Iraqi Airways To Get Subsidised Aviation Fuel

The Iraqi Cabinet has taken steps to support the growth and development of Iraqi Airways , following the Prime Minister's visit to Baghdad International Airport and his call for an improvement in services. The approved decisions, based on the recommendation of the Ministerial Council for Economy, are as follows:

The General Company for Iraqi Airways will be supplied with aviation fuel priced at 20% of the international bulletin price. However, the company is required to submit an action plan within 90 working days to the Ministerial Council for Economy, outlining measures to enhance service quality and overall operations. After this period, pricing will be reviewed based on any developments.Other national carriers, including Fly Baghdad and Ur Airlines , that are officially registered with the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority )ICAA( , will benefit from aviation fuel priced at 80% of the international price index.International foreign airlines will continue to be charged at the international index price for aviation fuel.These measures aim to bolster the Iraqi Airways Company and promote its efficiency and service standards. By providing favorable pricing structures, the Council of Ministers intends to encourage growth and improve the overall aviation sector in Iraq.

Royal Jordanian secures E2s, EIS set for 4Q23

Royal Jordanian )RJ, Amman Queen Alia( has confirmed its plan, outlined in a Memorandum of Understanding last October, to acquire E2s for the renewal of its regional fleet, signing up for four E190-E2s and four E195-E2s with deliveries expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2023, Embraer announced. Under the deal, six of the aircraft - four E190s and two E195s - will come from USbased regional jet lessor Azorra Aviation’s existing backlog with Embraer, while two E195s are firm orders with Embraer directly from the airline, which were added to the manufacturer’s fourth-quarter 2022 backlog as 'undisclosed'.

Royal Jordanian did not say whether it still intended to order a total of ten E2s, as was specified in the MOU.

Samer Majali, Jordan’s flag carrier’s vice chairman and chief executive, told the Jordanian public broadcaster Al-Mamlaka on May 18 that the six leased jets come under a 12-year operating lease and that the purchase of the other two was financed by foreign banks. Two aircraft will be put into service in December 2023 and three more during 2024, he said, adding that the new aircraft will be used for short-haul flights to the Gulf countries, Turkey, and Iraq. He described the aircraft type as “the best fit for [Royal Jordanian’s] financial objectives and network strategy.” He added: “RJ has been operating Embraer aircraft for 15 years, and the E2 reduces the investment cost of pilot training and spare parts provisioning significantly, whilst also lowering crew scheduling and maintenance costs. The aircraft also provides 25% fuel savings compared to current aircraft.”

The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows that the airline’s current regional fleet comprises two E175s )14.9 years old on average( and two E195s )15.6 years(, all of which are owned, not leased.

Royal Jordanian also announced in October 2022 that it would acquire twenty A320-200Ns as part of a plan to increase its fleet to 40 aircraft within five years, and it is considering the B787-9 or B787-10 to supplement its seven B787-8 widebodies.

WheelTug Leads ‘Green’ Aviation, Speeds Airline Sustainability

A new airplane propulsion technology is the leading tool to help airlines reach their goal of zero emissions by 2050.

The WheelTug aircraft electric drive system enables airplanes to drive forward and backward on the ground, without using jet engines or tow tugs. It reduces emissions, fuel consumption, noise, and collisions, and enables more efficient and faster handling of airplanes at airports.

While the aviation industry is focused on development and rollout of low-emission sustainable aviation fuels )SAF( to meet environmental sustainability goals, several other efficiency improvements can be adopted much faster to help airlines progress toward their 2050 zero-emission goal.

WheelTug, for example, will enable airlines to reduce scheduled flight times by as much as 20 minutes per flight, by reducing taxi times )and emissions( and enabling use of two doors to board and deboard passengers more quickly. It will also enable airports to eliminate baggage trains and other ground vehicles, reducing complexity, unproductive aircraft ground times, costs, and emissions. For a brief video summarizing WheelTug's operational, economic, and sustainability benefits to airlines, airports, and people, please see www.wheeltug.com/WAF.

About WheelTug

Based in the Isle of Man, WheelTug plc is developing the WheelTug aircraft electric drive system. More than 25 airlines worldwide have signed letters of intent to adopt the WheelTug system for more than 2,600 aircraft. Forward-looking statement: http://www.wheeltug.com/fls.shtml

Middle

East Aviation Training Organisation, T3 Aviation Academy, Attends China Aviation Training & Education Summit

Sharjah, United Arab Emirates based aviation and pilot training group T3 Aviation Academy attended the 11th China Aviation Training & Education Summit )CATES( 2023 held in Shanghai on May 18-19, 2023. “T3 Aviation Academy was present and contributed to the discussion of the growth and development of the aviation training in the region,” said Jose Luis Azeitona, Chief Theoretical Knowledge Instructor )CTKI( at T3 Aviation Academy.

Sustainable aviation fuel plays a ‘significant role’ for Australian energy

Sustainable aviation fuel will “have to play a significant role” in the future of Australia’s energy, according to Bioenergy Australia CEO Shahana McKenzie. “In order for aviation to hit its net zero target, sustainable aviation fuel is going to have to … play a significant role,” Ms McKenzie told Sky News Australia. “Unfortunately, electrification and hydrogen are just not going to be able to play big roles in even the medium term to be able to support those sectors.”

Operational Flight Planning Challenges and Solutions

This year’s NBAA EBACE will include a session that focuses on flight planning challenges in today’s environment, including changes in air traffic management, regulations, and other large events impacting access to airports and airspace. The challenges are many; in some cases, they are genuine “showstoppers,” in others they will require extra planning to ensure your schedule is achievable.

Challenge: unfriendly airspace. As the situation in Ukraine continues through 2023, the airspace remains off limits for obvious reasons, but it is not alone in the “no fly” category. Recent North Korean missile launches near Japanese airspace can make large chunks of normal routes unusable with little or no notice. Your problems aren’t limited to acts of war, however.

GPS jamming can render large swaths of airspace unusable. In March and April, for example, controllers at the FAA’s Albuquerque Air Route Traffic Control Center filed reports of GPS jamming coming from the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, affecting civilian air traffic. In at least one instance, a private jet was steered unknowingly into restricted airspace.

Challenge: unfriendly air traffic control )ATC(. In some parts of the world—most notably, China—you cannot plan on optimum high flight levels as a foreign registered aircraft, nor can you assume you will get more direct routing even if the airspace is devoid of other traffic.

Challenge: system-wide congestion due to weather or other issues. In the U.S., adverse weather in one part of the country can bottleneck aircraft flow, forcing ground stops in other parts of the country where the weather isn’t a problem. We’ve seen recently how a computer glitch in airline scheduling software or in the FAA NOTAM system can also abruptly halt the flow of aircraft to a stop.

Challenge: regulatory changes needed to improve airspace capacity. Changes to the North Atlantic High-Level Airspace )NAT-HLA(, for example, impact not only where you can fly, but the equipment needed to fly. These changes tend to be announced in January of each year, and if you don’t have V.2023-1 of NAT Doc 007, released in January 2023, you are out of date. Changes to other areas of the world are not as well publicized but can be of equal importance.

These challenges and many others have required us to radically change the ways we’ve been able to flight plan over the years. A few years ago, a U.S. Air Force C-21A )Learjet 35A( was intercepted over a war zone in Azerbaijan because the flight crew was using a commercially available flight planning software that didn’t include current airspace restrictions. The days of sitting down with an E-6B circular slide rule and book of charts to produce a flight plan are long gone. You cannot flight plan without good upto-date intelligence about recent airspace changes and restrictions. Fortunately, help is available.

Solution: a good international trip support provider. The best defense for not getting caught unaware of changes to airspace availability is to have an ally dealing with a high volume of aircraft using the same airspace. If you want to fly from Singapore to Germany, for example, a service provider that has successfully planned such a flight on similar aircraft will arm you with the needed intel. They will know if you can’t fly at optimal altitudes and what routing will be off limits to you.

Solution: ops.group. The greatest single repository of current intel is from the website ops.group. Their subscriber base includes hundreds of airlines and thousands of other operators, who provide the best intel of all. Ops.group is a well-known resource for learning about dangerous airspace, as well as permit requirements and other country-specific oddities. Subscriptions run $35/month for an individual or $10/person/month for a team plan. It is money well spent.

Solution: social media. If you are planning a flight that you’ve never before attempted, various aviation chat groups can connect you to someone with recent experience. “Has anyone flown from Beijing to Paris?” can get you recent intel not available elsewhere. My favorites: NBAA )nbaa.org(, Universal Weather & Aviation )universalweather.com( and the Facebook “Professional Jet Pilots” group with over 15,000 members. Another great source of information is flightradar24.com, where you can watch the actual flow of aircraft to and from airports on your itinerary.

Solution: inflight Internet access. A flight of five, 10 or 15 hours can leave your flight planning out of date. Airspace that was NOTAM-free when you took off can be a warzone by the time you arrive overhead. Weather forecasting is far from an exact science and what you expected while checking in online an hour before your flight can be completely changed. Being able to check the weather, NOTAMS, your service provider and even the news en route can prevent you from becoming a part of the news when you land.

Solution: plans B, C, D and so on. The best defense against many of these challenges is to have preplanned alternate options. A friend of mine who routinely flies from Hong Kong to London takes care to plan on expected and not preferred altitudes. He routinely obtains permits and reservations for several diversion airports en route. In the years he’s been doing this, he has only had to use his Plan B once. But having that and a few other options in his hip pocket has greatly increased his confidence that his flight planning will have made his trips successful.

New recommendations call for human-centered approach in the aviation sector

Delegates from governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations have adopted new recommendations to promote decent work and ensure the sustainability of the aviation sector.

According to the International Labour Organization )ILO(, the COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the civil aviation sector, highlighting the need for a human-centred approach to preserve jobs and skills, and attract and retain aviation personnel.

Against this backdrop, the ILO said a Technical meeting on a green, sustainable and inclusive economic recovery for the civil aviation sector stressed the importance of enabling environments for growth and reaffirmed the sector’s commitment to safety. Participants agreed that one of the ways to achieve this commitment is through the strengthening of labour administration and labour inspection systems, and the promotion of a safe and healthy working environment, including a “just culture”. They also concluded that significant investments will be needed to facilitate just transition to environmental sustainability in order to reach the aspirational targets defined by the industry.

The conclusions and recommendations adopted by the meeting also reflect the aviation industry’s commitment to promoting fundamental principles and rights at work for all. Among others, the sector is committed to addressing gender imbalances throughout the employment cycle, including, through recruitment, promoting developing opportunities and closing wage gaps.

The meeting requested the ILO to deepen its collaboration with the International Civil Aviation Organization )ICAO(. Taking as the basis for this work the ILO-ICAO agreement, signed in 2022, participants called for the ILO and ICAO, in consultation with tripartite constituents, to evaluate the need for effective labour and social standards for aviation, with a particular focus on key occupational and safety and health concerns, such as working time and rest periods for aviation personnel. The ILO was also asked to conduct research on the recruitment and retention of aviation workers, with a view to inform further action, including possibility convening a meeting of experts or other form of intervention to address these matters. The conclusions and recommendations for the aviation sector were adopted by the 140 participants. The Technical meeting on a green, sustainable and inclusive economic recovery for the civil aviation sector was held from 24-28 April 2023 at the ILO’s headquarters in Geneva.

Rolls-Royce announces successful first tests of UltraFan technology demonstrator

Rolls-Royce announced it has successfully completed the first tests of its UltraFan technology demonstrator at its facility in Derby, UK. The first tests were conducted using 100 percent Sustainable Aviation Fuel )SAF(.

The company said it is first time in 54 years the aero-engine manufacturer has tested a brand-new engine architecture and is proof of what can be achieved when industry and governments work together.

Confirming the capability of the suite of technologies incorporated in the demonstrator is a big step towards improving the efficiency of current and future aero-engines. UltraFan delivers a 10 percent efficiency improvement over the Trent XWB, which is already the world’s most efficient large aero engine in service. In the nearer term, there are options to transfer technologies from the UltraFan development programme to current Trent engines, providing our customers with even greater availability, reliability and efficiency. In the longer term, UltraFan’s scalable technology from ~25,000-110,000lb thrust offers the potential to power new narrowbody and widebody aircraft anticipated in the 2030s.

Tufan Erginbilgic, CEO, Rolls-Royce plc, said: “The UltraFan demonstrator is a game changer – the technologies we are testing as part of this programme have the capability to improve the engines of today as well as the engines of tomorrow. That is why this announcement is so important – we are witnessing history in the making; a step-change in engine efficiency improvement. When combined with Sustainable Aviation Fuels, more efficient gas turbine engines will be key to hitting the industry’s target of Net Zero flight by 2050. Today we are closer to achieving this ambition. Collaboration is key in driving the decarbonisation of air travel and the UltraFan programme is a great example of what can be achieved when government and industry come together with a common purpose.”

The tests took place in the world’s largest and smartest indoor aero-engine testing facility – Testbed 80. The 100 percent SAF, derived primarily from waste-based sustainable feedstocks such as used cooking oils, was provided by Air bp. Testing the demonstrator is the culmination of many years work, which has been supported by the UK Government through the Aerospace Technology Institute )ATI(, Innovate UK; the EU’s Clean Sky programmes plus LuFo and the State of Brandenburg in Germany.

UK Business and Trade Secretary, Kemi Badenoch, said: “This cutting-edge technology will help the transition towards a greener future for aviation while attracting further investment into the UK’s aerospace industry, helping grow the economy. I’m proud that the Government has backed this initiative through our Aerospace Technology Institute programme, and we will continue to work with manufacturers like Rolls-Royce as we seek to grow the UK’s share of the global aerospace market.”

Gary Elliott, Chief Executive Officer, Aerospace Technology Institute, said: “RollsRoyce’s UltraFan programme has achieved a huge step forward in terms of the fuel efficiency of aircraft engines. The technology developed within the programme has greatly improved our understanding of how to increase engine performance while reducing environmental impact. It is a programme that puts the UK at the forefront of the global market, and is absolutely critical for the future of the UK aircraft engine industry. Our congratulations to the Rolls-Royce team for the successful tests of this exciting technology demonstrator.”

Axel Krein, Executive Director of Clean Aviation, added: “Congratulations to the talented team for reaching this significant milestone in shaping aviation’s net-zero sustainable future. The UltraFan® technology demonstrator, a flagship project of the Clean Sky 2 programme, showcases the power of innovation and collaboration in driving our journey forwards. This architecture will be further developed through Clean Aviation’s HEAVEN project.”

UltraFan has been a decade in the making, with the concept unveiled publicly in 2014. It is a fundamentally different design architecture to that within the approximately 4,200 Rolls-Royce Civil large engines currently in service, incorporates a geared design that no other industry player has produced at this size before. Demonstrating at this scale gives us the flexibility to scale down as required by our customers. It will also put us in the unique position of being able to offer a portfolio of two-shaft, three-shaft, direct drive and geared propulsion solutions to power future aircraft he airline industry nose-dived during the Covid-19 pandemic, but the sector is set to return to profit in a major way this year. Industry-wide revenue is forecast to bounce back to 93 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, buoyed by strong growth in international travel and the re-opening of China’s borders. This is good news for Asian airlines in the region and none more so than Dubai-backed Emirates Airlines. It’s also good news for a UK aircraft leasing fund that holds 50 per cent of its fleet with the Middle Eastern airline and that offers investors an eye-catching 16 per cent dividend yield and a deep value buying opportunity.

Despite economic uncertainty and inflationary pressures on fares, air passenger travel continues to gain momentum.

In 2022, industry-wide revenue passenger kilometres )RPKs( grew by 64.4 per cent compared to the previous year, albeit that was still 31.5 per cent below the 2019 prepandemic levels. At the same time airlines boosted their capacities, measured in available seat kilometres )ASKs(, rising by 39.8 per cent in 2022 to 71.9 per cent of pre-pandemic capacities. The average passenger load factor )PLF( improved by 11.8 percentage points from its 2021 levels, only 3.9 percentage points short of record high load factors from 2019. Progress is being driven primarily by a rebound in international traffic across all regions, thanks to pent-up demand for air travel and easing restrictions globally. International RPKs increased by nearly 153 per cent to end last year at 62 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. Domestic markets reported 10.9 per cent annual growth to take them back to almost 80 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. The recovery in air transport, along with constraints on new aircraft deliveries, are playing into the hands of a below the radar aircraft leasing fund.