by Joy Finnegan | Jun 13, 2022 | BUZZ
When you talk with European Aerospace SMEs about the inevitable transition to Sustainable Aviation, you always think about needs. What do they need? What do they want? Most often, they need the appropriate framework to fulfil their role as disruptive and innovative drivers of sustainability.
This is why we need to rethink how these enterprises can be supported on a European, national and regional level and which tools can be provided to leverage that support. Together with partners from the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking, EACP Clusters, SMEs and Aerospace Tech Week, the EACP INNOVATION FORUM will discuss how to improve the access to the green aviation economy for SMEs and the challenges they face.
In this framework, the EACP SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION AWARD winners will also be officially presented, celebrating the greenest and most disruptive SMEs or Start-Ups in the EACP network. The aim of such an event is to highlight the importance of the supply chain in the way towards clean aviation, raising the awareness amongst industrial and political stakeholders. A jury composed by industry experts evaluated projects from participating companies, selecting the winners based on their potential to disrupt and pave the way to a zero-emission future.
It is with great pleasure that we announce podium of the award, which will officially be presented during the award ceremony event on Wednesday, 22nd June:
1st Place – Coldsense Technologies GmbH, Niedersachsen Aviation (Germany)
Innovation: Efficient ice protection system for the zero-emission aviation, combining low-drag icephobic coatings and efficient electothermal de-icing for the next generation of sustainable aviation supporting hybrid/electric propulsion systems.
2nd Place – APUS GmbH, BBAA (Germany)
Innovation: The APUS i-2 is the first hydrogen-electric aircraft for daily use. It is a four-seat normal-category (CS-23) aircraft with 2,200 kg MTOM, a range of 500 NM and a maximum cruise speed of 150 KTAS.
3rd Place – AURA AERO, Aerospace Valley (France)
Innovation: ERA (Electrical Regional Aircraft) is a regional aircraft, able to carry up to 19 passengers with an electric propulsion and hybrid energy storage system composed of batteries and a turbogenerator.
However, many more companies applied for our EACP INNOVATION AWARD, showcasing the potential of the European supply chain in the transition towards green aviation. It is now our responsibility to harvest this potential through ad hoc funding and creating the right political environment and tools to improve market access for these companies.
If you are interested in learning more about EACP and green transition in the aviation industry, do not miss our event on June 22nd at ILA Berlin, at the ISC Stage from 4pm to 6pm! EACP #strongertogether
by Joy Finnegan | May 13, 2022 | BUZZ
SITA announced the appointment of Matthys Serfontein as president, Americas. Serfontein returns to SITA after a two-year hiatus to drive SITA’s growth in the Americas, where travel has rebounded sharply in the wake of the pandemic. SITA says Serfontein will be key to bringing their vision of greater agility, efficiency and sustainability to the air transport industry through digitalization.
Serfontein has many years of experience in the aviation sector addressing portfolio and business development, previously having served as president of Air Travel Solutions at SITA, where he oversaw the development of SITA’s airport and border solutions. Prior to that he served as regional vice president for Airport Solutions in Africa. Before joining SITA, he held several senior management positions at Airports Company South Africa, e.Airports Ltd, and OSI Airport Systems.
“I’m delighted to welcome Matthys back on board. SITA has invested in new solutions that help our customer airports and airlines optimize the passenger experience, maximize efficiency, and keep both environmental and financial sustainability at the heart of their operations. The Americas team, under Matthys’s stewardship, will help bring these exciting benefits to customers in the region,” David Lavorel CEO, SITA said.
“As travelers return to the skies, our customers are eyeing digitalization as the key to returning to growth while meeting the new expectations of today’s passenger,” Serfontein said. “With its innovative portfolio, SITA is uniquely positioned to support them. SITA has been, and continues to be, a trusted partner to the industry, and I look forward to this new opportunity to build on our exciting partnerships with customers in the Americas.”
by Joy Finnegan | Apr 22, 2022 | BUZZ
Ice shelves in Antarctica produce icebergs regularly but experts say it’s less common for an ice shelf to completely disintegrate. But that’s exactly what happened in March. An ice shelf in East Antarctica collapsed and that has reshaped part of Antarctica that was once thought to be stable. Images of the occurrence were acquired with the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites.
Whether you are on the science side of climate change or not, it is hard to refute such clear evidence that something is happening within our environment. I’m of the opinion that it is better to try and address it in every way possible now, if we can with transformational change.
On April 22, the world will hold its annual Earth Day event.
That organization, Earthday.org, says its mission is “to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide. Growing out of the first Earth Day in 1970, Earthday.org is the world’s largest recruiter to the environmental movement, working with more than 150,000 partners in over 192 countries to drive positive action for our planet.”
The group says it is time for the world to take “bold, creative and innovative steps” toward solving the environmental crisis.
Although sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) has been around for 15 or more years and the first flight utilizing it happened in 2008, only now is it beginning to be widely embraced. The pandemic of course put a two-year pause on progress in this area and airline passenger traffic is still below pre-pandemic levels, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. But now that travel is ticking up, more airlines are making promises to their customers to make strides in addressing their environmental impact.
For example, Delta says its goal of fueling 10% of its operation with sustainable aviation fuel by the end of 2030, is getting closer by the signing of an agreement with SAF maker Gevo that significantly expands the availability of the alternative fuel. Through the agreement, Delta expects to receive roughly 75 million gallons of SAF annually for seven years, anticipated to start mid-2026. Many airlines are making similar commitments.
With that in mind we present to you our cover story on sustainable aviation fuels written by Ian Harbison. Harbison looks at the driving forces and the challenges behind this movement towards the use of SAF. He says that finally, the aviation industry is taking environmental concerns seriously — thank goodness — and the story explores what leaders like Airbus, Pratt & Whitney, Delta, Air bp, Neste and others are doing to mitigate environmental impact using SAF. See his story on page 58.
In this jam-packed issue, we also take a look at the commercialization of space. This is an incredibly exciting time in the space realm. Companies like Axiom Space, Sierra Nevada Corp., SpaceX and many others are making tremendous headway in the area.
With the convergence of factors like NASA expanding public-private partnerships and a select group of companies stepping up to take advantage of the atmosphere (pun intended), some are succeeding at the enormous tasks of providing NASA with the services it used to tightly control. The governmental monopoly on space activity seems to be ending. The commercialization of space is underway.
In our story, learn about the importance of Axiom’s Ax-1, which launched April 8. It is the first of several planned missions the company will make to the International Space Station. The company says that launch is an important step toward their goal of constructing a private space station in low Earth orbit that can serve as a global academic and commercial hub. See that story by Jim McKenna on page 50.
Next please take a moment to read Aimée Turner’s detailed — and even spicy — report on CPDLC. Who knew this topic could be so intriguing? Controllers can now deliver clearances with a click of a mouse — no need to use voice frequencies. Are these advances paving the way for an aircraft’s FMS to receive the complex digital instructions needed to make TBO a reality?
As with all things complex, there are many layers to the implementation of highly technical avionics systems across multiple jurisdictions. Turner spoke to industry insiders who understand the history and explained the intricate details of where this process is right now. That story starts on page 24.
We also have a look at blockchain. Blockchain seems to have a lot of mystery surrounding it. Blockchain for aviation, especially for maintenance, can provide improved solutions for tracking aircraft parts. But the industry seems hesitant to proceed. Read our look at how this technology could be a trustworthy, robust solution to parts tracking, if only the industry will embrace it. This article, by James Careless, starts on page 36.
Next, we explore telemetry testing. In flight test development the need for data is constant and telemetry, the process of recording and transmitting date, is critical for the aviation industry to deliver new products. Wireless transmission and reception of flight test data are de rigueur but flight test instrumentation has changed dramatically over the last decade.
In this story Jeff Guzzetti explains how the makers of telemetry testing equipment have adapted to keep pace with the technological advances happening at ever-increasing speed. See it on page 44.
by Joy Finnegan | Apr 8, 2022 | BUZZ
Tomorrow.io announced Jeff Martin, CEO of Aero Design Labs and a former executive at JetBlue, WestJet, and Southwest will speak at the third annual ClimaCon event.
Martin will provide in-depth knowledge and insight into the aviation industry’s path to carbon-neutral, the importance of adopting new, innovative technologies, and what airlines can expect to face this upcoming year in regard to weather concerns.
As president and CEO of Aero Design Labs, Martin has over 30 years of executive leadership in the airline/MRO sector, having served as the chief operating officer for Westjet Airlines, the executive vice president of operations for JetBlue Airways, and the vice president of OCC Operations at Southwest Airlines. Martin is also a United States Air Force veteran who served as an officer/military pilot.
In addition to his executive responsibilities, Martin is captain qualified on the DC-10-30, Boeing- 737, and Airbus 320/321 fleet of aircraft. He served on the Congressional NextGen Advisory Board, MITRE Advisory Group, and led the audit committee for Lasalle Hotels as an independent board member. He is also a past recipient of the Williams Trophy Innovation in aviation award for his efforts in airspace modernization and airline carbon reduction.
“Jeff and his team bring a critical perspective on the importance of airlines adopting new technologies while also driving sustainable operations,” said Scott Gilmore, general manager of aviation with Tomorrow.io. “His extensive knowledge in the aviation industry makes his insight invaluable for any aviation professional.”
Martin will join Dan Slagen, Tomorrow.io’s chief marketing officer at ClimaCon 2022 on May 11. The virtual conference is a two-day event that brings together the brightest minds and most notable voices across all industries to discuss topics like global weather impact, weather intelligence, ESG, sustainability, and climate adaptation and security.
by Joy Finnegan | Apr 7, 2022 | BUZZ
JetBlue has submitted a proposal to the Board of Directors of Spirit to acquire Spirit for $33 per share in cash, implying a fully diluted equity value of $3.6 billion and providing full and certain value to Spirit shareholders. The proposal represents a premium of 52% to Spirit’s undisturbed share price on February 4, 2022, and a premium of 50% to Spirit’s closing share price on April 4, 2022. JetBlue says it firmly believes its proposal constitutes a “superior proposal” under Spirit’s merger agreement with Frontier and represents the most attractive opportunity for Spirit’s shareholders.
The combination of the two airlines would position JetBlue as the most compelling national low-fare challenger to the four large dominant U.S. carriers by accelerating JetBlue’s growth and expanding the reach of the “JetBlue Effect,” which occurs when legacy carriers react to JetBlue’s unique combination of low fares and award-winning customer service with lower fares. JetBlue triggers significantly greater fare decreases from legacy airlines when it enters a new market than when ultra-low-cost carriers enter a market.
“Customers shouldn’t have to choose between a low fare and a great experience, and JetBlue has shown it’s possible to have both,” said Robin Hayes, JetBlue CEO. “When we grow and introduce our unique value proposition onto new routes, legacy carriers lower their fares and customers win with more choice. The combination of JetBlue and Spirit – coupled with the incredible benefits of our Northeast Alliance with American Airlines – would be a game changer in our ability to deliver superior value on a national scale to customers, crewmembers, communities, and shareholders. The transaction would accelerate our strategic growth and create sustained, long-term value for the stakeholders in both companies.”
by Joy Finnegan | Mar 29, 2022 | BUZZ
Boeing announced Ted Colbert as president and chief executive officer of its Defense, Space and Security business. Colbert succeeds Leanne Caret who is retiring following nearly 35 years of exceptional service with The Boeing Company. Stephanie Pope has been appointed as president and CEO of Boeing Global Services (BGS), succeeding Colbert.
“We are grateful for Leanne’s dedicated service and I’d like to thank her for her outstanding contributions to our industry, our customers, our company and our employees over her extraordinary career at Boeing,” said Dave Calhoun, Boeing president and CEO.
As president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space and Security (BDS), Colbert will oversee all aspects of the company’s business unit that provides technology, products and solutions for defense, government, space, intelligence, and security customers worldwide. BDS had 2021 revenue of $26 billion.
“Throughout his career, Ted Colbert has consistently brought technical excellence and strong and innovative leadership to every position he has held,” said Calhoun. “Under his leadership, BGS has assembled an excellent leadership team focused on delivering safe and high-quality services for our defense and commercial customers. His leadership track record and current experience supporting the defense services portfolio ideally position Ted to lead BDS.”
As president and CEO of Boeing Global Services, Pope, who is currently Boeing Commercial Airplanes chief financial officer, will lead the company’s business unit that provides aerospace services for commercial, government and aviation industry customers worldwide, focused on global supply chain and parts distribution, aircraft modifications and maintenance, digital solutions, aftermarket engineering, analytics and training. BGS had 2021 revenue of $16 billion. Prior to her assignment as BCA CFO, Pope was chief financial officer of BGS and was part of the business when it was established in 2017.
“Stephanie brings decades of wide-ranging business and financial leadership to her new role,” said Calhoun. “Given her significant experience in all aspects of BGS, Stephanie’s deep understanding of the global services portfolio since its inception and the needs of BGS customers will help accelerate this meaningful business.”
Colbert and Pope’s new assignments will be effective April 1. Until her retirement later this year, Caret will serve as executive vice president and senior advisor to the CEO, reporting to Calhoun, to support the leadership transition, business continuity and critical talent acquisition efforts.
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