Hi Fly to introduce a new Airbus A330 multi-fingered “Plug and Fly Retrofit Wingtip” called TRINITAIR

Hi Fly has made this announcement:

New wingtip TRINITAIR is capable of reducing fuel consumption by up to 2% and on particular applications even more. In aviation for every kg of fuel saved carbon emission is reduced by 3.16 kg.
Hi Fly will be the first airline in the world to go on a flight with this new technology, supporting the transformation to a greener environment.
The new climate-saving and greenhouse-gas-emission reducing project will have its maiden test-flight on a Hi Fly A330.
This pioneering initiative to create sustainable innovation will forever revolutionize the aviation industry.

We are pleased to present the new wingtip TRINITAIR, capable of reducing fuel consumption by up to 2% and on particular applications even more than that. In aviation each kg of fuel saved on a flight reduces CO2 emissions by 3.16 kg. This unprecedented equipment will bring airlines not only financial benefits; they will also enable them to strongly reduce their environmental footprint.

This pioneering initiative to create sustainable innovation, that will forever revolutionize the aviation industry, is now on its final phase. The new climate-saving and greenhouse-gas-emission reducing project will have its maiden test-flight on a Hi Fly A330. Hi Fly will be the first airline in the world to go on a flight with this new technology, supporting the transformation to a greener environment.

“In an industry that is increasingly more concerned with a sustainable planet, and which is looking to have a positive impact with its day to day operations, investing in environmentally friendly technology is the right way to a better world”, says Paulo Mirpuri, President of Hi Fly and the Mirpuri Foundation.

The new wingtip provides an enhanced aerodynamic solution, assisting aircraft manufacturers and airlines to reduce their CO2 emissions. TRINITAIR was designed by The Aircraft Performance Company GmbH (The APC) as a cost-effective retrofit solution for valuable in-service aircraft. Along with a downtime of less than one day for installation, the new hardware brings performance enhancement, lower engine wear, range extension and payload increase as well as a significant reduction of fuel burn that leads to lower emissions of CO2 and NOX.

Harald Zirngibl, Managing Director of The APC, explains that “With its 3-finger wingtip solution, born from a sketch on a napkin, The APC is developing a new technology that enables aircraft to reduce its carbon footprint. The new winglet not only reduces fuel consumption, but also optimizes the overall performance. The engineers at The APC uses well-founded, patented knowledge of flow and structural mechanics to achieve an optimal circulation distribution of the outer wing by locally influencing or expanding the wingtip vortex. A flight from Frankfurt to Hong Kong, for example, would save at least 1.2 tons of fuel. Applied to global air traffic, this means a considerable overall reduction in fuel and thus in CO2 emissions. The handling of available resources, cost effectiveness and pragmatism are also fundamental. Increasing the efficiency of valuable in-service aircraft will immediately benefit our environment. With the “Plug & Fly” concept, the winglets are airworthy within one day. The use of further resources to optimize the fleets is kept as low as possible. It is not the time to wait for the one big solution that can make aviation emission-free in one fell swoop. Effective and implementable transitional steps must be taken quickly on the way there, which drive and support the entire process – that’s our approach at The APC.”

TRINITAIR is a joint project for the environment supported by Hi Fly and its principal sustainability partner, the Mirpuri Foundation. Teaming up for a cleaner sky.

Cabo Verde Airlines to resume flights on June 18 with new online sales system

Cabo Verde Airlines, the Cape Verdean airline, will officially resume flights on June 18, 2021.

Cabo Verde Airlines will officially restart its operations on June 18 with a weekly flight on Fridays between Sal Island and Lisbon. The resumption will be gradual, connecting the archipelago through the hub in Sal.

From June 28, 2021 until March 28, 2022, Cabo Verde Airlines will make four weekly flights between Praia/Sal and Lisbon on Fridays and Mondays; a weekly flight to and from Sal/Praia/Boston on Tuesdays with return on Wednesdays and a weekly flight to and from Sal/São Vicente/Paris on Saturdays with return on Sundays.

Cabo Verde Airlines also informs that, depending on the rate of vaccination and the unblocking of international borders, it expects to launch new frequencies and additional destinations, if pandemic conditions will permit it.

The airline informs that it has a new passenger service system, named HITIT, a modern platform with an integrated sales, operations and accounting solution, a new technology that will increase the efficiency and reliability of customer service.

Cabo Verde Airlines has been grounded since March 2020.

The airline took advantage of this forced stop of the pandemic to reorganize itself, train its teams and implement a new sales system that allows it to automatically notify passengers of all flights in progress, a huge investment in customer experience that is expected to be fruitful to make the company more agile and reliable.

The company will also have a rebate program for unpaid flights vouchers, which allows travel to be scheduled up to three years after the issue, a program that aims to compensate all passengers for canceled flights, as a result of the sudden pandemic that has plagued all airlines.

Top Copyright Photo: Cabo Verde Airlines Boeing 757-236 WL D4-CCF (msn 25808) IAD (Brian McDonough). Image: 948548.

Cabo Verde Airlines aircraft slide show:

British Airways to trial the IATA Travel Pass

Airlines are now gravitating to the IATA Travel Pass for international travel.

British Airways has now joined this group with this announcement:

British Airways will initially trial IATA Travel Pass on flights from London to Zurich and Geneva
The airline’s parent company International Airlines Group, has been working with IATA, the association for the world’s airlines, to co-develop its Travel Pass app
The new travel pass is added to two other digital solutions being tested by the airline as it continues to seek out the best solutions for its customers to ensure frictionless travel
VeriFLY, an alternative app already being used by the airline, also continues to evolve as the airline works with testing suppliers to automatically upload results into the app and enable online check-in once documents are verified

British Airways will begin trialling digital travel solution, IATA Travel Pass, on flights from Heathrow to Geneva and Zurich in Switzerland from today, June 1.

The app can be downloaded onto a mobile device directly from the app store. Once downloaded, customers will create a secure account and will be presented with the entry requirements for their destination. British Airways’ customers can then book a Covid-19 test with an approved provider* and the results will be automatically uploaded into the app by the laboratory.

The app then checks that a customer meets the entry requirements for their destination and will then notify the customer to let them know that they are ready to travel. The airline’s parent company, International Airlines Group (IAG), has been working closely with IATA to co-develop the app that is now being successfully piloted by other global airlines, including British Airways’ sister airline Iberia.

Sean Doyle, British Airways’ Chairman and CEO, said “We are committed to exploring ways to ensure that the customer journey is as frictionless as possible and sharing our learnings to help the travel industry take off again.

“We know that digital travel passes are part of the solution and they will also play a key role in offering those traveling the reassurance they need before they arrive at the airport. We hope to be able to offer a customer-friendly digital option for every British Airways international route that requires proof of government mandated Covid status documentation.”

British Airways is also currently trialling digital travel app, VeriFLY, on routes to the US, France, Ireland, Barbados, Bahamas and Canada, as well as all inbound international flights. Once a customer has had their travel documentation certified through the app they will be able to check-in through either ba.com or the British Airways app and download their boarding pass before arriving at the airport.

The airline’s customers travelling to Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal can now also upload their negative Covid-19 test result and other documentation directly into ba.com for verification before travel.

Air Do and Solaseed Air to merge

Air Do (Hokkaido), and Solaseed Air (Miyazaki), both backed by ANA, have announced the two companies have signed a basic agreement with the goal of establishment of a joint holding company by October 2022.

The two companies issued this statement:

“In order to quickly recover the damaged financial base of both companies, survive the new business environment, provide more added value to customers, and achieve sustainable growth…the … cooperative relationships between the two companies will be further deepened.”

Top Copyright Photo: Air Do Boeing 767-381 JA602A (msn 27944) (Beardo Hokkaido Jet) HND (Michael B. Ing). Image: 935474.

Above Copyright Photo: Solaseed Air Boeing 737-86N WL JA812X (msn 43402) BFI (Steve Bailey). Image: 926968.

Air Do aircraft slide show:

Solaseed Air aircraft slide show:

Qatar Airways expands U.S. network to 12 destinations and over 85 weekly flights, expands strategic alliance with Oman Air

Qatar Airways’ resumption of four-weekly Atlanta flights on 1 June marks the full return of the airline’s pre-pandemic U.S. network increasing its gateways to 12, two more than it operated before COVID-19. The airline will also be increasing frequencies to Boston, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle offering more flexible travel options for its passengers with more than 85 weekly flights across the United States. These increased services will provide enhanced connectivity to several of the airline’s global leisure destinations including Cape Town, Maldives, Seychelles and Zanzibar, along with other key traffic flows in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

Americas Network Enhancements:

Atlanta – Four weekly flights resuming 1 June
Boston – Increasing to four weekly flights from 3 July
Miami – Increasing to five weekly flights from 7 July
New York – Increasing to double daily flights from 21 July
Philadelphia – Increasing to five weekly flights from 2 July
Sao Paulo – Increasing to double daily flights from 6 August
San Francisco – Increasing to daily flights from 2 July
Seattle/Tacoma – Increasing to daily flights from 8 July

In other news, Qatar Airways and Oman Air have taken the next step in further strengthening strategic cooperation, expanding their codeshare partnership to cover more than 80 destinations on Qatar Airways’ network.

The expansion of the agreement will provide more convenient and seamless travel options for both airlines’ passengers. This expansion follows shortly after the two airlines announced an agreement to significantly strengthen strategic cooperation between the two airlines in December 2020.

This most recent expansion of the strategic partnership will enable Oman Air passengers to enjoy seamless connections via the Best Airport in the Middle East to and from 16 new routes* – Adana, Ankara, Antalya, Bodrum, Istanbul Sabiha and Izmir in Turkey; Berlin and Munich, Germany; Mykonos, Greece; St. Petersburg, Russia; Zurich, Switzerland; Atlanta and Seattle in USA; Abuja, Nigeria; Johannesburg, South Africa; and Gassim, Saudi Arabia.

The national carrier of the State of Qatar continues to rebuild its network, which currently stands at over 130 destinations with plans to increase to more than 1,200 weekly flights to over 140 destinations by end of July 2021.

*Subject to regulatory approval

Top Copyright Photo: Qatar Airways Airbus A350-1041 A7-ANS (msn 420) LAX (Michael B. Ing). Image: 953354.

Qatar Airways aircraft slide show:

flydubai adds Sharm El Sheikh to its network

flydubai, the Dubai-based airline, has announced the launch of flights to Sharm El Sheikh.

The carrier will operate three weekly flights to Sharm El Sheikh International Airport (SSH) from June 15, 2021. The route will become flydubai’s second destination in Egypt alongside Alexandria Borg El Arab International Airport (HBE).

The launch of flights to the popular resort city follows the launch of several holiday destinations brings the number of seasonal routes served by flydubai to seven destinations including Bodrum and Trabzon in Turkey, Batumi in Georgia, Mykonos and Santorini in Greece and Tivat in Montenegro.

flydubai will restart its operations to Batumi in Georgia and Tivat in Montenegro from June 25, 2021and both destinations offer UAE residents visa on arrival. Flights to Bodrum and Trabzon in Turkey will start from June 4 and June 24 respectively with flights Mykonos and Santorini starting on June 18, 2021. The carrier plans to start flights to Naples in Italy and Salzburg in Austria from July onwards.

Top Copyright Photo: Flydubai Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 A6-FMM (msn 60985) BFI (Joe G. Walker). Image: 953802.

Flydubai aircraft slide show:

Air Seychelles to resume flights from Johannesburg to the Seychelles and Maldives

Air Seychelles has made this announcement:

Air Seychelles will resume direct services from Johannesburg to the Seychelles and Maldives on June 5, 2021.

The flights will be operated on Wednesdays and Saturdays from O R Tambo International Airport to the Seychelles and will also include an overnight service on Saturday nights to provide more flexibility to those planning a quick getaway. To maximize their holiday, travelers can also book their connections from Johannesburg up to Praslin without having to overnight in Mahé.

Air Seychelles flight HM060 will depart O R Tambo International Airport at 13:30hrs to arrive in the Seychelles at 20:45hrs, whilst flight HM061 bound to South Africa will depart the archipelago at 9:25hrs to arrive in Johannesburg at 12:30hrs. The overnight Saturday service will depart from Johannesburg at 00:45hrs (Sunday) to arrive in Seychelles at 7:45hrs.

To offer greater choice and connectivity to travelers thinking of an all-inclusive vacation or a stunning retreat on a private island, the flights departing Johannesburg on Friday evenings to Maldives will do the trick.

Making an intermediate stop briefly in the Seychelles before continuing onto Male’s International Airport, the returning flights from Male scheduled on Saturdays will provide travelers a full week of complete relaxation in the Maldives.

The flights to be served by the airlines’ A320neo aircraft.

In other news, Air Seychelles will operate more flights from Seychelles to Dubai this July.

The weekly service starting from July 1 until July 24, 2021 utilizing the airlines’ A320neo jetliner will provide a total of 840 seats on this route. To provide leisure and business travelers the chance to plan a quick getaway to Dubai, the airline will also operate an additional flight on 18 July, 2021.

The scheduled service will depart Seychelles International Airport on Thursday afternoon, whilst the returning flight from Dubai International Airport Terminal 3 will operate every Friday morning.

Top Copyright Photo: Air Seychelles Airbus A320-251N WL S7-VEV (msn 8972) AMS (Ton Jochems). Image: 950492.

Air Seychelles aircraft slide show:

Boeing halts 787 Dreamliner deliveries pending approval of planned inspection method

From Reuters:

“The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday that Boeing had temporarily halted deliveries of 787 Dreamliners as the agency waits for more data to determine if the planemaker’s planned inspection method meets federal requirements.

Boeing said earlier it was providing the FAA with more information on its undelivered 787 Dreamliners but that there was no impact on planes already in service.

The FAA noted it had issued two airworthiness directives to address production issues for in-service airplanes.”

Boeing to pay at least $17 million to settle enforcement cases on 737

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has made this announcement:

The Boeing Company will pay at least $17 million in penalties and undertake multiple corrective actions with its production under a settlement agreement (PDF) with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The FAA found that the Chicago-based manufacturer installed equipment on 759 Boeing 737 MAX and NG aircraft containing sensors that were not approved for that equipment; submitted approximately 178 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft for airworthiness certification when the aircraft potentially had nonconforming slat tracks installed; and improperly marked those slat tracks.

“Keeping the flying public safe is our primary responsibility. That is not negotiable, and the FAA will hold Boeing and the aviation industry accountable to keep our skies safe,” said FAA Administrator Steve Dickson.

Boeing will pay the $17 million penalty within 30 days after signing the agreement. If Boeing does not complete certain corrective actions within specific timeframes, the FAA will levy up to $10.1 million in additional penalties. The corrective actions include but are not limited to:

Strengthening procedures to ensure that it does not install on aircraft any parts that fail to conform to their approved design.
Performing Safety Risk Management analyses to determine whether its supply-chain oversight processes are appropriate and whether the company is ready to safely increase the Boeing 737 production rate.
Revising its production procedures to enable the FAA to observe production rate readiness assessments, the data on which the company bases the assessments, and the results of the assessments.
Taking steps to reduce the chance that it presents to the FAA aircraft with nonconforming parts for airworthiness certification or a Certificate of Export.
Enhancing processes to improve its oversight of parts suppliers.

The FAA will continue its oversight of Boeing’s engineering and production activities and is actively implementing oversight provisions from the 2020 Aircraft Certification, Safety, and Accountability Act.

Norwegian resumes flights from Sweden, exits bankruptcy protection

Norwegian Air Shuttle made this announcement:

As of today, May 31,2021 Norwegian will resume flights in Sweden and expand to 33 destinations during the spring and summer.

Today Norwegian starts flying domestically to Umeå and Luleå from Stockholm as well as international to Oslo and Malaga. In June, more direct routes will start and during the summer the company offers 31 destinations from Stockholm and two destinations from Gothenburg.

In June, Norwegian will begin flying to Visby, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Nice, Palma, Alicante, Barcelona, Faro, Athens, Berlin, Burgas, Dubrovnik, Split, Chania, London, Riga and Sarajevo from Stockholm.

Direct flights to Malaga and Alicante from Gothenburg will also start in June.

In July, the route network will be further expanded with direct flights to Kiruna, Vilnius, Palermo, Rome, Rhodes, Prague, Larnaca, Krakow, Budapest and Belgrade from Stockholm.

In other news, the company exited bankruptcy protection on May 26, 2021.

Restructuring saw the company shed a large part of its fleet (156 to 51 aircraft) and a reduction of its debt. The number of employees has dropped to around 3,300.

Norwegian is out of the long-haul business and will concentrate on flights in Europe.

The restructuring plan has now been approved in both Ireland and Norway where the aircraft are registered.

Top Copyright Photo: Norwegian.com (Norwegian Air International) (Ireland) Boeing 737-8Q8 WL EI-FHE (msn 35280) (Sonja Henie) PMI (Ton Jochems). Image: 952170.

Norwegian aircraft slide show (Ireland):