Airbus, Air Liquide and Vinci Airports announce a partnership to promote the use of hydrogen

Airbus, Air Liquide and Vinci Airports, three major players in the aviation, hydrogen and airport industries, are working together to promote the use of hydrogen at airports and build the European airport network to accommodate future hydrogen aircrafts. The airport of Lyon-Saint Exupéry (France) will host the first installations as early as 2023. This partnership reflects the three groups’ shared ambition to combine their respective expertise to support the decarbonization of air travel.

Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport (VINCI Airports’ center of excellence for innovation) has been chosen as the pilot airport by the partners. The implementation of this project includes several phases:

From 2023: deployment of a hydrogen gas distribution station at Lyon-Saint Exupéry airport. This station will supply both the airport’s ground vehicles (buses, trucks, handling equipment, etc.) and those of its partners, as well as the heavy goods vehicles that drive around the airport. This first phase is essential to test the airport’s facilities and dynamics as a “hydrogen hub” in its area of reach.

Between 2023 and 2030: deployment of liquid hydrogen infrastructures that will allow hydrogen to be provisioned into the tanks of future aircraft.

Beyond 2030: deployment of the hydrogen infrastructure from production to mass distribution of liquid hydrogen at the airport.

By 2030, the three partners will study the possibility of equipping VINCI Airports’ European airport network with the hydrogen production, storage and supply facilities needed for use on the ground and on board aircraft.

This partnership illustrates the partners’ shared commitment to decarbonizing air travel and is a major step forward for the development of hydrogen across the airport ecosystem. It relies on the know-how of Airbus in commercial aircraft, on Air Liquide’s expertise in mastering the entire hydrogen value chain (production, liquefaction, storage and distribution) and on the global reach of VINCI Airports, the leading private airport operator with 45 airports in 12 countries, which will help create the desired network.

Republic Airways to move its headquarters to Carmel, IN

The City of Carmel and Republic Airways have jointly announced that Republic Airways plans to move its training activities and corporate headquarters to Carmel, Indiana. Republic, one of the largest regional airlines in the U.S., will be part of a redevelopment project along the Meridian (U.S. 31) Corporate Corridor. In addition to its headquarters, the site will include a high-tech training facility for pilots, technicians, flight attendants and other positions within the airline, the expansion of an adjacent hotel and a new parking garage wrapped with commercial amenities on the first floor and multifamily living above.

The investment for the initial phases will bring approximately 1,900 new jobs to Carmel with estimated annual wages of $150 million and will allow the company to consolidate training centers currently located in Cincinnati, St. Louis, Indianapolis and a number of other locations. Republic operates a fleet of 220 Embraer aircraft and 6,000 aviation professionals located across 12 crew and maintenance bases, providing nearly 1,000 daily flights to 100 cities in 40 states, Canada, the Caribbean and Central America.

An increase in the daily flow of instructors, pilots, technicians and flight attendants in training and others who work at the corporate headquarters will breathe new life into a commercial development that was impacted by upgrades made to U.S. 31. These changes resulted in the loss of direct access from the highway due to the federal highway guidelines about spacing highway exits at least one mile apart.

Another positive impact will be an increase in employment opportunities and diversification of Carmel’s industry sectors that will help further stabilize our workforce. Carmel has been able to weather economic downturns in the past because we have a wide variety of businesses in our community better insulating us from a crisis of a specific sector.

The City of Carmel will also invest in the project through a Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) bond that will be considered for approval by the Carmel City Council. The TIF bond will be used for infrastructure improvements, which will benefit and support both the public and the private corporate employees and visitors. Site development, parking facilities, streets and other infrastructure improvements will be funded by the increase in property tax revenues from the new building. The bonds will be backed solely by Republic Airways and the City of Carmel, and its taxpayers will have no liability.

Airline employees in training will be able to live on site during the course of their training. Brainard added that the training center will have a positive impact on local restaurants and retail businesses.

The 105,000 square-foot training facility will be three stories tall and visible to travelers on nearby U.S. 31, providing passersby with a unique view of pilot-training simulators through large bay windows that will face the highway. Within the development, an “eagles nest” viewing deck will allow visitors, school students and other aviation partners a unique view of the excitement of aviation.

Construction will begin with the training facility, which will include 20 classrooms, 94 workstations, two cabin trainers and eight flight simulators. After the corporate headquarters is constructed, four more classrooms will be added along with two more flight simulators. The hotel adjacent to the training center will be expanded to 274 rooms and used exclusively as accommodations for trainees, visiting instructors, business partners and colleagues traveling to the aviation campus.

A key part of the development will be the City of Carmel’s role in financing the construction of a new parking garage to serve both employees and visitors. The garage will not only be convenient it will also allow for more land to be developed in revenue-producing projects, as opposed to open, sprawling parking lots. In addition, the parking garage will be wrapped with commercial amenities on the first floor and multifamily living above, providing shopping and dining options for the thousands who will work in and visit Republic Airways’ facilities. These buildings will be operational 365 days a year. Training and recertification classes are scheduled consistently throughout the year.

Kite Realty is developing the site, and RATIO Architects has designed the buildings with a fresh modern architectural style reflective of technical nature of the facility. Amenities will include outdoor courtyards, rooftop terraces, recreational spaces and other gathering places that will provide places for employees and visitors to meet, relax or simply take a break from the busy working and training environment.

Atlas Air and DHL Express extend agreements for 20 freighters

Atlas Air, Inc., a subsidiary of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc., announced it has entered into contract extensions with DHL Express to continue operating 20 freighter aircraft in support of their fast-growing express and e-commerce markets.

These agreements build on the long-standing strategic partnership between Atlas Air Worldwide and DHL, which began in 2008 and included DHL acquiring 49% of AAWW’s subsidiary, Polar Air Cargo, as well as a long-term agreement for six dedicated 747-400Fs to operate on key Trans-Pacific routes.

The partnership has grown significantly over the years, and under these extended agreements, Atlas Air will continue to operate four different aircraft platforms for DHL Express, including:

Six Boeing 747-8 freighters
Two Boeing 747-400 freighters
Eight Boeing 777-200 freighters
Four Boeing 767-300 freighters

Volotea records growth of 136% in Greece this past summer

Volotea has made this announcement:

Volotea, the airline of small and mid-sized European cities, shared its summer activity report for the Greek market today. Despite a season once again affected by the COVID 19 crisis, Volotea achieved good results this summer. The airline transported over 400,000 passengers between June and August, representing a 136% increase on the same period last year.

With a second summer season impacted by the pandemic, Volotea has reworked its strategy and adapted its offer to new customer demands and expectations. This summer, the airline operated three new routes and offered 480,000 seats, increasing its capacity by 119% in comparison with last summer. A 95% load factor was achieved for the more than 2,900 flights operated from June to August.

Another highlight of the season for the company, which has contributed to its recovery, has been its evolution into a single fleet operator, in a move favoring the European manufacturer Airbus, through the early retirement of its fourteen Boeing B717 aircraft and their replacement by the larger Airbus A320s. In total, Volotea operated 40 Airbus A320s and A319s over the summer.

Despite good results in terms of capacity, flights and load factor, it has been a challenging summer for Volotea and its airport and handling partners. The market, impacted by the Covid crisis, has experienced great instability with constantly changing travel procedures leading to added operational complexity and an increased need to support passengers.

“We are very satisfied with our performance this summer, in the context of the pandemic, and are very grateful for the positive response of our customers and crews. We have been able to help our customers fly to their holiday destinations, despite the difficult circumstances experienced by the travel industry as a whole. Our focus remains unchanged: to continue serving the maximum number of poorly served routes among small and mid-sized European cities, at the most competitive prices. Our strategic shift to an all-Airbus fleet, which is larger, more efficient and more environmentally friendly, has been key, together with our focus on domestic and island markets during the summer. We hope the gradual recovery of the travel industry will continue over the coming months but, having improved our competitive cost base significantly during the crisis, we are certainly prepared for more ups and downs,” said Carlos Munoz, Founder and CEO of Volotea.

Iberia proposes to its unions the negotiation of an ERTE for organizational and productive reasons

Iberia made this announcement:

The airline remains at capacity levels 30-35 percent lower than 2019 due, mainly, to restrictions on tourism with the United States and Latin America.

The slowdown in the economic recovery, together with the growing uncertainty about whether force majeure ERTEs will be applied to the airline sector and under what conditions, have motivated Iberia’s decision to start negotiations with its unions on an ERTE for organizational and productive reasons.

Due to the slow recovery of both long-haul and connecting flights as well as business travel and the prohibitions, restrictions and quarantines still in force in many countries, Iberia considers it essential that the extension of the force majeure ERTE that the Government and the social partners are negotiating include the air sector to safeguard the employment of workers in the sector.

In any case, Iberia needs to continue applying adjustment measures and this was reported last Friday to its unions. The airline continues at capacity levels 30-35 lower than in 2019 due, mainly, to restrictions on tourism with the United States, Latin America, Japan and China.

This has led Iberia to propose to its unions the intention of starting to negotiate an ERTE for organizational and productive reasons, necessary to be able to continue adjusting its resources to the real capacity and protect employment.

The talks on this ERTE would begin without prejudice to the decisions that Iberia may adopt regarding the ERTEs of force majeure, once the result of the negotiation that is being carried out within the Social Dialogue is known.

Force majeure ERTEs have been a fundamental tool to safeguard employment during the worst aviation crisis, and are the ones that currently apply to the entire tourism sector in Spain and, at present, are being applied in the airline as well.

American Airlines fuels low-carbon future as anchor partner to Breakthrough Energy Catalyst

American Airlines made this announcement:

American Airlines has announced that it has become an anchor partner to Breakthrough Energy Catalyst, investing $100 million in a groundbreaking collaborative effort to accelerate the clean energy technologies necessary for achieving a net zero economy by 2050.

In becoming one of Breakthrough Energy Catalyst’s first anchor partners, American is backing up its ambitious climate commitments with concrete action to accelerate the development of pivotal emissions-reduction solutions like sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

Breakthrough Energy Catalyst is a first-of-its-kind model that brings together companies, governments, and private philanthropy to accelerate the adoption of critical, next generation clean technologies. Catalyst and its partners will work together to finance, produce and buy the new solutions that will underpin a zero-carbon economy but are currently more expensive than their existing fossil-fuel emitting counterparts. The difference between these costs is what is now referred to as the “Green Premium.”

“Avoiding a climate disaster will require a new industrial revolution. We need to make the technologies and products that don’t cause emissions as cheap as those that do, so the whole world can afford to put them to use,” said Bill Gates, Founder of Breakthrough Energy. “Catalyst will focus on supporting technologies that are vital to the world reaching net-zero emissions but are currently too expensive to be adopted at scale. By coordinating investments and directing them toward these critical technologies, we can reduce their Green Premiums and help them get to market faster, so we can all reach our climate goals. American Airlines has demonstrated both ambition and action when it comes to combating climate change, and we applaud the leadership role they’re taking in joining Catalyst as an anchor partner.”

Catalyst will start by funding projects across four technologies: sustainable aviation fuel, green hydrogen, direct air capture and long-duration energy storage.

With a goal to reach net zero by 2050 and a commitment to set a science-based intermediate target, American’s plan to reduce its emissions relies in large part on using low-carbon fuel ― namely SAF ― in increasing volumes over time. American’s partnership with Catalyst will augment the airline’s ongoing efforts to advance SAF and bring the market to scale. The airline has been taking delivery of SAF from Neste for more than a year and has committed to using 9 million gallons in total through 2023. Additionally, American has agreed to terms to purchase up to 10 million gallons of carbon neutral SAF produced by Prometheus Fuels.

American’s path to net zero also hinges on maximizing the efficiency of its aircraft and its operation, which is why the airline has invested $24 billion in modernizing its fleet with 600 new and more fuel-efficient aircraft while retiring a similar number of less-efficient planes.

Because reducing the impact of air travel on the planet is inextricably linked with the actions of many other entities, fostering impactful collaboration ― within the industry, across the private sector and with policymakers ― is fundamental to American’s sustainability strategy. The airline’s anchor partnership with Catalyst exemplifies the type of cooperation necessary to decarbonize the industry and forestall the most serious effects of climate change.

About Breakthrough Energy

Founded by Bill Gates in 2015, Breakthrough Energy is dedicated to helping humanity avoid a climate disaster. Through investment vehicles, philanthropic programs, policy advocacy, and other activities, Breakthrough Energy is committed to scaling the technologies the world needs to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

MidAmerica Airport is long on critics, but officials see a turnaround as Boeing expands

From the Belleville News-Democrat:

https://www.bnd.com/news/local/article254324203.html

Currently served by Allegiant:

Routes:

Photo: iFly Airlines Airbus A330-323 EI-GWF (msn 1265) AYT (Ton Jochems). Image: 955124.

Flyr expands to Copenhagen, Paris and Rome

Flyr (Oslo) is again expanding in Europe.

Flyr previously added its first European destination, Alicante, Malaga and Nice on August 21. The company is now expanding its frequencies to Alicante and Malaga.

Now the new airline has announced it will also add three new destinations.

The airline issued this statement:

Flyr is launching three new routes to some favorite destinations among Norwegians: Copenhagen, Paris, and Rome.

Simultaneously, the new Oslo-based airline’s flight program will expand with more weekly departures to the popular destinations of Alicante and Malaga.

“We listened to our customers, and many wanted Flyr routes to Copenhagen, Paris, and Rome. In addition, we now also have the pleasure of expanding our route offerings for Norwegians who want to travel to Malaga and Alicante”, says Thomas Ramdahl, Commercial Director of Flyr.

Flyr’s first international routes went to Nice, Alicante, and Malaga on August 21, and the company has subsequently experienced great demand from Norwegians who want more weekly departures to Alicante and Malaga.

Flyr will launch several additional exciting destinations in the coming weeks.

Top Photo (all others by the airline): NewYard25.

flyadeal receives its first three new Airbus A320neos

flyadeal, the low-cost subsidiary of Saudia-Saudi Arabian Airlines, issued this statement:

Saudi Arabia’s first true low cost airline, launched through only digital and social channels
• Flies to both domestic and international destinations and has flown over 11 million passengers
• 47 additional new Airbus A320neo to join the fleet
• Creating career opportunities in aviation for younger generation

flyadeal, a subsidiary of Saudi Arabian Airlines Corporation, marks several milestones ahead of its four-year anniversary on September 23, 2021.

During an event held on September 15 at the King Abdulaziz Airport in Jeddah, the Director General of Saudi Arabian Airlines Corporation, H.E. Eng. Ibrahim Alomar, the CEO of flyadeal Mr. Con Korfiatis, flyadeal board members,dignitaries, partners, special guests and members of the media were present to mark the official introduction of the airline’s latest Airbus A320neo joining the fleet – its third delivery in three months.

A GAME CHANGING INITIATIVE

flyadeal is a game-changing initiative that has become the first successful Saudi low-cost airline. It is also currently the fastest growing airline in the Middle East. The formation of the airline was inspired by the Saudi Vision 2030.

Director General Saudi Arabian Airlines Corporation, His Excellency Eng. Alomar said:

“flyadeal is a prime example of the Saudi vision 2030. It demonstrates the potential of the Kingdom’s aviation sector.

Lower fares from flyadeal will enable more people to travel, encouraging trade and tourism.”

The airline accomplished a unique feat by launching exclusively on digital and social channels, which demonstrated the immense potential of the fast-growing digital and social media market. With its vibrant purple, lime colors and youthful inviting brand, flyadeal quickly became very popular with travelers.

SUPPORTING THE KINGDOM’S AVIATION SECTOR

The airline began its operations with a small fleet of leased A320 aircraft, with double daily flights between Jeddah and Riyadh.

In under one year of flying, flyadeal was operating 392 weekly flights within Saudi Arabia and soon became the second largest airline on the highest traffic route in the MENA region (Jeddah to Riyadh).

flyadeal has been able to accelerate growth within the Saudi domestic market. The journey of flyadeal has been exceptional. The low-cost airline is now operating over 600 weekly flights, with a fleet of 15 A320 aircraft.

flyadeal is currently operating 18 routes domestically.

MANY FIRSTS IN THE KINGDOM

flyadeal is focusing on providing digital solutions to customers in line with the Vision 2030 focus on digital enablement; 98% of seats sold are through direct online booking.

The airline has also become the first in the Kingdom to create employment opportunities for Saudi women to work in several areas, including pilots, cabin crew, airport managers, executive leadership, and has also supported efforts to localize pilot positions through its cadet program.

GUINNESS RECORD

On April 28, 2021, flyadeal set a Guinness World Record by lighting up 8,015 light bulbs to say “Shukran” (Thank You) to its customers on the occasion of 10 million passengers flown. It is currently the largest LED light bulb word in the Guinness World Records.

INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION

In July of this year, flyadeal began international operations between Riyadh and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. There are plans to expand into other regional and international routes that are yet to be announced.

50 NEW AIRBUS A320NEO TO JOIN THE FLEET

flyadeal operates an all-Airbus fleet of single-aisle Airbus A320 aircraft.

In July 2019 flyadeal made a strategic announcement, announcing the order of 50 Airbus A320neo (New Engine Option) aircraft*

“The Airbus A320neo aircraft features a brand-new seating concept, providing greater legroom and comfort for our customers. It features 60% more overhead storage space and a new ambient mood lighting concept. It will also deliver a more fuel-efficient performance and give us the range to open up more new destinations” Con Korfiatis, CEO of flyadeal said.

The airline has now inducted 3 brand new Airbus A320neo aircraft, and are expecting to operate the full 50 that are on order, by 2025.