14 sep 2015

http://www.atn.aero/ ETIHAD AIRWAYS DEPLOYS SAP‘S SUCCESSFACTORS SOLUTION TO DRIVE FUTURE GROWTH As part of a company-wide business transformation program, Etihad Airways is deploying SAP‘s state-of-the-art, cloud-based solutions across its human resources, finance and procurement and supply management functions.

The technology transformation will enable Etihad Airways to redesign its vital backoffice processes entirely, standardise across its subsidiaries and partner airline Air Seychelles, and scale up to support its continued growth.

In the first phase of implementation, the airline has modernised and simplified the recruitment process by introducing new capabilities through SAP‘s SuccessFactors.

A new Etihad Airways careers website, with easy-to-use digital functionalities, has been launched to enrich the candidate recruitment experience. Latest features include a fresh layout, job alerts, and integration with the world‘s largest professional network, LinkedIn. It also offers real-time visibility on the status of job applications for candidates, hiring managers and recruiters.

The website has gained a lot of interest and within a week of its launch received 160,000 visits and 6,000 job applications. In addition, 14,000 candidates have signed up as Talent Community Members - a new capability that further strengthens Etihad Airways‘ global position to recruit the best aviation talent.

Other capabilities that will benefit internal managers include an improved job requisition management process to help track job openings and applicants, new internal and external job posting procedures, standardised job descriptions, and optimised recruitment management and onboarding workflows to attract and engage high-quality candidates.

Mona Walid, Etihad Airways‘ Vice President of Talent Acquisition, said: ―As Etihad Airways crosses the 25,000 employee milestone and witnesses phenomenal growth, we needed to redesign our recruitment processes to benefit us, our HR team and the 250,000 applicants who apply to work at the airline each year. ―SAP SuccessFactors plays a pivotal role in helping us do this. It will change the way we work for the better, help us maximise the potential of our people, while aiding the growth of our international and UAE national talent pool - which alone is expected to reach 6,000 by 2020.‖ Robert Webb, Etihad Airways‘ Chief Information and Technology Officer, said: ―This deployment reinforces our technology and innovation strategy of connecting Etihad Airways, our partners and ultimately our guests through modern, scalable and sustainable solutions. ―This cloud-based platform will leverage capabilities within the HR function and across our business to increase efficiency, improve information sharing, and promote better cooperation.‖ The next phase of the implementation will transform performance management and career development, while offering access to learning and development content across multiple platforms and devices, positively impacting every employee across Etihad Airways and its subsidiaries.

http://abcnews.go.com/

American Airlines Admits Jet Used on LA-to-Hawaii Flight Not Certified for That Flight American Airlines admitted today that a plane it used for a flight from Los Angeles to Hawaii last month was not certified to fly an extended trip over the water.

On August 31, American Airlines Flight 31 took off from Los Angeles International Airport and landed safely at Honolulu International Airport.

However, the airplane was not ETOPS (Extended Range Operation with Two-Engine Airplanes) certified and therefore wasn't approved by the Federal Aviation Administration to travel over the Pacific, the airline said today.

"When we realized what happened, we immediately notified the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] and began a thorough review of our procedures," American Airlines told ABC News in a statement. "Already, we have revised our software to properly identify the correct aircraft are operating the correct routes."

"American's A321S flies over water regularly for many missions, but is not ETOPS-certified, which is required by the FAA for American's Hawaiian flights," the airline's statement added. "The A321S is equipped with four slide-rafts (one at each corner of the aircraft) and one portable raft in addition to life vests and seat cushions that can serve as flotation devices."

ABC News aviation consultant John Nance said ETOPS certification really means the plane has "all the bells and whistles." Nance said he would tell the passengers on this flight that they "were in no real danger" and there was no more risk than on any other flight.

"Yes, this is a serious mistake, this is what American self-disclosed ... [but] in practical terms, it's the same airplane," Nance said.

The FAA told ABC News it is looking into the incident. The FAA declined to comment further.

http://www.livemint.com/

Air India signs MoU with BCCI to fly Team India The Indian cricket team will now take Air India Ltd flights for official travel, according to a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between India‘s oldest airline and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the national governing body for cricket.

As per the MoU, Air India will now be the ‗preferred airline‘ for the Indian cricket team for a period of one year, effective 1 September.

Air India will also fly Indian cricketers of both national and other state cricket teams on domestic and international networks across the globe, said the MoU signed on Sunday.

Under the agreement, Air India will offer ‗special fares‘ and ‗free baggage allowance‘ to the Indian cricket team travelling with their kits.

The MoU also encapsulates the travel of umpires, match referee and national selectors on official duty, TV crew, BCCI officials for various committee meetings, annual general meetings, besides other official travel.

Air India‘s membership in Star Alliance, the global group of airlines with the highest number of member airlines operating to 1,330 destinations in 192 countries, and its code share with major carriers across the globe makes it best suited to cater to the requirement of the Indian cricket team.

It also caters to the needs of BCCI members who require seamless connectivity to major cities across the globe, quick transfers, convenient check-in procedures, wide-body comforts and global best practices in terms of processes, systems and procedures, Air India said in a statement.

This is not the first involvement for Air India in cricket. It employs several cricketers—past and present—including Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh and Robin Uthappa.

Air India also fields its corporate teams in both state-level tournaments, and the BCCI Corporate Trophy. It also sponsored Indian Premier League franchise Mumbai Indians in the 2011 edition of the tournament.

http://www.asiatraveltips.com/

Bombardier Appoints Senior Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer Bombardier has appointed Nico Buchholz as Senior Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer (CPO).

In this new position, Mr. Buchholz will lead the Bombardier‘s supply chain activities and closely manage relations with suppliers across the global value chain.

Mr. Buchholz will report directly to Alain Bellemare, President and Chief Executive Officer. ―Nico Buchholz is the perfect fit for the CPO role given his unique talent for strategic planning and execution as well as his deep understanding of aerospace and the industrial sector,‖ said Mr. Bellemare. ―His impressive track record as Lufthansa Group‘s fleet manager shows that Nico has both the forward-looking vision and the operational and practical know-how that Bombardier needs to increase its competitiveness. Strategic sourcing is key to achieving best-in-class performance. Our new Chief Procurement Officer will develop a company-wide approach, structure and clear actionable plans to make it happen.‖ Prior to joining Bombardier, Mr. Buchholz spent 14 years at Lufthansa, first as Senior Vice President, Corporate Fleet and then as Executive Vice President, Fleet Management, Lufthansa Group. In this second role, he managed a portfolio of approximately 700 aircraft, was responsible for fleet planning, commercial and technical evaluation, procurement of airframes and engines, specifications, accounting and disposition of used aircraft for all airlines within the Group. He notably led the purchase of a large fleet of wide-body aircraft in 2013, representing the biggest single private-sector investment in the history of German industry.

Previously, Nico Buchholz was Head of Customer Business and Marketing (civil, corporate and military) at Rolls-Royce, where he managed several strategic accounts, including Bombardier, Dassault and Gulfstream.

Prior to that, he worked for Airbus for nearly ten years, initially as Senior Engineer, Product Marketing and later as Regional Director, Sales for Europe.

Mr. Buchholz holds degrees in Aeronautical Engineering (aircraft design, operation and flight simulation) from the Technical University of Berlin and in Air Transport Management from Cranfield University in the United Kingdom. He is currently a visiting professor at several European universities.

http://www.cbsnews.com/

Planes bump into each other at LAX

Two passenger planes bumped into each other Sunday evening on the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport, according to CBS Los Angeles, but nobody was hurt and the only casualties appeared to be about 340 passengers' schedules.

United Airlines Flight 199 came into contact with an Alaska Airlines jet near Terminal 7 after landing from New Jersey. The Alaska jet was being pushed back from the gate prior to takeoff at the time.

United Airlines confirmed the incident, saying in a statement that the Alaska Airlines plane "made contact with UA199" as the flight from New Jersey was "taxing to the gate at a low speed." The United passengers were allowed to deplane per normal at the gate following the incident, and United engineers were inspecting the aircraft.

"Alaska Airlines Flight 543 was being pushed back from the gate about 7:45 p.m. and its wingtip clipped another aircraft," Alaska said in statement. The airline confirmed there were no injuries and said the 182 passengers on board the plane were able to depart at 9:45 p.m. local time on a different aircraft.

http://www.dispatchtimes.com/

United Airlines Officials Step Down in Midst of Federal Investigation Oscar Munoz, the new chief executive at United Continental Holdings Inc, will be expected to persuade investors and employees that he can fix a complex business in an industry in which he has no experience.

That theory is one of the few plausible explanations for an unprofitable two-day-a-week flight United Airlines launched from Newark Liberty global Airport to Columbia, S.C., not far from where the chairman of the agency that runs the airport had a weekend home. ―There wasn‘t anything in our conversations about these routes that would cause us to think it was anything other than business as usual‖, Harmon said during an interview. Questions have been raised about Samson‘s interactions with United Airways, which is the highest airline within the New York Metropolis space.

Samson has not been charged with any criminal wrongdoing, nor have any United executives. ―Half of their flight attendants are genuinely kind, but the other half are resentful – like, ‗Why are you flying on this airline?'‖ said Andrew Acker, who frequently flies on United for a software company in Newport Beach, California.

http://www.dispatchtimes.com/ His only real accomplishment seems to be executing the merger of United andContinental in 2010, for which Smisek received a .5 million bonus on top of his .1 million 2013 compensation package. Calling Smisek ―the guiding hand in wrecking the company‖, a group of United retirees earlier this year demanded that he resign in a petition that attracted more than 10,000 signatures and the support of Ralph Nader. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney‘s Office in New Jersey declined to comment on the matter.

Federal prosecutors in New Jersey have subpoenaed, among other things, records pertaining to the little-used flight to Columbia, South Carolina, which was discontinued by United days after Samson resigned.

The Port Authority, an agency of New York and New Jersey, operates major public transportation routes in the two states including Newark Airport, a United hub.

Though low jet-fuel prices have boosted United‘s profit, the $21 billion airline has continued to struggle to compete with rival carriers.

New Jersey lawmakers said New York legislation to reform the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey was hurriedly adopted without public hearings and they plan to hold their own session on the overhaul proposal. He agreed to cooperate fully with United ―in the defense, prosecution or conduct‖ of any investigations into the time he led the airline.

Samson, an ally of Christie, stepped down from the Port Authority in March 2014 amid fallout over Bridgegate. Pizzarello said he has platinum-level elite status on United but won‘t change a flight from American or Delta ―to a carrier I‘m having trouble trusting‖.

Samson resigned from his post previous year after a scandal involving a lane closure on the Fort Lee Bridge. ―The termination of the CEO, an [executive vice president] and a [senior vice president] feels like selfimposed sanctions to us, and perhaps that alleviates some of the potential penalties that federal investigators may be considering‖. ―Making a PATH extension to the airport the top priority as a favor to United and Wall Street makes no sense‖.

Smisek, meanwhile, was tossed off with what analysts called a truly golden parachute.

One year later, in September 2012, the ―chairman‘s flight‖ took its maiden voyage.

http://www.bloomberg.com/

Airbus Guns for Boeing With New Factory in Its Home Market

Airbus Group NV Chief Executive Officer Fabrice Bregier is laying plans to overtake Boeing Co. in the U.S., the largest aerospace market, starting with a new factory in Alabama.

It‘s an aggressive move, considering that the French-based planemaker only controls about 20 percent of the U.S. market.

That share will reach 40 percent once carriers like American Airlines take delivery of the company‘s planes on order. Bregier‘s team has 50 percent share in its sight in a market that has traditionally tilted toward Boeing.

Airbus will raise its profile, and lower costs, with a $600 million plant for single-aisle airplanes to be unveiled Monday in the city of Mobile. The facility is only the second such plant it has built outside of Europe.

"Our first U.S. facility has been years in the making," Bregier told reporters Sunday. "It is the most significant, game-changing incident in U.S. aerospace in years."

Already Building The first two aircraft already taking shape in the facility are A321 jetliners, the largest single-aisle models that Bregier is counting on to wrest market share from the Chicago-based planemaker.

The planes seating upwards of 200 passengers are becoming a mainstay of transcontinental flying by American, Delta, JetBlue and other airlines.

Asked if he were plotting a new mid-sized aircraft to counter the 757 replacement on Boeing‘s drawing boards, Bregier nodded to the A321. "The aircraft exists already," he said. "You don‘t need to reinvent it."

http://www.bloomberg.com/

Most of the jets built in Mobile will be delivered to North American customers, Airbus said. Deliveries are due to start early next year out of the 53-acre (215,000square meter) facility, with the production tempo increasing to four aircraft a month by early 2018. Airbus also produces four A320s a month in Tianjin, China, which is poised to eclipse North America as the largest aviation market.

Location, Location "It‘s all about location," said Michel Merluzeau, vice president for aerospace strategy and business development with consultant Frost & Sullivan. "It‘s about where you do business, and how that property is going to grow over time."

The first two single-aisle jets, bound for JetBlue and American, are taking shape at the new plant, whose 260-employee workforce will swell over time to 1,000. The plant and planes will be certified by European regulators rather than the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.

"We‘re producing on American ground a European product with American people," said Timo Zaremba, who oversees product quality at the Mobile plant.

Jet production costs and factory capacity are vital as Boeing and Airbus plot to boost output of single-aisle jets that serve as workhorses for the global airline fleet to upwards of 60 aircraft a month. Airbus currently builds the A320 at the same 42-jet pace as Boeing makes its 737.

Large Backlog The planemakers are racing to reap profits from a near-record backlog of narrowbody jet orders: 5,181 for Airbus to 4,253 for Boeing, according to data compiled by Bloomberg Intelligence.

Boeing makes its 737 jets at a single factory in Renton, Washington, although the company is considering adding a plant in China where planes would be finished and delivered.

Airbus spreads the work across three factories spread around the globe.

Adding a fourth plant in Alabama will give Airbus greater flexibility to ratchet output up, or down, while saving on land, energy and labor, said Kevin Michaels, vice president with the aerospace practice of consultant ICF International. Final assembly line labor costs represent about 10 percent of the total expense of building a jetliner, he said.

If Airbus decides to hoist A320 production past 60 jets a month, it will add a fourth production line in Hamburg and consider doubling output in Mobile, provided the initial ramp up over the next three years goes smoothly, Bregier said.

"For Airbus is it all about adaptive capacity," Merluzeau said. "How can we free more space in Toulouse and Hamburg without compromising quality and rate?"

http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/ For the new Malaysia Airlines, it's 'DO OR DIE' time KUALA LUMPUR - The new Malaysia Airlines which took off on Sept 1 is all geared up for success after unloading a long list of excess baggage, but it‘s now a ―do or die‖ situation for the national carrier, an economist said today.

Against the backdrop of a new era of massive inter-continental and regional competition, in which only the very fittest would survive, Ahmad Zakie Ahmad Shariff expressed confidence the new MAS could be reinstated to its former glory, being no longer the old flabby airline and with its new chief executive officer (CEO) pushing for global operational standards.

Ahmad Zakie, who is CEO of Menteri Besar Incorporated Kelantan, said he was impressed with the comprehensive restructuring carried out by Khazanah Nasional Bhd under the newly-born Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAB) over the past one year, parts of which were ongoing, for the airline to compete on a much stronger footing in a ‖cut-throat industry‖. ―I will put it simply. Any success or failure from here on is entirely on the shoulders of its current employees and can no longer be attributed to legacy issues. In other words, MAB you are now on your own‖, he said.

The restructuring over the past one year, among others, saw MAB and Brahim‘s Airline Catering Sdn Bhd (Brahim‘s) entering into a new catering agreement, which was benchmarked against international standards and best practices, a significant milestone in the national airline‘s journey to renegotiate its supplier contracts, which have long been blamed for its high cost structure.

Brahim‘s had in early March agreed to shave off 60% from its payment from the old MAS, Malaysian Airline Systems Bhd, amounting to RM94.04 million as well as a 25% reduction in its final monthly bill.

With Brahim‘s already successfully paving the way for the renegotiation of all contracts, it is anticipated the ongoing review of some 4,000 contracts will help close the gap of the 20% higher operational costs with its peers.

In addition, the national airline has cut unprofitable routes, with plans to sell aircraft to reduce costs.

More cost savings are coming to MAB with more than 100 projects or initiatives identified to improve revenue and optimise costs.

http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/

Ahmad Zakie said these would lead to efficiencies in MAB that could be measured by Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) which Christoph Mueller, MAB‘s CEO, had set for the 12 divisions, each of which has to stand and grow on its own for MAB to function as a financially strong, commercially driven entity. ―And the leaner workforce of 13,000 starting work at MAB on Sept 1 will also help bring down operational costs,‖ he added.

Khazanah Nasional said in its latest progress report following the transition of the old MAS to MAB that one year after it was mooted, the restructuring has shown sustained progress in all key areas under the five-year 12-point plan.

Recently when MAB commenced operations, Mueller together with his team greeted passengers at KLIA, showcasing a good engagement initiative and signalling the airline sees itself as a service-driven business and not merely a provider of transportation. ―This service-oriented approach sends a strong signal Mueller wants his 13,000 staff to focus on passengers and deliver top-notch service, as passengers are the lifeblood of the airline. ―A conversion to newer, more fuel-efficient aircraft is already underway, as can be seen from the recent lease of four new Airbus A350s which will improve the overall fleet efficiency and deliver exceptional passenger comfort, an important aspect in increasing passenger loads,‖ added Ahmad Zakie.

The CAPA (Centre for Aviation) reported that Malaysia Airlines was one of the 16 publicly traded airlines in Southeast Asia that improved its profit in the first half of 2015 and this, he said, augured well for the first year restructuring initiatives. ―However, fresh financial challenges threaten MAB‘s profitability, as the drop in oil prices do not directly translate to savings by Malaysia Airlines, given the steep plunge in the ringgit causes a mismatch in revenues earned mostly in ringgit, while expenses are incurred in US dollars,‖ said the economist. - Therakyatpost

‫ادارة العالقات العامة ‪ -‬الشركة القابضة‬ ‫لمصر للطيران‬