International Business and Private Aviation Industry News
 United States: US October flight activity reverses negative trend thanks to Part 91 and Fractional ARGUS' TRAQPak review of year over year flight activity (October 2018 vs. October 2017) published this week indicates that October 2018 recorded an increase of 0.9%. The results by operational category were mixed with Fractional activity posting the largest yearly increase, up 4.4% year over year. Part 91 activity posted an increase of 1.8%, while Part 135 activity declined for the 5th straight month, down 1.7%. The aircraft categories were mostly positive with mid-size jets posting the largest increase from 2017, up 2.5%. Light jets posted an increase of 0.3%, while large jets posted a 3.7% year over year decrease. Turboprops increased 1.9%.
United States: 2018 Third Quarter Shipments and Billings Report The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) has published its 2018 third quarter aircraft shipments and billings report. The overall delivery of airplanes and rotorcraft increased in the first nine months compared to the same time period in 2017, but with some mixed performance within the types. Total billings compared to the same period in 2017 decreased. “This is one of those few times since the great recession that we have seen all segments up in shipment numbers,” said GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce. “While there remain some soft spots in a few segments, including business jet deliveries and impacts being felt from global trade disputes, I’m optimistic about our industry’s performance in 2019 given continuing healthy demand for tax expensing, stabilization of the used market, and the number of new products being introduced to the market place.” Piston rotorcraft deliveries increased by 15.8 percent to 220 units. Turbine rotorcraft shipments increased by 8.3 percent to 510 unit deliveries. Piston airplane deliveries increased by 8.3 percent to 784 units. Shipments of turboprops improved by 5.6 percent from 374 to 395 airplanes. Business jet shipments increased from 433 to 446 deliveries.
 Chaney Kimball, senior digital art director at Greteman Group, a marketing communications agency based in Wichita, KS, the Air Capital. Email eats up our Monday mornings as we delete them en masse from our flooded inbox. We may stop to skim a few subject lines and might even open one or two. But aside from our Monday-morning attitude toward email, it’s still a highly effective marketing tool. Campaign Monitor's recent industry report states that 59 percent of marketers say email continues to generate the most return on investment (ROI) for their organizations. That With effective messaging, interesting visuals and targeted subscriber lists, email can do a lot of the heavy lifting for your campaigns. Here are some simple design and usability tips to help you get the most out of your email content.
United States: Planet Nine adds another Falcon 7X to its charter fleet Completion of three aircraft acquisition deal arranged and structured by Freestream Aircraft Limited ('Freestream'). Van Nuys, Los Angeles-headquartered Planet Nine Private Air Limited ('P9PA'), North America’s newest boutique ultra long-haul charter specialist introduced its third VIP 16-seat Falcon 7X (N919NE) into service last week. The aircraft’s arrival rounds off a frenetic first six months for the Van Nuys, California based operator, recently accredited with Wyvern Wingman status, under the new onsite flight leader programme, coinciding with NBAA-BACE last month.
Medevac: Guardian Flight strengthens its rural air medical outreach in Alaska, Hawaii and Utah Guardian Flight has recently strengthened the reach and focus of its air medical transport footprints in Alaska, Hawaii, and Utah with additional dedicated and medically equipped fixed wing aircraft. The company added a Super King Air B200 at Deadhorse Airport to serve the North Slope oil industry and Native Alaska communities including Prudhoe Bay, Utqiaġvik and Kuparuk. In addition the company added a King Air C90 to the Eagle Air Med base in Blanding, Utah to serve company partner Blue Mountain Hospital and provide backup support to San Juan Hospital in Monticello, Utah and Southwest Health System in Cortez, Colorado.
United States: Embry-Riddle Librarian spends 43 years helping students succeed Jack R. Hunt Library Director Kathleen Citro was just 24 when she started working in the library at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University‘s Daytona Beach Campus 43 years ago. The Internet didn’t exist. Students used electronic and manual typewriters and would find books for various research projects through the old paper card catalogs, stored within long drawers in huge wooden shelves. If they needed a particular article in a magazine or scholarly journal, they sifted through the pages of the Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature.  Jack R. Hunt Library Director Kathleen Citro is retiring after 43 years | Embry-Riddle/David Massey. It’s a sharp contrast to the state-of-the-art library in the newly opened Mori Hosseini Student Union, a project Citro has been working on even before the old library was torn down three years ago.
Voluxis  Keith Moody London Biggin Hill Airport-headquartered Operator, Voluxis, has announced the appointment of the highly experienced Keith Moody as Ground Operations Manager. Keith brings over 30 years of experience and has worked for some of the biggest names in commercial and private aviation on four continents including British Airways and Atlas Air in London and New York respectively. More recently he worked for Rizon Jet in Qatar and his last role was as Flight Operations General Manager at Titan Airways in Stansted. In his new role, Keith will be the CAA/EASA approved Ground Operations and Security Post Holder, responsible for the safe and efficient scheduling of aircraft and flight crew. |
Switzerland: New Honeywell safety technology will reduce costly and sometimes fatal runway collisions Surface Indications and Alert System completes initial flight testing. Honeywell has completed initial testing of its new safety technology that helps airlines and business jets avoid runway accidents and collisions.
Developed under the Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research program with program partners Airbus, Dassault and Eurocontrol, the software-based Surface Indications and Alert System (SURF IA) gives pilots visual and audio warnings about approaching hazards on the runway. In Europe, runway incursions, which can be costly and dangerous, occur at least twice daily.
JETNET: Pre-owned US business jet, turboprop, piston, helicopter, and airliner market analysis September 2018 and first nine months of 2018. JETNET has released September 2018 and the first nine months of 2018 results for the pre-owned business jet, turboprop, piston, helicopter, and commercial airliner markets. Key worldwide trends across all aircraft market segments were analyzed, comparing September 2018 to September 2017. For the first nine months of 2018 there were 6,781 pre-owned jets and helicopters sold. This is a decrease of 681, or 9.1% fewer sale transactions compared to 2017 across all market sectors. Commercial airliners and commercial turboprops showed the largest declines at 16.1% and 13.1%, respectively.
United States: Tubreaux Aviation Services (KDTN) joins Avfuel-branded network Avfuel has welcomed Tubreaux Aviation Services to its branded FBO network.
Tubreaux Aviation Services is the sole FBO at Shreveport Downtown Airport (KDTN), providing operators all the full-service benefits of metro airports with the convenience of a general aviation airport, namely: heightened privacy, less congestion, and an optimum location that situates the FBO just two minutes from downtown Shreveport and five minutes from the area’s six resorts and casinos.
Bahrain: FAI debuts at Bahrain International Airshow: showcases first Bombardier Challenger 850 FAI rent-a-jet AG, the leading global provider of mission-critical aviation services, is making its debut at the fifth Bahrain International Airshow this week (14-16 November).
The aircraft (registration D-AFAN) which is the newest member in the company’s 25-strong fleet is multi-role and based at the company HQ in Nuremberg, Germany. Available for charter in 14-seat VIP aircraft configuration with three distinct cabin zones, it can also convert to a comfortable medevac transport.
United States: Tacoma Narrows Aviation opens new FBO at KTIW Tacoma Narrows Aviation has announced the completion of its new executive terminal facility: the FBO’s corporate air center. The beautifully-appointed corporate air center, includes 30,000 square feet of heated hangar space, 2,500 square feet of passenger and crew amenities, and 5,500 square feet of office space.
Guests to Tacoma Narrows Aviation - located 30 miles south of Seattle, WA. - will enjoy an abundance of amenities from the corporate air center, including: a hospitality area, a flight planning room, a refreshment bar complete with soda and coffee, a pilot lounge for respite, and a conference room for business.
Ireland: Atlantic Aviation Group’s CAMO and Technical Services department have been granted ATR 42/72 approval from the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA). “We are delighted to add this approval to our list of capabilities as we have a number of customers managing and operating ATR Aircraft,” said Technical Services Director Mike Byrt.
The announcement comes a short time after the company was also granted A320 family CAMO approval. “There has been a joint focus over the past year to add approvals and experienced personnel to our team,” Byrt continued. “As we have been very successful on both fronts in a short time, we are delighted to continue to provide our customers with a competent and professional service that they trust and rely on.”
United Kingdom: Oriens Aviation and London Biggin Hill Airport welcome Jetfly’s new Pilatus PC-24 Oriens Aviation, the exclusive British Isles Pilatus Centre and sales distributor for the PC-12, and London Biggin Hill Airport welcomed Jetfly’s Pilatus PC-24 (LX-PCA) as part of the fractional operator’s European tour.
The Luxembourg-based operator - European launch customer of the PC-24 - flew in the first of its four newly-accepted versatile light jets, plus one of its 22 Pilatus PC-12NGs, to showcase to a private audience gathered at Oriens Aviation’s new maintenance base. Its London Biggin Hill showing followed appearances of the aircraft at Geneva’s Annemasse Airport and Toussus Le Noble Airport in Paris.
United Arab Emirates: Frequentis opens subsidiary in the UAE Frequentis officially opened its new UAE office in Abu Dhabi in early October, reinforcing its position in the Middle East. The office will provide the region with a permanent sales and support service, further expanding the Frequentis global network and enabling continued growth. “Frequentis is a well-established and growing brand in the region for the civil aviation, defense and public safety sectors with an expanding portfolio of solutions and services including our newest innovative Remote Virtual Tower solution that will increase the security level of Air Traffic Operations to be conducted from a remote location. The opening of our new Abu Dhabi office demonstrates the company’s commitment to the region and its customers in the Middle East” says Hank Ruebenstrunk, Managing Director, Frequentis Middle East. |
 Brussels: GAMA accelerates dialogue with European regulators on eVTOL aircraft The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) has accelerated a dialogue with European regulators on the development of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and technologies. Thirty senior eVTOL company figures from eight countries met with EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency), the European Commission and SESAR JU (Single European Sky ATM Research Joint Undertaking) over two days in Cologne and Brussels to discuss this burgeoning sector of the aviation industry. The industry and government leaders were also joined by Dorothee Bär, the German Federal State Minister for Digitisation, who is one of the most prominent proponents of Urban Air Mobility in Europe. “It is great that the industry is getting together proactively to liaise with EASA on common standards,” Bär said. “I think there is tremendous potential for Europe and beyond, once Urban Air Mobility will become part of our daily life.”
Connectivity: Inmarsat signs Honeywell as global reseller of GX Aviation inflight broadband Inmarsat, the world leader in global mobile satellite communications, has expanded its global network of Value Added Resellers (VARs) for its GX Aviation inflight broadband solution with the addition of Honeywell Aerospace. The agreement builds on Inmarsat’s long-standing partnership with Honeywell, who already manufactures the JetWave hardware for GX Aviation and sells Inmarsat’s Jet ConneX inflight wi-fi service for the business aviation market, through its GoDirect retail services business. In addition, it is further endorsement of Inmarsat’s commitment to operate the reference inflight connectivity network for airlines around the world. GX Aviation is the world’s first and only global, high-speed inflight broadband service, delivered through a wholly-owned and operated network of Global Xpress (GX) High-Throughput Satellites (HTS).
Spain: ACS Spain celebrates 10 year anniversary with record half year results The Spanish office of leading aircraft charter specialist, Air Charter Service, has celebrated its tenth anniversary by revealing their half year results for the six months ending 31st July 2018, which show revenue up by 37% and charter numbers rising by 49%. Managing Director James Fitzgerald comments: “2018 has been a very exciting year for us, as we celebrate our tenth year of operation. We have grown our experienced sales team and are currently looking to move to bigger and better premises. “2018 is proving to be an incredibly busy year so far. It has been especially pleasing to see an increase in larger cargo programmes, including daily flights on an Antonov AN-12 for five weeks and one that involved six Boeing B747s in less than two weeks."
 Paula Kraft, founder and President of Atlanta, GA-based Tastefully Yours Catering. Lobster: from 'trash' food to A-list delicacy As you find yourself in search of the most exquisite, the most succulent bits of highly prized food to tingle your passengers’ taste buds, you must be thinking about lobster. Lobster, one of the restaurant industry’s iconic marine creatures, has landed on the 'most decadent foods' list. What do you really need to know if ordering lobster from your aviation food source?
Today, lobster may be considered one of the world’s top 10 delicacies, but not so many years ago lobster was associated with food for the poor, for servants, for prisoners in jail, and was even a soldier’s staple ration eaten out of a can in the foxholes of France during World War II. So how did lobster move up in the world?
Germany: Taste of Travel to return to WTCE in 2019 The organisers of the World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo (WTCE) have confirmed that the Taste of Travel programme - run in association with Onboard Hospitality magazine - will return to Hamburg in April, enabling delegates to learn about the future of onboard services and how they will enhance passenger experience. Running from 2-4 April 2019, the Taste of Travel Theatre will feature a specially curated, free-to-attend, programme that delivers inspiration, advice and samples of the latest product innovations. Onboard chefs and passenger experience leaders are now able to apply to join the programme and share their invaluable insights with representatives from international airlines, rail operators and cruise lines.
United Kingdom: Elit’Avia and ZenithJet to host exclusive networking event in London Slovenia-headquartered Elit’Avia, a fully-integrated provider of business aircraft charter, management and operations services, and Montreal's ZenithJet, the leading completions, delivery and technical services provider for Bombardier Global aircraft, will co-host an exclusive by-invitation event in London on November 23rd. This networking event distinguishes itself from other business aviation gatherings by focusing exclusively on the interests, needs and concerns of family office professionals. The objective is to present attractive business aviation opportunities available to high-net-worth individuals and their families.
Small Jets drive stronger growth in October. The WINGX Report. Global 7500 earns FAA approval and continues to move towards entry-into-service this year
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GKN Aerospace signs $66m contract with Pratt & Whitney for F135 engine components
GKN Aerospace Norway has signed an eight-year agreement with Pratt & Whitney for the production of diffuser cases, low pressure turbine cases and shafts for the F135 engine, which powers the fifth generation F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft.
The agreement also includes an extension for the supply of several shafts for Pratt & Whitney’s F100, JT8D and FT8 engines. This contract expands GKN Aerospace’s involvement in the F135 program and reinforces the company’s role as a long-term supplier of engine components for Pratt & Whitney.
Peter Hjortsberg, President of GKN Aerospace Engine Systems in Norway said: “We are very proud to have entered into this contract, with our long term important customer Pratt & Whitney. This multi-year agreement is a great base for continued cooperation and will be benefical for all parties involved. We look forward to further strengthening our relationship with Pratt &Whitney and to work together as one excellent team.”
The manufacture of all the covered engine components takes place at GKN Aerospace’s Kongsberg facility, which is GKN Aerospace Engine System’s Center of Excellence for Shafts. The facility also has extensive experience in the manufacturing of low pressure turbine casings using all in-house manufacturing processes.
"This award reaffirms Pratt & Whitney's commitment to F135 engine industrial participation in Norway," said O Sung Kwon, Executive Director of Pratt & Whitney Military Engines. "GKN Aerospace Norway competed globally and was selected as the best value supplier of these engine components, and will play a valuable role in our global supply chain for the F135 engine."
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