL8286 1464 Airbus A330 Asiana Airlines 0 South Korea In collision with a Korean Air 777 while under tow at Seoul/Gimpo
Jun 26 HL7764 34214 Boeing 777 Korean Air 0 South Korea In collision with an Asiana A330 while under tow at Seoul/Gimpo
Jun 25 PK-YRU 685 DHC-6 Twin Otter Trigana Air Service 0 Indonesia Sustained bullet holes after being shot at by Papua separatists while taxiing at Kenyam airstrip
Jun 24 ??? ??? Let L-410UVP Eagle Air 4 Guinea Crashed en route from Conakry to Léro
Jun 21 B-18711 30768 Boeing 747-409F China Airlines Cargo 0 USA Touched down in the grass while attempting to land on Chicago O’Hare’s Runway 10L.
Jun 16 B-2727 34925 Boeing 787-8 China Southern Airlines 0 Italy Suffered minor damage when the port engine cowling contacted the airbridge
Jun 14 P2-ANX 463 Dash 8-202Q LinkPNG 0 Papua New Guinea Written off in an arson attack at Mendi Airport during a period of civil unrest
Jun 14 UR-CPR 49946 McDonnell Douglas MD-83 Bravo Airways 0 Ukraine Ran off the paved surface during landing on Kiev/Igor Sikorsky’s Runway 08 in a thunderstorm
Jun 11 D-AIFA 352 Airbus A340-313 Lufthansa 0 Germany Received substantial damage while under tow at Frankfurt when a fire broke out in the tug
Jun 9 9N-AEV 729 DHC-6 Twin Otter Tara Air 0 Nepal Bounced several times during landing at Kumla before impacting the airfield boundary fence
Jun 8 RP-C5255 E1104 BAe-146-100 SkyJet Airlines 0 Philippines Left the paved runway after landing on runway 08 at Busuanga Airport
Jun 5 5Y-CAC 208B0525 Cessna 208B Fly-SAX 10 Kenya Impacted a mountainside at an altitude of 11,000ft while en route from Kitale to Nairobi
Jun 3 N806AW 1056 Airbus A319-132 US Airways 0 USA Suffered substantial damage after flying through a severe hail storm near San Antonio, Texas

86 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018

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www.airlinerworld.com 87
Under Blue B
With Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras rapidly approaching its tenth anniversary of
operations this year, Bernardo Andrade analyses the airline’s rapid growth and
speaks to its former marketing and brand director, Gianfranco Beting.

88 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018

razilian Skies
Azul Linhas Aéreas
Brasileiras E-190, PR-AZA
(c/n 19000150) on final
approach to Rio de Janeiro/
Santos Dumont’s Runway
02 with the Christ the
Redeemer statue in the
background. ALL IMAGES
RENATO SERRA FONSECA/
AVSTOCK UNLESS STATED
B
etween 1945 and 1965 Panair
do Brasil was the largest
airline in all Latin America.
It not only linked national
capitals, but also provided
vital services to isolated communities
found in the Amazon basin and
Brazil’s arid northeast. It transported
essential supplies including food and
medications as well as much-needed
professionals such as doctors and
engineers into these remote locations.
However, when Panair abruptly ceased
flying on February 10, 1965 following
the Brazilian military seizing power
the year before, its international route
concessions were passed to Viação
Aérea Rio-Grandense (Varig), while
domestic operations were allocated to
Serviços Aéreos Cruzeiro do Sul.
Different priorities were established
by the new incumbents and regional
aviation in Brazil became more than
Gradually, Azul has
grown from its modest
start as a regional
airline to becoming a
strong domestic and
international carrier...
just sustaining remote communities.
Over the following decades carriers
found it increasingly ifficult financially
to maintain many of the domestic
services, so much so that by 2017
official government figures showed
that only 58% of the Brazilian
population lived within one hour’s
drive of an airport offering year-round
commercial flights.
The reasons for the fall are many
and varied, but one major factor is
that local airlines favoured acquiring
larger aircraft such as the Boeing 737
or Airbus A320, which offered too
much capacity on thin routes resulting
in high ticket prices for passengers.
The dwindling number of cities being
served was in stark contrast to Brazil’s
economy, which at the time was
booming, with its Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) increasing well above
global average.
www.airlinerworld.com 89

Making a turn over the
high-rise buildings of Rio de
Janeiro, Azul’s first aircraft,
PR-AZL (c/n 19000147),
wears a special livery
promoting its Tudo Azul (All
Blue) loyalty programme.
Azul acquired rival Brazilian
carrier TRIP Linhas Aéreas in
May 2014 in a consolidation
made easier because both
operated similar fleets.
In the foreground is the
1960s-era terminal at
Campinas Viracopos Airport.
It handled almost 10m
passengers in 2014 and was
supplemented by a new
facility which opened in
May 2015.
90 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018
Campos dos Goytacazes, and Passo
Fundo by air was inconvenient, time
consuming and expensive.
The carrier’s philosophy was not only
to offer a wide range of destinations
but to link city pairs that had not
been available previously. All of that,
combined with efficient aircraft and
reduced costs enabled it to charge lower
ticket prices while remaining profitable.
Neeleman decided the two main
pillars of his airline would be Embraer’s
E-Jet family and São Paulo’s third
airport, Viracopos/Campinas. The
Brazilian-manufactured jets were his
preference since his days at JetBlue. He
believed customers have always liked
the larger windows and the absence of
the middle seat in their cabins. And the
choice of Campinas as the main hub
was simple: its size, at the time used
predominately by cargo operators, and
it was in the middle of a wealthy area
close enough to Brazil’s largest city: São
Paulo. It was the perfect match.
Despite the business plan being ready,
the carrier still had no name. In a bold
move, Neeleman and his team created
Laying the foundations
Against this background of
strong economic growth, David
Gary Neeleman, a US-Brazilian
entrepreneur and serial airline creator
(he was previously responsible for the
establishment of Morris Air, WestJet
Airline and JetBlue Airways), started
work in 2007 on a new carrier based in
his home country of Brazil. To achieve
this, he ordered market studies and
gathered a small group of investors to
make it happen. The studies showed
that it was prudent to set up the new
venture away from São Paulo’s two
most congested airports, Congonhas
and Guarulhos, and to initially serve
not only Brazilian metropolises but also
the nation's medium-sized cities. At
the time travelling to destinations
such as Ribeirão Preto, Montes Claros,
Azul – Key Facts
IATA code: AD
ICAO code: AZU
Call Sign: AZUL
Base: Campinas/Viracopos International Airport
Website: www.voeazul.com.br

a marketing campaign inviting the
public to select the carrier’s name
from a list of choices. These were
accessed via a website and people
could select from a list that included
Samba, Pátria (homeland), Abraço
(hug) and Azul (blue). Despite Samba
receiving the most votes, the second-
most popular name, Azul, was
selected instead. According to
Neeleman, Azul was more neutral
and encompassed the ideas of loyalty,
safety and, naturally, Brazilian skies.
While the finishing touches were
being completed ahead of a planned
launch in December, Azul took
delivery of its first aircraft, a former
JetBlue E-190, PR-AZL (c/n 147 ex
N288JB) on September 29, 2008.
The jet was named O Rio de Janeiro
continua Azul (Rio de Janeiro keeps
being Blue), a reference to the famous
Brazilian song Aquele Abraço by
Gilberto Gil. Just prior to its maiden
commercial service the carrier’s initial
new-build E195, PR-AYB (c/n 239) was
delivered from the factory.
A month earlier on November 5, the
Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil
(ANAC) – Brazil’s national aviation
agency – had awarded Azul with
its Certificado de Homologação de
Empresa de Transporte Aéreo (Air
Operator Certificate), this was the final
piece in the plan enabling it to finally
launch. To celebrate, the airline’s
first aircraft made a low pass over the
company’s headquarters at Barueri, in
the suburbs of São Paulo.
Neeleman decided
the two main pillars
of his airline would be
Embraer’s E-Jet family
and São Paulo’s third
airport, Viracopos/
Campinas International.
An Azul E-195 taxies for
departure at Salvador
Airport for return to its home
base at Campinas Viracopos.
ALESSANDRO IGLESIAS/AVSTOCK
Azul is one of the world’s
largest operators of the
ATR 72-600. This example,
PR-AQF (c/n 1072), is about
to depart Salvador Airport
for the one-hour hop to
Vitória da Conquista.
ALESSANDRO IGLESIAS/AVSTOCK
Another of the airline’s
aircraft carrying the Tudo
Azul (All Blue) loyalty
programme livery, Airbus
A330-243, PR-AIT (c/n 529)
‘Big Blue Bus’, is being
turned around at its gate
at Campinas.
LUCIO DAOU/AVSTOCK
Gaining Momentum Azul started flying with a fleet of
Six weeks later Azul’s inaugural three E195s and two E190s aircraft and
commercial service departed on quickly embarked upon expansion. Two
December 15, as flight AD4064. Captain years later, on July 20, 2010 the airline
Ary Nunes was in command of the announced a deal with Franco/Italian
service from Campinas to Salvador manufacturer ATR for the acquisition of
in the northeast of the country with up to 40 ATR 72-600s, in a deal valued
88 passengers on board including at $850m. The regional airliner enabled
Neeleman. Now fully up and running the the carrier to reach smaller cities in
fledgling airline quickly added services to remote locations adding, value to its ever-
Porto Alegre, Curitiba and Vitória. expanding network.
www.airlinerworld.com 91

The turboprop’s low operating cost,
mostly due to its low fuel consumption,
meant the company could offer
competitive prices to local passengers.
To speed up their introduction, Azul
decided to lease eight ATR 72-200s
from various sources until its new
aircraft were ready. As soon as ATR had
delivered sufficient new aircraft, so the
leased examples were returned.
A major milestone in the carrier’s
evolution occurred in May 2014 when
Azul acquired rival Brazilian regional
carrier TRIP Linhas Aéreas. TRIP was
founded in 1998 by the Capriolo family,
which controlled one of the largest bus
companies in Brazil at the time. The
carrier didn’t operate from a single
hub, as did Azul. It focused instead on
smaller regional cities. The purchase
gave Azul a greater foothold in the
remote locations of Brazil, such as Tefé,
Coari, Porto Trombetas and Tabatinga,
in the Amazon basin, as well as others
in the Brazilian interior including Alta
Floresta and Sinop.
The two brands coexisted for a period
after the merger process was completed
on May 6, but as TRIP’s aircraft were
repainted during routine maintenance
so its brand slowly ceased to exist.
The acquisition added a further 54
airliners to the Azul fleet, consisting
of 19 ATR 42-500s, 14 ATR 72-500,
two ATR 72-600s, nine E175s and ten
E190s. The fleet similarities made the
consolidation of the two carriers much
easier, with older examples of the ATRs
and E-Jets being phased out in favour
of newer examples. Both airlines’ route
maps also complemented each other
92 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018
Lisboa
Azul's impressive domestic
network is well illustrated
on its route map. AZUL
Caiena
Sorriso
Barra do
Garças
Santa Cruz de La Sierra
Company chairman David
Neeleman speaks at the
delivery ceremony of the
airline’s first new-build Varginha
aircraft at Embraer’s
facilities at São José dos
Campos.
BERNARDO ANDRADE/AVSTOCK
Ponta Grossa
International routes
Lages
BOTTOM LEFT AND RIGHT • Jaguaruna
the smart, bright interior
of one of Azul’s E-195s
Domestic routes
offers a comfortable 2-2
configuration with all
seats equipped with live
TV and other in-flight
entertainment options. Buenos Aires
Punta Del Este
Montevidéu
with TRIP serving smaller cities in the the airline a critical mass that would
Brazilian north and central regions help with the further development of
while Azul had a stronger foothold in its Campinas hub and the launch of
the southeast. international flights.
In 2014, Azul took its first steps
Competition Increases towards long-haul flying when it
The acquisition of TRIP gave Azul signed a codeshare agreement with
the additional strength to rival Brazil’s US carrier and Star Alliance member
two dominant airlines at the time: United Airlines. Later the same year
TAM Linhas Aéreas (now LATAM it launched long-haul services to
Brasil) and Gol Transportes Aéreos. It Fort Lauderdale and Orlando using
had a sizeable hub at Campinas and a second-hand A330-200. These
a wide domestic network, reaching flights catered for the large numbers
destinations that no other carrier of travellers wishing to fly between
had served before. This would give Brazil and Florida, enabling passengers
from all over Brazil to reach the US via a
single connection, which had not been
possible before.
With additional A330s being acquired,
Azul turned its sights to European skies
and replaced TAP Air Portugal on the
Campinas-Lisbon route.
Azul has continued growing at a
steady pace, announcing plans to lease
five A330-900neos from Avolon - as
well as acquiring 35 Airbus A320neos
and 10 A321neos. The neos will
become the backbone of its regional
network ,serving mostly trunk routes
from its Campinas hub to cities such as
Salvador, Recife and Brasília. Azul has
also placed a sizeable order for the latest
generation of E-Jets, the E2, signing a
deal for 30 E195 E2s plus 20 options.
Azul Airbus A330-243,
PR-AIV (c/n 532), painted in a
special Brazilian flag colour
scheme, about to depart
Lisbon, Portugal for the
return flight to Brazil.
The airline’s expansion has also
attracted the interest of investors. In
June 2015 Neeleman agreed to sell a
5% stake in Azul to United Airlines for
$100m, while the HNA Group invested
$450m for 23.7% share, making the
Chinese conglomerate the largest
single shareholder.
While this was going on Neeleman’s
Gateway Consortium acquired a 45%
interest in TAP Air Portugal from the
Portuguese government for €10m. Two
years later, in August 2017, TAP Portugal
and Azul announced plans to work
together towards establishing a joint
venture enabling them to collaborate
on pricing of transatlantic flights as well
as on developing other benefits for
both carriers.
Azul’s international network
development has been somewhat
unusual compared with its traditional
hub-and-spoke operation. It has
chosen to serve Orlando from all
three of its Brazilian hubs, while
from Campinas it also flies to Fort
Lauderdale, Lisbon and during the
summer to Punta del Este in Uruguay.
From Belo Horizonte it flies to Buenos
Aires, and from Recife it currently has
flights to Fort Lauderdale, Córdoba and
Rosario, the latter two in Argentina.
By the end of 2017, Azul had grown its
share to 17.8% of the Brazilian domestic
market (the nation's third-largest
carrier) and 11.8% of the international
market – the second biggest behind
LATAM Brasil.

Through the Eyes of a Founder

Gianfranco Beting, Azul’s former marketing and brand
director, played a vital role in the airline’s conception.
For the first three months of its existence, the carrier
operated from Beting’s house in São Paulo, growing
from an initial group of five American executives,
including himself, to nearly 20 people. He left Azul in
July 2015 and now works as an external consultant for
other companies including TAP Air Portugal. Beting also
worked for the now defunct TransBrasil and has written
several books about Brazilian carriers.
AW: When Azul was conceived most Brazilian
carriers operated direct connection services, albeit
with a few exceptions. How did passenger accept the
hub-and-spoke system you adopted?
GB: They didn’t really fly direct connections but used
a linear, or milk run, system with multiple stops on each
route, whereas we adopted a hub-and-spoke principle.
We found our customers were happy to make one-stop
connections through our hub at Campinas, and we were
offering routes to more than 75 cities. No other Brazilian
airline came close to this, nor do they even today.
AW: Can Azul really be considered a low-cost airline?
GB: Low-cost yes, but not ultra-low cost (ULCC). I
believe there will never be a ULCC here in Brazil due to
the high government taxes. Azul is a hybrid proposition,
mixing affordable fares, with a young fleet, lots of
destinations and most importantly great onboard
service, that is why it is so highly ranked internationally.
There are many similarities between Azul and JetBlue
Airways for obvious reasons, but these are more
philosophical than practical, such as providing great
service with affordable fares. However, we now fly
intercontinental with widebodies and departed from a
two-type fleet philosophy some time ago. We have the
best employees (we call them crew members) and train
them to take exceptional care of our customers. It’s in
the company’s DNA. A true hub-and-spoke system and
a modern fleet, right-sized for the Brazilian market, also
helps immensely.
AW: Why did you choose Campinas and the E-Jets,
and were there any other candidates?
GB: The selection of Campinas was an easy one;
the airport is in an affluent district of São Paulo and
offered travellers easy access. We also avoided direct
competition with other carriers operating out of the far
busier Guarulhos or Congonhas. We did look elsewhere
with Rio de Janeiro’s Santos Dumont a viable option,
but it was eventually ruled out for political reasons.
Regarding our choice of aeroplanes; it was David
Neeleman’s experience of using the E-Jets at JetBlue
Airways and the type’s economics that made it an easy
decision to base our fleet on the Embraer product.
AW: Azul’s presence at Congonhas is relatively minor
compared with your competitors. Are there any plans
to expand here?
GB: It is very political and very much out of our hands.
We could add more flights if the airport was truly open
for new entrants. However, we believe Azul can keep
growing without a sizable presence there.
AW: When did Azul decide to operate the largest
domestic network and how did the merger with TRIP
affect your plans?
GB: Essentially, we grew organically. After the launch
we started looking for new opportunities and we
found an enormous amount of untapped potential…
and we just went for it. The merger with TRIP led to
an acceleration of the process, the amalgamation of
the two carriers enabled us to reap significant synergy
savings, and it was the right move for both companies.
But it continues to grow by optimising its opportunities,
such as the two new freighters that are being added to
the fleet later this year. It is a natural development.
AW: As Azul celebrates its tenth anniversary this
year, has its progression reached expectations and
how do you see the carrier’s future?
GB: The airline is way bigger than anybody had
expected. It has grown so quickly despite the difficulties
presented by the Brazilian recession. It has a great future
if it sticks to the core values of the company that I helped
to found. If, however, it loses the human touch and the
elements that made it stand out from the very beginning,
the story could be different. However, if it sticks to its
core values of putting people first – both its employees
and customers – I can only see blue skies ahead.

www.airlinerworld.com 93
 Onboard Innovations
As Azul has developed its route
network and introduced the latest-
generation airliners, so it has been
able to initiate cabin innovations for
its passengers. It was the first airline
to bring live television on to its aircraft
through an agreement with satellite
TV provider Sky. It has refreshed
the Brazilian inflight service market
offering snacks that are easy to eat and
quick to serve. It has also initiated a
domestic Premium Economy cabin
on its single-aisle fleet called, Espaço
Azul (Blue Space), offering passengers
additional legroom.
Meanwhile, on its widebody fleet, Azul
has what it calls Economy Xtra Class
offering its passengers extra legroom
as well as reclining seats. In addition,
on board its A330-200s it offers its Sky
Sofa product, a similar concept to Air
New Zealand’s Skycouch, where for an
additional fee, passengers can secure
the four middle seats and turn them
into a sofa bed.

TOP • The airline’s fleet

carries a variety of special
liveries. This E-195, PR-AYY
(c/n 19000475) is promoting Azul’s Current Fleet
the company’s own travel
agency Azul Viagens. ATR 72 40
Embraer 190 9
Embraer 195 58
ABOVE • Moments from
Airbus A320neo 14
touchdown at Rio de
Janeiro/Santos Dumont Airbus A330-200 7
airport, Azul E-195, painted
in its Verão (50 cities) livery.

94 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018

 The Brazilian flag livery
also adorns E-195, PR-AYV
(c/n 19000449), as it comes
into land at Rio’s Galeão
International Airport.
Environmental sustainability
is high on Azul’s agenda and
E-195, PR-AYX, painted in a
special green livery, helps to
promote its message.
This E190, PR-PJQ
(c/n 19000493)
‘Brasileirissimo’ is
painted in the famous
colours of the Brazilian
football team.
Today, Azul flies to more
than 100 destinations
across the Americas
and Europe from its
three main hubs...
Building a Future
Today, Azul flies to more than 100
destinations across the Americas and
Europe from its three main hubs. It
is also extending its reach through
codesharing with six other carriers
as well as interline agreements with
several more. Its fleet has grown
significantly during its ten years of
operations and today numbers 128
aircraft (see table) and this year it is
expecting to receive a single second-
hand A320ceo to meet growing
demand as well as the first of its five
A330neos that it has on order.
The initial widebody jet is due
for delivery during the last quarter
of the year and will enable Azul to
further increase its international
network. Although no routes have
been confirmed by the carrier, it is
rumoured that New York, Las Vegas
and Paris are high on its priority list.
To ensure it keeps pace with the
fleet’s expansion, the airline has built
a modern training centre next to
www.airlinerworld.com 95
Campinas airport, called UniAzul (Azul
University). It has invested BRL 30m
($9m) in the construction of a three-
storey building offering 64,584sq
ft (6,000m²) of floor space with the
capacity to train 900 students per year,
from pilots to flight attendants through
to mechanics and ground staff. It is
also equipped with two full-motion
E-190 simulators and two for the ATR
72-600. UniAzul is also home to the
Airbus Brazil Training Center and
following the signature of a 12-year
agreement, the European manufacturer
as added a A320neo simulator together
with instructors from France. Azul
doesn’t own this simulator - it acquires
time for its pilots when required.
Freight carriage is becoming an
important income stream for Azul. Its
cargo division, Azul Cargo Express
has recently signed a contract with the
Brazilian Post Office (Correios) creating
a new joint venture that is responsible
for transporting more than 100,000
tons of parcels and documents across
the carrier’s domestic network using
the cargo holds of its passenger jets.
The airline controls 51% of the new
company while Correios holds the
remaining 49%.
Azul Cargo Express is also now
acquiring its own aircraft and is
planning to lease two 737-400Fs, the
first full cargo jet to be operated by the
airline. These will be used on domestic
cargo flights between Campinas, Recife
and Manaus – the country’s technology TOP • Embraer E-190, PR-AXI yet have a hangar, heavy checks are although it hasn’t been disclosed yet
manufacturing centre – located in the (c/n 19000575) wearing
contracted out to TAP Maintenance and if the new aircraft will be replacing its
the airline’s standard livery
heart of the rainforest at the confluence departs from Rio’s Santos Engineering in Rio de Janeiro. It has current A330-200s or whether they
of the Negro and Amazon Rivers. Both Dumont airport during a ambitious plans to build its own hangar will be used for the expansion of its
jets are due to join the fleet during the heavy rain storm. facilities at its main hub at Campinas. international network.
second half of 2018. With the arrival Gradually, Azul has grown from its
of the 737-400Fs, Azul is expected to Azul is continuing to refine
its fleet. Some of its older
What lies ahead modest start as a regional airline to
suspend domestic flying with its ATR 72-600s are being As Azul moves into its second decade becoming a strong domestic and
A330-200s, which had been deployed phased out of service while it has already come a long way. It is international carrier. However, it is
on the Campinas-Recife-Manaus new A320/321neos and slowly phasing out of service some of being careful not to abandon it regional
E195-E2 will be joining soon.
rotation because of the demand for its older ATR 72-600s – although the operations totally, as these have been
cargo capacity. A mix of aircraft types type will remain in significant numbers the backbone of its network strategy
The company also has its own including E-195s, E-190s – and its E190/195s are being replaced that have successfully guided it to
maintenance division, called AzulTec, and a single A320neo, by A320/A321neos and E195-E2s that it where it is today. Azul is now looking at
parked on a remote apron
which is currently responsible for has on order from both manufacturers. expansion beyond Brazil’s borders
awaiting their next loads of
the light maintenance of its fleet. passengers. For its long-haul fleet, the arrival of its promoting the nation and its cultures to
However, since the airline does not LUCIO DAOU/AVSTOCK first A330neo is eagerly anticipated, a wider audience.

96 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018

 Civil Aircraft Markings 2018
Allan S Wright
2018
2018

Civil Aircraft
Markings
The new 2018 edition of Civil Aircraft Markings has just been published. Allan S Wright

This is the longest established and best-selling civil aviation book in the
world. It provides the most complete listing of all the aircraft currently on
the UK Register with over 20,000 aircraft detailed in this section alone. For
each aircraft listed in CAM, the registration marks, exact aircraft type and
owner or operator is given together with space for user notes. CAM 2018
also includes the civil aircraft registers of Ireland, the Channel Islands and
Isle of Man as well as listings of overseas registered aircraft that commonly
visit the UK. There are also lists of Airline Flight Codes, radio frequencies
for major UK airfields and the complete British Aircraft Preservation Council
(BAPC) register.

2018
Fully revised and updated by one of the UK’s most respected aviation
authors, CAM 2018 is the complete ‘one-stop’ information source on the
civil aircraft based in and visiting the British Isles.

just £11.95!

Available at all good aviation bookshops and enthusiast

shops, and also directly from the publisher:
Civil Aircraft Markings 2018
0161 499 0024 Allan S Wright
www.crecy.co.uk ISBN: 978 191080 9198

CAM-AD18-130X185.indd 1 27/03/2018 11:46

next month
The SEPTEMBER 2018 issue of Airliner World includes:
On sale
Aug 8*
Air Canada Cathay Goes Long plus
The Montreal-based flag carrier is Behind the scenes with Hong Kong-based Airliner World’s comprehensive 20+ pages
thriving in Canada’s booming but highly Cathay Pacific as it takes delivery of its of global NEWS.
competitive market. first Airbus A350-1000.
(contents subject to change)

Regional Express Farnborough 2018 (*UK scheduled on sale date. Please note
Shining the spotlight on Rex, the self- A full round-up of all the news from one of that the overseas delivery dates are likely to
styled “best regional carrier in Australia”. the world’s leading aerospace events. be after this date.)

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98 AIRLINER WORLD AUGUST 2018

 The 24th World Route Development Forum

Shaping the world’s

future air services
World Routes, 15–18 September 2018
Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China

The global meeting place for every airline, airport and aviation stakeholder
Meet with senior decision makers from leading airlines, Contact us to register or for more information:
airports and tourism authorities at World Routes 2018 in
sales@routesonline.com
Guangzhou. Develop your route network, engage with key
+44 (0)161 234 2730
targets and gain insight from industry experts at the
unifying event for the route development community. routesonline.com

Host of World Routes 2018 Official Carrier

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