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4AviTrader WEEKLY AVIATION HEADLINESEmbraer delivers first E-Jet to SkyWestEmbraer delivered the first E175 to SkyWest,based in the State of Utah, U.S. The aircraftis part of the firm order signed by the airline last year, for 40 E175 aircraft. SkyWestAirlines will operate the aircraft as UnitedExpress for United Airlines. The E175s areconfigured in a dual-class 76-seat layout.An additional 60 orders are reconfirmable,subject to SkyWest being awarded CapacityPurchase Agreement (CPA) contracts withmajor U.S. airline partners. The agreementbetween SkyWest and Embraer also includesoptions for another 100 E175s, taking thepotential total order up to 200 airplanes.Bombardier and Island Air of Hawaiisign purchase agreement for up tosix Q400 NextGen airlinersHawaii Island Air placed a firm order for twoQ400 NextGen turboprop airliners and hasalso taken options for four additional Q400NextGen aircraft. The aircraft will be delivered with a dual-class, 71-seat configuration.Island Air is Hawaii’s leading regional airlineand second oldest carrier. Based on the listprice of the Q400 NextGen airliner, the firmorder is valued at approximately 60.9m.China Express Airlines places firmorder for three more BombardierCRJ900 NextGen airlinersChina Express Airlines converted previouslyannounced conditional purchase agreementsfor three CRJ900 NextGen regional jets intoa firm order. The conditional purchase agreements for five CRJ900 NextGen aircraft, withoptions on an additional eight CRJ900 NextGen aircraft, were announced on December2, 2013, along with a firm order for threeCRJ900 NextGen airliners.Aircastle closes purchase and leaseback of four Boeing 777-300ERs withLATAM Airlines GroupAircastle completed the first part of the Company’s previously announced 900m purchaseand leaseback agreement with LATAM AirlinesGroup S.A. for eight Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.Together with the four Boeing 777-300ERsacquired thus far in this transaction, Aircastleacquired a total of eight aircraft with a cost of 715m during the first quarter of 2014.Finnair completes sale and leasebackagreement for one Airbus 330 aircraftFinnair signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Novus Aviation Capitalon the sale and leaseback of two Airbus 330aircraft owned by Finnair. The transactionhas now been finalized for one of the twoaircraft. The sale and leaseback agreementfor the second aircraft included in the MoUis expected to be concluded by the end ofJune 2014. The value of the arrangementcovering both aircraft is approximately 110m. SkyWorks acted as financial advisor to Finnair on this transaction.MRO & PRODUCTIONBAE Systems awarded EASA approval for TCAS 7.1 upgrade forBoeing 737 and 757 modelsBAE Systems Regional Aircraft obtainedEuropean Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)approval to upgrade all previous TCAS 7.0installations on Boeing 737s and Boeing757s to the new TCAS 7.1 standard, andhas won business from three airlines. Forretrofit aircraft this new standard is mandatory from December 1st, 2015, for allaircraft flying in European airspace. TheTCAS 7.1 (Traffic Collision and Avoidance System) approvals for BAE Systemscover all models of the Boeing 737 fromthe Classic (Series 300-500) to the NewGeneration variants (Series 600-900) andalso all models of the Boeing 757 (Series200/300 and Boeing 757PF). This new development builds on the EASA approvalsgranted last year for TCAS 7.1 upgradesto the BAe 146/Avro RJ regional jet andwhich has resulted in Swiss and TNT Air-MTU Aero Engines lays foundationstone for new logistics centreMTU Aero Engines, Germany’s leadingengine manufacturer, laid the foundationstone for a purpose-built, advanced logisticscenter on its company premises in Munich.Starting in January 2015, the brand newtwo-story building with a surface area of4,400m² will concentrate the tasks of115employees from incoming goods, customsand foreign trade and receiving inspection.The total investment for the innovative center, including equipment, is some 10m.The reason for the expansion of MTU’s corporate headquarters was the decision toset up two final assembly lines in Munich:one for the PW1000G-JM engine to powerthe A320neo and one for the TP400-D6engine to power the Airbus A400M military transport aircraft. On top of this, theshare of large-sized components that takeup lots of space is on the rise. These includethe turbine center frame of the GEnx, theengine for the Boeing 787, and modulesfor the GP7000, the engine for the AirbusA380, plus module containers, rings or accessories. Deliveries will gradually increasefrom mid-2014 on.“We are building this center in a direct response to needs created by the ramp-up ofthe new engine programs,” said MTU chiefoperating officer Dr. Rainer Marten.Lufthansa Technik’s interior shops are upgradingThe interior shops of Lufthansa Technik Base Maintenance in Hamburg are relaunchingits services at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg. The base maintenance workshops,which up to now primarily offered backbone support to Aircraft Base Maintenance,will in future offer full-scale modification services for commercial airlines directly froma single source. Headed up byArne Bruhn, the workshops areworking in close collaborationwith the company’s Engineeringdepartment, the Original Equipment Innovation division andLufthansa Technik’s VIP workshops. For example, instead ofhaving to buy expensive newseats, thanks to this in-housecapacity, Lufthansa Technik’sHamburg shops can providecommercial airlines with lowcost, ultra-flexible, fast solutionsOverhaul of a Lufthansa Airbus A340-300 at Lufthansa Technik inthat involve modifying existing Hamburg.Sonja Brüggemannparts of the cabin. Thanks to theseparate wiring workshop, it is even possible to undertake complete electrical and electronic upgrades of existing configurations within next to no time. All electrical cablingcan be fabricated complete. Specialists in another discipline can adapt the cabin designto the airline’s new look using foils or paintwork.April 7, 2014 / Vol. 433

AviTrader WEEKLY AVIATION HEADLINESways S.A purchasing the modification covering their combined fleets of 36 aircraft. BAESystems always intended that it would offerthis upgrade solution to third party aircrafttypes as part of its business developmentstrategy and the Boeing 737/757 approvalsare the first concrete steps in that direction.BAE Systems has so far received orders covering upgrades for 60 Boeing 737/757 airliners. The two latest customers to select theBAE Systems upgrade solution are Spanishcarrier Alba Star for its Boeing 737 Classicfleet and Swedish/UK freight carrier WestAtlantic for its three Boeing 737-300Fs.HAECO ITM and Thai embark on aircraft component repair collaborationHAECO ITM (HXITM) and Thai Airways embarked on a long-term collaborative initiative in aircraft component repair. Drawingon collective strengths, the collaborationenhances product offering of the two companies. Under the initial business collaboration framework, HXITM has identified a listof aircraft components that will be repairedat THAI’s technical facilities at Don MueangAirport in Bangkok. “We continuously seekto improve our supply chain in tandem with5the expansion of our third-party InventoryTechnical Management business,” said Richard Reed, executive general manager of HXITM. “By working with a strategic supplier inthe region like THAI, we are able to enhancethe value proposition to our customers byoptimising repair costs and cycle times andtherefore offering better material availabilitythrough our pool inventory in Hong Kong,”Reed added.cilities in Bordeaux. Sabena technics is alsoconsidering the possibility of combining thismodification with scheduled base maintenance activities, cabin reconfiguration and/or painting in order to optimize the aircraftgrounding time and provide the customerswith an offer tailored to their needs.Sabena technics develops Sharkletretrofit capability328, the Germany-based refurbishment,completions and maintenance aviation company and part of the 328 Group, won a contract to manufacture an Airbus A340-600rear galley complex for Jet Aviation Basel,Switzerland. The manufacture will be undertaken at 328’s Headquarters in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany with installation to takeplace at Jet Aviation in Basel. The projectwork which began in early March is due forcompletion in summer 2014 for delivery toan undisclosed VVIP private customer. Thiswill mark the company’s third galley projectfor Jet Aviation, reflecting their mutuallystrong commitment to quality, attentionto detail and on time delivery. To completethe project, 328 will construct the entire ‘U’shaped rear galley structure (which com-Sabena technics develops its Sharklet retrofit capability. The Sharklets will allow fuelefficiency improvement, payload/range capability increase, and environmental impactreduction thus bringing notable benefitsto the customers’ operations. Constantlylooking to improve aircraft operational use,Sabena technics has already developed thecapability to perform the production retrofiton sharklet-ready wings on the Airbus A320aircraft family and will be able to providethe In-service Sharklet retrofit modificationon the Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft. Theinstallation of this value-adding technologywill be carried out in Sabena technics’ fa-328 secures contract to manufacturegalley complex for Jet Aviation

6AviTrader WEEKLY AVIATION HEADLINESprises two sides and a bulkhead) from rawmaterials including assembly and mountingattachments to a high end customised specification. Based on the Original EquipmentManufacturer (OEM) footprint, this complex will feature high strength, lightweightmaterials. The electrical system and waterservices will be assembled and installed by328. Surfaces will feature renowned Corianworktops and each side of the galley willcome equipped with a number of appliancesto include, steam ovens, microwave, refrigerators, ice draws and coffee machines.AJW Aviation signs new five-year PBH-contract with SmartLynxAJW Aviation signed a five year contract with SmartLynx, the Latvian based wet-leaseand charter specialist. This new power by-the-hour agreement sees the relationshipbetween AJW and SmartLynx extending to 2019, following on from a successful fiveyear PBH agreement signed in 2009. The European airline provides full charter operation for its home markets of Latvia and Estonia and also wet leases its fleet of A320200 Airbus aircraft. The existing fleet of nine aircraft, plus a planned expansion toeleven this summer, will be covered within this agreement. As part of this contract,AJW will base tailored spare parts inventories at numerous hubs which can be accessedas and when required, illustrating AJW’s capacity to be flexible and adapt to specificcustomer needs. In addition, SmartLynx will benefit from AJW’s excellent AOG coverage at almost all points of operation.GE Aviation and Evergreen form newventure for engine overhaulGE Aviation and Evergreen Aviation Technologies announced formation of a new jointventure company specializing in the overhaulof the GEnx, the fastest-selling engine in GEAviation history. The new company, GE Evergreen Engine Services, builds on more than15 years of close cooperation between GEAviation and Evergreen. GE Aviation will beginproviding training and tooling for GEnx laterthis year, and the facility will be able to perform limited work on GEnx beginning in 2015with full overhaul capability to follow by 2019.The GEnx engine family is the fastest-sellingengine in GE Aviation’s history with more than1,500 engines on order. The engine enteredservice in 2011 and powers both the Boeing787 Dreamliner and the Boeing 747-8. GE Aviation has been increasing production of theengine for the last two years and will delivernearly 300 GEnx engines in 2014.Aviointeriors delivers first threeA321 shipsets of Columbus Two toAegean AirlinesAegean Airlines took delivery of the firstthree A321 shipsets of Columbus Two, theseat model for medium range applicationsthat belongs to the Columbus Family, Aviointeriors’ lightweight economy class products. The delivery program will continue overthe coming weeks on a tight schedule in order to support the growing commitments ofthe Greek airline which has enforced boththe number of its routes and its fleet. TheColumbus Two seats, already installed onB737-800, will retrofit the whole A320 family fleet of Aegean Airlines.AEI launches B737-800SF & B737800C conversion programsAeronautical Engineers formally launchedboth Passenger to Freighter and Passenger to Combi Conversion Programs for theBoeing 737-800. Both programs have beenstudied for the past year and will be marketed as B737-800SF (Special Freighter)and B737-800C (Combination PassengerAcro Aircraft Seating reports firm orders into Q4 2014UK-based passenger aircraft seat manufacturer Acro Aircraft Seating reported a highlysuccessful 2013 and a very promising start to 2014. The company announced firm orders into the fourth quarterof 2014 with recent confirmed orders for the retrofitting of five Spirit Airlines’Airbus A319 aircraft with itsSuperlight seat this springand installation on 25 newA321 and A320 deliveriesfrom 2015. The deal whichwas worth an estimated 6mmarks the company’s secondmajor US client and equatesto 5000 economy class seats.With 35,000 seats currentlyflying, Acro Aircraft Seatinganticipates that it will doublethe number of seats in servAcro has orders worth 6m for its Superlightseat (above) Acro Aircraft Seatingice within 18 months.Telair delivers 400th lower deck cargo system for Airbus A330 seriesTelair International, a subsidiary of U.S.-based aerospace and defense contractor AAR,announced delivery of the 400th advanced lower deck cargo system to the Airbus fuselage production line in Hamburg. Telair has been a supplier of individual componentsinvolved with cargo loading systems for the Airbusaircraft since the 1970’sand will become the single-source supplier forthe complete lower deckcargo handling systemsfor the Airbus A330-200and -300 series of aircraft. The advanced cargo handling system usesTelair, an AAR subsidiary, is a major supplier of cargo loading systems for Airbus Telaironly one type of powerdrive unit (PDU) to provide the required tractive force to move ULD’s in and out of the aircraft and within thecargo hold to its final parking position. With currently more than 360 advanced systemsin-service, the system has proven to be reliable. A similar system will be provided for theAirbus A350 XWB family of aircraft, extending Telair’s support of the Airbus fleet.April 7, 2014 / Vol. 433

7AviTrader WEEKLY AVIATION HEADLINESand Freighter). The program developmentcosts are being fully funded by AEI. Themodification touch labor will be performedat Commercial Jet’s Miami Florida facility,which is one of five authorized AEI Conversion Centers worldwide. AEI will make bothconversions available at all authorized AEIConversion Centers shortly after issuance ofthe STC by the FAA and expects the initialdevelopment and certification to take twoand a half to three years. After the initialFAA STC issuance, AEI plans to certify bothconversion programs with the EASA, CAAC,ANAC and Russian authorities.B/E Aerospace wins cabin seatingawards from seven major international airlinesB/E Aerospace won first class, business class,and main cabin seating awards from seven major international airlines. The awards are initially valued at approximately 600m and are forboth new-buy and retrofit programs. The firstquarter of 2014 will mark a quarterly bookings record for the Company and a record forthe most commercial aircraft seating awards inany one quarter in the Company’s history. Theseating programs will outfit B777 and B787,Ethiopian Airlines selects Ameco Beijing for engine overhaulEthiopian Airlines signed a three-year contract with Ameco Beijing for engine overhaul services. Based on the contract, Ameco Beijing will overhaul six RB211s for theAfrican carrier in the next three years from 2014 to 2016. The first engine is due tolayover in April. This is the second three-year contract AmecoBeijing signed with EthiopianAirlines, after the first one wascompleted in 2012. During thefirst contractual period, Amecocompleted engine overhaul onfive RB211s of Ethiopian Airlines.The new contract will cementthe partnership between AmecoAmeco Beijing will repair RB21 engines on Ethiopian widebodiesand Ethiopian.AirTeamImagesand A350, A380, and A319 aircraft. Amin J.Khoury, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of B/E Aerospace stated, “Today’srecord multiple seating awards announcementhighlights our continued focus on innovationand further solidifies our position as the market leader for commercial aircraft seating forthe airline industry. These seating awards willdrive first quarter 2014 bookings to a recordlevel for any quarter.”Air Services offers hydrostatic servicesAir Services, a Directional Capital companyspecializing in off-wing services and commercial maintenance, expanded their capabilities to now include hydrostatic services. “Wehave completed the required DOT certification and FAA approval to support all hydrostatic testing and capabilities. We expandedour composite and accessory facility by anSAA Technical (SOC) Limited(Reg. No 1999/024058/07)Situated at OR Tambo International AirportRepublic of South Africa(Hereinafter referred to as “SAAT”)REQUEST FOR BID (RFB) FOR THE FOLLOWING:RFB NO. SP425/14APU MAINTENANCEEnquiries may be directed ONLY in writing to the Project Manager:Maynard Bibbey– maynardbibbey@flysaa.comFax No.: (011) 978 6057SAAT hereby invites suitably qualified suppliers to tender for the above request.RFB documents will be made available for download on www.flysaa.com(Click on “About Us”, then “SAA Tenders”) fromTuesday 0 April 2014The submission closing date for the RFB is April 2014, 11h00 (SAST).No late submissions will be considered.

8AviTrader WEEKLY AVIATION HEADLINESadditional 5,000 sq. feet to house this newcapability. Our centrally located facility, offering seven days a week coverage, provides ourcustomers with expedited turn-times on theirunits. We are continuously looking to expandor improve upon the services we offer ourcustomers. This service allows another avenue for Air Services to support the aviationmarket,” said David Williams, Operationsmanager of Air Services.Introducing Precision AircraftSolutions: a world leader in aircraft modification 757 conversion specialists now offer comprehensive services and supportThe Precision organization announcedits restructuring in order to accommodate continued growth. Goingforward, Precision Aircraft Solutionswill coordinate the operations of fivesubsidiaries to provide comprehensiveaircraft modification services and support. The organization, based in Portland, Ore., will continue to pioneer itssignature aircraft conversion program,but will now offer more resources forleveraging existing assets and raisingfinancial returns for owners and operators around the world.Through its new, extensive collectionof services, Precision Aircraft Solutionscan capitalize on every component,capability and ounce of an aircraft tomaximize return on investment. Forclients seeking a turnkey approach,Precision Aircraft Solutions will identify, source and acquire aircraft suitable for conversion. The group can alsoengineer, integrate, design, certify andsupport every repair, change and innovation desired. The five subsidiariesthat make up Precision Aircraft Solutions are Precision Conversions, LLC;Precision Engineering, LLC; PrecisionProgram Development, LLC; PrecisionAviation Resources, LLC and PrecisionMaterials and Logistics, LLC. Each entity specializes in a specific area of expertise and works in concert with theother subgroups to provide completeand seamless service.Standex awarded contract from Senior Aerospace for Airbus A320 NEOaircraft nacelle componentsStandex International Corporation (SXI) announced that Spincraft, the Company’s engineered products metal fabrication businessunit, has received a life of program awardfrom Senior Aerospace (SSP) to produce exhaust plug and nozzle components for thenacelle on the Airbus A320 NEO. The life ofprogram award is based on active productionof both the A320 NEO aircraft and nacelle.Based on current orders and projections forthe Aircraft and Nacelle annual sales will bean estimated value of 1.6m to 3m per yearin 2016 and 2017, increasing to a run rate ofmore than 7m annually at full production.Under the terms of the agreement, Spincraftwill produce exhaust plug and nozzle sets,consisting of five individual components, forall the A320 NEO assembly’s produced by SSP.SSP production is anticipated to represent upto 100% of the volume requirements on theUTAS Nacelle for the Pratt & Whitney engineversion of the aircraft.Spincraft (above), a Standex unit, will produce exhaustplug and nozzle components for Airbus A320neo nacellesSpincraftPASSENGER TRAFFIC STATISTICS - MARCH For the month of March,Air Canada reported asystem wide traffic growthof 1.4% on a capacity increase of 3.6%. Air Canada’s system load factorwas 81.7%, versus 83.5%in March 2013, a decreaseof 1.8 points. Alaska reported a 4.0%increase in traffic on a4.6% increase in capacitycompared to March 2013.This resulted in a 0.6 pointdecrease in load factor to87.7%. Delta reported Marchtraffic increase of 3.9%compared to the same period in 2013, while capacity for the month increased3.2%. The load factor forMarch improved 0.6 pointsto 85.3%. Horizon reported a1.6% increase in Marchtraffic on a 2.6% i

Apr 07, 2014 · The airline, which has been a CFM operator since 1990 and currently oper-ates a fleet of 89 CFM56-powered aircraft, also has options and rights to purchase for an additional 96 LEAP-1B engines. The LEAP-1B is the sole powerplant for th