Latest Business & GA News (page 2)

General aviation (GA) encompasses all aviation other than scheduled airline flights and military aviation and includes privately owned aircraft, charter services, business owned aircraft and many more types of working aircraft that are not, strictly speaking, for transportation. Although a large part of General Aviation consists of recreational flying, an equally large part involves important, commercial activities. These include flight training, shipping, surveying, air taxi, charter passenger service, corporate flying, emergency transport, police, fire fighting and more. This section of your international aviation news magazine provides news from that part of civil aviation, which encompasses many facets of the aeronautical world.

12/09/08: Embraer participates in Africa Aerospace & Defence 2008: Phenom 300 jet mock-up to debut in South Africa

São José dos Campos, September 12, 2008 – Embraer will participate in Africa’s largest aerospace, defense, and security exhibition – Africa Aerospace & Defence (AAD 2008) – at Ysterplaat Air Force Base, near Cape Town, South Africa, from September 17 to 21. The 2006 show drew more than 22,000 trade visitors from Africa and other countries, plus 90,000 visitors on the public days. With a full-scale mock-up of the Phenom 300 being displayed for the first time in South Africa, the Company will promote its full complement of executive jets, consisting of the Phenom 100, Phenom 300, Legacy 450, Legacy 500, Legacy 600, and Lineage 1000 jets. First deliveries of the Phenom 100 and the Lineage 1000 are scheduled for the second half of this year; while the Phenom 300 is due to enter service in 2009. The midsize Legacy 500 and the midlight Legacy 450 jets, formally introduced last April, are expected to enter service in the second half of 2012 and 2013, respectively.

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08/09/08: Gulfstream names William Brown III manager of security services

SAVANNAH, Ga., September 8, 2008 – Gulfstream Aerospace, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), has named William Brown III manager of security services for its Savannah facility. Before joining Gulfstream, Brown worked for the Pentagon Force Protection Agency as assistant director of its Pentagon Access Control Division. Prior to that, he was the agency’s physical security evaluator and information technology manager. Brown also spent 14 years in the U.S. Air Force. His responsibilities included overseeing and participating in operational security, investigations, emergency management, physical and information technology threats, risk and vulnerabilities programs, training, policy development and security systems programs and projects.

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08/09/08: Afriqiyah Airways receives first Airbus A319

Afriqiyah Airways from Libya took delivery of its first medium range Airbus A319. This A319 is the first of three aircraft of this type to be delivered to the young and dynamic airline, and is part of an order signed in 2006, which also includes 11 A320s and three long range A330-200s. To date two A320s have also been delivered to the airline. In 2007, Afriqiyah signed another firm contract for six A350XWB aircraft to further expand their growing international long haul network. The A319 will be integrated into Afriqiyah’s all Airbus fleet, and be deployed from their hub in Tripoli, from where Afriqiyah operates non-stop key routes in Europe such as Paris, Brussels, Geneva, London, Rome and Amsterdam, as well as to 17 destinations in North-, West- and Central Africa and the Middle East. The aircraft is configured to seat 124 passengers in a very comfortable two-class configuration and is powered by CFM56-5B engines.

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08/09/08: London Executive Aviation (LEA) sees economic slowdown prompt ‘downsizing’ trend in private jet chartering

London, England, September 8, 2008 - London Executive Aviation (‘LEA’), one of Europe’s largest private jet charter operators, reports that two clear trends are emerging in the charter market as the economy slows. At the top end, there continues to be strong demand for large cabin private jets by Very High Net Worth Individuals, whose lifestyles appear unaffected by the economic malaise. However, in the corporate market, many businesses are downsizing to a new generation of small, four-passenger jets in order to conserve travel budgets. “The charter market looks to have come off its recent high, but demand is still well ahead of traditional levels. That suggests that people have really embraced private jet chartering as a time management tool,” says chief executive Patrick Margetson-Rushmore. “What stands out in particular is that, rather than stopping flying, businesses are downsizing to smaller, greener jets.”

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05/09/08: Embraer delivers first Embraer 170 Jet to Regional: Air France subsidiary has nine EMBRAER 170 Jets on firm order

São José dos Campos, September 5, 2008 – Embraer delivered the first EMBRAER 170 jet to Régional – Compagnie Aérienne Européenne, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Air France Group. This is the first of a total of nine firm orders it has for the EMBRAER 170 from the French airline. “The delivery of the first EMBRAER 170 to our largest customer in Europe, just two years after the airline received its first EMBRAER 190, is an especially proud moment for us,” said Mauro Kern, Embraer Executive Vice President, Airline Market. “It is gratifying to see that the operational flexibility and the commonality gains of the two E-Jets models in the same fleet will maximize the benefits to Régional and its discerning customers.” Régional’s EMBRAER 170 is configured in a 76-seat single-class layout. It will enter service this week on its domestic and intra-European networks.

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05/09/08: Bombardier Signs Austrian Airlines For Four Q400 Nextgen Airliners: Airline’s fleet will grow to 14 Q400 and Q400 NextGen aircraft

Bombardier Aerospace announced today that Austrian Airlines of Vienna has signed a contract to acquire four Q400 NextGen turboprop airliners. The airline has also taken options on an additional two aircraft. The aircraft will be operated by the regional airline of the Austrian Airlines Group, Tyrolean Airways. The brand name is Austrian arrows. Based on the list price for the Q400 NextGen aircraft, the contract is valued at approximately $118 million U.S. The contract value could increase to U.S. $179 million if both options are exercised. “In today’s challenging environment, fuel efficiency is vital,” said Manfred Helldoppler, Managing Director of Tyrolean Airways. “The Q400 NextGen airliner’s low fuel consumption contributes to its low operating costs and reduced emissions. In addition our passengers will benefit from the aircraft’s all-new spacious and comfortable passenger cabin.”

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04/09/08: CIT Aerospace orders ten more Airbus single-aisle aircraft

CIT Group Inc. (NYSE CIT), a leading global commercial finance company, has signed a firm contract with Airbus for a further ten A320 Family aircraft. With this order, the total number of aircraft in the Airbus order book for the CIT Group now stands at 199 aircraft, comprising 157 A320 Family aircraft, 30 A330s, seven A350s and five A319s for executive & private use. Of these 100 have been delivered so far. This repeat order underlines the continued anticipated high demand for A320 Family aircraft on the leasing market. “We are pleased to announce this follow-on order for 10 new A320 family aircraft,” said Tony Diaz, Executive Vice President of CIT Aerospace, Commercial Airlines at CIT. “This new order will help us meet customer demand for younger, more fuel efficient aircraft.”

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04/09/08: Saga Airlines Orders Two Boeing Next-Generation 737-800s

LONDON, Sept. 04, 2008 — The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] and Saga Airlines today announced that the Istanbul-based airline has ordered two Boeing 737-800s with Blended Winglets. Saga Airlines has also secured two purchase rights for the same model. This order is valued at $149 million at current list prices. “We currently have four Boeing airplanes in our fleet and we decided to expand our fleet and made our first new airplane deal with Boeing,” said Saga Airlines Chairman Abdülkadir Kolot during the signing ceremony. “We are very happy with the agreement we made with Boeing for two firm, two optional 737-800s. We are thrilled to contribute to the fast growth of the Turkish aviation industry.”

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03/09/08: CRJ1000 NextGen Jetliner Prototype Has Successful First Flight

Bombardier Aerospace announced today that the prototype CRJ1000 NextGen jetliner, serial number 19991, made its successful inaugural flight from the Bombardier facility at Mirabel, Québec. The flight, crewed by pilots Jacques Thibaudeau and Chuck Ellis and flight test engineer Eugene Lardizabal took off at 10:02 a.m. EDT and lasted three hours and 25 minutes. It reached an altitude of 30,000 feet (9,144 m) and a maximum speed of 260 knots (481 km/h). “We put the gear up, operated the flaps and slats and exercised our new ‘Fly-by-Wire’ rudder,” said Mr. Thibaudeau. “ All systems worked as they were designed to do. The aircraft handled similarly to the smaller CRJ900 airliner so flight crews will have no problem in transitioning to the 100-seat CRJ1000 NextGen aircraft.”

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03/09/08: Bombardier CRJ1000 NextGen Jetliner Prototype Has Successful First Flight

Bombardier Aerospace announced today that the prototype CRJ1000 NextGen jetliner, serial number 19991, made its successful inaugural flight from the Bombardier facility at Mirabel, Québec. The flight, crewed by pilots Jacques Thibaudeau and Chuck Ellis and flight test engineer Eugene Lardizabal took off at 10:02 a.m. EDT and lasted three hours and 25 minutes. It reached an altitude of 30,000 feet (9,144 m) and a maximum speed of 260 knots (481 km/h). “We put the gear up, operated the flaps and slats and exercised our new ‘Fly-by-Wire’ rudder,” said Mr. Thibaudeau. “ All systems worked as they were designed to do. The aircraft handled similarly to the smaller CRJ900 airliner so flight crews will have no problem in transitioning to the 100-seat CRJ1000 NextGen aircraft.”

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02/09/08: Porter Airlines Converts Two More Options To Firm Orders For Bombardier Q400 Aircraft

Bombardier Aerospace announced today that Porter Airlines of Toronto has signed a contract to acquire two 70-seat Q400 turboprop airliners by converting existing options. They will be the 15th and 16th Q400 aircraft in the Porter fleet from an original order for 10 firm and 10 options placed in 2006. Based on the list price for the Q400 aircraft, the value of the contract is approximately $52 million U.S. “The Q400 airliner continues to serve Porter well. It is the best aircraft for our current and future route structure,” said Robert Deluce, President and Chief Executive Officer, Porter Airlines. “The passenger comfort, fuel efficiency and reliability help us to provide a unique passenger experience.”

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29/08/08: Stefan Schaffrath new head of media relations and Maggie Bergsma as deputy

Stefan Schaffrath (41) has been appointed new Head of Media Relations at Airbus S.A.S., effective 1 September 2008. In this position he will be responsible for the management and coordination of the Airbus’ press activities worldwide and act as the company’s spokesperson. Maggie Bergsma (42) is appointed as his Deputy. Stefan Schaffrath and Maggie Bergsma will report to Rainer Ohler, Senior Vice President Public Affairs and Corporate Communications. Stefan Schaffrath joined Airbus in July 2007 as Deputy to the Vice President Media Relations. Before joining Airbus he held several positions at Lufthansa in the Corporate Communications, Corporate Politics and Corporate Environmental Issues departments. Stefan Schaffrath started his professional career in 1993 and holds a Master of Science degree in Geophysics.

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29/08/08: Grupo Marsans takes delivery of their first Airbus A330-200

Grupo Marsans, Spain’s largest tourism and transport group, has taken delivery of its first directly purchased Airbus A330-200 aircraft for its subsidiary Air Comet. The aircraft was formally handed over to Gonzalo Pascual, President of Grupo Marsans and Ignacio Pascual, CEO of Air Comet, in a ceremony held in Toulouse attended by Rafael Alonso, Senior Vice President Latin America, Carribean & Spain, Customer Affairs. The delivery is the first aircraft from an agreement for a total of 17 A330-200 ordered in December 2006. The aircraft, powered by Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines, has 283 seats in a two-class configuration, offering business-class lie-flat and highly comfortable economy class seats. The A330-200 will become Air Comet’s backbone aircraft offering daily services to main destinations from Spain to Latin America.

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29/08/08: Gulfstream names Matt Huhn Director of Product Support Scheduling

SAVANNAH, Ga., August 29, 2008 – Gulfstream Aerospace has named Matt Huhn scheduling director, Product Support. In this newly created position, Huhn is responsible for scheduling service center activities at 12 sites: five Gulfstream Service Centers in the United States, one Gulfstream Service Center the United Kingdom and six General Dynamics Aviation Services facilities, all of which are in the United States. Huhn has 15 years of aviation experience. He previously served as business sales manager for the Gulfstream Service Center in Dallas. Prior to that, he was based in the Seattle area as a regional sales manager for Gulfstream and General Dynamics Aviation Services Product Support sales. He also was a service team manager for the Appleton, Wis., Gulfstream facility.

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29/08/08: Embraer delivers first Embraer 190 Jet to TACA Airlines

TACA will use the aircraft on several routes in the Caribbean and Central America São José dos Campos, August 29, 2008 – Embraer delivered the first EMBRAER 190, today, to TACA Airlines, from El Salvador. The deal was announced last October, and the aircraft will be used on several routes in the Caribbean and Central America. TACA has a total of 11 firm orders for the EMBRAER 190, with options to purchase another 15. “We are especially proud to deliver the first aircraft to one of the most important and fastest growing airlines in Latin America,” said Mauro Kern, Embraer Executive Vice President, Airline Market. “We are certain that the EMBRAER 190 is the right airplane for TACA’s expansion on the continent, providing the right capacity for midsize markets, where TACA is growing very quickly.”

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29/08/08: Embraer delivers first Embraer 190 Jet to China’s Kunpeng Airlines: Airline is the second operator of the E-Jets family in mainland China

São José dos Campos, August 29, 2008 – Embraer delivered, last Thursday, the first of five EMBRAER 190 jets to China’s Kunpeng Airlines Co. Ltd., one of the largest operators on the Chinese regional aviation market. In July 2008, during the 46th Farnborough Airshow, in the U.K, Embraer announced a firm order for five EMBRAER 190 jets by Kunpeng. “We are very glad to see our EMBRAER 190 serving more Chinese passengers through the reliable operation of Kunpeng Airlines,” said Mauro Kern, Embraer Executive Vice President, Airline Market. “We believe that the EMBRAER 190, with its superior performance, economics and comfort, will meet our Chinese customer’s fleet needs, and contribute to its growth plans and success.”

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29/08/08: Boeing Delivers Two 777 Models to Emirates: Emirates first Middle East Carrier to receive two 777 variants on the same day

SEATTLE, Aug. 29, 2008 — Boeing [NYSE: BA] and Dubai-based airline Emirates celebrated the delivery of a 777-300ER (Extended Range) and a 777-200LR (Longer Range) Thursday, marking the first double 777 delivery to a Middle East airline. Representatives from the Emirates and Boeing team are pictured here prior to the airplanes’ departure for Dubai. These new 777s are the 62nd and 63rd of the model type delivered to Emirates, one of the world’s biggest operators of the most successful large twin-engine airplane flying today. To date, 56 customers from around the world have ordered 1,092 777s. Boeing has more than 355 unfilled orders for the 777, worth more than $91 billion at current list prices.

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29/08/08: MASwings and Firefly Take Delivery of New ATR 72-500s

Malaysia Airlines’ subsidiaries MASwings and Firefly, and ATR, celebrated today the delivery of the first ATR 72-500s of MASwings and the second ATR 72-500 of Firefly in a joint ceremony held at the ATR Final Assembly Line in Toulouse. Attending the ceremony were Datuk Michael Manyin, Urban Development & Tourism Minister of Sarawak, Dr. Amin Khan, Managing Director of MASwings, Mr. Eddy Leong, Managing Director of Firefly, along with Mr. Stéphane Mayer, ATR CEO, and representatives of French and Italian Authorities. Firefly took delivery earlier in August of its first ATR aircraft, which made its inaugural flight on August 19th. The MASwings and Firefly aircraft are the first ATRs to operate in Malaysia.

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28/08/08: Aviation Interior Expert Joins Bombardier’s Service Center Network

Bombardier Aerospace today announced the appointment of Brad Tolbard as Director, Business Development, Bombardier Service Center Network. An expert in the field of aviation interior modification, Mr. Tolbard brings nearly 15 years of industry experience to his new role with Bombardier Aircraft Services (BAS). “We are very pleased that Brad has rejoined the Bombardier team,” said Leon Botteron, Regional Vice President, Business Aircraft Service Centers. “He will provide excellent direction to our network as we continue to focus on providing preeminent quality service in the areas of interior aircraft refurbishment and modification.”

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28/08/08: Boeing, EgyptAir Announce 777 Fleet Enhancement: Airline orders two 777-300ERs with options for two additional airplanes - Airplane order comes after recent lease of six Boeing 777-300ERs

SEATTLE, Aug. 28, 2008 — Aug. 28, 2008 — Boeing [NYSE: BA] and EgyptAir today announced an order for two 777-300ER (Extended Range) jetliners as part of the airline’s twin-aisle fleet upgrade for its long-haul service. The order, which is worth $529 million at current list prices, previously was attributed to an unidentified customer on Boeing’s Orders & Deliveries Web site. “The notable fuel efficiency of Boeing’s 777, combined with the airplane’s extensive range and large cargo capacity, is something EgyptAir values highly in this competitive environment,” said Capt. Tawfik Assy, chairman of EgyptAir Holding Company. “As a new member of the Star Alliance, we look forward to increasing our connectivity across the globe and bringing our passengers the utmost in cabin comfort and service with a dynamic new business class layout that will debut on the 777-300ER.”

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28/08/08: Boeing Delivers Two 737-800s to Brazil’s Varig Airlines

SEATTLE, Aug. 28, 2008 — Boeing [NYSE: BA] delivered two 737-800s to Brazil’s Varig Airlines on Tuesday. The jetliners, sporting a bright new livery, then departed from Boeing Field to Sao Paulo. Varig’s new livery features a unique starburst design that appears in three different locations on the tail as part of a variable paint scheme. The 737-800s are equipped with Blended Winglets and Boeing’s special short-field performance package designed for short runways such as Santos Dumont in Rio de Janeiro. “The Boeing Next-Generation 737 family combines low operating costs with high performance, enabling our low-cost carrier business to succeed throughout South America,” said Fernando Rockert de Magalhães, GOL/Varig’s vice president — technical. GOL, one of the world’s leading low-cost carriers, purchased Varig, Brazil’s flagship airline, last year. A third Varig 737-800 (photo top) is now undergoing pre-delivery flight tests.

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28/08/08: Mooney Names Airnet Sales Representative in Eastern Europe: Latest Addition to Mooney Sales Network Will Do Business as Mooney EEU

Kerrville, TX– Mooney Airplane Company, producers of the world’s fastest single engine piston airplanes, has named Airnet, headquartered in Celje, Slovenia as authorized sales representatives for Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. Airnet, which will represent Mooney as Mooney EEU, is among Eastern Europe’s leading general aviation organizations with branch offices in Croatia, Serbia and Albania offering brokerage, financing, shared ownership, charter and flight training services in addition to sales.

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26/08/08: Embraer signs service contract with China’s Kunpend Airlines

ECIP program will support the EMBRAER 190 jet soon to enter service with the airline São José dos Campos, August 26, 2008 – Embraer signed a five-year Embraer Collaborative Inventory Parts (ECIP) service contract with Kun Peng Airlines Co., Ltd., the newest E-Jets operator in China. Kun Peng currently has more than 1,900 part numbers from seven maintenance bases covered by ECIP. “With this program, Kun Peng Airlines will optimize its spare parts supply chain by simplifying it,” said Siu Ying Yeung, Vice President, Customer Support and Services – Embraer China. “We increased our spare parts support assurance to Kun Peng through proactive participation in its supply process, which will result in great aircraft availability. This is win-win cooperation for both of us.”

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25/08/08: Gulfstream becomes first OEM to receive EASA operational credit for EVS-equipped aircraft to fly approaches to 100 feet: Company Also Earns EASA Validation to Upgrade EVS On Its Large-Cabin Business Jets Registered In Europe

SAVANNAH, Ga., August 25, 2008 – Gulfstream Aerospace, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE:GD), recently became the first Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) to receive approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for all of its aircraft equipped with the Gulfstream Enhanced Vision System (EVS) to obtain operational credit for continuing approaches to 100 feet. “As a result of the revised European Union Operations (EU-OPS) rules, all EVS-equipped Gulfstream aircraft will be able to proceed from Decision Height to a 100-foot altitude when using EVS for low-visibility approaches,” said Pres Henne, senior vice president, Programs, Engineering and Test, Gulfstream. “We are extremely pleased that by working closely with EASA, we were able to make this significant safety enhancement available to our customers.”

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25/08/08: Gulfstream offers around the clock computerized maintenance program: Customers Can Access Support Analysts 24 Hours A Day

SAVANNAH, Ga., August 25, 2008 – Gulfstream Aerospace, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE:GD), today made its Computerized Maintenance Program (CMP) Operations Center available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. CMP.net is a state-of-the-art, Web-based maintenance tracking service that provides Gulfstream owners and operators real-time access to their aircraft’s maintenance status and due-list projections. It also provides them with the latest Gulfstream CMP task cards with work instructions, and is supported by analysts who assist the operators in assuring their aircraft is in compliance with its maintenance requirements. Additionally, the software platform that CMP.net uses allows customers to track the status of both their Gulfstream and non-Gulfstream aircraft. This is particularly important to mixed-fleet operators.

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