VIA DUBAI ENGLISH JUNE 2019

Monthly Newsletter issued by Dubai Civil Aviation Authority

www.viadubaionline.com

Issue 73 June 2019

Dubai airport southern runway

Back to full capacity Emirates unveils its pavilion at Expo 2020

UAE remains an ideal base to cover the region

Smart airport and the IoT

ATM market projected to grow to US$19 billion by 2025

Inside DCAA

Mitsubishi Regional Jet to meet world demand for new plans

Opinions

Dubai Corporation 7 for Ambulance Services visits DCAA Ramadan Fast Breaking Event 8

Digital Transformation, NEXTT

An Unmanned Future

DCAA encourages 10 employees to donate blood

Angela Gittens

Luke Gumley

Middle East News 20

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Airports 24

30 27

ATM 30

Gulf online travel market to reach US$15 billion in five years

Technology 36

Message

from the President

Runway Refurbishment

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n airport has to keep its runways in good condition to ensure its smooth operation at any given time.

Runways are subject to operational wear and tear given their high usage round the clock in airports like Dubai International which remained the world’s top airport for international passengers for the fifth consecutive year.

Runways are at the core of an airport’s infrastructure which includes the terminal building, taxiways and the apron areas.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) considers runway safety to be one of the highest priorities for airports. Dubai International has been upfront in ensuring the smooth and timely movements of aircraft on its runway 24/7.

Runway resurfacing is a common occurrence with airports around the world, but at the DXB, runway closures are more complex and needed meticulous planning.

Over a 45-day period beginning mid-April, DXB went ahead with the complete resurfacing of its southern runway due to the end of its design life. To limit the impact on service, the project has been carried out during the summer season. Al Maktoum International alternatively absorbed the affected scheduled flights as well as charter, cargo and general aviation operations.

Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum

The Southern Runway Rehabilitation (SRR) project took off after the northern runway underwent a similar refurbishment in 2014. Dubai Airports formed several operational and planning groups and task forces with representatives from across stakeholder groups to ensure smooth transition and operations throughout the programme at both the airports. The entire operation remained as seamless as possible. The SRR will add value to the airport’s aircraft handling capacity.

I thank everyone who worked on the project to finish it as scheduled, thereby showing that Dubai always finishes its projects on time to move ahead to the next level of growth.

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With more than 90 destinations on our network, your summer holiday starts here.

Visit flydubai.com to book.

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

CONTENTS

Inside DCAA

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Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services visits DCAA

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Ramadan Fast Breaking Event

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DCAA participates in Fast Breaking Project

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Workshop on medical insurance services

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DCAA encourages employees to donate blood

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

General Supervision Mohammed Abdulla Ahli Coordinator Hanan Al Mazimi Creative Manager Mohammed Al Jarouf Marketing Manager Fahed Mohammed E-mail: viadubai1@naddalshiba.com Legal Disclaimer

The views expressed in the articles are of the writers and not necessarily belong to DCAA. We take all reasonable steps to keep the information current and accurate, but errors can occur. The information is therefore provided as is, with no guarantee of accuracy, completeness or timeliness.

The DCAA or Via Dubai does not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the quality, accuracy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of any information. Via Dubai does not endorse or recommend any article, product, service or information mentioned in the newsletter. Any perceived slight of any person or organisation is completely unintentional.

Advertise with us

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Emirates unveils its Expo 2020 pavilion concept

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Honeywell and Dans sign MoU for new technologies

Editorial, Production, PR & Marketing Nadd AlShiba PR and Event Management

Our Vision

The World Airport, Dubai

Our Mission

To achieve leadership and ensure sustainability in the field of safety, security and environmental protection in the civil aviation sector and to support an attractive investment environment for the aviation industry .

ZANZIBAR, TANZANIA

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Toll Free:80083222 Contact number:+97147770000 Fax:+97142244573 Email: info@dcaa.gov.ae; dcaa@dcaa.gov.ae http://www.facebook.com/dcaadubai

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

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youtube.com/user/dcaadubai

Message

Inside DCAA

from the Director General

Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services visits DCAA

Year of Tolerance Our Tolerant Youth

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survey has revealed that 34 per cent of the UAE population is under the age of 25 – the lowest in the Arabian Gulf region. The UAE government accords vital importance to the role of youth and their empowerment. The young country seeks to strengthen this segment of our community and boost their sense of patriotism and build a tolerant society.

An Endless Task

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team from Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services visited the office of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) as part of the Corporation’s “My City Saves Me” initiative, which aims to speed up emergency response. During the visit, the team introduced to a number of DCAA employees on the uses of a device dedicated to deal with heart attacks and provided an information on health and safety procedures.

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or the regulators, overseeing the civil aviation industry has remained an endless task due to the new technologies coming on board on a regular basis.

Every wave of aviation innovation looks like a page of a science fiction becoming a reality, from flying taxis to drones and hypersonic flights. The industry has been increasingly adopting Next-Gen technologies across the board to ensure a safe and secure air travel. Alongside, it is also working to improve the regulations in different domains like autonomous air vehicles.

Dubai continues to lead in adopting technologies and innovations which are good for the aviation business and be in sync with the vision of good governance and excellence.

At the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA), we have remained in the forefront to ensure that our multiple stakeholders adhere to sets of practices, regulations and standards in the aviation industry given its critical importance to our economy. The standards and regulations necessary for ensuring safe and efficient air transport, set by the ICAO, GCAA and the Government of Dubai, are implemented in the emirate without any compromises. Technology is helping the air transport industry, both on the ground and in the air. The civil aviation industry has been the early adopters of technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), Blockchain and Machine Learning.

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Mohammed Abdulla Ahli

Dubai is the first city in the world to monitor drones in its airspace and also legally permitting drone flying. The emirate also carried out testing on a proof-of-concept for air taxis which it intends to introduce as a mode of public transport as early as 2020. Dubai is also open to the concept of remote air traffic control. The DCAA remains in the forefront of steadily introducing online services for the industry stakeholders through its web portal.

For the first time in the world, DCAA also authorised a HAPS flight in the UAE airspace. We are not resting on our hard-earned laurels, but strongly feels we have many more miles to cross in our journey of excellence.

At the end of the meeting, Dr Saif Darwish, Head of the Corporation’s Communica-tion and Public Relations Section, handed over a cardiopulmonary resuscitation de-vice to Faisal Abdul Jalil, Head of the Administration Affairs Section at DCAA. The Corporation has been distributing similar devices to many institutions in Dubai as part of its health awareness initiative.

Workshop on medical insurance services

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he Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCCA) has organised a workshop in cooperation with Inayah TPA aimed at familiarising DCAA employees with medical insurance services.

The workshop included a detailed description of the services on offer and clarification on various aspects of health insurance. At the end of the workshop Abdul Razzaq Hashem, Director of Finance Affairs and Administration Department at DCAA, honoured Dr Wiaam Mohammed, Customer Relations Section of Inayah TPA.

In 2012, the UAE cabinet issued a code of conduct and ethics for bringing up a new Emirati generation which is aware of its responsibilities and duties towards the nation and community. In March 2015, the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development and General Authority for Sports launched the Youth Empowerment Strategy (YES) to enable the government and young Emiratis to work together to help achieve the Vision 2021. In April 2018, the government approved the formation of Federal Youth Authority in line with the country’s youth empowerment agenda.

The government is encouraging young people to take an active part in public life and boost their effective contribution towards the UAE development.

The UAE is undertaking a number of programmes to promote tolerance in the society. The UAE has already started a programme that celebrates tolerance in schools and launched a training programme to build ‘Champions of Tolerance’.

One of the five main pillars of the Year of Tolerance focuses on teaching the youth the values of tolerance and solidifying the UAE’s standing as the global capital for tolerance with people from over 200 nationalities living in total harmony without racism, discrimination or intolerance. Tolerance is a virtue and an intrinsic part of the Islamic culture and the UAE has remained an undisputed example of being a tolerant and inclusive country.

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Inside DCAA

Inside DCAA

Ramadan Fast Breaking Event

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he Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) organised its Ramadan fast breaking event in the presence of H.E. Mohammed Abdulla Ahli, Director General of the Au-thority. The event featured various activities including the honouring of a number of employees.

The event also included

some competitions and winners were pre-sented valuable prizes.

The sponsors of the ceremony included flydubai, Dubai Parks & Resorts, Lootah Perfumes, Ahmed Al Maghribi Perfumes, Intercontinental Hotel - Dubai Festival City, and JA Resorts & Hotels.

DCAA participates in Fast Breaking Project

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n line with its efforts to promote good deeds, the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) participated in the “Volunteer in Charity Tents – Fast Breaking” initiative organised by Beit Al Khair Society during the month of Ramadan.

A number of DCAA employees contributed to this voluntary and charitable work. Their active participation resulted in successfully organising and coordinating fast breaking meals project.

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Inside DCAA

DCAA encourages employees to donate blood

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he Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) organised a visit by its employees to the Blood Donation Centre of the Dubai Health Authority.

The visit coincided with the World Blood Donor Day,

as the Authority seeks to encourage employees to donate blood due to its positive benefits. With this, the Authority instills the culture of blood donation among its employees as such acts will help in saving lives.

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Cover Story

Cover Story

During the closure of the runway, many flights were flying out of DWC. Among the airlines that have shifted their operations at DWC were flydubai, Wizz Air, Aeroflot, Indigo, SpiceJet, Gulf Air, Ukraine International Airlines, Ural Airlines, Nepal Airlines, Kuwait Airways and flynas.

Boston. Until October 26, the world’s largest passenger jet replaces one of the three aircraft currently servicing the popular Dubai to Amman route.

To Boston, the A380 takes over operations from the existing aircraft until September 30, and then again from December 1 to January 31 to cover winter demands.

Flydubai said its flights that were moved to DWC have resumed as planned from Dubai International.

“Flydubai’s aim was to provide passengers with as much choice and with minimum disruption during this period, and we have had positive feedback from our passengers about their travel experiences,” a spokesperson for the low-cost carrier said.

During the runway refurbishment programme more than 18,500 truckloads of concrete, asphalt, materials and personnel were transported to and from the airport.

At peak times this saw more than 90 construction vehicles per hour entering and exiting the airport.

Emirates resumed its regular operating schedule, which included over 1,700 flights a week.

Dubai airport southern runway:

Back to full capacity D

ubai once again proved its efficiency when the southern runway of Dubai International Airport was refurbished on schedule and restored its full capacity.

Dubai international airport (DXB), the world’s busiest, has returned to full capacity following the reopening of its southern runway after essential maintenance. After a 45-day refurbishment programme the runway was reopened on May 30, 2019 just hours before the airport commenced the Eid getaway.

An Emirates Boeing 777 aircraft from Seattle was the first to touch

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down on the fresh tarmac. More than 80,000 people flew out through the airport on May 31, 2019, its busiest day of the year.

During the closure, traffic at Dubai’s second airport, Al Maktoum International (DWC), increased by nearly 700 per cent, which was applauded by customers and airlines for its speed, efficiency and convenience. The closure of the

runway led Emirates to cancel many flights, while flydubai moved some of its flights to DWC. Before the runway shut down, Dubai Airports explained that the southern runway was “nearing the end of its design life” and required resurfacing, upgraded lighting, and other modifications to accommodate future traffic. Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said that the upgrade was “absolutely necessary” to heighten safety,

capacity, and pave the way for more growth. Because of the additional capacity provided by Dubai World Central, the number of flights across the Dubai Airport system saw a reduction of only 19 per cent, as well as a seat reduction of 20 per cent.

DWC handled an average of 145 passenger flights per day during the period of the airport closure.

Emirates broke records with the news of the world’s shortest superjumbo flight. Flying from Dubai to Muscat twice daily from July 1, the A380 will have an in-air time of around one hour and cover a distance of 340 kilometres. It will operate on this schedule until late October.

The airline has also launched A380 serviced flights to Amman, and to

Scheduling experts optimised DXB’s one runway operation so there was only a 32 per cent reduction in flights for the period at DXB. UAE contracting company Al Naboodah Construction Group announced that it had completed the revamp of the runway within the 45 days it was provided to deliver the project. The Group said it worked “around the clock” on what it described as a “high-intensity” project, with its activity including the removal of 6,000 inset runway lights, and milling 407,000m2 of runway and taxiway surfaces.

At the second stage, the Group laid 158,000 tonnes of wet-mix and 106,000 tonnes of asphalt; and installed 6,000 new LED lights, 245 guidance signs, and 12,000 new transformers and components. This was followed by Stage 3, wherein components and software was configured to work with the control tower. In the final stage, the Group commissioned and handed over the runway and precision landing systems back to developer Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects (DAEP).

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UAE in Focus

UAE in Focus

Emirates unveils its Expo 2020 pavilion concept

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mirates, the official airline of Expo 2020, has unveiled the design and visitor experience concepts of its ultramodern pavilion for the six-month duration mega-event.

flydubai to launch direct flights to Sochi

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The pavilion’s design and visitor experience will utilise interactive technologies and design-thinking focusing on the future of commercial aviation. Emirates has already broken ground on the pavilion and construction began in March 2019.

ubai-based flydubai is launching direct flights to the Russian city of Sochi from the first week of June. Flights between Dubai and Sochi will operate twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays. flydubai is the first carrier to offer direct flights on this route from the UAE and the wider Arabian Gulf region.

Emirates will also codeshare on the route.

The successful holding of Expo 2020 will have an economic impact on the transport, hospitality and tourism sector of about AED16.4 billion to the UAE economy.

flydubai has been operating to the Russian market since 2010 and offers passengers easier access to Moscow and other major Russian cities like Yekaterinburg.

Taking place from October 20 2020 to April 10, 2021, the Expo 2020 will offer an array of unique experiences at 190 country pavilions and over

200 dining experiences, including 34 ‘never seen’ before food concepts.

The Emirates Pavilion has been designed to reflect the dynamic lines of aircraft wings ready to take flight.

The 26 slanted architectural fins that

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collaboration with Abu Dhabi Airports. The airport will be able to accommodate some of the largest planes in the world - such as the A380 - when the upgrade is finished.

The development comes as Fujairah seeks to carve out a niche in maintaining and repairing large cargo jets.

bu Dhabi Aviation and a Blackpool-based aviation firm, HeliSpeed, have signed a two year agreement for pilot staffing.

HeliSpeed will provide qualified and experienced helicopter pilots to support Abu Dhabi Aviation’s growing operations in the Middle East - and beyond. They will work on a variety of helicopter types, such as the AW139, the Bell 412 and the H135.

A spokesman for Abu Dhabi Aviation said the long-term agreement is in support of its growing needs for qualified pilots. With its proprietary pilot management database, HeliSpeed is able to respond to operators’ needs globally, on more than 83 types of helicopters.

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ubai Air Navigation Services (Dans), the air navigation services provider for Dubai and part of the Northern Emirates, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Honeywell to explore the potential for the co-development of new technologies.

The new technologies will help increase efficiency, predictability, safety and environmental efficiency of airports and airside operations.

This collaboration will leverage Honeywell’s capabilities in providing advanced IoT-enabled solutions that empower safe and efficient air traffic operations for one of the busiest regions in terms of air traffic.

Honeywell’s global expertise in providing innovative solutions will bring benefits to dans through enhanced knowledge transfer on airport ecosystems, airport operations, Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) and understanding the combined, complex challenges faced by the industry.

The MoU will aim to build upon the economic values of the UAE and help drive the implementation of cuttingedge technology in aviation. DANS provides air traffic management services at four airports in the UAE, these are Dubai International, Al Maktoum International, Al Minhad Air Space and Sharjah International Airport.

GCAA rules out 737 MAX ‘unbanning’ date

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ujairah International Airport’s days of flying under the radar could soon be over as efforts to transform the facility gather pace, according to a report in The National.

The revamp is being funded by the Federal government in

Vertex Aerospace sets up headquarters in UAE

Abu Dhabi Aviation signs pilot recruitment deal

Falcon-shaped control tower comming up at Fujairah airport

Foundations have been laid for a new control tower, which has a striking design in the shape of a falcon, while construction on the runway is set to start soon. At least 10 per cent of the work has been completed at the country’s only airport on the eastern coast.

cover the entirety of the pavilion will hold over 800 metres of LED lights to create multi-sensory effects and movement across the structure, showcased by lightshows during every night of Expo.

Honeywell and Dans sign MoU for new technologies

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ertex Aerospace has expanded its global presence by establishing a regional office in Abu Dhabi.

The company has received its license to practice business in the UAE under its Vertex Global Aerospace business line.

Vertex Global Aerospace (VGA) was formed in January this year to globally offer Vertex’s complete solution for aftermarket aerospace services for government and commercial clients.

he UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has said that it was unable to give a date for the resumption of Boeing 737 MAX operations as it did not possess enough information to ensure passengers safety yet.

The UAE aviation regulator is actively and closely working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the other authorities around the world for developments on B737-8 Max, the official news agency WAM said. The GCAA team has recently participated in Joint Authorities Technical Review team meetings which has been formed to look into Flight Control System

of B737-8 Max. The GCAA is still in the process of seeking more technical information from the FAA on the improvements being proposed. Therefore, GCAA won’t be able to give a date of unbanning until it has enough information to ensure passengers safety is protected, the statement said.

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Special Report

Special Report

Japan is coming out with its long-delayed 88-passenger jet, with experts calling it the right plane at the right time

Mitsubishi Regional Jet to meet world demand for new plans

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he Mitsubishi Regional Jet, the first airliner built in Japan since the 1960s, has started certification flights in Moses Lake in Washington to satisfy the booming demand for new airplanes across the world.

Mitsubishi’s new airliner is testing the skies just as rivals are moving to sell off their manufacturing operations for jets with up to 160 seats, according to news agency Bloomberg Boeing is set to buy 80 percent of the Embraer commercial operations in a joint venture, while Bombardier last year sold control of its C Series airliner project to Airbus and is exploring “strategic options” for its regional-jet operations.

At stake, particularly in the market for jets with fewer seats, is US$135 billion in sales in the two decades through 2037, according to industry group Japan Aircraft Development Corporation. With few seats and smaller fuselages, regional jets are a different class of aircraft from larger narrow-body planes such as Boeing’s 737 or Airbus’s A320.

The MRJ has a range of about 2,000 miles, while a smaller variant can haul up to 76 people for about the same distance. A long-time supplier of aircraft components to Boeing, Mitsubishi is developing the MRJ to

emerge from its customer’s shadow.

After spending at least US$2 billion over more than a decade, the manufacturer is looking to get its jet certified and start deliveries to launch partner ANA Holdings.

Mitsubishi initially planned test flights in 2012 but blew past that deadline because of production difficulties. Now the company, which makes ships, nuclear power plants and aerospace components, expects to have the plane ready for customers next year, a timetable that will test the company, Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation’s President Hisakazu Mizutani said at a media event in the central Japanese city of Nagoya.

Experts are saying that the company’s current 407 MRJ orders aren’t enough to make the program profitable. The company announced in October last year that it was pumping an extra 170 billion yen in capital to its aircraft unit’s existing capital of 100 billion yen; Mitsubishi also cancelled 50 billion yen of the debt owed by the aircraft division.

Also adding to Mitsubishi’s challenges is a lawsuit filed by Bombardier in Seattle last October, accusing the Japanese company of acquiring secret information and causing Bombardier “to suffer irreparable financial loss.”

Mitsubishi counter-sued, denying the Montreal-based company’s accusations and saying that it violated antitrust laws through “a multifaceted scheme to expand its power within the regional jet market by impeding the entrance of a new competing aircraft.”

to cut costs by outsourcing short flights to smaller carriers that fly regional jets.

Trans States Airlines, which operates flights for United Airlines under the name United Express, ordered 50 of the planes, with options for 50 more, in 2010.

The weight and capacity of the MRJ now in testing are too large for many regional carriers, according to Bloomberg Intelligence analyst George

Ferguson, although the company plans to introduce the smaller version in 2021. As part of its preparations to ramp up deliveries and support operations, Mitsubishi’s aircraft unit separated its sales and marketing divisions this month, created a customer support unit and moved its US headquarters to Renton, Washington, the Seattle suburb where Boeing assembles its 737 jets.

Mitsubishi isn’t the only Asian manufacturer betting that it can build aircraft cheaper and more efficiently. Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) has a new regional jet in service, while Korea Aerospace Industries is studying whether to develop a 100-passenger aircraft. In order to compete, Mitsubishi can’t just rely on its home market.

The biggest customers therefore could be in the US, where large airlines try

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Special Report

Special Report

As airports become more digitally connected, the Internet of Things (IoT) can open up more growth opportunities, according to a Deloitte study

Smart airport and the IoT

The connected or smart airport brings together a variety of technologies through the Internet of Things (IoT), with the goal of strategically differentiating an airport, including via improved traveller experience, and tapping into monetary benefits through greater efficiencies and new revenue streams.

Achieving this end goal requires significant collaboration between stakeholders, and airports should carefully craft implementation strategies that aim for incremental quick wins over “big bang” transformations, according to a study

by Deloitte Center for Government Insights.

While awareness of IoT across the aviation ecosystem is high, its knowledge of how to harness and maximize IoT’s capabilities within an organization is much lower.

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igital technology seems to connect everything today and it is no surprise that airports—the infrastructure that helps billions of travellers connect across the globe each year—are themselves becoming more digitally connected.

In its survey of the industry by Deloitte, only 12 percent of airport representatives reported that their organizations are very prepared to benefit from IoT applications, and another 10 percent felt that they were not even exploring IoT yet. So if they want to create the connected, smart airport, the logical starting point is by beginning with the basics of what IoT is.

Researchers from Deloitte and Texas A&M Transportation Institute have produced a primer on smart airports and IoT. In the context of this report, the term “airport” is not limited solely to airport operators, but refers to the complex network of stakeholder interactions that goes into getting aircraft safely in the air and travellers and cargo comfortably to their destinations.

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IoT is not a technology itself but rather a technology architecture. IoT is a way of bringing together different enabling technologies in a specific way to do something new. IoT is already in use in airports in many different ways, such as in traveller information systems, traveller traffic monitoring, baggage systems, and facilities management.

Most of these uses focus on increasing efficiency.

Researchers from Deloitte and Texas A&M Transportation Institute have produced a primer on smart airports and IoT

Other uses of IoT, such as enhancing security effectiveness, can improve both efficiency (maintaining throughput with fewer machines or staff) and differentiation (shorter and faster lines for a better traveller experience). Finally, still other use cases can directly generate new revenue such as the use of geo-fencing to gather fees from rideshares.

vehicles, tenders, and baggage carts.

If integrated with other data sources such as schedules, push-back times, and gate numbers, this data could fully automate a tarmac where robots and autonomous vehicles deliver baggage, fuel planes, clear debris, and perform other tasks—all faster and to closer tolerances than human workers. The result would be that airports could conduct surface operations more efficiently, allowing more flights in and out of the same physical ramps and taxiways.

The majority of current airport uses of IoT focus on operational efficiency.

For example, an airport representative shared that one airport has a new online inspection system that uses a tool provided to maintenance grounds crew and connected to the Internet with GPS functionality.

The purpose of this tool is to digitally connect maintenance crew inspection findings to a map of the airport grounds. Another airport is planning a smart bathroom pilot test.

The airport will install IoT sensors on various bathroom assets, including faucets, toilets, lighting, soap dispensers, air fresheners, toilet paper dispensers, and other equipment, in one of its busiest bathrooms. These sensors will transmit data to facilities management to alert it in real time of various shortages and breakdowns.

The long-term horizon for IoT applications supporting efficiency at airports may include autonomous

Airports that use IoT can also provide a more differentiated product or better customer experience than non-smart airports. However, differentiation can be much broader, especially for airports where the greatest competition comes not from other airports but from other modes of travel. IoT can also create new sources of revenue. This can come from creating new products or services to attract new customers or by using IoT to sell more to existing customers.

Airports can use IoT to improve efficiency, differentiate their strategy, and generate new revenue. These benefits of IoT can be applied to any aspect of airport operations. IoT can be applied at every stage of a traveller’s journey from arrival curb to gate. For example, IoT way-finding applications could be relevant at the parking and arrival stage and the check-in stage.

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Middle East News

Middle East News

Oman seeks US$6 billion for its airline and airports updates

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man Aviation Group is seeking to raise up to US$6 billion to finance the expansion of stateowned Oman Air and Oman Airports up until 2030.

The group’s chief executive Mustafa al-Hinai told Reuters that request for proposals have been issued to local and international banks and the first tranche is expected to be raised by mid-2020. The planned financing would be spread over several tranches.

A government entity, Oman Aviation Group was formed in February 2018 and includes Oman Air, Oman Airports and Oman Aviation Services.

It is looking to develop airport cities

MEA rises above structural disadvantages

rish budget airline Ryanair, which began flying to Jordan in February 2018, will add four new routes for the winter season in Europe.

Europe’s biggest budget airline currently operates 14 routes to the capital Amman and the Red Sea port city of Aqaba, and will add four new routes for the winter season in Europe, according to a report in The National.

The carrier’s Jordan Winter 2019 schedule has four new routes to Amman from Malta, Memmingen and Thessaloniki, and to Aqaba from Milan Bergamo. Ryanair will operate 18 routes in total (connecting 12 countries), which will deliver a total

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he Middle East, which has a population of over 400 million people, has seen its airline capacity doubling in the past 10 years. According to a report issued by the organisers of the inaugural CONNECT MEIA Conference, seat capacity to the Middle East has advanced quite significantly in recent years, with the market’s scheduled airline seat count having doubled between 2009 and 2018.

which will require financing. “We are looking for is expansion after 2023 for our airports and our airline.”

Oman Airports operates and manages four airports in the country, including Muscat International which is the base of Oman Air. Oman Airports handled 18 million passengers in 2018 and forecasts handling a total of 40 million a year by 2030. Oman Air has 20 Boeing 737 MAX and four 787-8 aircraft on order. Oman expects to raise a total of around US$6.2 billion in domestic and foreign debt this year, according to its 2019 state budget.

Ryanair to double routes into Jordan next year

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ME aviation market doubles over past 10 years

of over 500,000 customers annually at Amman and Aqaba airports.

The airline could double the number of routes to 40 routes connecting other cities in Germany, Poland, Italy, Greece and others to Jordan, chief executive Michael O’Leary said in Amman, urging the government to waive a US$56 visa at the airport to help boost passenger numbers.

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he Middle East Airlines (MEA) expects to acquire up to 14 replacement aircraft and increase its fleet size to 20 aircraft by 2021 as it works to overcome serious competitive disadvantages posed by its hub’s open skies policy, according to a report in AIN. “Our open skies policy is actually very unfair for us. Other carriers are free to add capacity. If we ask to increase our frequencies, they complain that they are not able to get slots. We are a minority at Beirut. We have only 35 percent market share at Rafic Hariri International Airport (RHIA),” said Walid Abillama, Beirut-based Head of Commercial Strategy and Alliances at MEA. From Beirut airport, Emirates operates three Boeing 777s a day, flydubai two flights a day, and Etihad another two, for a total of seven.

MEA operates three flights a day to Dubai and one to Abu Dhabi.

Turkish Airlines operates four flights, Pegasus two, and Atlas Jet one. The MEA operates 13 Airbus A320s and five A330s. It plans to replace up to nine A320s with A321s, and four or five A330s with A330neos, which carry 40 more seats.

FAA permits flights over Libyan airspace

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he US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) has reviewed its flight ban over Libyan airspace by permitting US carriers to fly over Libyan airspace above 300 metres. The ban still stands below 300 metres, according to Libya Herald.

Justifying its 300 metre ruling, the FAA said that it had ‘‘identified an ongoing need to maintain the flight prohibition” for US civil aviation operations at altitudes below FL300 in the Tripoli FIR (HLLL) due to continued safety-of-flight hazards associated with ongoing political instability, fighting involving various militia/extremist/militant elements, and military activity by foreign sponsors supporting various elements operating in Libya.

Last year, there was a reported 264.31 million scheduled departing seats from the region, up 101 per cent versus 2009.

Looking at the past decade in more detail, it shows that the biggest growth surge took place between 2013 and 2016, with over 67 million departing seats being added to the region over the course of the three-year period.

Turkish Airlines reports strong growth in ME

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he Middle East continues to be a high performing region for the Turkish Airlines, where it reported serving 1.58 million passengers in the first quarter of 2019, a 2.5 per cent increase over the same period in 2018.

According to media reports, the national carrier of Turkey also noted that during this time, it had carried a total of 41.698 tonnes of mail in cargo to the region. This equated to a 5.8 per cent increase over 2018. A 2.6 per cent rise in seat capacity was also recorded among its Middle Eastern flights.

In April, Turkish Airlines added Sharjah and Marrakech to its network. The airline has a fleet of 335 aircraft, which includes 215 narrow body, 92 wide body and 18 cargo aeroplanes and it is set to increase substantially over the next four years.

Currently, Turkish Airline has 25 firm and five optional A350-900 on order, as well as 25 firm and five optional orders for the 787-9 Dreamliner. These additions are expected to be incorporated into the current fleet by 2023.

The 2019 year will see a significant expansion of the carrier’s network in the region with an addition 13 new routes.

The FAA had, in March 2011, prohibited all US-associated air carriers from flying over Libyan airspace and into the country’s airports.

June 2019

21

ADP Ingénierie

ADP Ingénierie

UAE remains an ideal base to cover the region

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n an interview with Via Dubai, Mr. Florent Merminod, Managing director Central Asia Middle East East Africa, ADP Ingénierie, talks about the role of UAE in its regional aviation business and what lies ahead for it.

What are ADP Ingénierie’s new project/s in the Middle East?

Has 2018 been a good performing year for ADP Ingénierie?

2018 has been the first year of implementation of our new strategic development project, and it has been indeed a good performing year for ADP Ingénierie. We registered an order intake of 73,4 M€ compared to 57,4 M€ in 2017. We increased our world presence in new markets: Middle East, India and Eastern Africa with couple of success. We are coming back to Iraq with contracts on several airports. We go on with our commitment in Bahrain. In the UAE, we confirm our 40-year long presence, as we were awarded the design of the renovation and expansion of the Sharjah International Airport. To support this strategy of development, we increased the strength of our business unit in Hong-Kong, in charge of the Asia-Pacific area and completed our 360° range of competences to adapt our offer of services to the needs of our clients.

How do you see 2019 for ADP Ingénierie in terms of growth especially in the UAE and GCC? We consider 2019 as a continuation of this promising 2018 year. There are many opportunities anywhere in the region. We will have a particular focus on the US market. As you know, we recently bought an American airport consulting company, Merchant

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June 2019

the issue of expansion as stated in your question, I can tell you that UAE airports are building and implementing strategies of development allowing them to anticipate with efficiency the evolution of the airport network. Our current projects highlight the accurate assessment of the current needs for a regional airport development in UAE – ADP Ingénierie is keen to support and help UAE to redefine the vision.

Aviation. We hope to sign several contracts with major airports in the United States in 2019. Regarding UAE and GCC, we hope to continue our important commitment in Oman, supporting the airport authorities of Oman in their development. Also in Bahrain, we are supporting the expansion of the airport facilities and opening, which is expected this year. UAE remains our base to cover the region, thanks to its geopolitical stability and friendly business environment.

(DXB) plans to upgrade significantly its level of safety, while improving passenger experience solutions are existing, solutions that ADP Ingénierie intends to propose to UAE airports and its stakeholders. If we consider

The list is long as we are delivering services on almost all airports in the region. As already mentioned above, the renovation and expansion of Sharjah International Airport is currently our most important new project. The upgrade of the Manama International Airport in Bahrain is another one. The continuation of our work in Muscat in Oman is a third one.

I just would add that our mission of consulting is getting more and more important in addition to our traditional expertise of design and engineering.

Our clients want us to accompany them all long the life cycle of their airport: helping them to define their

On the far right: Mr. Florent Merminod

needs, design the solutions, supervise the implementation of these solutions and support the operators after commissioning. Our ambition is to provide any support the clients can request.

What challenges you foresee for the airports in UAE and Middle East in the near future?

I am convinced that the main UAE airports will remain important hubs in the near future. At the same time, most of the other airports will have to develop their infrastructure due to the air traffic increase and associated forecasts.

But, I am also convinced that all projects of development will have to include an important part of regulations evolution, new environmental rules and new safety constraints. All these new constraints will have to be implemented without affecting the passenger experience or decreasing the revenues. Any evolution will have to improve the passenger experience. And it is possible.

The entrepreneurship and pragmatism of our clients in UAE and Middle East, as well as their will of anticipation, will allow them to face these obligations with efficiency.

Are UAE airports doing better than others in terms of expansion and facilities?

I think that the appreciation of the evolution of UAE airports must not be realized only through the expansion projects. The UAE airports are committed in projects dealing with major issues for airports and aviation. For instance: safety. As you know, Dubai International Airport

June 2019

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Airports

Brazil opens further airport concessions

Gatwick Airport trials service to assist special needs passengers

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atwick Airport has launched a new service that allows blind and visually impaired passengers to call agents for help to guide them through the airport.

Available free of charge and 24 hours a day, the on-demand service can be accessed through the Aira app on a smartphone.

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s part of a growing business model intended to attract more investments in aviation infrastructure, the Brazilian government has concluded one more round of airport concessions.

The more friendly rules for concessions attracted many foreign investors generating US$630 million in revenue, almost 10 times more than expected. The unexpected result came as a sign of confidence in the new government. The government

Malaysia to divide airports into clusters

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alaysia has set in motion plans to divide the Southeast Asian country’s airports into several clusters by geographical area.

The Ministry of Transport (MoT) has announced that the previous two operating agreements (OAs) signed in February 2009, with Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) have been replaced with four new OAs — one for the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) (including KLIA2), another for designated airports in Peninsular Malaysia, and one each for airports in Sabah and Sarawak.

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June 2019

actioned 12 airports divided in three blocks, one in the center-west, which includes Cuiaba and Sinop, one in the Southeast, which includes Vitoria and Macae, and one in the Northeast, which includes Recife and Maceio. The concessions are valid for 30 years.

The Brazilian government will announce in the coming weeks a new block of concessions with 22 other airports, including cities such as Curitiba and Manaus, for auction in September 2020.

Passengers with special needs can call the professionally trained agents who will help them to read documents or even find their bag on the luggage carousel.

The service is being offered on a trial basis for a period of six months in collaboration with budget carrier easyJet. In order to use the service, passengers will have to download and install the Aira app.

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Zagreb Airport welcomes one millionth passenger

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agreb Airport has welcomed its one millionth passenger in its 57-year run. The Franjo Tudman airport anticipates registering a five per cent increase in passenger numbers this year.

The airport was a winner this year in the category of European Airports at the World Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards. Zagreb was a joint winner in the category of airports which handle between 2-5 million passengers annually. Zagreb shared the award with London City Airport, Southampton International Airport and Tallinn Airport.

The capital’s airport is becoming one of Europe’s hot destinations.

Zagreb Airport expects for passenger numbers to grow during the first half of next year as Croatia assumes the presidency of the Council of the European Union in January 2020.

June 2019

25

Opinion

Opinion

Digital Transformation, NEXTT

An Unmanned Future

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he scale of future passenger and traffic growth brings into sharp focus the need for systems and processes that are up to the task of tomorrow’s facilitation, security and sustainability challenges. All participants in the ecosystem will have to become more responsive and efficient.

The challenge for airports, airlines, air navigation providers, service companies and governments is to manage performance and growth, contain costs, make better use of resources and find efficiencies, all while improving the passenger experience and maintaining safety and security.

The rapid emergence of new technologies can lead to a new way of looking at airport capacity challenges. Digital transformation is not only about technology but also about business transformation in a digital world.

This includes both the implementation of new technologies as well as the integration of existing technologies, processes and services to deliver a better experience to all stakeholders.

Recognizing all these factors, the Airports Council International (ACI) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have created the New Experience Travel Technologies (NEXTT) vision, which pulls together the work that is being done in our security, airport operations, passenger and cargo facilitation teams, on biometrics,

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June 2019

autonomous vehicles and digital transformation. It seeks to ensure that stakeholders have a common direction, and that all projects benefit to maximize interoperability with others.

The NEXTT vision looks at the transformation of the complete ground journey for all the elements that currently move through the airport – the passenger, baggage, cargo and the aircraft.

While the transformation is not driven by one technology or another, we do see several technology trends as key enablers for change.

These include: better use of data and communication; predictive modeling and artificial intelligence to enable swifter real-time decisions; the advancement of automation, autonomous vehicles and robotics; and, “off-airport” processes via the use of digital identity.

There are already major steps in the right direction towards improving the ground journey at the airport, such as the use of smart technology, big data and enhanced collaboration, here at Dubai International Airport.

Despite being the world’s busiest airport for international passenger traffic, DXB was able to reduce its wait times by 28 per cent last year by working with the local immigration authority to improve performance, enhance wayfinding and encourage passengers to use

Angela Gittens Director General Airports Council International (ACI World)

Smart Gates. Passenger queues at immigration desks are now monitored through real-time dashboards with sensors published to the airport stakeholder through a mobile application to improve throughput and the passenger experience. The ACI will continue to work with airlines, governments and other role players.

emotely piloted aircraft represent a considerable and growing sector of aviation in Australia and of CASA’s activity.

proportionate approach to the relevant levels of risk, and that are consistent with international best practice.

We have issued over 10,999 remote pilot licences and 1504 RPA operator certificates till now.

We continue to see year on year growth. It’s difficult to predict where these numbers might go.

If we look at licensing, by 2023 based on current trends, we could see a total of 24,000 remote pilot licences in Australia. This year, the number of RPA operator certificates will likely double the number of current air operator certificates.

We are also committed to communication and engagement with the RPAS industry. The pace of technological change in the RPAS sector means CASA must continue to adapt its more traditional approach to aviation safety.

This presents an interesting challenge for CASA as a regulator.

The future of unmanned systems is something that CASA is actively monitoring.

How do we effectively oversight a sector that is growing exponentially? CASA’s overarching key role is the safety regulation of civil air operations in Australian territory and the operation of Australian aircraft overseas.

For the RPAS industry, CASA has a very clear goal: to implement an effective aviation safety regulatory framework to enable the safe and efficient integration of RPAS into the Australian aviation system.

To accomplish this, we’re developing policy, standards, regulations and guidance material reflecting an appropriate and

CASA must use a combination of safety information, persuasion, technology and regulation to appropriately manage safety. We balance the need to develop policies and regulations responsively, with appropriate research and consultation.

The speed of change and the growing RPAS user base necessitates a different way of thinking for a regulator.

This year will see several initiatives from CASA. The first is the proposed RPA registration and operator accreditation. Our second initiative, which has already begun, is our RPA passive surveillance trial. The third initiative is to introduce Digital transactions as part of CASA’s service delivery transformation program.

Luke Gumley Manager for Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems, Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), Australia

approvals we issue through entry control. Further into the future, we are looking at ways of automating permissions within three nautical miles of a controlled aerodrome.

We have gone to market for a new smartphone app with expanded capability and different feature sets than our existing app. We are aiming for a new app release towards the middle of this year. It is certainly an exciting and somewhat busy time to be involved in the RPAS industry.

CASA is developing digital renewals for RPA operator certificate holders. CASA is working to ensure we have a robust, standardised and repeated process to assess the more complex operational

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Airlines

Airlines

Airlines losing fewer bags due to tracking technology

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new report by aviation technology company SITA shows that passengers are now much more likely to find their bags waiting for them at the baggage claim, thanks to the adoption of new baggage tracking standards.

Eight out of every 10 passengers check luggage, with most passengers checking one bag. Airlines around the world carried approximately 4.3 billion checked passenger bags last year.

Those airlines which already had good baggage handling processes in place have seen better tracking systems boost their

A321neos for AA will not arrive until 2020

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merican Airlines will still take delivery of 12 A321neos in 2019. Two of the twelve have already arrived. It will now take a total of 20 A321neos in 2020. reliable baggage delivery by 38 percent, and airlines that only recently adopted new baggage tracking processes have seen their baggage handling improve by as much as 66 percent.

A number of airlines have adopted RFID baggage tracking systems that let them find any bag in a haystack of bags by using RFID sensors. Delta Air Lines was an early adopter of an RFID baggage tracking system that has served as an example for others.

flydubai’s model is network

lydubai, which celebrates its 10th anniversary in June, has evolved in its first decade to become a network hybrid airline, with approximately 30 per cent of its passengers now connect with its sister airline Emirates, according to a CAPA report.

Over the years, flydubai, it said, has drifted away from the LCC model and adopted a network hybrid model. flydubai now relies heavily on network traffic, feeding its sister airline Emirates and offering a business class product.

with Emirates, which goes beyond the codesharing announced in 2017, has enabled us to optimise our schedule and network. We have already seen 3.29 million passengers fly with both airlines during the course of 2018 benefitting from increased connectivity.”

In a Q&A with CAPA in the lead-up to the CAPA Middle East and Africa Summit in Duba, flydubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith said that over three million flydubai passengers had connected to Emirates in 2018. “Our partnership

flydubai has grown rapidly over the past several years as it has extended its network in Europe, Asia and Africa, launching several destinations that could not be sustained without connecting traffic.

June 2019

Lufthansa adds first A321neo to its fleet

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AA is experiencing a number of fleet issues. The airline has revised its 2019 capacity growth figure down by 0.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent. It has 24 Boeing 737 MAX planes grounded after the Ethiopian Airlines crash in March. And, the largest airline in the US, says the grounding will wipe US$350 million from its 2019 profits.

ufthansa has become the latest A321neo operator. The German flag-carrier has already been the first airline to fly the ‘new engine option’ of the A320. Now, the first of 40 ordered Airbus A321neo joins Lufthansa’s fleet. The number of worldwide Airbus A321neo operators is constantly growing. The airline’s first brand new A321neo has been registered as D-AIEA and named after the German city of Aachen. It is joining 19 A320neo which have been delivered to Lufthansa since early 2016.

The new Airbus jet is equipped with Lufthansa’s new standardized shortand medium-haul cabin. The new cabin concept with a denser seating layout will be applied to all group airlines, including Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines and low-cost carrier Eurowings.

Half world’s biggest airlines don’t offer carbon offsetting

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ess than half of the world’s major airlines are giving passengers the opportunity to offset the carbon dioxide produced from their flights, BBC research found.

When airlines do offer such a scheme, generally fewer than one per cent of flyers are choosing to spend more.

Carbon offsetting enables passengers to balance out their carbon footprint by paying towards environmental projects. Aviation accounts for two per cent of global human-induced

greenhouse gas emissions. Prices vary but a return flight from London to Malaga, Spain, would cost around £4 to offset Out of the 28 airlines BBC approached, less than half offered a carbon offset scheme and the majority declined to provide data on the number of passengers offsetting their flights during a one year period.

Carbon offsetting allows passengers to pay extra to help compensate for the carbon emissions produced

from their flight. The money is then invested in environmental projects like planting trees or installing solar panels - which reduce the carbon dioxide in the air by the same amount.

Via Airlines suspends majority of flights, cites pilot shortage

F Air Serbia readies for massive expansion

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ir Serbia is preparing for the launch of 21 new routes over the next few weeks, eighteen of which will operate on a year-round basis and three that will run seasonally.

The carrier signed a contract for the introduction of twelve subsidised services from Niš Constantine the Great Airport.

The airline will connect Niš with seven countries, six within the European Union, as well as Montenegro. The first six countries will be linked from July 15, with the full schedule to be operational by August 1.

lorida-based Via Airlines has cut flights from its schedule due to the pilot shortage. The cuts have caused a reduction in current service as well as delaying planned new services. The airline expects the cutbacks to last through the summer and says it won’t hinder further growth planned for the end of the year.

The airline’s flight between Austin and Birmingham will be cut from four times a week to twice a week.

The route between Birmingham and Pittsburgh will also face a similar cut.

It is reported that the airline hasn’t operated to Mobile’s Regional Airport since mid-April.

Mobile’s airport authority specifically opened the new US$8 million terminal at Mobile Downtown Airport for Frontier Airlines and Via Airlines, but so far Via has been a no-show. Mobile Airport Authority said the airport is planning to sever ties with the regional airline but did

not specify if this means no longer offering marketing support or waiving airport fees.

New planned routes between Orlando-Sanford, Birmingham and Mobile, and Birmingham and RaleighDurham have also been postponed by the airline. The flights to RaleighDurham have been postponed to June 27. The airline is struggling to hire new pilots in a competitive market.

In a statement to the Birmingham Airport, Via Airlines claims that the attraction of bigger aircraft and large sign-on bonuses is pulling pilots away from flying for the carrier.

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ATM

ATM

ATM market projected to grow to US$19 billion by 2025

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he Air Traffic Management (ATM) market is projected to grow to US$18.78 billion by 2025, according to a report.

ATM is the dynamic and integrated management of air traffic and airspace that involves airborne and ground-based functions to ensure safe, economical, and efficient airspace management and air traffic flow management. ATM provides services, such as communication, navigation, surveillance, and Air Traffic Services (ATS) procedures applicable to airspace and aerodromes.

The main domains that ATM operates in are Air Traffic Services

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(ATS), Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM), Airspace Management (ASM), and Aeronautical Information Management (AIM). Aircraft operations on ground and through controlled airspace are governed by ground-based air traffic services.

The objective of Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) is to ensure safe, orderly, and uninterrupted flow of air traffic.

FAA issues policy for non-ADS-B aircraft

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he US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has published a policy for authorizations to operators of aircraft that are not equipped with Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) out equipment.

This document establishes the FAA’s policy for issuing air traffic

control authorizations to pilots flying aircraft not equipped with ADS-B Out equipment who want to access ADS-B rule airspace after January 2020.

ADS-B uses satellites instead of ground-based radar to determine aircraft location, and is a key technology behind the FAA’s Next Generation Air Traffic Control System. The FAA has mandated ADS-B Out for flights after January 2020, generally in airspace where a transponder is required today.

The FAA said that it is placing the burden for approving nonequipped aircraft operations in ADS-B rule airspace, primarily on the aircraft operator—and not on the FAA.

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June 2019

Estonian ANS introduces remote digital towers

new partnership between Estonian Air Navigation Services (EANS) and Cybernetica has led to a remote air traffic control tower solution that allows air traffic at several aerodromes to be controlled simultaneously.

The visual reproduction can be overlaid with information from additional sources like surveillance equipment and infrared cameras, so the visual reproduction will be enhanced with the help of different technical solutions to support situational awareness in case of different light and visibility conditions.

The development of the remote tower started in September 2016 in cooperation with Estonian leading software developer Cybernetica, which has extensive experience in developing surveillance solutions for vessel traffic services and video monitoring for port operations. The aim was to develop a remote tower air traffic control solution that would meet the reality of Estonian market.

The greatest advantage of the remote tower is open architecture, which provides the opportunity to customise the remote tower solution to the needs of any company or country in the world.

Airlines ready for 2021 Autonomous Distress Tracking

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irlines across the world are already adopting new technologies to meet the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) 2021 autonomous distress tracking requirement.

In some cases, modification of aircraft electronics or operating software is required, while in other cases, an update to the way their web-based flight data monitoring technology of choice triggers automatic streams of distress data off an aircraft are needed.

All aircraft with type certification later than January 2021, weighing more than 60,000 pounds and capable of transporting more than nineteen passengers must feature the ability to autonomously transmit aircraft position reports minute-by-minute when flying with conditions considered to be

EC receives air traffic recommendations

life-threatening to passengers and flight crews onboard.

The Autonomous Distress Tracking (ADT) becomes applicable in 2021 under changes related to the Global Aeronautical Distress Safety System (GADSS) that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) first adopted to its Annex 6 aircraft operating standards and recommended practices in 2016.

While the ADT requirement becomes applicable to Annex 6 in 2021, civil aviation regulators are adopting that ICAO airworthiness standard as individually interpreted mandates. Avionics suppliers already have the capabilities to meet the requirement today.

Aireon begins trial operations over the North Atlantic

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ireon, the first-ever real-time, global air traffic surveillance system, is now fully operational and in trial use over the North Atlantic. This announcement marks a historic milestone for the aviation industry— ushering in a new era of safety and efficiency that will revolutionize the way people fly.

Aireon’s space-based Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) system provides real-time

air traffic surveillance and tracking to 100 percent of ADS-B equipped aircraft on the planet.

Prior to Aireon’s system coming on-line, traditional ground-based surveillance covered just 30 percent of the globe. The Aireon system is expected to reduce overall flight safety risks by approximately 76 percent in the North Atlantic according to an analysis.

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he European Commission (EC) has received recommendations from the aviation experts on the future of air traffic control (ATC) in Europe following a year of severe disruption across the continent.

The commission had set up the “wise persons group” to consider developments in European aviation, listen to the views of major air traffic management stakeholders and produce proposals on the future direction of ATC in Europe.

According to Ryanair, Europe suffered 19.1 million minutes of ATC delays in 2018 – up 105 per cent on the previous year – with 60 per cent of those caused by staff shortages. Fifteen per cent were due to ATC strikes.

Eurocontrol estimates this number will double to 38 million minutes of delays if the shortages and strikes continue. Furthermore, by 2040, 1.5 million flights will not be accommodated due to capacity constraints, meaning 160 million passengers would not be able to fly.

The report sets out ten recommendations on how to make the European ATC system more efficient, flexible and sustainable in the future.

June 2019

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MRO

MRO

Nayak Services plans to grow network in three years

Russia sets up engine MRO facility in Vietnam

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ussian defence industrial group Rostec has announced the opening of a new helicopter engine maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility in Vietnam. The MRO centre has been set up by Klimov, a Russian manufacturer of military and commercial helicopter engines, which forms part of Rostec subsidiary United Engine Corporation (UEC).

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ayak Aircraft Services, the largest independent, non-airline affiliated MRO in Europe, has plans to grow even bigger. Nayak will increase the number of stations in all European countries during the next two years. The MRO now has more than 40 stations across the continent, with main bases is Düsseldorf, Amsterdam and Milan as well as a network of line maintenance facilities.

The biggest station is Dusseldorf, where Nayak does base

GOL plans to offer third-party maintenance services maintenance on several aircraft types. Work includes structural repairs, gear changes and heavy maintenance, rather than just C checks.

Nayak also has a fair number of line stations in each of France, Germany and Italy. With the takeover of airberlin technik in 2017, its German facilities are basically those of the old airberlin technik. The MRO is present, but currently less densely present, in Finland, Portugal, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Russia and Turkey.

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elta Air Lines plans to hire 500 aviation maintenance technicians this year, during a period when aircraft mechanics are in high demand.

Atlanta-based airline runs the largest airline maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) operation in North America, and expects to double the size of its TechOps business over the next five years to US$2 billion in revenue.

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OL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes is in the process of setting up its maintenance division as GOL MRO to start offering its services to external customers. Its first offering to third-parties will be Boeing 737 maintenance starting in 2020.

Officials estimates that 100,000 man-hours will be available initially at its facility that can hold up to six narrowbodies, including one in for paint, in Confins, Minas Gerais, in the southeast of Brazil.

The new facility is located in the southern city of Vũng Tàu, where the Vietnam People’s Air Force (VPAF) and several commercial helicopter operators have bases.

Delta to hire 500 aircraft mechanics

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The airline is closely looking at its operation to make the necessary changes to facilitate thirdparty work. Part of that involves inputting GOL aircraft as if they were from outside customers.

Nigeria emerging as aircraft maintenance hub

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igeria has announced it intends to establish maintenance, repair and overhaul facility in the country. The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) through the Federal Ministry of Transportation (Aviation) has identified the need for the establishment of Maintenance, Repairs and Overhaul (MRO) Facility in Nigeria, as currently there is none in the West and Central African regions.

The availability of this facility would help to achieve the following objectives: establish the first MRO facility in West and Central Africa that will address the demand in the

region. The ministry noted that due to the sizeable investment and technical expertise required in setting up the MRO facility, the FGN was exploring the possibility of entering into a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) via a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model, whereby a private sector partner will develop and operate the MRO Centre while the government provides the required support to facilitate its establishment.

GOL MRO is now working on its third aircraft in that manner and hopes to have all of the processes, procedures and people requirements in place by mid-2019.

GOL MRO plans to start adding other aircraft model capabilities for third-party MRO in 2021, followed potentially by widebody heavy checks in 2022.

Global aircraft tires market to reach US$1.75 billion by 2025

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ccording to a report, global aircraft tires market accounted for US$1.26 billion in 2018 and is expected to reach US$1.75 billion globally by 2025, at a CAGR of 4.8 per cent between 2019 and 2025. Zion Market Research said aircraft tires are specifically designed to withstand

heavy load. The number of tires required for an aircraft increases with the increase in the aircraft weight.

The measure for aircraft tires is the number of landings and not mileage.

The average life of commercial aircraft tires is between 250 and 300 landings, whereas, for military fighter plane tires, it is between 20 and 50 landings. The Middle East and Africa is anticipated to make important contributions to the rise of the global aircraft tires market over the estimated time span. UAE is one of the key countries for market developments.

Korean MRO inducts first aircraft

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orean Aviation Engineering and Maintenance Services (KAEMS) has received its first aircraft and it already plans to expand capabilities. KAEMS received its first aircraft from Jeju Airlines, one

of its shareholders, and expects to receive FAA Part 145 maintenance certification in June. This follows Korean MOLIT regulatory certification as an approved maintenance organization.

Jetstar Airways deploys VR in MRO operation

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etstar Airline Group has developed virtual reality maintenance training—a first in Australia.

The carrier has rolled it out for Boeing 787 and Airbus A320 training and has seen shorter than expected immersive learning periods, about 30 minutes compared to 3- 3.5 hours. It has

provided operational benefits, saving hours of aircraft time. VR has also meant that its engineers can have self-paced shorter learning periods, improved learning with built-in assessment, improved recording and reporting of the training, and reduced access to a real aircraft.

June 2019

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Cargo & Logistics

Cargo & Logistics

D B Schenker aims to double warehousing space

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uropean logistics major D B Schenker has plans to nearly double warehousing space to seven million square feet in India in three years as it sees growing demand from corporates for such facilities.

The company expects its top-line from the logistics businesses comprising of contract logistics for companies and other land-based activities to grow at a faster pace of 20 per cent. It has

SEKO launches returnsfocused logistics platform

The company will have about 25 warehouses, with 10-12 of them being bigger warehouses. The company’s revenues has been growing at an average of 18 per cent in the last three years. Nearly, half of the

Microsoft, CCN launch blockchain system for air cargo industry

June 2019

Airport Development, owner and operator of the 370,000 square metre Airport Park Leipzig Halle, confirmed that its tenant Panatonni will begin construction of the 51,000 square metres of hall space in the late summer of 2019, with opening

FreightHub receives US$30 million financing

Etihad Cargo evaluates digital systems

reightHub, the European digital freight forwarder, has raised US$30 million in Series B financing. Leading the round is Rider Global — a venture fund founded by logistics experts — along with Maersk Growth, the corporate venture arm of container shipping giant AP Moller-Maersk.

tihad Cargo says it has achieved a step change in the way it runs its operations and engages with its customers six months after migrating to a new technology platform. Last year, the carrier embarked on a strategy that saw the introduction of several transformation programmes across its fleet and network, commercial and operational processes, and its physical and digital infrastructures.

This culminated in the carrier’s

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argo Community Network (CCN), a Singapore-based logistics company, in collaboration with Microsoft, has rolled out a blockchain-based billing, costing and reconciliation system for air cargo, Air Cargo World reported.

The launch follows a two-month proof-of-concept (POC) testing period that included carriers and freight forwarders, including Singapore Airlines, SATS, Alliance 21 and Bolloré.

The objective is to enhance operational efficiency for airlines, freight forwarders and other

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ndustrial developer Panatonni Corp is to invest €40 million in building a large-scale logistics centre adjacent to Germany’s Leipzig-Halle airport.

company’s revenue comes from the air logistics business where it has contracts with airliners to fly cargo to destinations.

EKO Logistics has launched a new cloudbased platform that moves to optimize its reverse-logistics process and provide increased visibility of shipments on the returns side of the supply chain with a digital platform.

The app will also encompass processes like customs compliance, repatriation services and automated customer refunds via the digital dashboard.

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presently four million square feet of space under management. The next three years will see a doubling up of space per centre to 1.50 lakh square feet.

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The new service, OmniReturns, will provide a platform for retailers, e-tailers and consumers to track the return cycle, from label creation to the re-entry of returns, as parcels arrive back at the retailer’s warehouse.

Panatonni to build logistics centre near Leipzig-Halle airport

stakeholders in air cargo. Built on Microsoft Azure’s cloud computing service, the blockchain system will provide various stakeholders a single and secure data-sharing platform, where air cargo shipment rates, shipment details, and billing processes could be computed and updated directly to blockchain in real-time.

It will help reduce billing discrepancies, accelerate billing reconciliation, and provide real-time revenue recognition. The system has been designed to ensure flexibility in order to allow CCN to add more capabilities and onboard more partners going forward.

Existing investors Northzone, Rocket Internet’s Global Founders Capital (GFC) and Cherry Ventures also participated. London-based investment firm Unbound significantly expanded its stake too, according to a media report.

Operating in the freight industry, an antiquated market that is ripe for digitalisation and as a result has attracted a plethora of well-funded startups, FreightHub is setting out to compete with and replace traditional freightforwarding companies that typically rely on legacy IT systems and cumbersome and manual processes.

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expected in early 2021. As a global hub for DHL and surrounded by numerous tier one automotive and other manufacturing clusters, plus a booming consumer population of more than 17 million people living within 1.5 hours, Leipzig Airport is fast being recognised as a major ecommerce cargo airport and one which the logistics industry and freight forwarding community are being drawn ever closer towards.

successful front-end systems migration to the IBS iCargo solution in October 2018, and celebrated the launch of its Online Booking Portal www.etihadcargo. com.

Six months on, Etihad has managed a major distribution channel shift and proudly accepted 14.4 per cent of its total bookings online since the October 2018 “go-live” milestone.

Agility reports US$1.25 billion of revenues

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he Middle East-based logistics provider, Agility, generated consolidated revenues of US$1.25 billion in the first quarter of 2019.

That’s a 1.9 percent increase on the revenues generated in the first quarter of 2018.

Agility also reported earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization of US$152.21 million,

which is an increase of 4.1 percent compared to the first quarter of 2018.

The group’s core business is Agility Global Integrated Logistics which generated revenues of US$904 million in the first quarter of the year, Revenue declines in project logistics and road freight were offset by revenue increases in ocean freight and contract logistics.

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Technology

Technology

Robotic valet parking Wi-Fi 6 testing begins for airports for cars at France n airport operator in California and The Wi-Fi protocol is enormously A a British aerospace manufacturer popular. The Wi-Fi 6 protocol and UK airports are among the first organizations includes changes that should make it to put Wi-Fi 6 networks to the test.

Boingo Wireless has begun testing Wi-Fi 6 access points and compatible smartphones at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California. Mettis Aerospace will begin its own trial of the new protocol at its manufacturing facility in Redditch, England, in the second half of this year.

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arking cars at an airport is a major hassle, but Stanley Robotics has a solution: robotic valets. Travellers at the Lyon-Saint-Exupéry Airport in France can now park stress-free with the help of the autonomous, 100 percent electric valet robots.

Passengers at the Gatwick Airport in England can try it out as well later this year.

According to the officials, the robotic valets can fit 50 per cent more vehicles into a space than humans, making them far more efficient and precise. Of course, humans don’t set an incredibly high bar when it comes to parking, but the vehicles can offer more than efficiency, as they provide accessibility and convenience. The parking system is designed with the needs of people with various disabilities in mind.

The trial in France began earlier this year, starting with 500 parking spaces and likely to expand to 6,000. The company announced its contract with Gatwick Airport and a trial will run from the second half of 2019 to early 2020. Gatwick is the second-largest airport in the UK, after Heathrow in London, and it hopes that the autonomous service will streamline the airport’s long-term parking services and save space.

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Wi-Fi 6 is the latest iteration of the now 20-year-old commercial Wi-Fi network technology.

possible for access points to keep up the speed for a growing number of devices and deliver as much as four times the throughput per user.

Boingo is now focusing its efforts at John Wayne Airport on establishing backward-compatibility with nonWi-Fi 6 devices. So far, only the airport’s staff can access the Wi-Fi 6 trial network with an early Wi-Fi 6-capable smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S10.

Unmanned aircraft delivered kidney for transplant

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n a first-ever advancement in human medicine and aviation technology, a University of Maryland unmanned aircraft delivered a donor kidney to surgeons at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore for successful transplantation into a patient with kidney failure.

This successful demonstration illustrates the potential of unmanned

aircraft systems (UAS) for providing organ deliveries that, in many cases, could be faster, safer, and more widely available than traditional transport methods. The momentous flight was a collaboration between transplant physicians and researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) in Baltimore; aviation and engineering experts at the University of Maryland (UMD); the University of Maryland

Technology changing passenger experiences at Dubai

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ubai International is continually investing in new technology to improve and expedite the customer experience. Michael

Electric Aircraft Technology: Is the future really green?

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attery-powered aircraft is set to become the next disruptive technology to have a positive impact on saving the environment. Aviation engineers are exploring multiple solutions they hope will reduce the amount of CO2 emissions commercial aircraft pummel into the atmosphere each year.

Whilst optimistic progress is being made, there is one proposal that stands out above the rest – Electric aircraft technology (EAT). It is anticipated that EAT will reduce short-haul flights to a zero-emissions and help to lower the cost of flying for both airlines and passengers.

Electric aircraft technology is developing rapidly and has already been adopted by several European countries, the US and Australia.

The goal is to make every short-haul commercial flights 100 per cent battery-powered over the next 20 years.

Medical Center; and collaborators at the Living Legacy Foundation of Maryland (The LLF).

Ibbitson, Executive Vice President of Technology and Infrastructure at Dubai Airports, said the airport managed to reduce wait times by 28 per cent in 2018 through the involvement of three significant factors: implementing smart technology, leveraging big data and intensifying collaboration.

Our next flight is brought to us by 3D printing

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ike the cotton gin and the modern assembly line, 3D printing is the kind of breakthrough advancement that holds the promise to revolutionize manufacturing. Industrial giants like General Electric, Honeywell and United Technologies are investing in the technology and using it to rethink the way they run their businesses.

But they’re doing so in different and interesting ways.

Traditionally, metal parts are carved or moulded out of raw materials like aluminium or steel.

GE is taking a bottom-up approach and looks at the technology as a creative medium that can help it improve the design of jet engines. Honeywell is content to buy 3D printers from third parties including GE and for now sees

this technology as a tool that it can embed in its supply chain to increase efficiency. United Technologies is taking a science-heavy tack.

They’re all angling for a piece of a global additive manufacturing industry that generated about US$10 billion in revenue last year.

That’s not a huge number, but this is just the early stages, and it will only grow from here. The figure also doesn’t take into account the money spent on internal investments and the sales enabled by integrating 3D printing in the manufacturing process, which is harder to quantify but likely in the billions.

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Tourism

Tourism

Chinese tourists made 162 million outbound trips Sri Lanka fears US$1.5 billion tourism losses

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ri Lanka, a South Asian island nation, is fearing its lucrative tourism industry could see arrivals drop up to 30 percent, with losses of U$1.5 billion this year.

Officials says the country could take up to two years to fully recover from terror attacks which devastated three luxury hotels and killed 253 people killed, among them many foreigners.

The coordinated suicide bombings shocked the nation which is recovering from a 37-year ethnic war that ended a decade ago.

Tourism was emerging as Sri Lanka’s success story when the blast shattered hopes of reaching a revenue of US$5.0 billion, up from last year’s US$4.4 billion.

Gulf online travel market to reach US$15 billion in five years

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he online travel market in the Arabian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries is expected to reach US$15 billion by 2023, according to MENA Research Partners.

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n the span of a week during Lunar New Year festival earlier this year, around 400 million Chinese went on trips primarily to unite with family members, and about 7 million of them travelled abroad, a rise of almost 10 per cent over 2018.

tourists in 2018 reached 162 million, exceeding its forecast of 154 million, a rise of more than 10 per cent over 2017.

The China Outbound Tourism Research Institute (COTRI), an independent Beijing-based research and tourism advocacy organisation, reports that the number of outbound trips made by Chinese

China sends more tourists abroad than any other country in the world – 120 million mainland Chinese now have passports, with as many as 30 million more being issued in 2019.

Mexico pumping up its tourism promotion

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ourism in Mexico, one of the world’s leading tourism destinations, currently represents 8.8 percent of Mexico’s GDP with an estimated 43.3 million international visitors for 2019, an increase of 4.7 percent over the previous year. This year, however, the Ministry of Tourism will be working

without functioning marketing and promotion offices abroad for the first time in nearly 20 years. According to officials, the Ministry will maintain the positive growth trends with a hands-on approach that is also in line with the new closely-held values of government austerity and social reform.

Tourism is now South Africa’s biggest GDP contributor

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y any measure, tourism in South Africa is holding its own.

It accounts for 726,000 direct jobs, with a total of 1.5 million including indirect jobs in downstream services such as food supply, retail and security.

country with a population of 67 million. That’s 134 per cent of its population.

South Africa attracted 10.5 million visitors last year, roughly three times the figure in 1994, and roughly 18 per cent of the country’s population of 57 million.

In comparison, France hosted 90-million visitors last year in a

South Africa is firmly on the global tourism map, banking a string of accolades for some of the world’s most fetching attractions, such as Table Mountain, the wine route, Garden route and Kruger National Park.

The UK attracted 40-million visitors in 2018 – 60 per cent of its population of 66 million.

According to the report, the growth marks an increase of 140 percent from its current levels. Annually, the GCC e-travel market is projected to grow by 20 percent during the

period 2019-23. The online travel market growth rate is well above the conventional travel market which is progressing at four percent per year.

Compared to global figures, the online travel market in the region remains untapped. Presently, the online travel sector only accounts for five percent of the total GCC travel market compared to the global average of 12 percent.

Dubai receives 4.75 million tourists in Q1 2019

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the pace for 2019 both in terms of visitation numbers and GDP contribution.

Steadily picking up from a stable 2018 performance, Dubai’s tourism sector saw optimistic indicators from its top volume generators and its emerging growth drivers, setting

India drew the highest visitation with 564,836 visitors, followed by a strong 411,586 tourists from Saudi Arabia remaining the highest traffic volume generator for the GCC. The UK, meanwhile, retained its third position with an impressive 326,586 British travellers in just the first three months of this year.

Growth from China continued at a high 13 percent year-on-year.

ubai welcomed 4.75 million international overnight visitors in the first quarter of 2019, posting an over two percent increase in tourism volumes compared to the same period last year according to the latest data released by Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing.

40 per cent of Muslim travellers’ spending comes from UAE and KSA

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pproximately 41 per cent of Muslim travellers’ global outbound spending comes from the UAE and Saudi Arabia, according to figures released by Salam Standard.

The Middle East’s total outbound spend is projected to grow to US$72 billion by 2020.

With the GDP impact of Muslim travel in the Middle East on course to hit US$36 billion by 2020 – up from US$30.5 billion in 2017, according to Salam Standard – halal tourism represents a lucrative prospect for GCC hospitality brands.

The segment is expected to create 1.2 million regional direct and indirect jobs by next year.

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