VIA DUBAI ENGLISH DECEMBER 2019 by Nadd Al Shiba PR & Event Management

Monthly Newsletter issued by Dubai Civil Aviation Authority

www.viadubaionline.com

Issue 79 December 2019

Roaring Success Inside DCAA 7 8 10

Dubai Airports Honours DCAAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Female Employees Participating in the Ambitious Woman Programme MoU between DCAA and Department of Civil Aviation in Sharjah

DCAA Participates in Dubai Airshow 2019

DCAA Interview

Opinions

Jorge Vargas

Change is coming faster

A Competitive Edge Through Compliance with Global Aviation Standards 12

Middle East News 26

MRO 27

Angela Gittens

ATM 30

Reduce aviationrelated CO2 emissions 28

Dr. Fang Liu

Technology 32

Message

from the President

Another crowning success

or airlines, a key consideration is about building up their fleet. The exercise involves constant learning and adaptation to remain profitable amidst fierce competition and huge investments. With no airline of its own until 1985, Dubai had to learn the ropes hard - and fast. After starting operations with just two leased aircraft, Emirates has worked its way to be a successful operator of one of the industry’s youngest fleet – it is now the world’s largest operator of A380s and Boeing 777s, with 113 Airbus A380s and 158 Boeing 777s. For us, fleet replacement and expansion is a continuous process as we work ways to bring more accolades than being the world’s largest international airline alone. As part of the endeavours to maintain the growth tempo, Emirates has utilized the 2019 edition of Dubai Airshow once again to purchase new aircraft for its fleet. We inked a deal to purchase 30 Boeing 787 Dreamliners worth US$8.8 billion and exercised our rights to substitute the B777X with B787s. Boeing 787 Dreamliners deliveries will commence in May 2023, bringing the total Boeing order to 126 aircraft. The airline has also ordered 50 Airbus 350 aircraft worth US$16 billion as the production of A380, the world’s biggest passenger airplane, is coming to an end by 2021. Along with A350s, Emirates is also expecting a delivery of 40 A330Neos that year. The fleet investment provides us the agility and flexibility to serve a range of destinations as we further develop the EK’s global route network. A young fleet is crucial to our business model to serve the global travel demand through our Dubai hub which enjoys high-quality air connectivity. The smooth conclusion of Dubai Airshow’s 16th biennial edition is another feather in our crown of successes in the aviation sector.

Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum

The world has strongly endorsed its stamp of approval for being one of the successful aerospace shows in the world by several yardsticks. The whole credit for envisioning it to become a crucial part of our aviation growth story goes to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, continuously according his unstinted support from its formative editions. All the aviation industry stakeholders in the UAE extended their unstinted support and cooperation to make this year’s show another success. A number of government organisations too joined in the efforts to ensure its smooth running. Undoubtedly, the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Dubai Air Navigation Services deserve all our praise and appreciation for ensuring the show’s success, especially the flying displays. As one journey ends, we start preparing for another. Expect another memorable edition in November 2021.

December 2019

In 2007, the functions of the Department of Civil Aviation were restructured. Accordingly, the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) was established as a regulatory body, by a decree of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai, on proclamation of law No. 21 of 2007, as amended by law No. 19 of 2010, to undertake development of Air Transport Industry in the Emirate of Dubai and to oversee all aviation-related activities.

CONTENTS

Inside DCAA 07

Dubai Airports Honours DCAAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Female Employees Participating in the Ambitious Woman Programme

MoU between DCAA and Department of Civil Aviation in Sharjah

Via Dubai is the official bilingual monthly newsletter of DCAA, designed to highlight the initiatives and developments in the aviation industry and act as a knowledge-sharing platform for all the stakeholders and aviation professionals.

General Supervision Mohammed Abdulla Ahli Coordinator Hanan Al Mazimi Creative Manager Mohammed Al Jarouf Marketing Manager Fahed Mohammed

DCAA Participates in Dubai Airshow 2019

E-mail: viadubai1@naddalshiba.com Legal Disclaimer

The views expressed in the articles are of the writers and not necessarily belong to DCAA. We take all reasonable steps to keep the information current and accurate, but errors can occur. The information is therefore provided as is, with no guarantee of accuracy, completeness or timeliness. The DCAA or Via Dubai does not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the quality, accuracy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of any information. Via Dubai does not endorse or recommend any article, product, service or information mentioned in the newsletter. Any perceived slight of any person or organisation is completely unintentional.

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ICAO 2019 12

Jorge Vargas

A Competitive Edge Through Compliance with Global Aviation Standards

Our Vision

The World Airport, Dubai

Our Mission

To achieve leadership and ensure sustainability in the field of safety, security and environmental protection in the civil aviation sector and to support an attractive investment environment for the aviation industry . Toll Free:80083222 Contact number:+97147770000 Fax:+97142244573 Email: info@dcaa.gov.ae; dcaa@dcaa.gov.ae http://www.facebook.com/dcaadubai

DCAA website:www.dcaa.gov.ae Working Hours:Sunday â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Thursday, 0730 - 1430 (GMT+4) Location:Dubai International Airport, Terminal (1), Level (1), Gate no. (4), (Arrivals Side) P.O. Box:49888 Dubai - United Arab Emirates twitter.com/dcaadubai

September 2019

youtube.com/user/dcaadubai

Message

from the Director General

A job well done

ith the 16th edition of Dubai Airshow ending on a smooth and successful note, the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) takes pride in its threedecades-long association with the world’s third largest aerospace exhibition. Our role got enlarged in 1989 when the Airshow became an open-air attraction in a make shift facility near the Dubai airport. For the first time, about 25 aircraft went on public display. How massive our role as the regulator and the Authority that define the aviation policy and manage the civil aviation operation in the Emirate of Dubai has grown can be gauged from the fact that in this edition there were over 165 aircraft, along with the exhilarating flying displays. Until the Airshow moved near the Al Maktoum International Airport, the flying displays used to be conducted by closing the airspace around the emirate’s lone airport, Dubai International, to non-participating aircraft during selected time periods. The display was to facilitate potential buyers to evaluate technical capabilities of aircraft before a decision is taken. We had arguably the largest-ever display of aircraft at any aerospace show in the world. Emirates showcased its full family of commercial and training aircraft, including Boeing 777-300ER. This was the aircraft’s second appearance at the Airshow. The impressive line-up of cutting-edge aircraft and flying displays involved months of meticulous planning and collaboration between multiple stakeholders to ensure public safety. Our successful accomplishment of crucial responsibilities, once again, is due to the commitment and dedication of our staff members, mostly Emiratis. It is important to acknowledge and recognise their services positively. We have been successful in keeping our employees enthusiastic, motivated and performing at their peak. We

December 2019

Mohammed Abdulla Ahli

are always excited when someone does his or her job well and properly. We have a culture that creates the mindset necessary to exceed customer expectations. Excellence is always the rule, not the exception. Not a destination, but a way of life. Doing a great job is as much an attitude as it is an activity. The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more. As the aviation grows further, we should work harder to keep up our good reputation and customer service levels and create the best culture for excellence. Rewarding the team for a job well done is essential to keep them happy, fulfilled and productive. There is always an absolute thirst for recognition, praise, appreciation and respect. This way one can improve productivity, ignite staff’s intrinsic motivation and make them happier, better engaged and more creative. Organizations recognise the fact that having a strong and committed workforce is a key success factor for creating a high-performing organization.

Inside DCAA

Year of Tolerance Economics of Tolerance

olerance plays a vital role in ensuring societal cohesiveness and internal stability in countries and constitutes an essential pillar of development and progress in societies. The absence of a culture of tolerance and acceptance has proved disastrous for several countries. All faiths, cultures and nations have suffered from it over the ages. In the Arab world, the UAE stands out for a culture of tolerance. There is social cohesiveness and peace in the society which is home to people from over 200 nationalities. The multicultural bonhomie was showcased to the world, once again, during this year’s UAE National Day, with everyone joining in the mass celebrations. The UAE is an exceptional model of development, tolerance and respect for others. The rule of

law which applies to all without discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, religion or sect. The UAE has zero tolerance policy towards racism, religious fanaticism and intolerance and xenophobia. The UAE is against discrimination against individuals or groups based on religion, caste, doctrine, race, colour or ethnic origin. According to the Turkey’s Institute of Strategic Thinking, the UAE has become a global capital for acceptance through its legislative and policy goals. As the Year of Tolerance comes to an end, the Institute says tolerance is a cashable human trait and a social attribute which contributes in achieving higher rates of GDPs, GNPs, exports and a qualitative life. It is indeed the basic core of prosperity of a nation. Tolerance is not just good value but good

economics. It will speed up all the interrelated actors of social development. It will foster greater opportunity, tolerance, social mobility and a concern for fairness. Cross-country studies show that nations in which there is a lot of trust among people do well economically. The UAE is the only country in the world which has ministers of tolerance and happiness. Tolerance is not a weakness, but is a respect to diversity of humanity and cares the wonders of humanity. In his book, The Moral Consequences of Economic Growth, Harvard economist Benjamin Friedman, said economic expansion has fostered greater opportunity, tolerance, social mobility and a concern for fairness. Meanwhile, economic contraction has gone hand-in-hand historically with xenophobia.

Dubai Airports Honours DCAA’s Female Employees Participating in the Ambitious Woman Programme Dubai Airports honoured the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority’s (DCAA) female employees, who participated in the Ambitious Woman Programme aiming to build a future generation of Emirati female leaderships in the aviation sector. The honouring included Al Anoud Al Suwaidi, Senior Executive - Development

and Training; Mona Al Araimi, Senior Executive – Excellence, and Nawal Karamstaji, Procurement Executive. The launch of the programme comes in the framework of developing female human resources to enable them play a significant role in strengthening the UAE aviation industry.

December 2019

Inside DCAA

MoU between DCAA and Department of Civil Aviation in Sharjah

.E. Sheikh Khalid bin Issam Al Qassimi, Chairman of the Department of Civil Aviation in Sharjah and H.E. Mohammed Abdulla Ahli, Director General of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority signed a memorandum of understanding between the two parties concerning airspace safety and control of the obstacles surrounding Dubai International Airport and Al Sharjah International Airport.

The signing of the MoU comes to strengthen coordination between the Emirate of Dubai and the Emirate of Sharjah in all air safety related areas with the aim to determine responsibilities and define procedures between the two parties in relation to granting NoCs for constructing buildings, lifts, antennas and the like, in the areas located between Dubai International Airport and Sharjah International Airport. In this regard, H.E. Sheikh Khalid bin Issam Al Qassimi, Chairman of the Department of Civil Aviation in Sharjah, said: “We are pleased to cooperate with DCAA by signing this MoU, which aims to determine responsibilities and define procedures between the two parties in order to coordinate the granting of NoCs for constructing buildings and installing lifts and other objects in the area between Sharjah International Airport and Dubai International Airport. This

December 2019

comes as part of our mutual efforts to upgrade the aviation sector in Dubai, Sharjah and the UAE in general. It also comes to strengthen aviation safety and aircraft traffic in airspace of the state; a goal we all aspire to enhance in all our airports and skies through legislations, laws and procedures meant to achieve it.” “The signing of the MoU during this period in which our beloved country is witnessing growth in the aviation sector is in line with the plans and interests of both parties with a view to expand their airports’ operational processes to attract more passengers, and accommodate more airlines and flights in order to strengthen the positioning of the UAE’s aviation industry not only on regional level, but also internationally,” H.E. added. H.E. Mohammed Abdulla Ahli, Director General of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, said: “Through this MoU,

we seek to foster our cooperation with our partners in the civil aviation sector of the state, and this MoU is a positive step to achieving the joint goals between the two parties in the area of maintaining the safety and security of the skies to positively impact the smooth flow of air traffic.” The scope of the MoU includes cooperation measures such as the exchange of data and correspondences and an agreement to control and standardise border obstacles between the two parties, including defining the dividing line and areas of responsibilities in relation to granting approvals pertaining the maximum height of constructions. The two parties agreed to evaluate the ceilings of obstacles’ height by conducting aerial surveys and special studies for constructions within the standardised height ceilings of obstacles.

CMY

‫ﻋﻤﻠﻴﺔ اﻟﺘﻔﺘﻴﺶ واﻟﺘﻌﺮف ﻋﻠﻰ ﻗﻄﻊ ﻏﻴﺎر اﻟﻄﺎﺋﺮات‬

‫ﺗﻬﺪف ﻫﺬه اﻟﺨﺪﻣﺔ إﻟﻰ ﺗﺴﻬﻴﻞ ﻋﻤﻠﻴﺔ ﻧﻘﻞ ﻗﻄﻊ ﻏﻴﺎر اﻟﻄﺎﺋﺮات ﻋﻠﻰ ﻣﺘﻦ اﻟﺮﺣﻼت اﻟﻤﻐﺎدرة ﻣﻦ‬ .‫أو اﻟﻘﺎدﻣﺔ إﻟﻰ ﻣﻄﺎرات دﺑﻲ ﻣﻦ ﻗﺒﻞ ﻣﻤﺜﻠﻲ ﺷﺮﻛﺎت اﻟﺼﻴﺎﻧﺔ وﺷﺮﻛﺎت اﻟﻄﻴﺮان أو ﻣﻼك اﻟﻄﺎﺋﺮات‬

:‫ ﺧﻄﻮات ﻟﻠﺤﺼﻮل ﻋﻠﻰ ﺷﻬﺎدة ﻋﺪم ﻣﻤﺎﻧﻌﺔ‬3

‫ﻳﺮﺟﻰ ﻣﺴﺢ اﻟﻜﻮد ﻟﻠﺪﺧﻮل‬ ‫إﻟﻰ ﺻﻔﺤﺔ اﻟﺨﺪﻣﺔ‬

‫ اﻟﺘﺴﺠﻴﻞ ﻣﻦ ﺧﻼل اﻟﻤﻮﻗﻊ اﻹﻟﻜﺘﺮوﻧﻲ اﻟﺮﺳﻤﻲ ﻟﻬﻴﺌﺔ دﺑﻲ ﻟﻠﻄﻴﺮان‬.1 www.dcaa.gov.ae ‫اﻟﻤﺪﻧﻲ‬ ‫ ﺗﻌﺒﺌﺔ اﻟﻄﻠﺐ اﻹﻟﻜﺘﺮوﻧﻲ اﻟﺨﺎص ﺑﺎﻟﺨﺪﻣﺔ واﺳﺘﻴﻔﺎء ﻛﺎﻓﺔ اﻟﻤﺘﻄﻠﺒﺎت‬.2 .‫واﻟﻤﺮﻓﻘﺎت‬ .‫ ﺗﺴﺪﻳﺪ رﺳﻮم اﻟﺨﺪﻣﺔ ﻋﺒﺮ اﻟﻤﻮﻗﻊ‬.3

Process for Inspecting and Identifying Aircraft Spare Parts This service is to facilitate for all representatives of maintenance companies, airlines and aircraft owners that intend to transport aircraft spare parts on board a ﬂight arriving to or departing from Dubai Airports.

3 steps to obtain the NOC: 1. Registration on the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority website www.dcaa.gov.ae 2. Fill the online application and submit the required documents. 3. Pay the service fees online.

December 2019

Please scan the QR Code to access the Service page

Inside DCAA

DCAA Participates in Dubai Airshow 2019

he Dubai Civil Aviation Authority participated in Dubai Airshow 2019, the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest dedicated airshow. During the show, a number of VIPs and senior officials were received and many sector-related meetings were held, while also introducing participants and visitors to the Authorityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s role and current and future industry developments.

December 2019

(From left) H.E. Sheikh Khalid bin Issam Al Qassimi, Chairman of the Department of Civil Aviation, Sharjah; H.E. Eng. Sheikh Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Department of Civil Aviation, Ras Al Khaimah; H.E. Mohammed Abdulla Ahli, Director General of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority

Inside DCAA

December 2019

ICAO 2019

A Competitive Edge Through Compliance with Global Aviation Standards

How the ICAO Technical Cooperation Bureau can play a lead role in assisting the Middle East grow and advance in international aviation. By Jorge Vargas

n the heels of ICAO’s 40th Triennial General Assembly, ICAO Technical Cooperation Bureau (TCB) has its sights on the fast-growing and evolving civil aviation sector in the Middle East in order to enhance aviation standards of countries in the region. TCB has customized programmes and specialized capabilities to assist countries achieve success. What is the Technical Cooperation Bureau? As the United Nations (UN) specialized agency for civil aviation, ICAO joined the UN Expanded Programme for Technical Assistance (UNEPTA) in 1951, serving as the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) executing agency in the implementation of technical assistance projects in aviation. ICAO established the Technical Assistance Bureau (TAB) in 1952. In subsequent years, a shift in the United Nations from technical assistance to technical cooperation resulted in a new name of Technical Cooperation Bureau (TCB). TCB serves as the key ICAO bureau supporting the No Country Left Behind (NCLB) initiative by assisting States with the effective implementation of ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs), Air Navigation Plans as well as the development of their civil aviation systems including institutions, infrastructure, equipment and capacity building. What is TCB’s Role in the Middle East? TCB is assisting States throughout the Middle East in the implementation projects across the spectrum of civil aviation. In the Gulf States, TCB has worked closely with the ICAO Middle East Regional Office on the Cooperative Development of Operational Safety and Continuing Airworthiness Programme – Gulf States (COSCAP-GS) since 2005. Members of the COSCAP-GS programme, including Bahrain, Kuwait and United Arab Emirates, work together to enhance the safety and efficiency of air transport operations in the Gulf States by applying harmonized international standards and national safety oversight provisions, regulations and procedures. COSCAP-GS also enables the member States to promote accident prevention and monitor safety data, indicators and preventive measures necessary for the enhancement of safety performance levels.

December 2019

From 2016 to 2018, TCB programmes recruited experts for various projects, procured civil aviation related goods and services on behalf of States or government agencies and trained more than 2,500 civil aviation administrators and professionals in 12 countries across the region. TCB continues to drive positive change in regional and international civil aviation by understanding the unique needs and challenges of States, and by working together on solutions from the TCB services portfolio to build capacity and increase effective implementation, compliance and strategic outcomes. How Can TCB Enhance the Competitive Advantage of States? For many years, TCB has been very successful in delivering its Technical Cooperation Programme. However, rapid changes in technology, labour market dynamics and international aviation regulatory framework have caused TCB to change its business strategy and model in response to the new dynamic. Since my appointment as the new Director in 2018, TCB has embarked on a business realignment and reorganization to deliver new solutions demanded by the global civil aviation community. Called One ICAO, One TCB, ICAO’s technical cooperation (TC) and technical assistance (TA) activities will realign and combine under one umbrella. By combining TC and TA activities, it results in the highest levels of technical compliance, proficiency and expertise on implementation projects for TCB clients. I have also introduced a new, businesslike mindset to TCB. TCB is now changing its outreach through sound strategy, value proposition, business development and marketing. It is highly focused on quality, transparency and risk management, as well as financial sustainability through business process re-engineering, cost-benefit analysis and optimized use of resources to add more value and to exceed our customer needs and expectations.

ICAO 2019

A new portfolio of programmes and capabilities enables TCB to anticipate current and future customer needs, provide customers with new ideas in civil aviation systems, build capacity, drive changes and achieve the customer’s desired outcomes in civil aviation. The new portfolio of customized programmes covers all aspects of civil aviation, including: Airports Airports Economic Economic Development Development

Safety Oversight Safety

Oversight

Training & Training & Fellowship Fellowship

Air Air Navigation Navigation Capacity & Efficiency Efficiency Capacity &

Environment Environment

Security and Facilitation Security andOversight Facilitation Oversight

Aviation Aviation Procurement Procurement

Master planning

Talent & HR

Traveller ID

When States partner with TCB on projects, they receive ICAO’s wealth of institutional knowledge in current, upcoming and future standards, rules and best practices in aviation. States are able to anticipate, plan, prepare the necessary capacity for the future, and stay ahead of the curve. TCB can provide this unique advantage to countries throughout the Middle East on top of TCB’s objectivity, flexibility, neutrality, transparency and costeffectiveness in providing a full range of projects. ICAO Technical Cooperation Bureau is your partner when the highest level of technical expertise, quality and responsiveness is required to maintain a safe, secure, efficient, sustainable and environmentally responsible civil aviation sector. TCB’s programmes and first-hand knowledge of the latest and future SARPs deliver the competitive advantage sought by clients worldwide. Trust TCB to help you achieve excellence in compliance.

Traveller ID

TCB works closely with other leading ICAO Bureaus and Regional Offices to ensure that each programme is backed by technical knowledge and capabilities in project management, implementation, procurement of goods and services, experts and personnel, as well as training and fellowships.

................................................................................................................................................................ The Costa Rica-born Jorge Vargas Araya has more than 28 years of experience in international civil aviation. He built his distinguished career working in successive executive and leadership positions throughout Central America, serving and engaging stakeholders at national, regional and global levels.

December 2019

ICAO 2019

International Civil Aviation Organization Celebrates 75th Anniversary

Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) extend its greetings to International Civil Aviation Organization on the 75th Anniversary of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention) and the establishment of the International Civil Aviation Organization. “I would like to extend my gratitude to all the States and the ICAO for their valuable contribution that has paved the way to develop the international civil aviation industry in a safe and secured manner for the benefit of the people around the world and to pay our tribute to all those who have served ICAO for their valuable service. I congratulate HE Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, President ICAO Council and its Members, Dr. Fang Liu, Secretary General and everyone at ICAO on this historic moment in celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Chicago Convention and the ICAO” said H.H. Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority On the 7th December the International Convention on Civil Aviation, generally referred to as the Chicago Convention, was adopted at this conference and was signed by 52 States. In addition, two agreements called the International Air Transport Agreement and the International Air Services Transit Agreement were also prepared as annexes to this convention. ICAO was formed by the provisions of the Chicago Convention, which was made up of an Assembly, a Council and such other bodies as may be necessary. The Convention also sets out the aims and objectives of the ICAO, which included, inter alia, to develop principles and techniques for international air navigation and to foster the planning and development of international air transport, to ensure safe and orderly growth of international civil aviation globally, to encourage the development of airways, airports and air navigation facilities, to promote safety of flight in international air navigation. ICAO’s contribution for the betterment of international civil aviation is immense. The Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) have been working closely with the ICAO and the Air Transport Bureau for several decades, supporting its activities in numerous ways. One of the major events in which the DCAA joined hands with the ICAO is the first Air Services Negotiation Conference (ICAN2008) held in Dubai in November 2008. This event,

December 2019

“DCAA takes this opportunity to pay our tribute to the contribution made by all the States and the ICAO for the development of international air transport industry and also to the President of the HE Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu and its members, Dr. Fang Liu, Secretary General and her energetic team at ICAO on this memorable day in celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Chicago Convention and the establishment of ICAO” said Mohammed A. Ahli, Director General, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority C

which was hosted by the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, brought together 27 States from Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle East and North America. In a short span of three days, they conducted more than 100 formal and informal bilateral meetings, which led to the conclusion or signing of over 20 agreements/arrangements. This number of participants and the outcome of this annual event has been improving every year. Since its inception, ICAN has been held annually of which the 12th edition was concluded in Aqaba, Jordan this year. Government of Dubai also came forward to support the ICAO Global Symposium on Air Transport Liberalization which was held in Dubai in September 2006. This was the first such global event organized by ICAO following the fifth Worldwide Air Transport Conference held in 2003 with the intention of providing a forum to share liberalization experiences, exchange information and views on trends and their impact and to learning about different policy options and approaches to liberalization. DCAA, together with the Federal Authority of the UAE, is committed to continue with its efforts to support the development of international civil aviation for the benefit of the people and to preserve friendship and understanding amongst nations, whilst bearing in mind the importance of maintaining safe, secured and environment friendly aviation industry.

CMY

APPROVAL OF CRANES &

OTHER CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT December 2019

Cover Story

Roaring Success

he world’s third largest aerospace exhibition attracted 1,288 exhibitors in its 16th edition. Between 1999 and 2019 biennial editions, Dubai Airshow recorded US$694 billion worth of cumulative deals

When the first air show took place in France in the first decade of the 19th century, officials converted grape fields to accommodate pilots and airplanes and construct grandstands. Attracting about 500,000 spectators, its huge success made the world stand in its tracks in awe. With their extreme death-defying stunts and dazzling speed displays, air shows became a major mass entertainment platforms.

December 2019

The man-machine demonstrations indirectly promoted the aviation industry as different types of aircraft and their capabilities went on public displays. Since then, air shows have remained a big draw like their historic predecessors, but a couple of air shows evolved into a businessoriented platforms as the aviation became a multi-billion dollar global industry. Held every alternate year since 1949 at Le Bourget Airport, the Paris Air Show is a massive platform to see the newest military and civilian aircraft and order them. This June, the 53rd edition of the world’s largest aerospace event by the number of exhibitors and exhibition space, attracted over 2,450 companies and witnessed orders worth over US$140 billion being placed. Similarly, the world’s second largest air show is also held in Europe at the UK’s first airfield and home to the country’s first powered flight in 1908.

The aviation industry’s robustness was demonstrated at the last year’s edition of the biennial Farnborough International Air Show, where US$192 billion worth of orders and commitments for more than 1,400 commercial aircraft were made. That’s whopping business volume for the air show which started in 1948 when nearly 200 exhibitors came out for the flying displays and exhibition. Over the years, these air shows competed with each other to maintain their domination in the market. There were hardly any challengers on the horizon until a relatively new entrant at the crossroads of the global air travel arrived. Started first as Arab Civil Aviation Show in 1986 fully indoors with participation of 20 companies at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), it returned two years later with 60 exhibitors.

Cover Story

The 1989 edition had 200 companies along with 20 aircraft static display. Since 1990, it is being held in November every two years. Titled ‘Dubai 2000’, the 1999 show recorded deals surpassing US$2 billion in value. Ten years later, it saw the biggest deal in the history of civil aviation, when Emirates signed US$35 billion deal for aircraft and engines. In 2013, the deals reached the US$206 billion mark – the highest in its history. In 2017, aircraft manufacturers succeeded in getting orders worth US$113.8 billion, including Airbus bagging its largest single deal ever – a US$49.5 billion package for 430 aircraft in its A320neo family, and Boeing inking a US$27 billion deal for 225 aircraft in its 737 MAX family, the largest-ever single-aisle jet order from fast-growing LCC, flydubai. Between 11 biennial editions since 1999, Dubai Airshow recorded US$694 billion worth of cumulative deals, including sales of

US$$54.5 billion made as 2019 show closed. Banner years were 2017, which saw US$114 billion of deals; 2013, with US$206 billion and 2007, with US$156 billion. Continuing its journey of success, Dubai hosted the 16th edition of Dubai Airshow for five days from November 17, with the participation of 1,288 exhibitors from over 60 countries, up by almost 10 percent. About 85,000 attendees came to Dubai from across the globe. This year’s edition took place for the fourth time at the purpose-built facility near the Al Maktoum International

Airport- Dubai World Central (DWC). It had been organised by Tarsus F&E LLC Middle East in co-operation with Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA), Dubai Airports and the UAE Armed Forces. The last major trade fair of the decade witnessed the first-ever Advanced Technology Partner for Dubai Airshow with the coming on board of EDGE, a newly-launched conglomerate. Edge combines 22 private firms with the state-owned Emirates Defence Industries Company, Emirates Advanced Investments Group and Tawazun Holding. The show’s co-located events included Global Air Traffic Management (GATM) and Smart Manufacturing, Airport Solutions Dubai, Space Pavilion and Cargo Connect. Five conferences based around these topics took place. The first Space Tech Talks conference focused on the future of space exploration and its impact on the technology sector. The initiative comes at a time when 14 countries in the Arab world already collaborating on plans for a regional space strategy and satellite project.

December 2019

Cover Story

A host of speciality conferences, offering industry-specific keynotes, Q&A sessions and networking opportunities, attracted huge crowds. The GATM conference took a close look into the future of traffic control, with virtual towers proving to be a particularly hot topic. Cargo Connect, a show within the show, focused on the air freight industry, with data sharing across both geographical and business boundaries being a key focus. For the first time, a growing focus on space exploration regionally was recognised with its own conference programme, opening with Women in Space, hosted by the UAE Space Agency and featured speakers from the UN and Boeing, among others.

December 2019

This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s show took place at a time when the commercial aerospace sector continues to enjoy strong growth in an otherwise depressed global economy. The burgeoning needs of air travel globally has seen a jump in the sales of aircraft. It has remained a premier venue to gauge the industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pulse and assess its global health. The Boeing Market Outlook (BMO) talking about a US$3.1 trillion projected demand for commercial airplanes through 2028. It also projects US$2.5 trillion of defence and space opportunities during the next decade. The growing passenger volumes and increasing airplane retirements will drive the need for 44,040 new jets, valued at US$6.8 trillion over the next two decades.

By 2034, the passenger and freighter aircraft fleets in the Middle East region alone will almost treble to over 2,950, valued at US$660 billion. Boeing says strong commercial aviation industry and stable defence spending is driving a growing aerospace market which will be worth US$8.7 trillion over the next decade. The UAEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s investments in space technologies exceeds US$5.4 billion. The UAE Space Agency has undertaken an initiative to build an unmanned probe spacecraft that will orbit the Red Planet by 2021, along with building in the year 2117 the first city on Mars. The UAE is focusing on advanced aerospace structure and composite part manufacturing facilities and capabilities.

Cover Story

About 100 new companies from ATC, maintenance and supply fields exhibited for the first time at the show which had visitors from 117 countries. Like its European rivals, the emirate’s Airshow was a battleground for commercial aircraft sales between Airbus and Boeing. Also present was players like Britain’s BAE Systems and France’s Dassault. America’s Lockheed Martin, was all out in force. The USA Partnership Pavilion hosted a majority of the 140 US companies which exhibited. This year, the Pavilion expanded its footprint to 3,517 square meters and had 15 first-time participants. For the first time, India had its own country pavilion. The exhibiting countries included US, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Poland, Russia, France, Korea, China and Saudi Arabia.

The flying displays witnessed aerobatic by the UAE’s Al Fursan team. Also flying was the world’s only aerobatic airline, UK-based display team, The Blades. France’s Patrouille de France, which flies Dassault Apha Jets, made its first return to Dubai since 2011. The Blades, a UKbased team which flies the Extra E-A 300 aerobatic aircraft, performed at the show as part of a tour of the UAE. As had been case in the past, the UAE airlines headlined the event. This year, the total value of Emirate Airlines’ firm aircraft commitments stood at US$ 24.8 billion. The carrier inked a deal with Boeing to purchase 30 Boeing 787 Dreamliners worth US$8.8 billion. The airliner also ordered from Airbus 50 A350 aircraft worth US$16 billion. Sharjah-based LCC Air Arabia placed orders for 73 A320neos, 27 A321neos and 20 A321XLRs, which will be delivered from 2024 onwards. The carrier currently has a fleet of 53 A320ceos and three A321LRs. Etihad Airways and Boeing announced a first-of-its-kind ‘eco partnership’ in which a specially-themed Boeing 787 Dreamliner will be used to test products, procedures and initiatives designed to reduce aircraft carbon emissions. To be introduced early next year, it will be used

by both companies to explore and assess environmental sustainability initiatives while the aircraft operates scheduled services across the airline’s network. A mega contract worth AED3.5 billion was awarded to Global Aerospace Logistics (GAL) for the fleet of the UAE Joint Aviation Command (JAC). Dassault Aviation won AED1.8 billion contract from the UAE Armed Forces for enhancing the Mirage 2000 fighter jets. The US giant Lockheed Martin bagged AED76 million deal for the purchase and maintenance of equipment for F16 fighter jets. Denel Dynamics won AED26 million contract for technical support for all the aircraft. As curtains came down for the 2019 edition, the aerospace industry players went back home with fond memories about it and hopes to return to the 17th edition from 14 to 18 November 2021. Two years undoubtedly appears a long time in this age of fast-developing technologies and innovation. The organisers are confident about the Dubai Airshow continuing its march of progress with confidence in the coming editions. Dubai Airshow has the goal of becoming the world’s number-one aerospace B2B platform by the time it reaches its 20th edition in 2027.

December 2019

UAE in Focus

Two new airlines to be launched in UAE

Millions benefit from EKflydubai partnership

wo new carriers will take to the skies soon in the Arab world’s second biggest economy. Sharjah-based Air Arabia and Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Aviation Group have joined hands to launch a new budget carrier based out of the Abu Dhabi airport. Air Arabia Abu Dhabi will be the fifth airline to operate from the UAE after Emirates, Etihad, flydubai and Air Arabia. Etihad and Air Arabia currently operate a combined fleet of 162 aircraft, including 109 by the former and 53 by the latter.

The budget carrier signed a MoU with the RAK airport to start direct flights between RAK and New Delhi. It will operate five flights a week and aims to gradually increase the frequency. It will be SpiceJet’s first overseas hub. It currently operates 550 flights on an average every day in India.

Coming to the country’s northernmost emirate of Ras Al Khaimah will be a new carrier by India’s SpiceJet. It will be based at RAK airport.

The carrier is working to make the emirate its stepping stone into Europe and widening its connectivity to the Gulf.

Emirates Group posts AED1.2 billion profit in H1

he Emirates Group has announced its half-year results for the 201920 financial year. Group revenue was US$14.5 billion for the first six months of 2019-20. Profitability was up eight percent compared to the same period last year, with the Group reporting a 2019-20 half-year net profit of AED1.2 billion (US$320 million). The profit improvement was primarily due to the decline in fuel prices of nine percent compared to the same period last year, however the gain from lower fuel costs were partially offset by negative currency movements. His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group, said the Group delivered a

December 2019

steady and positive performance by adapting our strategies to navigate the tough trading conditions and social-political uncertainty in many markets around the world. The global outlook is difficult to predict, but we expect the airline and travel industry to continue facing headwinds over the next six months with stiff competition adding downward pressure on margins, he added. The Group’s employee base remained unchanged at an overall average staff count of 105,315. During the first six months of 2019-20, Emirates received three Airbus A380s, with three more new aircraft scheduled to be delivered before the end of the 2019-20 financial year.

record over 5.27 million passengers have benefitted from the seamless connectivity on the Emirates and flydubai network since both Dubai-based airlines started their partnership in October 2017. In addition, some 800,000 Emirates Skywards members have earned over 1.5 billion Skywards Miles on Emirates and flydubai codeshare itineraries in the last 12 months. Emirates passengers can seamlessly connect to 94 destinations on the flydubai network via Dubai International, and flydubai passengers can access 143 Emirates destinations.

Emirates starting Dubai-Mexico flights

mirates has been granted permission to operate flights between Dubai and Mexico City via Barcelona by Mexico’s Ministry of Communications and Transport. EK said that flights are “on track” to begin operating December 9. The announcement follows month of legal wrangling in Mexican courts stemming from a challenge from Aeromexico, which also operates direct flights between Barcelona and Mexico City. Aeromexico, along with Mexico’s pilots union, have long resisted the Emirates route, saying that they believe Mexican jobs will be lost as a result of the flight.

Interview

No change in our long-term aspirations

Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines, one of the four legacy carriers in the US with a fleet of 918 aircraft, talks to an IATA publication about what lies ahead How is the airline’s performance this year? We are having a good year. Top line revenues are up in excess of eight percent. There is a strong demand for travel and Delta is well positioned to address that. But we must always watch the macro indicators, such as fuel prices and geopolitical tensions. You have to, especially as a large international carrier. Is the US-China trade war or tensions along the Mexican border affecting business? We are always concerned with anything that causes disruption to trade. But our US-China traffic is up 25 percent. They are two of the largest markets in the world and there is still strong traffic between the two countries. Cargo is the one part of our business that has been affected by trade concerns. Cargo is not a significant contributor to our bottom line though. It’s roughly US$1 billion out of US$50 billion in revenues. So, it’s not something that will change our

strategy, but we hope the situation improves. Regarding Mexico, we have a great partner—Aeromexico. Mexico is a young market. There is a really bright future together with Aeromexico. Whatever the politics of the day, it doesn’t change our long-term aspirations. Are all your partnerships living up to your expectations? Aside from the partnerships mentioned, we own 10 percent of Air France-KLM and there is a very strong relationship there. We hope Virgin Atlantic will join the joint venture (JV) once we get the relevant approval and we will acquire a 49 percent stake in Virgin Atlantic. It gives us the ability to connect over significant hubs in Europe. So far, some US$2 billion has been invested in stakes in our partners. But I don’t envision a future where Delta controls them. The investment was for strategic reasons, not financial.

So, you are a believer in consolidation? If you look at the US, consolidation was one of the forces that helped stabilize the industry. And competition is still fierce—there are four major carriers about the same size. In Europe it has helped, as you can see by improving results. Consolidation allows airlines to bring scale to the market. This is a capital-intensive industry and so scale really helps. Most importantly, it benefits the consumer. Consolidation means airlines can invest in the overall product, adding quality and value. What challenges do you see ahead for the industry? Safety is always something you keep working at. The aviation system is the safest form of transportation in the world and we want to keep it that way. I think too many people are looking for the end of economic growth and are being too cautious. That stops investment and you end up causing what you fear. At Delta, we are investing back into the business and it is helping our profitability. Our environmental responsibility is also vital. It is in everybody’s interest to keep the planet healthy.

December 2019

ADP Ingénierie

The world can learn from Dubai’s long-term aviation investments

In an interview, Philippe Martinet, Managing Director of Business Unit for Central Asia, Middle East and East Africa (CAMEEA), told Via Dubai about ADP Ingénierie’s regional aviation business landscape Based in Dubai, the Business Unit (BU) is not only in charge of the UAE and Gulf but also of the whole Middle East, Central Asia and Eastern Africa. Why is it so? ADP Ingénierie has always been seeking to be closer to its clients. We believe only customers’ intimacy offers the right insights to provide the most adequate solutions to specific issues and challenges. Our team has grown over the last 20 years to offer the entire range of services expected by our clients. While the core teams in GCC – mainly in UAE – were fully structured, the BU headquarter in Dubai was missionned in 2017, to expand its footprint to Central Asia and Eastern Africa. This was done using a smart delivery model, combining the proven performance of our legacy staffs in GCC with agile remote teams adapting to any local specificities and customers expectations. Our footprint is now expanding from our regional headquarter in Dubai to the whole CAMEEA region. We expect to keep on developing our presence next to our clients. Your company manages projects like Passenger Terminals, Control Towers, Concourse C at Terminal 3 DXB

December 2019

Air Control Centers, Hangars and Baggage Handling Systems (BHS). In the Gulf and Middle East, which areas do you focus on? Airports, whatever their purpose and size, are our core business. ADP Ingénierie is involved at all stages of an airport’s life cycle. In Architecture, Design Engineering and Construction phases, but also upstream in consulting and strategic planning, including site selection for greenfield projects, and likewise Maintenance Engineering and Asset management downstream. We address all airports assets (buildings, infrastructures, special airport systems), from wide concepts such like sustainable airport city / urbanism down to detailed design and operational audits. Such wide and deep 360-approach is made possible because of our sole focus on airports while belonging to groupe ADP. As a group, we’re not only designers but we invest, operate and leverage airports over the world. Anything we plan, design and help to build and commission, is based on decades of experience in various airport operations, allowing us to embrace the whole complexity of such systems. What is your international development strategy? Engineering and airport operations?

Groupe ADP is one of the world’s top ten airport operators. Recently Groupe ADP, which operates 25 airports worldwide, became number one in number of passengers. Paris-Aéroport, which includes the Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Paris-Orly and Paris-Le Bourget airport hubs, handled more than 100 million passengers in 2018. As the engineering subsidiary of Groupe ADP, ADP Ingénierie focuses on consulting, design, engineering, project management and construction supervision. Since 2000, ADP Ingénierie supports and assists airports of all sizes and all around the world on all their challenges. With 20 locations worldwide, we have a strong presence close to our customers. Our footprint is still expanding with the recent opening of three new branches in Thailand, Spain and Greece. In 2018, the acquisition of an American airport consulting firm, Merchant Aviation, allowed us to enter the US and North American market. These recent months, we signed several contracts with major airports in the US. As an example, our Dubai team just completed the design of the extension of the JFK Terminal 8 in New York

ADP Ingénierie

“Mr. Philippe Martinet – Managing Director BU Central Asia - Middle East - East Africa”

City (NYC) as part of a project won by Merchant Aviation, company member of Groupe ADP in the US, and ADP Ingénierie. Lately, ADP Ingénierie returned to Egypt to support Cairo International Airport in its rehabilitation. ADP Ingénierie keeps growing and spreading its expertise all around the world. What projects ADP Ingénierie is carrying out in UAE airports? In 2018, ADP Ingénierie won a contract in Sharjah to design and supervise the expansion of the Sharjah International Airport. This project is one of the largest airport developments currently ongoing in the region. The project consists in an increase of the capacity of the existing terminal - from the current traffic of 11 million passenger to 17.5 million passenger per year in the near future-, while enhancing the passenger experience. ADP Ingénierie is also carrying military projects in the UAE, showing the broad span of expertise provided by our company, in civilian airports as well as military field. More generally, ADP Ingénierie is ready to support all UAE airports in the definition or fine-tuning of their development strategy, many innovations and new technologies. Could you further elaborate on Innovation project that ADP Ingénierie

is currently working on ? Our parent company, Groupe ADP, is running the Innovation Hub programme in Paris. The Hub is an effective investment model based on two complementary pillars: an internal fund for direct minority holdings in start-ups and subscriptions to external funds. So far, Groupe ADP has taken shares in three companies: Hologarde, providing drone solutions for airports; Safetyline offering innovative solutions for aviation efficiency and safety; InnovATM providing solutions for Air Navigation stakeholders including ATCOs, Airport and Airlines based on Artificial Intelligence. More than a competitive advantage, our primary goal is to provide to our clients with the finest, best-suited solutions that are way ahead of their time, to guarantee the quality of our service throughout the airport value chain. We implemented a dedicated team and strategy to identify, prepare for and adopt the latest innovations related to our core business. This will also materialize in 2020, with ADP Ingénierie Dubai opening an Innovation and Training Center in Business Bay, to welcome clients, partners and startups. What can the world learn from the experiences of Dubai in aviation industry? There could be many but I would mention at least two of them. Dubai has been shaping the aviation industry in the Middle East and meeting a great success with the third busiest airport in the world. Dubai has always been constant in its efforts to be the best and develop a successful business model, based on a comprehensive and long term vision. The world can learn from Dubai that it is important to shape such a long term perspective to define, phase and implement in a consistent manner its investments over 20 to 30 years and even more. While looking forward on Al

Maktoum International Airport (AMIA) development, Dubai is constantly investing in the Dubai International Airport (DXB). That’s differentiating through Innovation. Technologies are playing a significant role in the success of an airport. The passenger experience keeps evolving and improving to offer the best to the airport customers. Dubai has launched a trial for a new passports and boarding cards checking. The Biometric Passenger Journey technology, based on individual biometric data, will be implemented in the future. This is an example of what is keeping Dubai at the top of the innovation and on the top of the airport rankings. Is the Middle East market resilient due to global economic slowdowns? The Middle East market remains a strong market led by the air traffic growth, which will increase in the forthcoming years. As part of its Strategy, Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia is heavily investing in tourism. The Kingdom is developing Red Sea projects just to mention few of the must-see touristic areas. Countries such as the UAE and Oman remain geopolitically stable and friendly for business and tourism. Despite the traffic growth relative slowdown the past two years, Dubai and the UAE will drive the economy in the region for 2020, thanks to the timely Expo 2020, whose positive impact is expected to last beyond 2021. Focusing on airports, even with less Greenfield projects in the Middle East, we expect many improvements, enhancements and global optimization initiatives to materialize in the following years on the existing assets. With 40 years of presence and experience in the Middle East region and in UAE in particular, ADP Ingénierie remains confident about the regional market. Our company is ready to support all the airport authorities in the development and optimization of their infrastructures.

December 2019

Special Report

Challenging Times

Airlines are facing seven common challenges. A look at them

penJaw, a Dublin-based global leader in e-Commerce platforms, has a set of common challenges facing the airline industry: digital transformation, customer centricity and technology

Challenge #1

Rise of Mobile, Social Media and the Always-on Consumer The travel experience has expanded and is now multi-layered, multi-screen and fragmented. The inexorable rise of mobile, social media and the always-on consumer has resulted in two contrasting outcomes: travel customers are elevating their expectations, whilst travel brands face the threat of commoditisation. The multi-screen means that the customer journey is totally fragmented. Mobile means that every aspect of the customer journey has changed: the fact that ‘everyone is a fingertip away’ means that there is a real opportunity to tackle this by having the customer at the centre of the airline. Mobile, social and digital enables airlines to create customer experiences that engage both the traveller and the employee, drive more personalised interactions and rapidly improve customer service scores. The challenge of connecting the ‘digitally distracted consumer’ means that the

December 2019

traveller has less time to engage with airlines. The challenge is to ‘combat digital deafness’.

Challenge #2

Digital Transformation and ‘Big Data’ Every organisation is going through a digital transformation whether they know it or not’. An organisation has to move, and move at least at the pace of its competitors. One has to put data and technology at the centre of the business. There is no compromise on the spending on technology and digital. Data is key – if you don’t embrace data, you will perish. New platforms in which the future processes are going to sit will be fundamental to our future. So deconstructing and reconstructing the firm in the digital environment is what we must do. The way we go about assembling the resources, and how you use back of house systems, are going to be completely transformed by digital’. Airlines hide behind the complexity of partners, and not on taking care of customers.

Distinctions were made about the three different types of data in an airline: Customer data, Product data and Operational data. Having clean data – data that is accurate, collated, quantitatively measurable, and easily analysed – is half the battle.

Challenge #3

Navigating the travel tech landscape Fintech, martech, adtech, healthtech and now traveltech are all exhibiting the exact same pattern: an explosion of small, agile tech-driven businesses targeting airlines with all sorts of products and services. All the talk about channels, data, predictive analytics, machine learning and AI is creating a confusing vendor landscape. Is this a good thing? The view was unanimously positive: these agile, nimble competitors are good. Technology is the bedrock of being able to do a lot more for customers. The problem for airlines is to understand how these different pieces of technology stick together. Instead of being reliant totally on internal resources, airlines are

Special Report

if there is a problem with flights, customers want an immediate answer and are ok with lack of empathy. Chatbots typically know before a call centre that there is a problem or disruption, due to their connection with the back end systems, so a fast, fact-based reply is needed, stripping out niceties. However, if there is a big emotional impact or empathy requirement, then the customer is better talking to an agent. The current use cases of chatbots are many and varied. By driving customers with simpler requests to a chatbot, airlines can reduce costs, and get the opportunity to upsell customers with air ancillaries and cross-sell.

Challenge #6

radically changing their mind-set about external vendors and partnerships. Many businesses are going after customer facing innovation because that is the low hanging fruit and possibly delivers the value a lot quicker. Deconstructing the company IT systems and reconstructing the digital platforms in which the new processes will sit is fundamentally different, and that is where to start. Start-ups have a fail-early, fail-fast approach, whereas operationally driven businesses like airlines cannot have a failure culture. The melding of these two opposite cultures is bound to create an interesting dynamic over the next few years.

Challenge #4

‘They have not gone away, you know’ Notwithstanding all the excitement about digital transformation, many airlines are reliant on travel agencies and Global Distributions Systems (GDS) to get their products in front of their customer. Airlines in the Middle East region are 80 percent distributed through agencies.

Although these regions have a young population, the simple fact that many do not have credit cards means distribution systems are fragmented. There was a clear recognition that NDC will enable airlines to transform the way air products are retailed. The NDC initiatives have the capability to drive revenue sooner than many digital transformation initiatives can.

Challenge #5

Conversational commerce goes mainstream Chatbots are going past the proof of concept stage into production and real actual usage, with hotels leading the charge in the travel industry. Chatbots take the intent of the customer, understand the intent through Artificial Intelligence, and point the customer in the right direction. Where are the airlines with chatbots? The starting point for chatbots is to see development as an iterative process just to figure out where they can add value to the traveller, and in particular, reduce call centre costs. Chatbots are a new tech and so a learning curve is required. For example,

Technology as a driver of ‘simplicity as a strategy’ American carrier JetBlue credited technology for helping the airline deliver on their brand promise of simplified customer experience, and using it to create loyalty, rather than relying on frequent flyer programmes. Simplifying travel through innovation goes deeper into day-to-day operations for JetBlue: reduction of the ‘F’ word – ‘friction’ – for customers and crew – means that they can deliver a great customer experience with a great crew member experience. Qantas says technology has helped the airline make more of what is already a highly successful loyalty programme, building more customer-centricity around lifestyle and identity. Like JetBlue, SAS has been focussed on simplifying the travel experience to build loyalty. They have their own version of JetBlue Labs, SAS Lab, to make customer travel more frictionless, using iPads to deliver personalised services. Finnair has been won over to the idea of customer centricity, using the theme of simplicity in travel and combining this with new branding through applying technology to target a higher percentage of the wider travel ecosystem.

December 2019

Middle East

Air Arabia eyeing new MENA-region hubs

he Middle East and North Africa’s (MENA) largest LCC, Air Arabia, is studying adding new hubs to its network of four existing bases at Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Alexandria Borg El Arab and Casablanca. Abu Dhabi was also added to the hub network when it announced the launch of Air Arabia Abu Dhabi in partnership with Etihad Airways. “With the infrastructure that we have put in place, we’re ready to put [in] a hub anywhere we think it’s workable and commercially viable,” Air Arabia’s

ME airlines with the world’s youngest fleet revealed

n analysis has shown several of the youngest airline fleets are in Asia, while Norwegian Air Sweden tops the list as the commercial carrier with the youngest fleet on a global scale. VietJetAir has the youngest aircraft fleet of the large airlines (those with 50 aircraft and above). In the very large airline category, (100 aircraft or more) Aeroflot took the crown for the youngest airline fleet. According to Swiss airline intelligence provider ch-aviation, the world’s youngest airline fleets has been measured in average aircraft age. The average aircraft flying the globe is 12 years old, shows the analysis of more than 30000 active commercial aircraft.

KLM and Gulf sign new codeshare partnership

he world’s oldest passenger carrier which turned 100 this year, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, and Gulf Air, the national airline of the Kingdom of Bahrain whose origins dates back to 1950, have signed a codeshare partnership. The announcement follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two carriers. The partnership has been resumed after 6.5 years hiatus. Gulf Air will place its ‘GF’ code on KLM flights from Bahrain to Amsterdam and flights from Amsterdam to Frankfurt. On the other

December 2019

hand, the agreement will see KLM place its ‘KL’ code on Gulf Air flights from Bahrain to Sialkot, Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar. Gulf Air serves 47 cities in 26 countries, while KLM, part of the SkyTeam alliance, serves 133 international destinations in 66 countries.

This includes passenger and cargo aircraft. The youngest airline fleets are in Asia with an average age of 8.5 years. The oldest fleets are in the Africa and Oceania regions, where the average fleet is more than 16 years old. The list figures flyadeal, a Saudi LCC, for having the youngest fleet in Asia. The airline operates a fleet of 12 aircraft with an average age of just more than a year. The carrier boasts of its fleet of eleven Airbus A320 aircraft being ‘straight off the production line’. It has announced a significant growth to its fleet, with an order for 30 A320 NEO aircraft, and options for a further 20 A320 NEO family aircraft.

GACA rules for Logistics Zone at King Khalid Airport

audi Arabia’s General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA) has released the Executive Rules for organizing the Integrated Logistics Special Zone at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. It covers Licensing, Leasing, Recruitment and Employment provisions. A royal decree approved the Zone in October 2018. The Zone is designed to attract major international companies to Saudi Arabia to benefit from the Kingdom’s strategic location as an intercontinental hub in line with the Kingdom’s vision 2030.

MRO

Airbus backing away from MRO royalty proposal

irplane maker Airbus is backing away from a controversial plan to charge MROs a percentage of their gross invoices, rescinding the proposed mandate a day before the deadline, according to Aviation Week. Most of the industry players did not signed the acceptance by the deadline. This puts Airbus in an uncomfortable place—it angered airline customers, jeopardized the aftermarket business that it is trying to expand and instigated mistrust in part of the aftermarket community about the OEM’s Skywise platform, which is a key part of Airbus’ aftermarket solutions.

AI-based startup to streamline aircraft inspections

panish flag carrier Iberia is working with an aviation industry startup, Whispr, to implement its voice guidance platform within maintenance and airport services. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Natural Language Processing (NLP)based platform will help improve the speed, accuracy and safety of aircraft inspections and turnarounds. As part of International Airline Group’s (IAG) Hangar 51 accelerator program, Whispr is partnering with Spanish carrier Iberia to implement its hands-free voice guidance platform on two projects.

AAR launches drone technology for MRO inspections

AR, a leading aviation services provider to commercial airlines and governments worldwide, has launched the integration of drone technology into its MRO operations. The company’s Miami MRO facility is the first in its global network to use the fully-automated drone technology to drive operational and cost efficiencies, where the pilot phase has yielded increases in speed and precision. With laser positioning, the drone can safely perform end-to-end visual inspections of Boeing 737 and Airbus 320 aircraft in under an hour. The company’s investments

in technologies like drones, machine learning and mobile devices will drive a more efficient operation, optimized technician schedules, as well as improved turnaround times achieved through faster and more accurate inspections and maintenance plan execution. The drone is programmed to detect any aircraft structural damage, as well as assess paint quality, markings and signs of lightning strike. AAR has plans to expand the platform to other MRO facilities. In compliance with FAA requirements, AAR performs manual aircraft inspections in addition to the drone inspections.

The first project is being conducted with Iberia Maintenance at Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) to digitize the aircraft inspection documentation process on the airline’s new fleet of Airbus A350s, which up until now has been entirely paper-based. The existing inspection process entails engineers walking around the aircraft and checking tens of items in each different section as they manually complete a paperbased report, which then has to be manually input into a system.

MRO spending to reach US$943.4 billion mark

ommercial aviation capacity is anticipated to grow strongly over the next decade, with the North America dominating the world’s business aviation fleets, according to the Fleet & MRO Forecasts by Aviation Week Network. The 10-year projections are based on independent data and predictive intelligence gathered by Aviation Week Network. In Commercial Aviation, despite the anticipated global economic slowdown, capacity is anticipated to growth strongly over the next 10 years driven by demographic trends, with total MRO spend forecast to be US$943.4 billion.

December 2019

Opinion

Change is coming faster E

very three years, over 2000 delegates from up to 193 countries gather at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) headquarters to review the work of the past triennium and to set the policy agenda for the next. For the ACI, the 2019 Assembly was an important period for engagement with ICAO to promote its agenda of a safe, secure, customer-centric, economically and environmentally sustainable future for the aviation in general and airports in particular. This edition, the ACI achieved several concrete results on a number of issues. The Assembly reaffirmed the fundamental difference between user charges and taxes. It acknowledged the risks associated with poorly designed and/or excessive taxation and recognized the importance of running a costbenefit analysis before introducing any form of taxation. The ACI highlighted innovations such as Smart Security. The ICAO urged its Member-States to facilitate operational trials of new technologies and innovative techniques. It also adopted an updated Declaration on Aviation Security, for which ACI was part of the small drafting group. With ACI support, the Assembly adopted a Resolution on cybersecurity, to address the issues through a horizontal, cross-cutting and functional approach; reaffirming the importance and urgency of protecting civil aviationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s critical

December 2019

infrastructure systems and data against cyber threats. The ACI also welcomed a new Resolution which called upon Member-States to: implement technological solutions aimed at enhancing security and facilitation of border controls while improving clearance procedures, such as the joint use of Automated Border Control (ABC) gates and the ICAO Public Key Directory when checking e-Passports. In a joint paper with CANSO, IATA, IFATCA and IFALPA, the ACI assured that the industry is ready to work with ICAO for harmonized processes for initiating detection of, and counter measures against, unauthorized UAS operations that may interfere with international aviation. It was evident from the Assembly that change is coming faster than ever before. It was also evident that the ICAO Member-States see industry as an important partner and that there is an appetite for engagement that goes beyond that seen hitherto. We seek to embrace innovation and change. Our pledge is to draw on practical experience from experts around the world to help develop pragmatic regulatory frameworks.

Angela Gittens Director General Airports Council International (ACI) World

Opinion

Reduce aviation-related CO2 emissions T

he ICAO is continuing addressing the carbon footprint of international flight. The aviation industry has reconfirmed its support to the CORSIA global offsetting solution and basket of measures to tackle the environment issue. Excellent progress has been achieved on the first aeroplane CO2 emissions standard and the nonvolatile Particulate Matter standard for aircraft engines. The ICAO’s Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP) will prioritize an exploratory study on environmental impacts of new supersonic aircraft being developed. The successful adoption of the new fourth volume to Annex 16, and the ICAO-driven development and implementation of 116 State Action Plans to reduce aviation-related CO2 emissions, and the need for further elaboration of 2050 ICAO Vision on Sustainable Aviation Fuel, were also highlighted. The Assembly also send a strong signal to the world that ICAO will prioritize the work on the feasibility of a longterm emissions reduction goal for international aviation, by developing options and an implementation roadmap. New revisions to ICAO’s GASP and GANP Global Plans have been endorsed that will be instrumental to managing the adoption and integration of new 21st Century aircraft and operations alongside traditional aircraft operations. The ICAO welcomes the agreement that it should pursue a new global

target of zero aviation fatalities by 2030. These efforts will be augmented by the new Global Aviation Safety Oversight System (GASOS) which will help augment the aviation safety oversight, safety management and accident investigation capabilities. A clear agreement has emerged that ICAO should increase its outreach to Member-States on the implementation of an Advance Passenger Information (API) system, and on the endorsement of the United Nations Security Council resolution 2396 (2017) urging that an ICAO standard be adopted relevant to Passenger Name Record (PNR) data.

Dr. Fang Liu Secretary General International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)

The Assembly also endorsed ICAO’s continued focus on the Aviation Security. It has been also agreed that Member-States should assess national taxation objectives in accordance with ICAO’s policies and subsequent to appropriate costbenefit analyses. The ICAO also received continued support for the ICAO Longterm Vision for International Air Transport Liberalization. ICAO will continue to refine and implement all governance policies and procedures in order to better serve the Member-States and global aviation. Excerpts from the speech at the 40th Session of the ICAO Assembly

December 2019

ATM

Virtual airport tower opens in Norway

or the first time in Norway, a commercial airplane has landed at an airport without the presence of staff in a physical Airport Control Tower (ATC). The flight, approach and landing were all monitored remotely from a new virtual tower in Bodø. The daily 25-minute Widerøe flights to Røst carry passengers to one of Norway’s most remote airports. Once in the air, the sole member of cabin crew barely has time to hand around the basket of free chocolates before the airplane gets ready to touch down on the tiny windswept island.

Raytheon to co-develop the Next-Gen ATC workstation

aytheon has signed a teaming agreement with a Swiss company, WEY Technology (WEYTEC), to codevelop the next-generation air traffic controller workstation called Multiplatform ATC Re-hosting Solution (MARS). Today in the US, air traffic controllers use Raytheon’s Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS) to provide safe and efficient aircraft spacing and sequencing guidance for more than 40,000 departing and arriving aircraft daily at both civilian and military airports.

Inmarsat to start phase II of Iris ATC program

ritish satellite telecommunications company Inmarsat has signed a deal with the European Space Agency (ESA) for the second phase of the Iris air traffic modernization program, which will include flight trials across Europe to assess the service in a real operational environment. Iris is being developed to open up channels to satellite-based data links and ATM operations not currently widely available, and unlock aircraft tracking in four dimensions (latitude, longitude, altitude and time), known as 4-D trajectory management. As part of the program’s second phase, flight trials will be conducted on approximately 20 aircraft flying commercially over a six-month

December 2019

period starting in 2020, allowing Iris to be assessed in a real operational environment. Selected airlines will take part in the demonstration, with the support of Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs), to evaluate the Iris program for air traffic control (ATC) and airline operational communications (AOC) across continental Europe.

The team aims to replace the current systems, and similar ones abroad, with advanced, modern workstations that seamlessly integrate flight-critical applications, such as surveillance, weather, and flight and airport data, onto touchscreens for enhanced airspace management. Raytheon and AirMap have integrated AirMap’s UAS monitoring capabilities onto a working prototype of MARS. With this integration, MARS now offers air traffic controllers access to UAS monitoring designed to improve the safety of drone integration.

First auto-land system for aircraft

armin International has launched the first Autoland system for general aviation airrcarft. In the event of an emergency, the pilot or passengers on board the aircraft can activate Autoland to land the aircraft with a simple press of a dedicated button. Autoland can also activate automatically if the system determines it’s necessary. Once activated, the system calculates a flight plan to the most suitable airport, initiates an approach to the runway and automatically lands the aircraft – without pilot or passenger intervention.

Cargo & Logistics

U-Freight Group launches Philippines delivery service

he partner of freight forwarder U-Freight Group (UFG) in Philippines has launched iShipmore, an online shipping platform aimed at assisting sellers who need to ship items bought online to consignees in the country. It targets logistics problems experienced by online purchasers of goods, who find that some sellers do not offer delivery to the Philippines. Transportation and delivery costs and logistics chains are major challenges to e-commerce in a country spread across more than 7,000 islands and plagued with poor physical and digital infrastructure. The platform uses proprietary

GAC UK launches pet care service

supply chain management software. Users also benefit from the logistics infrastructure that UFG has in place in the Philippines, Hong Kong and the US. A report by Statista, a provider of market and consumer data, indicates Philippine e-commerce market revenue grew to US$840 million in 2018 from US$688 million in 2017. Revenue is expected to grow in excess of 10 percent annually, leading to a market volume of US$953 million for 2019.

Trần Thanh Hải, Deputy Director at the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Import-Export Department, said the air transport accounts for a small proportion of goods in terms of volume, but they usually are of high value and have to be transported long distances in a short time. Việt Nam’s air cargo transport currently accounts for a very small volume of exports but 25 per cent of value due to the specialised

The airlines for which GAC UK offers this service are Gulf Air, Aero Mexico, TUI, Air Transat, Royal Brunei and Vietnam Airlines. In addition, they advise customers of the documentation required for the country they are travelling to as per the IATA Live Animal Regulations.

The size of the market is expected to expand to US$1.4 billion by 2023.

Vietnamese air cargo market to remain in the fast lane

he Vietnamese air freight market has seen remarkable growth in recent years and the momentum is expected to continue.

he Globe Air Cargo (GAC) has launched a new service to transports pets by air to and from the UK. GAC UK manages the whole transportation chain from arrival at the airport to collection at the reception centres. GAC UK allows pets to travel on the same flight as their owners, in a heat-controlled environment.

AA Cargo undergoes major modernization upgrade transportation of high-value items such as electronics, certain kinds of seafood and garment and textiles. According to IATA, Việt Nam is the world’s seventh fastest growing aviation market. In the vision to 2035, Việt Nam’s aviation market is considered among the top five markets in terms of growth. The market has great potential for development. Only Nội Bài and Tân Sơn Nhất out of more than 40 airports in the country have separate areas for cargo handling.

merican Airlines Cargo has launched the first phase of its single largest investment to-date with the roll out of a new cargo end-to-end management system. The overhaul replaces the majority of the organization’s legacy technology, narrowing 90 systems down to less than 10. Not only do the new tools bring an upgraded customer experience, the evolution of the investment is part of a broader initiative to modernize the entire business.

December 2019

Technology

IATA tool to help airlines avoid turbulence

he International Air Transport Association (IATA) is just a couple of months away from transitioning from the initial pilot phase for its Turbulence Aware platform, a cloud database collecting realtime turbulence reports from the participating airlines. Its full operational deployment will be available to airlines beginning in January 2020.

The platform is currently collecting real-time turbulence information from 10 participating airlines. Turbulence Aware is a tool cre ated by IATA that uses an algorithm developed by the National Centre for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) capable of collecting turbulence parameters from aircraft systems and sensors, aggregating that data and making it available in a raw format to participating airlines. The global industry body first started working on the system three years ago and has been using it in an operational phase throughout 2019 with 31 participating airlines, ten of

which are currently feeding real-time turbulence information into it. NCAR’s development was initially funded by the US FAA and provides an algorithm that can be integrated into an aircraft’s domain to capture sensor data and then report on the intensity of the turbulence the aircraft is experiencing. The algorithm uses the data to calculate an estimate of the atmosphere’s turbulence, or energy dissipation rate (EDR), which is the official International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) metric for measuring turbulence intensity.

NASA to test its first all-electric plane

he National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been testing experimental aircraft (X-planes) at California’s Armstrong Flight Research Centre at Edwards Air Force Base. In the past two decades, however, the US body has experimented with only unmanned craft powered by fossil fuels, X-45 and X-37. But that’s about to change. NASA has received the X-57 Maxwell, an all-

electric X-plane that’s set to undergo manned tests in the coming months. The X-57 Maxwell is modelled after a popular Italian twin-engine plane called Tecnam P2006T, but the new X-plane has electric cruise motors instead of traditional combustion engines. The X-57 that was delivered to NASA is the second of four scheduled iterations of the electric plane, with

the third and fourth versions including additional improvements to the wings and other hardware. NASA’s design goals are to develop an electric plane with 500 percent increase in high-speed cruise efficiency, zero inflight carbon emissions, and flight that is much quieter for communities on the ground. The X-57 Mod II aircraft delivery to NASA is a significant event, marking the beginning of a new phase in this exciting electric X-plane project. Developing reliable electric planes could significantly lower the environmental costs of flying. But electric planes are in the early stages of development, and it could take 15 to 20 years for these aircraft to reach the commercial market.

December 2019

Drones

GE Aviation teams up for commercial UAV

G India approves five firms to manufacture drones

n a push to domestic drone manufacturing, India’s civil aviation regulator has given approval for five companies to manufacture Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). The Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s (DGCA) move is expected to reduce import dependence and give the necessary push to the nascent domestic industry. Last year, minimum manufacturing standards and training requirements of drone pilots were set out.

Colorado pilot developing aircraft radar to dodge drones

private pilot and a patent attorney is developing drone-detecting radar for airplanes. His company, Drone Traffic, has won a NASAfunded contract to develop the lightweight radar system that can be installed on aircraft. He is targeting planes that land at smaller airports. The radar will pick up a drone in the area and record the information. The data will then be sent to the ground. That way, other pilots who don’t have the radar on their aircraft can also be alerted of the hazard in the airspace. The FAA has documented more than 100 drone incidents per month.

E Aviation is teaming with Hybrid Project to provide a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed for high-endurance commercial applications. Flight testing is being conducted with commercial availability targeted for Q1 2020. The agreement enhances Hybrid Project’s hybrid-powered VTOL UAV with products from GE Aviation and Auterion.

safety controller. Auterion’s Enterprise PX4 operating system resides on the vehicle, in the cloud, and the ground station. This integration is the result of an agreement announced earlier this year between GE Aviation and Auterion to provide an all-in-one commercial drone hardware and software platform. Hybrid Project’s design emphasizes endurance flight, ease of maintenance, and modularity.

The GE Aviation’s computing platform enables flight control and airborne computing power at the edge while maintaining an independent and authoritative

Research tests drones speed in medical emergencies

ould drones be used someday to deliver life-saving medications or interventions in the case of a child’s emergency, a drug overdose or in response to a mass casualty scene? According to new research presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference & Exhibition, it’s an idea worth exploring. Researchers found that drones -- or unmanned aerial vehicles -- arrived faster than ambulances when transportation times were compared during peak rush hour. If drones were equipped with twoway communication and possible life-saving interventions, they could save lives by responding to emergency conditions such as acute anaphylaxis, opiate overdose, asthma, cardiac arrest, and sarin poisoning.

The analysis compared data for Emergency Medical Services and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) flight data within a zip code in urban Brooklyn, finding the drone response faster than the standard EMS ambulance response, especially during peak rush hours. The author suggests that advances by the FAA have resulted in greater utility to both civilian and medical personnel. Yet, medical intervention by unmanned aircrafts in times of critical need is limited and largely not studied within the US.

December 2019