Debrief

Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines plan to boost capacity between Auckland and Singapore with the addition of a third daily flight starting in October 2018 and running until March 30 2019. Their joint-venture schedule then reduces to 19 flights a week from March 31 to October 26 2019.

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Still on Air New Zealand, the Star Alliance member has opened its new premium passenger lounge at Perth Airport, the latest example of its investment in the Australian market as it seeks to attract more travellers from this side of the Tasman onto its long-haul services.

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Further, Air New Zealand says it will operate the Boeing 787-9 between Adelaide and Auckland on a yearround basis following the successful introduction of the next generation widebody in October 2017.

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In more Air New Zealand 787 news, the kiwi carrier has been forced to wet-lease an Airbus A330 and A340 to help replace capacity being lost through the forced withdrawal of some Boeing 787-9s due to engine issues. Air New Zealand had been forced to cancel some international flights and retime others in response to two incidents involving the Rolls‑Royce engines on its 787-9s.

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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) says airlines around the world are collectively expected to post US$38.4 billion in profits in calendar 2018 amid strong passenger demand and an improvement in the cargo sector. This would represent an improvement from the US$34.5 billion estimated profit for calendar 2017 and the fourth consecutive year of sustainable profits, with a return on invested capital of 9.4 per cent exceeding the industry’s average cost of capital of 7.4 per cent.

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Boeing Commercial Airplanes vice president and chief project engineer for the 777X program Michael Teal said the airframer is studying some potential “tweaks” to its proposed 777-8X offering in order to meet Qantas’s Project Sunrise ambition of flying nonstop from Australia’s east coast to London and New York by 2022. “If you look at the exact airplane we have on paper today, which is not at firm configuration, it falls short of some of their desires but exceeds many of their desires. What we are doing today is looking at what knobs we can twist,” Teal said.

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China Southern has commenced yearround nonstop flights between Cairns and its Guangzhou hub. The service will operate three times a week with Airbus A330 equipment. The Skyteam alliance member and Qantas codeshare partner had previously served Cairns on a seasonal basis, most commonly during the Chinese new year period.

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Qantas has opened the doors to its new premium passenger lounge at London Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 3. The split-level lounge with seating for 230 people is another element of its product offering for upcoming nonstop flights from Perth to the United Kingdom capital due to launch in March 2018.

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Former Jetstar Group chief executive Jayne Hrdlicka has resigned from the Qantas Group, where she currently serves as chief executive of Qantas Loyalty.Hrdlicka joined Qantas in 2010 as group executive of strategy and technology before being appointed as CEO of Jetstar in 2012. Hrdlicka became CEO of Qantas Loyalty on November 1 this year as part of a management reshuffle at the Qantas Group that saw former Qantas International chief Gareth Evans take on the Jetstar CEO role.

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Still on Qantas, actor John Travolta plans to personally deliver the ex- Qantas Boeing 707 he is donating to the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society. The 707-138B, registered N707JT, is expected to arrive at Albion Park from his Florida home some time in late 2018.

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Further, Qantas has increased the number of codeshare flights on LATAM Group Airlines’ services in South America, with the airline’s QF airline code to appear on 74 nonstop flights a week between Santiago and the two largest Brazilian cities of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, as well as on 34 flights a week between Santiago and Lima in Peru.

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In more codesharing news, Qantas and SriLankan have also expanded their codeshare agreement, with the Australian carrier adding its QF airline code on SriLankan nonstop flights between Colombo and Bangkok, as well as between Colombo and Hong Kong. Meanwhile, SriLankan will add its UL airline code on Qantas-operated flights from Melbourne to Adelaide, Brisbane and Sydney, as well as from Melbourne to Auckland.

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Virgin Australia has announced plans for a sweeping upgrade of its facilities at Melbourne Airport’s Terminal 3 over the next three years that will focus on more self-service facilities, a dedicated premium entry for eligible travellers and the relocation of some security screening facilities to improve passenger flows. Construction work was expected to begin in 2018 and be fully complete by mid-2019.

– Still on Virgin Australia, group executive for airlines Rob Sharp told a CAPA – Centre for Aviation conference in Sydney the airline planned to launch new Android and iOS apps in early 2018 to bring together its existing separate flight specials and inflight entertainment apps. There would also be a new app for its Velocity Frequent Flyer 2018.

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Air Canada has added a third Australian destination to its international network with the airline’s inaugural nonstop flight to Melbourne touching down on December 3. The flights will operate four times a week until February 4 2018 and will then resume as a year-round three times a week offering from June 1. The Star Alliance member and Virgin Australia codeshare partner also flies to Brisbane and Sydney from its Vancouver hub.

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China Airlines has become the first Airbus A350 operator at Sydney Airport after upgauging its nonstop service from Taipei in early December. The Skyteam alliance member was also boosting its Taipei-Sydney schedule to double daily, with both services to be flown with A350-900 Equipment.

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Hawaiian Airlines took delivery of its first Airbus A321neo in mid-November, becoming the seventh operator of the larger-capacity, extended-range narrowbody. The airline says the aircraft will be used primarily on routes between Hawaii and the US west coast. Its A321neos are configured with 189 seats comprising 16 in its premium cabin, 45 “extra comfort” premium economy seats and 128 in economy.

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Still on Hawaiian, the airline announced Mark Dunkerley was stepping down as chief executive, having held the role since 2002. The airline has promoted current chief commercial officer Peter Ingram as Dunkerley’s replacement from March 1 2018.

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Regional Express (Rex) says an improving Australian economy and more activity in the fly-in/fly-out sector will underpin a 20 per cent improvement in full year profit in 2017/18.

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In other regional airline news, Jetgo has announced plans to add the Embraer E175 to its fleet and operate international flights to Singapore in partnership with Karratha. The Embraer would be used to fly from Brisbane to Karratha, located on the West Australian north-west coast in the Pilbara region, and then onwards to Singapore. Flights with the 88-seat E175s would start from mid-2018, subject to regulatory approvals.

AIRPORTS

Brisbane Airport Corporation says Julieanne Alroe will retire as chief executive at the end of the current financial year on June 30 2018, after close to a decade in the role.

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Global airport services company Swissport, which is part of China’s HNA Group, is setting its sights on Australia through the acquisition of local operator Aerocare and its Skycare, Carbridge and EasyCart subsidiaries, from current owners including Australian private equity firm Archer Capital.

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Researchers from the University of Sunshine Coast (USC) will investigate the latest technologies and practices to make runway surfaces and airport pavements last longer as part of a new five-year, $2.85 million study. The research program is a partnership between USC and the Australian Airports Association, the Department of Defence, Perth Airport and Sunshine Coast Council (as the owner of Sunshine Coast Airport).

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Canberra Airport says the federal government should step in and make airlines accountable for the high rate of cancellations on flights to and from the national capital and is calling for a national taskforce to investigate the issue. Citing figures from the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics, Canberra Airport says travellers are getting a raw deal from the airlines when it comes to ontime performance, particularly on the Canberra-Sydney route.

DEFENCE

The Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) third F-35A Lightning II, A35-003, conducted its first flight at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth on December 1.

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Boeing has started the fitout of the RAAF’s purpose-built P-8A Poseidon Integrated Training Centre at RAAF Base Edinburgh, north of Adelaide. Due to be completed in mid-2018, the 16,500 square metre facility can accommodate 70 advanced operational and tactical training devices for the maritime patrol aircraft, including two pilot simulators, two air combat officer simulators and a Boeing 737 fuselage ordnance load Trainer.

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Defence Minister Marise Payne has confirmed Australia has agreed to sell 18 RAAF F/A-18A/B ‘classic’ Hornets to Canada. The Minister’s announcement came after Canada confirmed it would not be proceeding with a planned purchase of 18 F/A- 18E/F Super Hornets from Boeing, and would instead agree to a letter of offer from Australia for the classic Hornets. The first two aircraft would be handed over in early 2019.

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Northrop Grumman Australia has been awarded a performance-based contract to maintain the RAAF’s fleet of Leonardo/L-3 C-27J Spartan battlefield airlifters. The contract is of type in Australia. The red painted 505s, soon to be registered VH-VSB and VH-VTB, will be used by Nautilus for industry training on the type, commercial charter and tourism Operations.

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The Royal Australian Navy’s Aircraft Maintenance And Flight Trials Unit has conducted preliminary deck handling trials with an 816 Squadron Romeo Flight 6 MH-60R Seahawk landing on board the new Hobart class DDG Air Warfare Destroyer HMAS Hobart in Sydney Harbour. In the planning since May, the first-of-class trial began on November 7 alongside Fleet Base East, Garden Island, in order to reduce the risks associated with landing at sea, and included an approach, landing, and subsequent launch of Seahawk Romeo N48-013.

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for an initial five-year period, and will renew annually for up to 22 years under a “rolling wave” arrangement, should Northrop Grumman continue to meet performance targets.

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Air Affairs Australia and Discovery Air Defence Services have completed their first fast jet training missions in support of the Australian Defence Force’s Fast Jet Trial contract. Air Affairs stated that four of its Learjet aircraft and two Discovery Air Defence modified Alpha Jet aircraft participated in air-to-air missions as ‘red air aggressors’ near RAAF Base Williamtown.

HELICOPTERS

Nautilus Aviation’s two Bell 505 Jet Ranger Xs arrived at Hawker Pacific’s Bankstown Airport facility on December 4 and became the first CASA is proposing to change helicopter licensing standards for trainee helicopter pilots in Australia which would see student pilots able to gain their licences in a shorter time and without having to learn basic instrument flying. In response to industry concerns, the regulator is proposing to amend the Part 61 regulations covering flight training to include a 105‑hour training option for the CPL(H) that reflects the old 105 hour option in the Civil Aviation Regulations (CAR) 1988, while make training in basic instrument flying optional. The proposal is to add a 105‑hour CPL(H) option based on the former special training course under Part 5 of CAR.

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Babcock Australasia’s two new Airbus Helicopters H175s which arrived in Darwin on November 27 onboard an Antonov An-124 have become the first of type in the country. To be registered as VH‑NYJ and VH-NYI, the H175s will be operated on contract from Dili, Timor-Leste by Babcock Offshore Services Australasia which will use the super-medium helicopters to provide offshore personnel transport, SAR and medevac support for the Bayu-Undan gas production operations in the Timor Sea northwest of Darwin.

INDUSTRY

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) plans to overhaul its aviation medical requirements, allowing pilots flying commercial operations with no passengers to hold a less-restrictive Class 2 medical certificate, and private pilots flying with five or fewer passengers in VFR conditions to only hold a new aviation medical certificate that meets commercial vehicle driver Standards.

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Textron Aviation has unveiled the Cessna SkyCourier 408, a new clean-sheet regional-sized turboprop designed to seat up to 19 passengers or carry three LD3 containers. Global logistics company FedEx Express is the first customer with an order for 50 aircraft and options for 50 more. Entry-intoservice is planned for 2020.

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The chair of the Expert Reference Group advising the federal government on the ideal setup of a national space agency, Doctor Megan Clark, says the space industry represents an “outstanding opportunity” for Australia to create jobs and generate economic activity.

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GE Aviation has announced the appointment of Keren Rambow as regional general manager for South Asia Pacific. Based in Sydney, she is taking over from Max York, who was recently appointed as CEO of GE Australia.

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The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has handed down its final report into the ditching of a Pel-Air aeromedical flight off the coast of Norfolk Island eight years ago, which found the Captain in command made a series of missteps during the flight planning process, while the operator lacked sufficient risk controls in relation to fuel planning and safety. The investigation was reopened after heavy criticism of the original final report from a parliamentary committee and in an independent review by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. A Four Corners investigation also highlighted serious flaws in the way the original investigation was Conducted.

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Airbus expects the total number of aircraft flying within, into and out of the Australia/New Zealand/South Pacific region to expand from 749 aircraft currently to 1,358 by 2036, an increase of 609 aircraft over the next two decades as the lift in tourism and the rise of the middle class enables more people to take to the skies. The figures represent a more upbeat assessment of the region compared with Airbus’s previous forecast for Australia/New Zealand and the South Pacific that was published in 2015.

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In other Airbus news, the airframer has named Rolls-Royce president for civil aerospace Eric Schulz as the successor to long-time chief salesman John Leahy, who is retiring after 32 years with the company. The 54-year-old Schulz takes up his role as executive vice president and chief of sales, marketing and contracts for Airbus’s Commercial Aircraft business in January 2018.

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Unmanned systems company Insitu says it has signed a contract to support Royal Dutch Shell company QGC’s coal seam gas extraction business in Queensland. As part of the contract, QGC will use remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) to inspect wells, tanks, pipes and other infrastructure in Queensland’s Surat Basin. This would help cut down staff travel across an area spanning some 700,000Ha by about 800,000km a year, QGC says.