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066 JUNE 2019

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POWER AIRPORT
Rolls-Royce’s Alan SITA’s latest advances
Newby talks within the smart
aircraft engines airport environment

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Aviation Business connects with Vipula Gunatilleka, group

CEO of SriLankan Airlines, to discuss the future of the carrier

NEWS UPDATE | FACTS & FIGURES | IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS | TRADE COLUMNS

 THE A330neo.

FLY
The A330neo shares many of the same
innovations as the groundbreaking
A350 XWB, delivering a 25% saving in
fuel consumption compared to others
in the category. Both aircraft also
benefit from a common type rating,
which means pilot training costs are
significantly lower too. And on top
of that, they can be fitted with our
beautifully designed Airspace cabins,
setting a new benchmark in passenger
comfort and wellbeing.

Innovation. We make it fly.

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 AN ITP MEDIA GROUP PUBLICATION

THE MAGAZINE FOR AVIATION EXECUTIVES IN THE MIDDLE

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DLE
LE EAST
EAS
EA T | VOLUME
ST VO
VOL
O
OLU
LU
LU
UMMEE 118
M 8 IS
IISSUE
ISS
SSUE 06
0 JUNE 2019

FUTURE SMART
POWER AIRPORT
Rolls-Royce’s Alan SITA’s latest advances
Newby talks within the smart
aircraft engines airport environment

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June 2019
free Aviation
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UNDAUNTED
Volume 18 Issue 06 CONTENTS
Aviation Business connects with Vipula Gunatilleka, group
CEO of SriLankan Airlines, to discuss the future of the carrier

NEWS UPDATE | FACTS & FIGURES | IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS | TRADE COLUMNS

THE FRONT
Etihad Airways unveils customisable economy experience 8
Emirates inks codeshare partnership with LATAM Airlines Brazil 9
SriLankan Airlines moves to increase frequencies to Narita 10
Emirates airline’s chief commercial officer resigns 10
IATA and ACAO join forces to improve aviation in MENA 11
Forwarding arm revenue grows 24% for UPS in first quarter 12
Flynas eyes upgrade to its Airbus A320neo order 13

14
DATA ON DECK
16 COVER STORY
FLYING ON WINGS OF HOPE
During last month’s Arabian Travel Market 2019,
Aviation Business got the chance to connect with
Vipula Gunatilleka, group CEO of SriLankan Airlines,
to discuss the carrier’s future and its role in restoring
Sri Lanka’s reputation as tourist hotspot
22
PACKING IT IN
An inside look at Africa’s largest air cargo
terminal managed by Ethiopian Airlines

18
COMMENT
MAINTAINING A HEALTHY AIRPORT
Acciona ME’s Jesús Sancho on the challenges
of maitaining an airport

20
ONE-ON-ONE
PUSHING SMART
Jihad Boueri, SITA, shares the latest on
smart airport technologies

www.aviationbusinessme.com June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS 3

CONTENTS

AVIATION
PARTNERS
MRO Finnair selects Magnetic MRO to oversee ATF aircraft maintenance 37
GROUND SERVICES Etihad Cargo announces Emirati leadership appointments 38
TECHNOLOGY Air Arabia launches ‘SkyTime’ IFE platform 40

32 35

AVIATION PARTNERS AVIATION PARTNERS

CATHAY PACIFIC KICKS OFF ‘MOVE BEYOND’ CAMPAIGN AIRBUS AND SAS JOIN FORCES
The airline has introduced several improvements to the cabin The two organisations will work closely together to advance
experience, particularly within its business-class offering infrastructure systems for hybrid and electric aircraft

FEATURE
POWERING FUTURE FLIGHT
ALAN NEWBY, DIRECTOR OF
AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGY
AND FUTURE PROGRAMMES
AT ROLLS-ROYCE, SHEDS LIGHT
ON HIS COMPANY’S LATEST
28
DEVELOPMENTS WITHIN THE
AVIATION ENGINE SPACE

4 June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS www.aviationbusinessme.com

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6 June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS www.aviationbusinessme.com

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 RedCargo, Oman Air ink e-commerce deal
RADAR The partnership is expected to expand Oman Air’s reach into the markets of Asia

Etihad Airways unveils

customisable economy experience
Unveiled during this year’s Arab Travel Market, the revised cabins will be featured
initially on regional Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft
INFLIGHT

Boasting a selection of over 300 hours of content, passengers will be able to connect to the platform via a browser.

As part of its participation at last
month’s Arab Travel Market 2019
(ATM), Etihad Airways, the national
carrier of the UAE, has unveiled a com-
prehensive economy transformation
programme that will bring substantial
changes to its infl ight experience.
Set to be deployed on the carrier’s
fleet of 23 narrowbody Airbus A320 and
A321 aircraft, the retrofit programme
features personalised wireless stream-
ing that can connect with smartphones
and tablet devices.
The idea is that passengers will be
able to log on and connect via a browser
to Etihad’s onboard Panasonic eXW sys-
tem. With a selection of over 300 hours of
inflight entertainment, travellers will have
the option to stream the content directly to
their device of choice.
“Etihad has always been a challenger
brand, shaping the future of travel as the
market constantly changes. We are bring-
ing the leadership and innovation to Econ-
omy travel which we have long established
in our award-winning Business, First and
The Residence cabins,” said Tony Doug-
las, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad
Aviation Group.
“As part of our ‘Choose Well’ prom-
ise, we are empowering our guests with
more control of their travel experiences,
through onboard digital transformation,
improved choice and redesigned cabins
and products.
“As a leading full-service airline,
Etihad is adapting to meet the specific
needs and requirements of all travellers,
providing more of what they really want
to enjoy infl ight. This not only delivers
greater choice and personalisation, but it
also ensures we continue to provide a su-
perior, commercially wise and sustain-
able service offering.”
The economy class cabin upgrades that
are being added on the carrier’s fleet of
A320 and A321 aircraft, which have tra-
ditionally been utilised for short-haul re-
gional services, will also feature a spacious
seat design that was put together by Acro,
a UK-based aircraft seat manufacturer.
In addition to the novel seat improve-
ments and entertainment platform, the
airline has also revealed it is transform-
ing the Economy dining experience on
all of its fl ights. The move is seen as the
carrier’s latest efforts in refi ning its in-
fl ight catering.
The announcements were made as
part of a new advertising campaign ‘Go
Your Own Way’ that was showcased at
ATM against Fleetwood Mac’s classic of
the same name.

8 June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS www.aviationbusinessme.com

 Air India plans more Dubai Flights
The airline will add two flights daily on its Delhi-Dubai and Mumbai-Dubai routes RADAR

Emirates inks codeshare partnership

with LATAM Airlines Brazil
Passengers flying with Emirates will now be able to connect with 17 cities under
LATAM’s domestic network
PARTNERSHIP
LATAM Airlines Brazil and Emirates
Airline have signed a new codeshare
partnership that covers domestic ser-
vices in Brazil.
As per the agreement, passengers
flying with Emirates to and from Bra-
zil will now have access to 17 cities in
LATAM’s domestic network.
Similarly, passengers travelling
from Brazil will have the opportunity
to fly to Emirates’ Dubai hub and con-
nect on to the Middle East’s global
network of 150 destinations. Addition-
ally, passengers flying to Dubai have c Passengers flying with Emirates to and from Brazil will now have access to 17 cities in LATAM’s domestic network.
the option of booking a Dubai stopover
package, along with being able to take SVP, Strategic Planning, Revenue Opti- Emirates’ current Brazil offer-
advantage of a 90-day, free of charge mization and Aeropolitical Affairs. ings consist of daily services to Dubai
visa on arrival. “We continuously invest in providing from Sao Paulo, served by an A380,
“We’re pleased to establish a partner- more benefits to our customers. With along with fl ights to Rio de Janeiro,
ship with LATAM Airlines Brazil pro- our award-winning product and strong which will soon be operated by Boe-
viding our passengers with increased partners in Brazil, we look forward to ing 777-200LR from 1 June 2019. Once
choice, flexibility and ease of connection continuing supporting the country’s deployed, travellers can fly with the
to different cities within Brazil,” said growing inbound tourist numbers and Boeing 777-200LR to Buenos Aires and
Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ divisional business trade opportunities.” Santiago de Chile from Rio de Janeiro.

SpiceJet ups game with business class offering

The low-cost carrier’s business class package features priority check-in, lounge access, as
well as a spacious seating, gourmet meals and beverages during the fl ight
INFLIGHT Travellers flying with the airline will
Announced in a pre-launch message on its be able to purchase business class tickets
official Twitter account, Indian low-cost on domestic routes between popular desti-
carrier SpiceJet has unveiled the launch nations, such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata,
of a new business class offering. Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
Going into effect from 11 May, Spice- Back in April 2019, the Gurugram-
Jet will offer business travellers priority based carrier inked a memorandum of
check-in and lounge access, along with understanding (MoU) to enter into a code-
spacious seating, gourmet meals and bev- formerly operated by Jet Airways and share agreement with Emirates Airlines.
erages during the flight. received on lease. Once approved, the codeshare would
The new business class seats will SpiceJet will offer eight, 12 and 28 initially add six Indian destinations into
be introduced on the carrier’s newly business-class seats on B737-700/800/900 Emirates’ network: Amritsar, Jaipur,
acquired Boeing 737NGs, which were aircraft respectively. Pune, Mangalore, Madurai and Calicut.

www.aviationbusinessme.com June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS 9

 Air Arabia to acquire 100 new planes
The airline is exploring options between aerospace manufacturers, Airbus and Boeing
RADAR

SriLankan Airlines moves to increase

frequencies to Narita
The announcement was made as part of the national carrier’s celebration of flying to Narita
for the last 35 years
ROUTES
As part of its 35-year celebration of servic-
ing its Colombo to Tokyo route, SriLan-
kan Airlines has announced an increase
in frequencies of up to five per week.
As the only carrier to operate non-
stop from Tokyo to Colombo, SriLan-
kan Airlines continues to serve as the
carrier of choice for Japanese travellers
heading to Sri Lanka. In 2018 alone,
the country welcomed nearly 50,000
Japanese travellers.
The newly-announced frequencies will
be added to the airline’s current operation
of four flights a week, which is serviced by
its Airbus 330-300 fleet.
Starting from 16 July 2019, the fifth
frequency will depart Narita on Tues-
days at 1120 hours and will arrive in Co-
lombo at 1710. The route will continue to be serviced by the airline’s fleet of A330-300 aircraft.
Each Airbus 330-300 on the route
features 28 business class flatbeds, along those aiming to visit during the upcom- operates a route network of 111 cities in
with 269 economy class seats. ing 2019 Rugby World Cup and the 2020 48 countries from Colombo. Additionally,
The added flights are expected to Tokyo Olympics. the airline connects to over 1,000 cities in
prove favourable with South Indian trav- SriLankan Airlines, a member of one- 160 countries as part of its membership
ellers hoping to visit Japan, particularly world global airline partnership, today with the oneworld programme.

Emirates airline’s chief commercial officer resigns

Frenchman Thierry Antinori joined the Dubai-based carrier back in 2011
LEADERSHIP
Emirates airline’s chief commercial of-
ficer Thierry Antinori has resigned from
his position, the airline confirmed today.
Antinori, the executive vice president
and chief commercial officer at Emir-
ates, managed commercial operations
and products, Emirates Skywards and
Emirates Skycargo.
The airline has appointed Adnan Ka-
zim, divisional senior vice president, Stra-
tegic Planning, Revenue Optimisation and
Aeropolitical Affairs as the acting chief
commercial officer. With an aviation career
that spans nearly 30 years, Frenchman An-
tinori joined the Dubai carrier in 2011, first
as executive vice president for Passenger
Sales Worldwide. In June 2013, he was pro-
moted to chief commercial officer.
Prior to joining Emirates, Antinori
held senior commercial positions at both
Lufthansa and Air France.
The resignation comes just days after
the airline announced its full year results
that revealed a 69% fall in profit.
While Emirates saw revenues increase
by 6 percent to AED97.9 billion ($26.7
billion), profits declined year-on-year to
AED871 million. Antinori oversaw a part-
nership alignment last year that saw Emir-
ates Skywards become the loyalty pro-
gramme for both Emirates and Flydubai.

10 June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS www.aviationbusinessme.com

 flynas heads to Riyadh
and New Delhi
IATA and ACAO join forces to
improve aviation in MENA
Under the terms of the MoU, the two parties will exchange
information and expertise across various aspects of aviation
c The two parties will collaborate on activities related to aviation safety and flight operations, to name a few.
PARTNERSHIP
The International Air Transport Associa-
tion (IATA) and The Arab Civil Aviation
Organization (ACAO) have inked a memo-
randum of understanding (MoU) that will
focus on advancing the Middle East and
North Africa’s aviation market.
“Aviation and related-tourism already
support some 2.4 million jobs and contrib-
ute $130bn to the MENA region’s GDP.
With passenger demand expected to dou-
ble by 2037, these benefits could reach 4.3
million jobs and $345bn, respectively,”
commented Muhammad Albakri, IATA’s
Regional Vice-President for Africa and the
Middle East.
“But aviation’s ability to deliver this
growth is dependent on enhancing already
high safety levels, achieving a harmonized
regulatory environment and improve-
ments to infrastructure and capacity-
building. And we must accomplish this
while ensuring environmental sustainabil-
ity. Strong partnerships with governments
www.aviationbusinessme.com
RADAR
will be key. This MoU will strengthen
IATA’s historic and strategic relationship
with ACAO”.
Connecting
As per the agreement, the two parties future airports!
will exchange information and expertise
across various aspects of aviation. This in-
cludes safety and flight operations, regula- 22nd
tory harmonisation, environment, treaties International Exhibition
and ICAO standards, the value of avia-
tion and future trends in air transport, as
for Airport Equipment,
well as infrastructure, capacity building Technology,
and training. Design & Services
“ACAO aims to strengthen cooperation
and coordination among Arab countries
in the field of civil aviation. The MoU
with IATA will strengthen the coopera-
8 – 11 OCTOBER
tion between states and the aviation in- 2019
dustry, a key partnership for the advance-
ment of civil aviation and the promotion Munich Trade Fair Centre
of universal standards. Twenty-one coun- Germany
tries across the Arab world will ben-
efit from this important step taken with
www.interairporteurope.com
IATA,” said Abdennebi Manar, director
general of ACAO. Organisers: Mack Brooks Exhibitions
June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS 11

Those flying between 1 May - 31 August will have access to the discount for 500 UAE destinations
RADAR
Forwarding arm revenue grows 24%
for UPS in fi rst quarter
UPS’ first-quarter 2019 earnings were strengthened by higher-quality revenue and benefits
from investments in its global network
PERFORMANCE
UPS’ first-quarter 2019 earnings were
strengthened by higher-quality revenue
and benefits from investments in its glob-
al network, with the forwarding arm one
of the strongest performers.
First-quarter adjusted results exclude
a pre-tax charge of US $123 million, or
$0.11 per share after tax, due to Transfor-
mation-related charges. These projects
will create efficiencies across the enter-
prise and produce higher-quality revenue
growth, it said in a release.
“The first quarter marked a good start
to the year, as we executed against our
strategy and generated solid performance
across our business,” said David Abney,
UPS chairman and CEO.
“Our Transformation initiatives are en-
hancing revenue quality and creating net-
work efficiencies that will increase our long-
term earnings power. We are on a path to
take advantage of growth opportunities and
enhance our future performance,” he added.
Consolidated revenue increased to
$17.2 billion, driven by gains in average
SriLankan Airlines announces executive appointments
Joshua Bustos and Shaminda Samaraweera will serve as CCO and CFO, respectively
APPOINTMENT
Expanding its executive leadership,
SriLankan Airlines recently announced
the appointments of Joshua Bustos as
chief commercial officer and Shaminda
Samaraweera as chief financial officer.
A veteran with over 20 years of experi-
ence working in the global aviation sector,
Bustos has held a number of key positions
in a number of airlines across the world.
This includes tenures with American Air-
lines and Safi Airways, to name a few.
Additionally, Bustos served on the net-
12
Emirates Pass returns with 50% discounts
First-quarter adjusted results exclude a pre-tax charge of $123m, or $0.11 per share after tax.
daily volume and higher-quality revenue.
U.S Domestic continued a positive
trend, increasing business-to-business vol-
ume once again this quarter. Revenue grew
to US $253 million or 2.5% over 1Q 2018.
Additionally, investments in new automat-
ed hubs contributed to improvements in op-
erational measures including productivity
gains and slower growth in unit costs.
“We are bending the cost curve in
our U.S. Domestic segment as highly
automated hubs come online, produc-
ing improved productivity benefits,”
said Abney. “These improvements con-
tributed to the segment’s performance
work sounding board and revenue man-
agement advisory board at Star Alliance
during his time at South African Airways.
Appointed as the national carrier of
Sri Lanka’s chief financial officer, Sa-
maraweera brings over 15 years of senior-
level corporate experience to the role.
Having worked across a variety of
June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS
in the quarter and will continue to gain
momentum going forward.”
Supply Chain and Freight produced
strong profit growth in the quarter. The
segment also expanded operating margins,
driven by disciplined cost-management ini-
tiatives and the flexibility of the network to
adapt to changing market conditions.
“Supply Chain and Freight generated
excellent operating profit this quarter, with
strong contributions from Coyote and the
rest of our Forwarding unit,” said Abney.
“We continue to execute our asset-light
strategies, while providing our customers
with the high-quality service they expect.”
industries that includes telecommuni-
cations, banking and navigation, Sa-
maraweera has held leadership positions
in organisations, such as Etisalat Lanka,
Ceylon Tobacco Company, Dialog Axiata
PLC, and NAVTEQ North America.
The new CFO is currently a member
of the Chartered Global Management Ac-
count (USA) and a fellow of Chartered In-
stitute of Management Accountants (UK).
Both Bustos and Samaraweera’s ap-
pointments were officially confirmed at
the close of April.
www.aviationbusinessme.com
 Emirates’ profits drop 69%, no staff bonus
While revenue increase by 6% to reach AED97.9bn, profits declined 69% y-o-y to AED871m
RADAR

Flynas eyes upgrade to its Airbus

A320neo order
The low-cost carrier has also unveiled plans to launch a possible Africa, Balkan hub
within five years

c The airline – which is partly owned by Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal’s Kingdom Holding – placed the $8.6 billion order for the A320neos in 2017.

ORDERS
Saudi airline Flynas is considering up-
grading an existing order for 80 Airbus
A320neo jets to also include the larger
A321 model, CEO Bandar Abdulrahman
Al-Mohanna said on Tuesday.
The airline – which is partly owned
by Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal’s Kingdom
Holding – placed the $8.6 billion order for
the A320neos in 2017.
“We [have] started evaluating and are
in discussions with Airbus,” he told Reu-
ters in an interview, adding that the larger
aircraft would be used for flights to the In-
dian sub-continent and North Africa.
Mohanna did not disclose how many
A321neos it could place in an upgraded
order or when a decision would be taken.
Additionally, the carrier is expected
to conclude negotiations with Airbus or
Boeing by the end of year to buy at least
10 wide-body jets. The decision to choose
Airbus A330neo or Boeing 787-9 planes
depends on the engine makers.
“If Rolls Royce doesn’t resolve the
problem with its Trent 1000 engine, we
won’t be signing with them,” he said. Rolls
is the only supplier for the Airbus plane.
Flynas is currently in talks with inter-
national banks to raise between $250 mil-
lion and $300 million to finance aircraft
order payments.
Mohanna added that the airline ex-
pects a report a profit for the fifth consecu-
tive time this year, although he said that
overcapacity in the kingdom’s domestic
market is driving down ticket prices.
“The situation in the domestic market
is not healthy. The overcapacity is huge,”
he said.
The airline is expected to take delivery
of five A320neo aircraft this year.
Flynas also has plans to open a hub in
West Africa or the Balkans within five
years to expand beyond its oversupplied
domestic market.
The carrier has 20 percent of the do-
mestic market and expects to grow pas-
sengers by at least 6 percent in the next
five years.
“Since we are a short-haul carrier, we
seek to link those hubs with the current
hubs in Saudi Arabia,” Al-Mohanna said.
“The demand is high but there’s
overcapacity so ticket prices are less
than the cost.”
The carrier competes with three other
Saudi-based carriers on internal routes,
which weighs on fares.
“Last year we started exploring mar-
kets that are untapped by other Saudi
airlines, such as Georgia, Azerbaijan and
Vienna,” Al-Mohanna said.

www.aviationbusinessme.com June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS 13

DATA ON DECK
THE IN AND OUT OF
AFRICA’S LARGEST AIR
CARGO TERMINAL
L
aunched back at the start of
2019 as part of a collaboration
ACUNIS, who helped implement
the project, Ethiopian Airlines’
new 38,000sqm air cargo terminal is re-
portedly the largest in Africa.
With a space that equates to the size
of five soccer pitches, the new facility
features refrigeration zones and a dry
storage space capable of processing up to
600,000 tons of fresh food and dry goods.
Products such as dry goods, coffee,
meat, flowers, fruits and vegetables can
be now be sorted and shipped around
the world via Addis Ababa. Additionally,
the new air cargo facility has expand-
ing the capacity of the existing air
freight terminal, also constructed by
the ACUNIS Group. From 350,000 tons
per year, Ethiopian Airlines now has the
capacity to manage nearly one million
tons annually.
“In the long term, in making this in-
14
vestment, we want to establish our capital
not only as a freight hub for the African
continent, but also as an international
cargo hub. This puts us in direct competi-
tion with hubs like Dubai,” said Tewolde
GebreMariam, CEO of Ethiopian Airlines
during an interview with Logistics
Middle East.
At the heart of the new complex is the
freight centre, which is divided into a re-
frigeration zone comprising of 17,000sqm
with temperature ranges from 2 to 10 de-
grees Celsius, as well as a non-refrigerat-
ed dry zone boasting 19,000sqm of space.
Featuring two automatic warehouses
for air cargo containers (unit load de-
vices, ULDs), containers of various sizes
can be combined in the 20 foot compart-
ments. This then allows up to 1,000 10ft
ULDs to be stored simultaneously.
Four fully automatic elevating trans-
fer vehicles (ETV) are also present
onsite that are utilised to transport
June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS
Ethiopian Airlines’ new
air cargo terminal in
Addis Ababa features over
38,000sqm of space that can
store up to 600,000 tons of
fresh food
heavy aluminium containers weighing
up to 6.8 tons.
Another key feature of the facility is
the deployment of a warehouse manage-
ment system (WMS). Powered by a
UniWare software platform, the control
system manages all warehouse slots and
coordinates all automatic and manual
movement of goods. This includes the
transportation of goods between landside
and airside.
“Our WMS has interfaces to all cargo
hosts and thereby ensures reliable
processes in the sophisticated cargo
logistics. UniWare is currently in use
at more than 12 international airports,”
commented project manager Sebastian
Sommer of ACUNIS.
Not resting on its laurels, Ethiopian
Airlines has shared plans for future ex-
pansion of the facility that will include a
planned addition to boost capacity to 1.2
million tons per year.
www.aviationbusinessme.com
 DATA ON DECK

38,000m2 600,000 1 million

The size of
Number of tons that Ethiopian Airlines’
Ethiopian Airlines’
can be processed by revised annually
new air cargo
the new facility capacity in tons
terminal

Comprehensive ETV at the fore

Four fully automatic elevating transfer
freight centre vehicles (ETV) are on site that can
handle aluminium containers weighing
up to 6.8 tons.

17,000SQM
REFRIGERATION ZONE

19,000SQM
NON-REFRIGERATED DRY ZONE

www.aviationbusinessme.com June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS 15

AVIATION BUSINESS AWARDS 2019
EARLY BIRD
GETS THE WORM
This month’s coverage of
the upcoming Aviation
Business Awards 2019
takes a quick look at
nomination submissions
and table bookings
T
his month, our coverage for
the 13th edition of the Aviation
Business Middle East Awards,
we will take a closer at the
awards website and nomination process.
We would also like to quickly point out
that the venue for the upcoming awards
has also been confirmed. The AVB
Middle East Awards 2019 will be held at
the Grosvenor House Dubai.
Brought to you in close collabora-
tion with Gold Sponsors Honeywell and
Olympus, as well as Category Sponsors
Dunleavy White and JETEX Flight
GOLD SPONSORS
16
Support, this year’s AVB Middle East
Awards will be held on the 9 October 2019.
To submit nominations for the upcom-
ing awards, or to make an advanced table
booking, firstly, please visit - www.aviation-
businessme.com/awards.
Nominating is once again free and sim-
ple to do. The awards website will pro-
vide you with a number of questions that
you must answer in under 500 words.
Each nomination must be accompanied
by a single PDF file, no larger than
10MB that can be uploaded along with
the nomination directly through
the website with your nomination’s
supporting material.
Please make sure to include images
of your nominee or project. The website
also provides detailed information on
the 14 categories and the nomination
process. All entries must be completed
by 7 August.
June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS
Aviation Business
Awards 2019
Categories
THIS YEAR’S AVIATION BUSINESS
AWARDS WILL FEATURE 14 CATEGORIES,
TWO OF WHICH ARE NEW ADDITIONS TO
THE LINE-UP
• TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION OF
THE YEAR
• MRO SERVICE PROVIDER OF THE YEAR
• TRAINING PROVIDER OF THE YEAR
• HEALTH & SAFETY INITIATIVE OF
THE YEAR
• UNSUNG HERO OF THE YEAR
• BUSINESS AIRCRAFT OPERATOR OF
THE YEAR
• GROUND SUPPORT SERVICES
PROVIDER OF THE YEAR
• ENGINEERING INNOVATION OF
THE YEAR
• FBO OF THE YEAR
• LOW COST AIRLINE OF THE YEAR
• AIRLINE OF THE YEAR
• AIRPORT OF THE YEAR
• YOUNG EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR
(NEW)
• AVIATION EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR
CATEGORY SPONSORS
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 AVIATION BUSINESS AWARDS 2019

www.aviationbusinessme.com June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS 17

COMMENT
MAINTAINING A
HEALTHY AIRPORT
Jesús Sancho, regional manager of Acciona ME, discusses the complex
challenges of delivering facilities management at an airport facility
D
ubai International Airport was
named the busiest interna-
tional airport for the fourth
consecutive year in 2017,
measured by total passengers at 88.2
million, an increase of 5.5% from 2016.
Therefore, it makes sense for the UAE to
maximise economic opportunities for its
tourist industry by looking at how to pos-
itively affect the passenger experience.
Major airports have become key
engines powering local economic devel-
opment, attracting aviation-linked busi-
nesses of all types. These include hotel,
entertainment, retail, food and beverage,
18
convention, trade and exhibition com-
plexes, as well as office buildings that
accommodate travel-intensive executives
and professionals. The rapid expansion
of airport-linked commercial facilities is
making it one of today’s drivers of met-
ropolitan development where travellers
and locals alike can conduct business, ex-
change knowledge, shop, eat, sleep and
be entertained without going more than
15 minutes from the airport. This func-
tional and spatial evolution is transform-
ing many city airports into airport cities,
also known as the Aerotropolis.
As an architecture firm with a special-
June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS
ist aviation department, Perkins+Will
looks at maximising a destination’s eco-
nomic opportunity by focusing on the end
user experience — in the case of aviation,
it is the passenger. So, how can we influ-
ence purchasing decisions, from which
airline to take, to what to purchase from
duty-free to your destination, through de-
sign? There is a multitude of factors, but
the driver? Understanding your audience.
Airports are a stressful place, often
people are charged with emotions when
departing or arriving, they are a place
that in this day and age effects many
people. Only a few decades ago, air travel
www.aviationbusinessme.com

was a rare experience for the privileged
few. Today, most people have travelled
on an aeroplane, and many people fly
frequently. We look to understand a pas-
senger’s stress points, their way of find-
ing a preference, physical movement and
emotional connections with space.
Effective emotional design speaks to
two main elements:
The identity and feeling of an airport
can install initial trust in a passenger
or indeed lose their trust and create
anxiety. If there is an aspect of design
that evokes negative emotions with
the normal person, that memory will
stay with them forever, but, conversely,
positive signals and calming designed
spaces will have a positive impact on
passengers. It is more than a ‘welcome
to this airport’ sign - it’s how the prop-
erty functions. Once a passenger is
past a favourable first impression, they
will look for that next pulse point sig-
nal - what do they need to do next and
why. Clear navigation and intuitively-
designed elements will prepare them
for the next process in their journey,
guiding them to the destination point.
Because the average human atten-
tion span is short, you need to address
‘what’s the value of the space? Is the
space worthwhile spending time in?
Is the product or service worth pay-
ing for?’ Making the answers to those
questions easily attainable will facilitate
positive feelings.
It is important to remember that not
every airport has the same function, so
there are scales of airports to consider.
Airports can be big aerotropolis cities
or they can be part-time used air fields
in remote areas. Whatever the size and
function, airports need to consider their
passengers more effectively, the context
of their location and the service that they
are providing.
Airports should be seen as a destina-
tion space, the business card of that
country or region so to speak. Airports
should be designed not as large ware-
house space with just stuff in them but
a place that welcomes and excites, that
promotes a sense of pride in a place and
www.aviationbusinessme.com
c Jesús Sancho, regional manager of Acciona ME.
Airports should be
designed not as large
warehouse space with
just stuff in them but a
place that welcomes and
excites, that promotes a
sense of pride in a place
and a venue where
passengers are excited to
go to and be in.”
a venue where passengers are excited to
go to and be in. They should be timeless,
they should be adaptable, flexible, and
they should be about and for the pas-
senger. Therefore, we as architects and
designers, need to think outside the box
of ways to make the journey through the
airport as enjoyable and intuitive as pos-
sible. For the greater good of the passen-
ger, the investor and for the community.
A few key focus areas can make a
huge difference. Let’s take retail as an
obvious one, with traffic in 2018 forecast
to grow 2.4% to 90.3 million in Dubai
International Airport alone, there is a
huge opportunity to increase consumer
spending. For retail to truly evolve, it
needs to be more inclusive of non-pas-
sengers. We should look to create a des-
tination where, not only can passengers
spend more time with their loved ones,
but the space can be used outside of
June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS
COMMENT
‘strictly for travel’ purposes. This, to me,
seems a very obvious and natural step,
and I am looking forward to seeing who
the pioneer will be.
While stress points in airports are
an element of contention, there are
many ways to alleviate this factor. A re-
search document published by Rutgers
Business School in 2016 shows that
consumers in a state of stress are far
less willing to spend than consumers in
a positive state of mind, specifically feel-
ing in control of their environment. So,
as designers it is our job to create that
positive feeling and reduce stress in or-
der to encourage passenger spending,
amount of dwell time in an airport and
their likelihood of a return visit. Stress
can be affected by anything from long
queues to colours, or travel distance.
For example, passengers do not like to
walk further than 250 metres at any given
time, so what can we do about this? We
can break up long distances by install-
ing travellators or adding an experience.
Stress is impacted by almost every touch
point a passenger will experience includ-
ing ease of wayfinding, security transpar-
ency and the development of a sense
of location. Because all passengers are
different, it is also important to ensure
space remains flexible, physically and
technically, space should be experiential.
Bringing the balm of nature indoors is
a key objective within an airport terminal.
Research shows people’s ability to focus
and relax goes up when they see and ex-
perience nature. As an example, a space
that mimics an outdoor nature experi-
ence would have a much higher success
and occupancy rate should it be free to
the passengers to make use of and spend
time in it. Thus also giving operators a
return on their investment.
An airport is basically a large proces-
sor, there are of course compulsory
processes that need to be followed for
international security and safety and
there are many think tanks on how to
break down these processes to make
it easier for the passenger. However,
there is still a large element of the un-
known for the passenger.
19
ONE-ON-ONE
PUSHING
A SMART AGENDA
Jihad Boueri, vice president of Airports and Airlines, SITA, shares his company’s
latest advances within the ‘smart airport’ environment
A
VB: Can you quickly delve
into the various platform
solution that you have
designed to help airline
connectivity in the “smart airport”
environment?
Jihad Boueri: Airports are the centre
of the industry’s communications and
are becoming ever more connected.
By 2030, 18,000 airline communica-
tion connections will be needed at the
world’s airports. The smart airport
market in the Middle East region is
expected to reach $850m in spending
by 2020.
The number and size of airports is
also rising; 500 new airports — a 30%
increase over today — and a 40% ca-
pacity growth in existing airports. The
challenge the industry faces with this
expansion is having reliable, secure, high
performance communications — consist-
ently across the world’s airports – for
airlines, ground handlers, maintenance
companies, other airport tenants and
the airports themselves.
One way SITA is meeting this demand
is by rolling out AirportHubTM — its
shared communications platform — to
a growing number of airports. Today
SITA has implemented AirportHubTM
By 2030, 18,000 airline communication
connections will be needed at the world’s air-
ports. The smart airport market in the
Middle East region is expected to reach
$850m in spending by 2020.”
20
at more than 400 airports in more than
100 countries spanning the globe from
Anchorage to Auckland.
SITA AirportHubTM is an airport-wide
shared connectivity platform that en-
sures airports can provide their airlines,
ground handlers and other tenants with
secure and reliable bandwidth, including
wireless connectivity to access off-airport
applications.
AirportHubTM makes it easier than
ever before for airlines to connect all
their applications and IT systems at an
airport quickly and easily. It removes the
complexity of dealing with local telecom
providers and adds flexibility and agility
to route management.
AVB: Last year, SITA was tapped by
Saudi Arabia’s GACA to help modern- Jihad Boueri, VP of Airports and Airlines, SITA.
ise the country’s airports. Can you
share details on the collaboration As part of the technology upgrade,
and the various areas SITA will work SITA is deploying its AirportConnect
on improving? Open platform, which can be leveraged
JB: Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of by airlines to work seamlessly at airports
Civil Aviation (GACA) partnered with using common facilities. It also offers a
SITA to support the modernisation of self-service experience from check-in
26 airports across the country. to boarding.
The collaboration marked a major Additionally, the platform delivers
milestone in the partnership between future-proof infrastructure that will sup-
the GACA and SITA. port the implementation of new solutions
such as biometric single-token travel and
common-use payment systems.
It has also been supported by the intro-
duction of Wide Area Network (WAN) and
Local Area Network (LAN) connectivity
across all airports.
SITA is also offering GACA a baggage
management solution that allows GACA
airports to meet the baggage tracking
June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS www.aviationbusinessme.com

requirements of IATA’s Resolution 753.
SITA’s technology will enable airlines to
track and capture baggage data at check-
in, loading onto the aircraft, transfer
and on arrival.
Simultaneously, SITA is installing its
airport management solution and flight
information display system at Jeddah’s
King Abdulaziz International Airport.
The new solutions will offer real-time
information to help GACA proactively
manage their resources across the air-
port.
The airport management solution will
be implemented at an additional 21 GACA
airports before the end of the year.
SITA has also installed Airport iVali-
date gates at Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz
International Airport and Riyadh’s King
Khalid International Airport. iValidate,
a passenger document authentication
system, automates verification of all
types of boarding passes, including mo-
bile boarding and home-printed passes
AVB: One novel solution introduced
in recent memory by SITA is its Smart
Path solution. Could you share some
more insights on what Smart Path
does and its impact on the overall air-
port experience?
JB: SITA Smart Path is unique in the
market: designed to meet the de-
mands of the world’s airlines for a
common-use, biometric, passenger
self-service solution. Any airport and
any airline using any common-use
platform can use SITA Smart Path and
the biometric solution can be extend-
ed throughout the airport to include
any processes and checkpoints that
require document checks.
This technology will be instrumental
to achieving a walkthrough passenger
experience by allowing passengers to
quickly complete each step in the journey
using their biometric as identity. What
this means for capacity is that more
passengers can be processed through
the same check point, ensuring a steady
flow of passengers through the various
travel steps.
Increasingly airports globally are
seeing the benefit of this sort of tech-
www.aviationbusinessme.com
nology. We have Smart Path in use at
five airports globally now, including
Brisbane; Muscat, Oman; Orlando and
Boston (with JetBlue) with several other
US and European airports coming on
stream this year.
AVB: In 2018, SITA unveiled its Air
Transport IT Insights. What were
some of the key lessons learned from
the research? How have you moved to
capitalised on those revelations?
JB: The Air Transport IT Insights 2018
survey showed that overall, invest-
ment in technology is rising, with air-
port spend rising almost 6% year on
year to US$ 10 billion.
Technology which helps airports bet-
ter manage the growth in passenger
numbers is an area SITA is strong focused
on. We are investing in technology to
automate, and even, eliminate tedious
processes in the airport making air travel
easier at every step.
As an example, in the US, SITA’s biom-
etric technology is being used in place of
the traditional boarding pass, ID check
and a government border check. This
is the airline and government check in
one step.
We trialed this technology at Orlando
airport with British Airways and the US
Customs and Border Protection (CBP). We
gave British Airways’ passengers the op-
tion of biometric boarding at the gate, on
flights from Orlando to London Gatwick
and there was almost 100% take up. The
airline was able to board a flight with
240 passengers in around 10 minutes.
Based on this success, Orlando airport
have now chosen SITA’s solution to be
deployed at all of their 30 international
gates and will be used by several airlines.
AVB: From your viewpoint, what
technologies will become increas-
ingly relevant in future designs of
airport terminals and what factors
are driving their development?
JB: Digitization offers a wide range of
possibilities. New technologies can be
used to make airport processes more
efficient, almost automatically result-
ing in an increase in capacity. The
June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS
ONE-ON-ONE
more we can automate the passenger
process, the better and faster the
travel experience, as we have seen at
Orlando and other airports globally.
What we have also seen is that the
more passengers use technology, the
happier they are. The 2017 Passenger IT
Trends survey showed that, for example,
passengers who used biometrics over
face-to-face transaction were more sat-
isfied. In fact, they rated the biometric
experience 8.4, well above the ratings
for face-to-face transactions at passport
check (8) and boarding (8.2).
Airports are exploring various tech-
nologies and establishing innovation
partnerships to develop their capacities.
Looking specifically at IoT, our The
Air Transport IT Insights 2018 survey
shows implementation of Internet of
Things (IoT) initiatives for airport-based
passenger services remains low. Instead
we see initiatives for operational ser-
vices at airports have seen higher im-
plementation with 27% having adopted
‘geographic information systems’, and
15% having adopted each of ‘monitoring
airport-based equipment’ and ‘monitor-
ing location/condition of assets’.
IoT, together with other technologies
such as artificial intelligence will allow
airports to better understand what is
happening in their airport and manage
their resources better. Baggage is a good
example where IoT could be used to track
baggage across the journey and using
AI to make intelligent decisions on how
baggage should be managed.
Blockchain is fast emerging as the pri-
ority technology for future exploration
among airport and airline CIOs globally.
One of the key benefits of blockchain
technology is the ability to have multi-
enterprise applications. These work
across multiple organizations locking
data immutably into the blockchain
rather than having individual applica-
tions running separately and exchanging
data on a case-by-case basis. This is how
this technology can provide a ‘single
source of truth’ to all stakeholders. Today,
59% of airlines have pilot or research
programs planned around blockchain
for implementation by 2021.
21
SRILANKAN AIRLINES

FLYING ON
WINGS
OF HOPE

22 June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS www.aviationbusinessme.com

 SRILANKAN AIRLINES

During last month’s Arabian Travel Market 2019,

Aviation Business got the chance to connect with Vipula
Gunatilleka, group CEO of SriLankan Airlines, to
discuss the carrier’s future and its role in restoring
Sri Lanka’s reputation as tourist hotspot
By Alexander Sophoclis Pieri

www.aviationbusinessme.com June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS 23

SRILANKAN AIRLINES

SriLankan Airlines has laid plans to increase frequencies to destinations in the Middle East, such as Jeddah, Muscat, and Abu Dhabi.

I
t is difficult to discuss the current
state of the country of Sri Lanka
without touching upon the recent
Easter Sunday bombings that took
place back on 21 April 2019. The hor-
rific attacks that cost the lives of 258
people and injured another 500, has
had a significant impact on the nation’s
tourism market.
According to figures from the 2017
Annual Statistical Report produced by
the Sri Lanka Tourism Development
Authority (SLTDA), the countr y re-
ceived 2.1 million international tourists
in that year alone.
Contributing $3,924.9mn in foreign
exchange earnings and 4.5% to Sri
Lanka’s GDP for 2017, the countr y
also saw the total foreign guests nights
surpassing 23 million. The top tourist
source markets to Sri Lanka hailed
We are currently from the countries of India, China, UK,
pursuing the Germany and France.
While there isn’t much data on the cur-
expansion of cargo rent state of tourism in Sri Lanka follow-
operations ing the attacks, the fact that travel advi-
sories are still in place across the world,
for potential as well as reports from local media that
destinations paint a stark picture, things are not look-
ing up for the Asia-Pacific nation.
for freighter In an effort to restore the country’s
operations, to reputation as a premium holiday destina-
tion, the government of Sri Lanka and
support exports on key players active within the tourism
the home base segment have stepped up their efforts in
revitalising the nation’s travel industry.
exports into One of those parties aiding the gov-
Europe and the ernment’s efforts in this endeavour is
SriLankan Airlines, the national car-
United States.” rier. Present at last month’s Arabian

24 June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS www.aviationbusinessme.com


Travel Market 2019 (ATM), Vipula
Gunatilleka, group CEO, reaffirmed
his airline’s commitment to promoting
travel and tourism to Sri Lanka.
“Sri Lanka as the national carrier
is working very closely with the tour-
ist board and various industry groups
to promote our online destinations
through joint marketing programs and
special promotions,” said Gunatilleka.
A familiar presence at the ATM
travel and tourism exhibition held
annually in Dubai, Gunatilleka high-
lighted the rising importance of the
GCC market for the carrier. Though
the number of GCC tourists travelling
to Sri Lanka has always been low, the
value of the region lies with its size-
able expat population.
“I would say if you look at the total
number of tourists arrivals and distri-
bution from the GCC market, it has
been about four to five percent. But
that is without taking into account
the expats from India and others who
are located in the Middle East, who
come to Sri Lanka. If you take those,
the numbers are quite significant,”
explained Gunatilleka
“When we did up a business plan a
couple of months back, we looked at
enhancing the market, tapping into
the Middle East traveller … With
the incident that happened, the pur-
pose was to come to ATM and give
reassurance that we will bounce back
ver y soon.”
In terms of what the airline has
planned for the Middle East, the move
now is simply to increase frequen-
cies. Aiming to add at least 45 more
flights to the region, the CEO shared
that the frequencies will be added to
destinations, such as Jeddah in Saudi
Arabia, Muscat in Oman, as well as
Abu Dhabi in the UAE.
While not covering the African mar-
ket as a whole, the airline is looking
to expand traffic to Nairobi, Kenya.
“From Colombo, it [Nairobi] is a
one-and-a-half-hour flight. It is a good
midway point for all the Chinese traf-
fic and even Indian traffic, who can
www.aviationbusinessme.com
come to Colombo and then go on,”
said Gunatilleka.
Of course, the Middle East is not the
only region that the carrier is currently
focused on. Back at the start of April,
SriLankan Airlines unveiled a new five-
year strategic plan aimed bolstering
the airline group’s brand visibility and
reputation within the global market.
A central focus of the plan is on the
continued development of its route
network, through the launch of new
destinations, as well as strategic code-
share partnerships and alliances. And
while the recent events in Sri Lanka
will force the airline’s leadership to
rethink some of their objectives, the
plan to expand network reach is still in
the cards.
“When we were looking at the strat-
egy for the next five years, we looked
at the growth in tourism as a major fac-
tor for Sri Lanka, so we were tr ying to
capitalise and harness tourism,”
said Gunatilleka.
“Once the situation settles down, we
will revisit those all these things. We
will then have to come out with a plan B
or combination of new strategies, which
includes maybe looking better use of
our fi fth freedom rights, which have not
been exploiting in the past greatly.”
In terms of global destinations,
SriLankan Airlines has set out to add
Sydney, Ho Chi Minh, Frankfurt and
LONG-STANDING HISTORY
Serving as the national carrier of
Sri Lanka, SriLankan Airline is today
the largest airline operating in the
country. Launched back in 1979 as Air
Lanka following the end of operations
of Air Ceylon, the original Sri Lankan
flag carrier, the airline was rebranded
following a partial acquisition by
Emirates in 1998. Ownership of the
airline changed back in 2008, when
the government of Sri Lanka acquired
all the shares from Emirates. As a
notable member of the Oneworld
airline alliance, SriLankan Airlines
maintains a fleet of 26 aircraft.
June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS
SRILANKAN AIRLINES
Vipula Gunatilleka, group CEO, SriLankan Airlines.
Paris, in a phased manner. Additionally,
the airline, through its codeshare
partnerships, is also looking at gaining
more traffic from North America, a
market where 200,000 Sri Lankans live,
according to the CEO.
He went on to add that the airline
is also looking at expanding its share
within the global cargo market.
“Presently, cargo utilises the belly ca-
pacity deployed throughout the network
in generating 10% of the airline’s air traf-
fic revenue,” explained Gunatilleka.
“We are currently pursuing the expan-
sion of cargo operations for potential
destinations for freighter operations, to
support exports on the home base ex-
ports into Europe and the United States,
as well as connecting the key cargo
markets in the Far East, Indian Sub-
continent, Europe and Africa. This will
help enhance the overall cargo revenue
contribution to the airline.”
SriLankan Airlines’ five-year plan in-
cludes a provision to expand the carrier’s
fleet, which currently numbers 27. The
airline’s goal is to increase the size of the
fleet up to 34 aircraft within the next five
years. This will comprise of 19 narrow
body and 15 wide body aircraft.
25
SRILANKAN AIRLINES
The flag carrier’s fleet currently comprises of a mix of A320-200, A320neo, A321-200, A321neo, A330-200 and A330-300 aircraft.
Long favouring Airbus, the flag carri-
er’s fleet currently comprises of a mix of
A320-200, A320neo, A321-200, A321neo,
A330-200 and A330-300 aircraft. With
new A330-900 set to be added in the
near future, one of the new features of
the upcoming aircraft will be the intro-
duction of a premium economy.
“If you look at all the wide body air-
craft, they have modern business class.
What we are doing on the new fleet, with
the new order from Airbus, we will look
at premium economy without reducing
26
current considerations on the business
class, because for the long-haul market,
the premium economy is also in big de-
mand,” explained Gunatilleka.
Other focus areas for the carrier
includes an ongoing restructuring plan
focused on improving overall financial
performance and streamlining opera-
tions that are undercapitalised. While
part of this includes pure cutting of
$35m and renegotiations of leases ac-
cording to the CEO, there has also
been a big push towards digitalisation.
June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS
Exploring technologies that include
fast travel systems, CRM-based ser vice
deliver y, data security, system availabil-
ity, as well as the automation of manual
processes, the airline is moving to im-
prove both operational efficiency and
staff productivity.
Process improvement is also a top
area for SriLankan Airlines, which
looks to expand direct online sales and
generation of revenue from new digital
businesses. Additionally, the carrier
is exploring novel digital payment op-
www.aviationbusinessme.com
 SRILANKAN AIRLINES

What we are doing on the new fleet, with

the new order from Airbus, we will look at
premium economy without reducing current
considerations on the business class, because
for the long-haul market, the premium
economy is also in big demand.”
“We have invested on several digi-
talisation projects to add value to the
customers by streamlining our existing
processes and systems in areas such
as e-commerce, airport operations,
social media platforms and SriLankan
Holidays,” he added.
According to the CEO, technology will
play a key factor within the global aviation
market in the coming years. In addition
to introducing new ways of approaching
challenges and streamlining day-to-day
operations, technology can also help air-
lines reduce their respective costs.
Equally as important, however, is the
value of technology in transforming the
passenger experience. Both in how they
book and manage their journeys but also
in evolving the inflight experience once
the flight takes to the sky.

tions, such as e-wallets, online-mobile
commerce and community-based sell-
ing. This, in turn, will encourage the
development of a digital marketplace.
“Another initiative is on driving the e-
commerce. Our online penetration was
very low compared to an airline of our size.
Our online contribution was about 11% last
year. Over the last six months, it has gone
up to about 15%. So we will actively pursuit
to increase the online revenue. That will
also have direct benefits like reducing
GDS costs,” said Gunatilleka.
FRESH LEADERSHIP
Last month saw an expansion
of SriLankan Airlines’ executive
leadership with the additions of
Joshua Bustos as chief commercial
officer and Shaminda Samaraweera
as chief financial officer. Bustos,
a 20-year veteran of the aviation
sector, has held a number of high-
profile positions in other carriers
across the world, such as American
Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and Safi
Airways, to name a few. Similarly,
Samaraweera brings with him over
15 years of senior-level corporate
experience to his new role as chief
financial officer for the national
carrier. With experience in working
in different industry segments, such
as telecommunications, banking and
navigation, Samaraweera has worked
in firms that includes the likes of
Etisalat Lanka and Ceylon Tobacco.

www.aviationbusinessme.com June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS 27

ONE-ON-ONE

POWERING
FUTURE FLIGHT
Alan Newby, director of Aerospace Technology and Future
Programmes at Rolls-Royce, sheds light on his company’s
latest developments within the aviation engine space

In 2018, more than half of Rolls-Royce’s revenues came from the aftermarket services
segement.

28 June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS www.aviationbusinessme.com


A
VB: Could you start by
sharing any details on
recent orders related to
commercial aviation
that you’ve secured over the past
couple of years?
Alan Newby: We’ve made good
progress in the past couple of years,
with further growth in our wide-
body fleet. We’ve achieved several
milestone achievements: the Trent
1000 TEN entered service in 2017,
and in 2018 we launched a new fam-
ily of engines for business aviation
with the Pearl 15. Our Trent XWB-97
engine, the newest, higher-thrust
variant of the Trent XWB, entered
service on the Airbus A350-1000 and
the Trent 7000 entered service on
the A330neo with TAP Portugal.
So far this year we have an-
nounced that Lufthansa Group se-
lected Rolls-Royce engines to power
40 new aircraft. Our Trent 1000
engine will power 20 Boeing 787
Dreamliners, and our Trent
XWB will power 20 Airbus A350-
900 aircraft.
We also announced an order
by Air Premia for our Trent 1000
TEN engines, to power its ten new
Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Most re-
cently, we announced an order with
Fiji Airways to power two Airbus
A350-900 aircraft with our Trent
XWB engine.
In 2018, more than half of our
revenues came from aftermarket
services. Around 90% of our engines
are covered by our TotalCare ser-
vices agreements.
AVB: How has Rolls-Royce contin-
ued to improve the capabilities of
its civil aerospace division?
AN: We are continually improv-
ing our capabilities in our Civil
Aerospace division, and are in-
vesting in new technologies and
partnerships that will benefit our
customers for years to come.
In terms of Maintenance, Repair
and Overhaul, we are expanding
our service network for wide-
www.aviationbusinessme.com
body engines around the world.
Last year, Delta TechOps, based in
Atlanta, became a Trent authorised
maintenance centre, carrying out
services on our Trent 1000, Trent
7000 and Trent XWB engines. We
have also increased our testing ca-
pacity, signing partnerships with
Delta TechOps, American Airlines
and Thai Airways International.
Work continues to progress well on
the construction of a new testbed in
Derby, UK, where we will test our
next generation of engines, such
as UltraFan.
UltraFan is the foundation of our
future large civil aero engines, and
we are making excellent progress.
Earlier this year we successfully
tested our Advanced Low Pressure
System (ALPS), which is a key
UltraFan technology.
We’ve also made good progress in
our strategy to champion electrifi-
cation. We are developing
programmes to demonstrate
small scale full-electric and
hybrid-electric flight.
These are just a few examples, but
to summarise, our focus is on con-
tinuing to develop advanced, world-
leading technology alongside inno-
vation in services. All of this is done
in partnership with our customers,
and we believe this will future-proof
our business for years to come.
AVB: What are some of the latest
developments/trends related to
modern aircraft engine design?
How are you addressing the needs
of your target market?
AN: In the coming years, we believe
that three key trends will define
Our focus is on continuing to develop
advanced, world-leading technology
alongside innovation in services. All of
this is done in partnership with our cus-
tomers, and we believe this will future-
proof our business for years to come.”
June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS
ONE-ON-ONE
aviation. The first trend is a growing
demand for technology to make
the sector cleaner, safer and
more competitive.
The second trend is electrification.
As we move to a low-carbon global
economy, our engines will become
part of broader, hybrid systems with
lower emissions. To provide solutions
for our customers, we will act as a
system integrator, combining our
traditional mechanical technology
with electrical technology.
The third trend is digitalisation.
Advances in sensors, communica-
tion, data storage, machine
learning, robotics and additive layer
manufacturing are combining to
create new insights, processes
and opportunities.
Finally, we believe engines will
be increasingly integrated with the
aircraft and continue to work closely
with manufacturers to achieve this.
AVB: What are some of the ways the
company is using technology to better
observe the performance of engines
and predict service requirements?
AN: We continue to design and de-
liver new digital services under the
banner of our IntelligentEngine
vision. We are working towards a
world where our engines will be con-
nected, comprehending, and even
contextually aware, which will ulti-
mately make them more reliable
and efficient.
Engines will be digitally connected
with the Rolls-Royce availability cen-
tre, with other engines, and with the
airline who operates them. This will
allow for regular, two-way flow of
information between many parties.
29
ONE-ON-ONE

According to Newby, more than two-thirds of Rolls-Royce’s annual researh expenditure is dedicated to reducing the negative environmental impact of its
products.

Our Pearl 15 engine is our most intel-
ligent yet, using a new two-way flow
We will manage of information through our Engine
engines using a digital Health Monitoring service.
twin, an exact digital Engines will be contextually aware,
knowing the environment they will
replica of each engine. operate in and adapting to it without
From this we can human intervention. Already, Rolls-
model various scenari- Royce teams have created a new data
tool which draws on weather condi-
os, complete a variety tions from around the world, helping
of tests, accurately pre- us plan maintenance schedules for
dict service require- the Trent XWB.
Finally, engines will be compre-
ments before they are hending, learning from their own
needed, and ultimate- experiences and network of peers,
ly improve future from which they will adjust their
behaviour so that they can achieve
engine designs.” their best performance.
We will manage engines using a
digital twin, an exact digital replica
of each engine. From this we can
model various scenarios, complete
a variety of tests, accurately predict
service requirements before they are
needed, and ultimately improve fu-
ture engine designs.
AVB: Considering the increasing de-
mand to reduce the negative impact of
air travel on the environment, could
you share some insights on Rolls-
Royce’s efforts towards sustainability?
AN: As leading industrial technol-
ogy company, we have an irrefutable
role to play in addressing the risks
and opportunities associated with
climate change. Our technology will

30 June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS www.aviationbusinessme.com


play a fundamental role in enabling
the transition to a low carbon
global economy.
More than two-thirds of our annu-
al research expenditure is dedicated
to improving the environmental per-
formance of our products.
We are constantly driving fuel ef-
ficiencies in our existing products,
achieving a 1% increase in fuel ef-
ficiency per year through round-the-
clock monitoring. Our Trent 7000,
which entered service this year,
builds upon the industry-leading
performance of the Trent XWB to
deliver 10% better fuel efficiency
than the engine it is designed to re-
place. Our UltraFan engine will be
10% more efficient than the Trent
www.aviationbusinessme.com
XWB. We are also working with the
fuels industry to accelerate the use
of sustainable aviation fuels, such as
biofuel-kerosene blends.
Electrification and hybrid solutions
will deliver a step-change in emis-
sions performance. One of the ways
we are supporting this is to invest in
our electrical capabilities, including
launching focused graduate and ap-
prentice development programmes.
AVB: What are Rolls-Royce’s projec-
tions in terms of future engine de-
signs? How will they differ from the
current generation?
AN: We are working on two signifi-
cant new engine designs: Advance
and UltraFan. We believe these en-
June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS
ONE-ON-ONE
gines have the power to overcome
the challenges facing the industry,
and ultimately shape the future
of aerospace.
For Advance, we are evolving our
unique three-shaft engine archi-
tecture and combining this with a
wealth of technological improve-
ments. The high-efficiency core
compression and turbine system in-
corporated into Advance will deliver
the highest overall pressure ratio
of any commercial turbofan engine
ever made. This will result in greater
efficiency and lower CO2 emissions.
UltraFan will redefine the world
of jet engines. It will be 25% more ef-
ficient than a first-generation Trent
engine. UltraFan will be engineered
for both narrowbody and widebody
aircraft, and will have the world’s
most powerful aerospace gearbox. It
takes the evolution of Advance fur-
ther, featuring all the same technol-
ogy and more to enable us to deliver
a step-change increase in bypass
ratio. This will deliver further fuel
efficiency and CO2 reductions, and
provide a further significant reduc-
tion in engine noise.
Both programmes are progressing
well, and we look forward to sharing
further updates later this year.
31
AVIATION PARTNERS
Cathay Pacific kicks of f ‘Move
Beyond’ inflight campaign
Revamping its overall service, the airline has introduced several improvements to the
cabin experience, particularly within its business-class offering
INFLIGHT
“Over the last seven decades we have gently to expand the reach of its net-
Cathay Pacific, the flag carrier of Hong grown to become one of the world’s leading work, adding 12 new routes since 2018.
Kong, has launched a new campaign focused airlines, and our goal now is to continue Additionally, the airline’s fl eet has re-
revamping its overall service. In addition to move forward by becoming one of the cently been bolstered with the addition
to adopting a progressive outlook to their world’s greatest service brands,” said of a technologically advanced Airbus
approach to service, the campaign has seen Rupert Hogg, CEO of Cathay Pacific. A350 aircraft.
an overhaul of several inflight features. The launch of a new campaign also “Move Beyond is our call to action,”
This includes the implementation of new saw the re-opening of Cathay Pacifi c’s adds Rupert. “For us, it is to have an
seats, the availability of Wi-Fi across its lounge in Shanghai Pudong, as well as ambitious leadership mindset. We choose
long-haul fleet, improvements to its food & the reveal that the airline will launch a to lead and blaze a trail of progress. It
beverage offering, as well as the introduc- new Business Class experience in the represents our continued commitment to
tion of an enhanced infl ight entertainment second half of 2019. delivering personal service that moves
(IFE) system. Cathay Pacific has also worked dili- people emotionally. To never stand still.”

c In addition to the re-launch of its lounge in Shanghai Pudong, the airline will launch a new Business Class experience in the second half of 2019.

32 June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS www.aviationbusinessme.com

 Gulf Air hots Ramadan Ghabga
The evening included a number of entertaining activities and a raffle
AVIATION PARTNERS

Etihad Airways extends free

Abu Dhabi stopover offer
Etihad Airways says the offer of two free nights of hotel accommodation in
UAE capital is now available until the end of 2019
CONTENTS
FINNAIR TAPS MAG-
PACKAGES
December 1 for travel until December 31. NETIC MRO FOR ATF
Etihad Airways on Tuesday announced “We are extremely pleased that our Abu WORK
it is extending its free Abu Dhabi stopover Dhabi stopover has appealed to so many of The MRO company will
campaign to the end of the year due to the our guests and exceeded our expectations manage the airline’s ATR
popularity of the special offer in its open- in the first month since it launched. This 72 fleet
ing month. incredible promotion allows us to showcase P37
Travellers flying through the capital of our extraordinary home to more visitors
the UAE with the airline are invited to enjoy worldwide. Guests can explore the emir-
a free two-night hotel stay to break up their ate’s many highlights as well as relax and
journey and explore the city’s attractions. rejuvenate as they break up their journey,”
Etihad is offering two free nights of said Robin Kamark, chief commercial of-
hotel accommodation in Abu Dhabi for ficer Etihad Aviation Group.
all guests booking fl ights to and from all
Etihad destinations via Abu Dhabi.
Guests can choose from a range of
hotels located across the city including
the five-star Jumeirah at Etihad Towers,
Intercontinental Abu Dhabi and Dusit Thani
Abu Dhabi, as well as the Pearl Rotana, SETTING UP SHOP
Courtyard by Marriott WTC, Crowne Plaza Bombardier looking to set up
and Radisson Blu. Dubai MRO hub
The free Abu Dhabi stopover promotion P36
is available for bookings online through
etihad.com or via a travel agent made by EMIRATI TALENT
Etihad Cargo announces Emi-
rati leadership appointments
Emirates airline fl ies Indian cricket P38
team to ICC World Cup 2019
The team was previously booked to fly with Jet Airways
ENTERTAIN ME
EVENT Air Arabia launches
and switch to Emirates air- “It’s a challenge but we ‘SkyTime’ IFE
Emirates airline has flown line, according to Indian are addressing it. The team P40
India’s World Cup cricket media reports. will leave as planned on or
squad to London for the ICC The team, led by cap- before May 22,” a BCCI of-
World Cup 2019. tain Virat Kohli, depart- ficial was quoted as saying
India, one of the favour- ed for London on May by India media at the time.
ites for the competition, 22 on an Emirates fl ight India’s fi rst warm-up
were booked to fl y with from Mumbai, via Dubai, fi xture took place back
Jet Airways but following to London. on the 25 May against fel-
the recent grounding of all Since the grounding of Jet low cup competitor, New
flights, the Board of Control Airways, airfares from India Zealand. India’s opening
for Cricket in India (BCCI) have been soaring, which match in the tournament
had to make a last-minute meant switching carriers was against South Africa
change in the travel plans wasn’t as easy as normal. in Southampton.

www.aviationbusinessme.com June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS 33

 Emirates launches Arabic version of app
This brings the total number of languages supported by the app to 19
AVIATION PARTNERS

Airbus delivers Bell leads Air Medical

12,000th aircraft
The A220-100 aircraft was
handed over to US-based
Services training in China
Delta Air Lines China’s government plans to build a modern healthcare system
which will include an extensive air medical services network
TRAINING

Bell Helicopter, in collaboration with ticipated in the exercise which covered

Shaanxi Helicopter Co. and Shaanxi aviation safety practices and culture,
Provincial People’s Hospital, have com- functions and responsibilities for medi-
pleted an Air Medical Services (AMS) cal transport, fl ight planning and decision
training exercise in China. making, crew resource management and
This exercise is an initial step toward fl ight physiology. In addition, an introduc-
developing air medical capability for the tion to the cross-functional coordination
Implementation Program for a Joint Pilot among emergency response, medical care,
c The airline received its first A220 in October, of Aviation Medical Rescue launched dispatch and aviation was provided to
earlier this year by the National Health create a safe and effective air medical
French aerospace manufacturer Airbus
Commission of China and the Civil Aviation network solution for China.
recently celebrated the delivery of the
12,000th aircraft produced over its
Authority of China (CA AC). Research from the Association of Air
50-year history. Assembled in Mirable, “Together with SHC, we are excited Medical Services (AAMS) and ASCEND,
Canada, the A220-100 was the 12th to be leading the development of an Air has shown that air medical services can
aircraft of the same family delivered Medical Services network in China,” said significantly reduce the mortality rate of
to US-based Delta Air Lines, since the Jacinto Monge, Bell managing director patients and improve the outcome of treat-
carrier received its first A220 back in for North Asia. ment. At present, there are more than 1,200
October 2018. “During the two-week event, expertise civilian air medical helicopters serving 320
As the first US airline to oper- on best practices was shared through million people in the United States; China
ate the A220, Delta’s started A220’s academic seminars and practical training currently has less than 100 civilian air medi-
scheduled service back in February
using real-life simulations.” cal helicopters serving 1.4 billion people.
2019. According to Airbus, Delta is
With the support from Med-Trans China’s central government plans to
currently the largest A220 customer
in the world, with a firm order for 90
Corporation, a US air medical service com- build a modern healthcare system which
aircraft. pany, more than 50 people from Shaanxi will include an extensive air medical
With the increasing success of its Helicopter and the People’s Hospital par- services network.
A220 programme within the North
American market, Airbus has already
moved to expand its manufacturing
base on the continent. Back in January,
the company broke ground in Mobile,
Alabama for the construction of a
second A220 final assembly line. Once
completed, the line will begin deliver-
ies to US customers from 2020.
Looking back at Airbus’ long his-
tory, the aerospace manufacturer
delivered its first aircraft, an A300B2
to Air France, back in 1974. Roughly
36 years later, in 2010, Airbus reached
a major milestone with the delivery
of its 6,000th aircraft. Remarkably,
in just a mere nine years after that,
Airbus managed to double the num-
c More than 50 people from Shaanxi Helicopter and the People’s Hospital participated in the exercise .
ber, reaching 12,000 aircraft delivered

34 June 2018 · AVIATION BUSINESS www.aviationbusinessme.com

 DHL extends lease at Bahrain International
110-year lease extension for 5.7-hectare facility comes as the new terminal nears Q3 2019 launch
AVIATION PARTNERS

Airbus and SAS sign MoU for hybrid and

electric aircraft research
The MoU agreement was signed by Grazia Vittadini, chief technology officer, Airbus, and
Goran Jansson, deputy president of EVP Strategy & Ventures, Scandinavian Airlines

c The two organisations will work closely together on research into hybrid and electric aircraft systems and infrastructure requirements.

SUSTAINABILITY
As part of the many topics discussed at
last mont’s Airbus Innovation Days, the
French aerospace manufacturer revealed
that it had inked a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with Scandinavian
Ailrines (SAS) for research into hybrid
and electric aircraft systems and infra-
structure requirements.
The agreement, which was previously
signed by Grazia Vittadini, chief technol-
ogy offi cer, Airbus, and Goran Jansson,
deputy president of EVP Strategy &
Ventures, Scandinavian Airlines, will
go into effect from June 2019. The col-
laboration is expected to then continue
until the close of 2020.
As per the MoU, the two parties will
work closely together on a joint research
project that will explore the operational
and infrastructure opportunities, as well
as the challenges associated with the
large-scale introduction of hybrid and
full electric aircraft, for airlines and
their respective operations.
“It’s not enough to build a zero-emis-
sion aircraft. We need to be able to oper-
ate it in a given environment. And so this
MoU will be about analysing the impact
of ground infrastructure and logistical
charging and refuelling impact on the
range, resources, on-time, and availabil-
ity at airports,” Vittadini told reporters
during Airbus Innovation Days.
“We are proud to be in this joint under-
taking, also with Scandinavian universi-
ties and renewable energy suppliers in
the equation as well,” she added.
Part of the plan includes the involve-
ment of a renewable energy supplier,
who will be instrumental ino ensur-
ing zero CO2 emissions operations
are accessed.
Despite the fact that aircraft have
become 80% more fuel effi cient per pas-
senger kilometre over the past 50 years,
the rising demand of air travel continues
to grow and will likely double within the
next 20 years.
To tackle this issue, the Global
Aviation Industry (ATAG), which in-
cludes Airbus and SAS, have committed
themselves to achieving carbon-neutral
growth for the aviation industry as a
whole from 2020 onwards.
The goal is to drastically reduce avia-
tion net emissions by 50% by 2050 (as
compared to 2005).

www.aviationbusinessme.com June 2018 · AVIATION BUSINESS 35

 MTU sets up shop in Serbia to
AVIATION PARTNERS MTU Aero Engines and the Government of the Republic of Serbia have signed a MoU
GROUND SERVICES
CONTRACT UPDATE
Round up of MRO agreements and
signings, both in the region
and beyond
ASI to build Philippines MRO hangar; StandardAero re-
news DOF; Magnetic MRO launches Interior Inspector
Aircraft Support Industries (ASI) has
been selected by Metrojet to design and
construct a parking and maintenance
hangar at Clark International Airport
in the Philippines. The new site, which
will reportedly be roughly 26,000m2 will
feature a hangar floor space of 71,00m2.
This in turn will be able to accommo-
date up to 10 long-range business jets
up to a maximum of Boeing Business
Jet or Airbus Corporate Jet. The facil-
ity will also includes over 2,500sqm of
customer accommodation and stor-
age, FBO capability and engineering
support workshops.
StandardAero’s engine MRO facil-
ity in Gonesse, France, recently
renewed its Designated Overhaul
Facility (DOF) PW100 and PT6A
DOF Licenses. Located at the mid-
way point between Le Bourget and
Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport in
Paris, the facility holds approvals for
23 members of the PW100 family,
including the PW127M variant power-
ing the latest generation of ATR -600
turboprops, as well as the PW127G
engine that is currently used on the
Airbus C295 transport aircraft.
Magnetic MRO has unveiled
Interior Inspector, a ser vice that
helps connect airline staf f and
maintenance teams, who can then
share damages found in the passen-
ger cabin of a commercial airliner.
The application allows either party
to log damages that can then be ad-
dressed in upcoming maintenance
cycles. The application is mobile-
enabled allowing teams to access
the inter face on their preferred
smartphone or tablet device.
36 June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS
Bombardier to set up
MRO hub in Dubai
The Canadian aircraft manufacturer
inked a deal with Jetex to establish a
line maintenance station
FACILITIES
Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier has
signed an agreement with Jetex to establish a new
line maintenance station in Dubai.
The new station will initially offer unscheduled
maintenance services and build toward scheduled
maintenance operations in the coming months.
The technical engineers supporting the line station
are certified for all Challenger series and Global
series business jets, including Bombardier’s flagship
Global 7500 aircraft.
The introduction of the new station in Dubai
comes on the heels of the announcement of major
Bombardier customer experience enhancements
worldwide.
The company said the move further complements
the tip-to-tail maintenance services provided by
Bombardier’s Service and Support Network in the
Middle East and around the globe.
“This expansion is an integral part of our overall
mission to enhance OEM support for our operators
in the Middle East – and we are very pleased to be
working with highly-respected business aviation
leader Jetex in the development of this project,”
said Jean-Christophe Gallagher, vice-president and
general manager, Customer Experience, Bombardier
Business Aircraft.
“As a part of our commitment to offering an
exceptional customer experience, we are delighted
to offer our customers expanded support, more
resources and increased flexibility closer to their
base of operations.”
“The shared vision between Bombardier and Jetex
to provide a comprehensive and exceptional experi-
ence makes this new service expansion an exciting
venture for us,” added Adel Mardini, President and
CEO of Jetex.
“This is a significant boon for our customers who
rely on our services to give them the peace of mind
that they have trusted partners ready to go the
extra mile around the clock and around the globe.”
Bombardier has a network of nine service centres
and a total of 30 customer response team mobile
units around the globe.
www.aviationbusinessme.com
 Air Niugini taps StandardAero for engine work
StandardAero will provide P&W Canada PW123 engine MRO for the airline’s Dash 8 turboprops AVIATION PARTNERS
GROUND SERVICES

Finnair selects Magnetic MRO for refurbishment

and paint services for ATF aircraft
The MRO service provider will oversee the refurbishment and paint work for all 12 of the air-
line’s ATR 72 fleet

PROJECT
The national carrier of Finland, Finnair, has
signed on Magnetic MRO, who will oversee
the complete paintwork, refurbishment and
base maintenance on the airline’s fleet of
12 ATR 72 aircraft.
Work on the first aircraft was completed
at Magnetic MRO’s Tallinn hangars and
delivered back to the airline on 8 May. The
project is slated for completion by the end
of the first quarter of 2020.
“By taking up the large-scale project,
Magnetic MRO has once again proven that
we are a great partner for providing a full
package of total technical care solutions
with a high-level quality for our custom-
ers, starting from the design bundle for
cabin modification and full refurbishment,
all the way to external livery change and
maintenance tasks,” said Kaspars Podins,
Magnetic MRO’s operations manager.
Podins went on to add that as part of the
ATR transformation project, the aircraft’s
exterior and interior design will be updated
with more modern aesthetics and comforts,
all the while meeting Finnair’s standards.
“Magnetic MRO is honoured to be a part
of Finnair’s success story and we hope to
work with the company side by side in their
future efforts,” he said.
As per the agreement, the MRO ser-
vice provider will complete a full interior
refurbishment for each ATR aircraft, while
also updating the livery to match Finnair’s
colours. It was reported by Magnetic MRO
that the project is the first instance that the
company is providing base maintenance
for ATR type aircraft.
“Finnair and MMRO have over 15 years
of excellent partnership on ATR and A320
maintenance,” said Juha Ojala, Finnair’s
head of Engineering.
“Magnetic MRO is perfectly located close
to our main base Helsinki and their recent
process development, especially on aircraft
painting, convinced us on their ability to
manage the whole fleet wide modification
program within agreed time schedule at
high quality and competitive cost.”

c Work on the first aircraft was completed at Magnetic MRO’s Tallinn hangars and delivered back to the airline on 8 May.

www.aviationbusinessme.com June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS 37

AVIATION PARTNERS SHJ records 3.2 million passengers in Q1
GROUND Sharjah International Airport recorded a 9.5% increase in passengers as compared to Q12018
SERVICES

Gulf Air: Extra APPOINTMENT

baggage for students
University students can
opt for an additional 23kg
baggage allowance
Gulf Air, the national carrier of the
Kingdom of Bahrain, will no of-
fer college and university students
traveling with the airline to check
in an addition 23-kilogram bag, free
of charge.
A simple process, student passen-
gers will only need to present their
student ID cards to the check-in
counter agents to benefit from the
new policy.
Previously, such bonus allow-
ances were sanctioned through
airline offices and had to confirm
beforehand, often a few days ahead
Etihad Cargo announces
of the trip. Emirati leadership
“We know that students need
more luggage to carry their books,
laptops, winter clothes and so on.
appointments
It is always a hassle for students In an effort to boost its Global Customer programme and its share of the
to carefully pack their items when UAE home market, the new appointments fall under the cargo airline’s
travelling for the academic year. commercial division
Now, we want to make things easier
for all students by allowing one extra Etihad Aviation Group’s cargo and logistics arm, Etihad Cargo, has announced several
bag of 23 kilos for each student fly- Emirati national appointments into key leadership positions within its commercial divi-
ing to college or returning home for sions. A key towards improving its Global Customer programme, as well as boosting
the summer,” said Krešimir Kucko, its share of the UAE home market, the cargo airline announced several appointments.
Gulf Air CEO. The first of which is Bader Ahmed Al Ali, who has been part of Etihad Cargo since
The move is the latest decision by 2010 and will now serve as senior manager of Commercial for the UAE home market.
the carrier to cater to travellers with Overseeing key accounts, which includes UAE-based customer and government entities,
distinct baggage requirements, such Al Ali will oversee a newly formed UAE Commercial team with several new Emirati ad-
as the recently announced policy for ditions. The team will include Raya Mohamed Ibrahim (UAE Key Accounts), Hessa Al
extra allowance for athletes travel- Shehhi (Government Key Accounts) and Aref Al Mulla (Dubai & Northern Emirates Sales).
ling with equipment like golf bags Over at its Global Customer program and Cargo Loyalty scheme, Haleema Al Hosani
or bicycles. has been appointed as senior manager of both commercial programmes. Prior to being
appointed into her new role, Al Hosani held positions with the Abu Dhabi Department of
Transport, the Abu Dhabi Aviation Sector Development Committee and the International
Civil Aviation Organization Air Transport Regulatory Panel.
“Our Global Customer program, our loyalty scheme and our UAE home market have
all been key catalysts for this growth, and today’s key Emirati appointments are a fur-
ther signal of our commitment to better serve these segments while developing our top
Emirati talents into key leadership positions,” said Abdulla Mohamed Shadid, managing
director Cargo and Logistics Services at Etihad Aviation Group.

38 June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS www.aviationbusinessme.com

 IATA: Clear downturn for Middle East cargo volumes
IATA says weakening freight volumes in US and Asia Pacific markets driving softer performance
Dnata and Lufthansa
Group continue to build
partnership in US
The Dubai-based aviation service provider will provide ramp, secure
clean and passenger handling services for Lufthansa at Austin-Bergstrom
International Airport
PARTNERSHIP
c Dnata will offer its services to other members under the Lufthansa Group.
Expanding their ongoing collaboration
within the US aviation market, dnata has
been tasked by Lufthansa Group to provide
ramp, secure clean and passenger handling
services to the airline at Austin-Bergstrom
International Airport.
Additionally, dnata will offer its services
to other members under the Lufthansa
Group: Swiss International Air Lines,
Austrian Airlines and Edelweiss Air.
In Austin Texas, the aviation services
provider will oversee Lufthansa’s new
Frankfurt fl ight, which will be served by
the airline five times a week on an A330-
300 aircraft.
“We are proud to be the ground handler
of choice for a leading global airline group
in the world’s largest aviation market. Our
newest contract with Lufthansa is a testa-
ment to our successful partnership and the
consistent high quality our teams deliver
across the U.S. We stay committed to pro-
www.aviationbusinessme.com
viding best-in-class services to our airline
customers and their passengers, every
day,” said David Barker, CEO of dnata USA.
Active in the US market since 2016, dnata
has invested more than $45m in facili-
ties, equipment, training and technology.
Securing 26 new contracts within the last
12 months, the company’s US portfolio
today consists of 60 airlines served at
28 airports.
“As a premium airline, Lufthansa Airlines
is excited to grow the North American rela-
tionship with the start of service in Austin
with dnata. With our very positive service
experience from destinations like Boston
(BOS), Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco
(SFO) and New York (JFK) we are looking
forward to providing fi rst class service to
our customers with our handling partner
at Austin Airport,” said Holger Bremes, di-
rector Commercial Airport Infrastructure,
Lufthansa Group.
June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS
AVIATION PARTNERS
GROUND
SERVICES
Malta Airport adopts
SITA platform
The new system includes
the installation of flight in-
formation display screens
throughout the terminal
Working in close collaboration with
SITA, Malta International Airport
has adopted the IT provider’s airport
management system (AMS), which
includes modern fl ight information
display screens.
Deployed across the entirety of the
airport, the new screens relay impor-
tant flight data to passengers travelling
through the terminals.
Additionally, as part of the AMS,
Malta International Airport staff have
access to a centralised dashboard that
is designed to integrate several core
modules related to airport manage-
ment. This includes modules for critical
landside and airside operations, such
as resource management, scheduling,
flight information, parking and billing.
“With a seven million traffic mile-
stone on the horizon, it is perhaps
more important than ever to harness
innovation so as to have access to real-
time data to plan ahead, make timely
decisions, and improve our agility in
allocating the resources available in a
way that enhances the airport experi-
ence for our passengers and the ease
with which our team can perform cer-
tain day-to-day tasks,” said Ian Maggi,
head of Innovation and Technology at
Malta International Airport.
Rolled out in several phases, the
full implementation of SITA’s AMS
was concluded in April 2019.
39
AVIATION
PARTNERS
Skycanner sees big numbers in Middle East
The metasearch engine saw over 100% y-o-y growth in the region, despite subdued market
TECHNOLOGY

Amadeus’ reveals Air Arabia launches ‘SkyTime’

Oman appointment
Karim Eldeghedy will serve
as the senior manager for Pre-
IFE platform
Sales & Solutions Adoption The carrier’s new IFE will allow passengers to live stream digital
content to their mobile device of choice
INFLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT

Low-cost carrier Air Arabia has unveiled ‘SkyTime’, our all new free in-fl ight enter-
the launch of a new infl ight entertainment tainment system solely designed to provide
system. Aptly known as SkyTime, the new customers with add value while onboard
platform allows passengers to connect their Air Arabia fl ights. This new launch reflects
preferred mobile device and live stream Air Arabia’s commitment to continuously
digital content. apply innovative solutions aimed at provid-
Aiming to capitalise on Oman’s efforts Accessible by connecting to the SkyTime ing real value and convenience to custom-
to expand its travel market, Amadeus Wi-Fi network right after takeoff, the car- ers,” commented Adel Al Ali, Group CEO
has announced the appointment of rier has already pushed to make the new of Air Arabia.
Karim Eldeghedy to the position of sen- IFE available across the entirety of its fleet. The announcement is the latest technical
ior manager for Pre-Sales & Solutions Featuring a wide selection of content, development to be announced by the low-
Adoption. passengers will be able to access the latest cost carrier following its recent unveiling
Set to relocate to Oman from releases from Hollywood and Bollywood, of Airewards, an online loyalty system
Amadeus’ MENA regional offi ce in along with popular TV shows trending that provides customers with the option to
Dubai, UAE, Eldeghedy is expected within the Middle East region. earn points based on money, rather than
to manage the company’s pre-sales It has been reported by the carrier that distance flown.
activities and IT projects within the the system is app-less. To date, Air Arabia serves over 155
country. Bringing over 20 years of “We always seek to make the best use routes from various points across the
experience to the role, Eldeghedy of technology to provide added value to MENA region and maintains a fl eet of
will focus specifically on global dis- our customers. We are proud to launch 54 aircraft.
tribution systems (GDS) within the
tourism segment.
P r ior to joi n i ng A madeus ,
Eldeghedy held key positions in organi-
sations, such as Sabre Travel Network
Middle East and the Bahrain Institute
of Technology.
“Today Oman is one of the most
promising markets in the MENA re-
gion for Amadeus and represents a
huge untapped potential for the com-
pany. I look forward to working with
our established team in the Sultanate
and our partners across the Oman
travel industry to power even bet-
ter travel journeys moving forward,”
said Eldeghedy.
Employing a global force of 15,000
employees, the Amadeus Group is ac-
tive in more than 190 countries across
the world.
c It has been reported by the carrier that the system is app-less.

40 June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS www.aviationbusinessme.com

 AVIATION
Ryanair joins forces with CEFA Aviation PARTNERS
The low-cost carrier will implement the cloud-based CEFA Aviation Mobile Services solution
TECHNOLOGY

Reichle & De-Massari AG shares key stats of

Istanbul Grand Airport project
According to the enterprise communication and data network technology firm, over 90,000
connections were installed in the first section of the airport

c For the project, R&M reportedly supplied 5,400 km of copper cablings and 3,270 km of fibre-optic cabling.

CABLING

Reichle & De-Massari AG (R&M), an
enterprise communication and data net-
work technology fi rm, recently unveiled
key statistics associated with its network
implementation project at Istanbul Grand
Airport (IGA).
Selected to deploy its cabling to con-
nect thousands of cameras, card readers,
along with the data centre, which equated
to over 90,000 connections installed in the
fi rst sections of the airport.
For the project, R&M reportedly sup-
plied 5,400 km of copper cablings and 3,270
km of fibre-optic cabling. Additionally,
the company required the installation of
fibre-optic distribution cabinets and patch
panels, as well as 115,000 connector ports.
“The quality of the R&M cabling system
ensures that we can run 9,000 surveillance
cameras and 3,000 card readers in real-
time with confidence that they will be
protected against any transmission inter-
ference or loss,” said Ersin Inankul, CIO
and deputy general manager at Istanbul
New Airport.
“We are also connecting 5,000 Wi-Fi
access points, giving the airport a full-
coverage WLAN. These access points will
be trouble-free and fail-safe. The cabling
also connects the ICT infrastructures
for customs, the security staff and the
police force.”
As part of the cabling installation pro-
ject, R&M deployed its fibre-optic manage-
ment platform Netscale at the airport’s data
centre. The platform reportedly holds a
connection density of up to 120 ports per
rack unit.
The company also deployed its
R&MinteliPhy digital management and
monitoring system, which is designed to
automate the monitoring and operation of
the data network from a central location.
Launched back in October 2018, the
fi rst phase of Istanbul Airport has the
capacity to process 90 million passengers
every year. With three additional construc-
tion phases set to be completed over the
next 15 years, the airport is expected to
have a fi nal capacity of up to 200 million
passengers annually.

www.aviationbusinessme.com June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS 41

DEPARTURE
LOUNGE
Business as usual
Paras Dhamecha, managing director of Empire Aviation
Group, explores how the Holy Month of Ramadan affects
the world of business aviation
T
he Holy Month of Ramadan is
a special time of year and has
a particular affect on travel as
families aim to spend as much
time together as possible, and then
may consider plans for Umrah or a
family vacation at the end of Ramadan,
during the Eid celebrations.
The Holy Month of Ramadan brings
a change of pace for even the busiest
of working lives, and along with this it
affects the travel trends.
Ramadan is a family occasion and
many people travel extensively to
spend time at the family home or
with family members, during the
Holy Month.
As a charter operator here in the
Middle East, this means that Ramadan
is a ver y active period for us, starting
even before the first day of Ramadan.
We receive charter booking enquiries
from all over the world from people
tr ying to get home to the region, for
the start of Ramadan.
But it doesn’t stop there.
We also find that by the middle of the
Holy Month, bookings peak yet again
as families plan further travel, for ex-
ample for Umrah - the Islamic pilgrim-
age to Mecca, Hijaz, in the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia, performed by Muslims
and which can be undertaken at any
time of the year.
The majority of our charter enquir-
ies and bookings for the month of
Ramadan are for flights to Saudi Arabia
(Jeddah and Madina) from the UAE
(Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah) as
well as Kuwait, Bahrain, and Muscat
in Oman.
Bookings are usually made by bro-
42
kers, while some clients prefer to book to accept any charter opportunities.
directly with us. Unlike in other regions, aircraft own-
Ramadan also concludes with the Eid ers in the Middle East are generally
Al Fitr holiday, and so travel plans may not reliant on charter to subsidise their
also focus on the family Eid vacation, standing costs.
as well. Popular destinations include Whatever the destination, charter
the holiday spots and capitals across flights around Ramadan and Eid will
Europe, and the Indian Ocean - espe- often be booked for larger family
cially the Maldives. groups along with a significant amount
of luggage.
The majority of In addition to sufficient seats for the
our charter passengers and enough luggage hold
space for the bags, the simple fact in
enquiries and private aviation is that if you need to
bookings for the reach a longer-range destination, you
probably need to charter a bigger jet
month of Ramadan (to accommodate the additional crew
are for flights to and fuel required) – and especially if
the aim is to reach the destination
Saudi Arabia non-stop.
(Jeddah and The benefits of larger aircraft include
spacious cabins (some aircraft have
Madina) from private dining/sleeping compartments)
the UAE (Abu for passenger comfort and large bag-
gage storage space, accessible from
Dhabi, Dubai and inside the aircraft. There may also be
Sharjah) as well as a washroom and, depending on the
aircraft and configuration, charter
Kuwait, Bahrain, clients may even be able to opt for two
and Muscat onboard washrooms.
Large-cabin business jets such as
in Oman.” the Embraer Legacy 650 series, the
Bombardier Global 6000 and Global
As an aircraft management company, XRS all have excellent long-range capa-
charter is important and accounts for bilities and these continue to be popu-
between 20% up to a maximum of 40% lar among charter clients.
of hours on our managed fleet of air- They also offer generous space to
craft but this really depends on work, relax, dine and sleep, with a
owner preference. ver y high degree of comfort. The wide
Some owners may want to place lim- stand-up cabins and galleys are well
its on the number of hours flown each equipped for VIP silver ser vice on-
month, while others may be happy board dining – a welcome option.
June 2019 · AVIATION BUSINESS www.aviationbusinessme.com
BEIJING DAXING INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT © SHUTTERSTOCK
THERE IS NO COMPARISON.
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