Plan to bring Electric Air Mobility to Saudi Arabia announced by Lilium and SAUDIA

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the proposed development and operation by SAUDIA of an eVTOL network throughout Saudi Arabia was announced at the sixth edition of the Future Investment Initiative (FII) by Lilium, the manufacturer of the first all-electric vertical take-off and landing ("eVTOL") jet. By agreeing to the proposed deal, SAUDIA will become the first airline in the MENA region to buy 100 Lilium Jets combined with yearly support services.

Representative | The Peninsula Qatar

With the procurement of 100 Lilium Jets, SAUDIA plans to introduce a cutting-edge service that will include brand-new electric point-to-point connections as well as seamless feeder links to SAUDIA's hubs for business class passengers.

The Lilium Jet will enable eco-friendly and efficient travel because it produces no pollutants during operation. The flexible cabin architecture of Lilium Jet is anticipated to enable a variety of roomy interior configurations that are ideally suited to the needs of the premium market, and Lilium believes that this will assist drive the early adoption of eVTOL aircraft that is necessary to scale.

We are thrilled to work with innovative partners for whom sustainability is a priority. This partnership with SAUDIA, our first in the Middle East, is an exciting development for Lilium. We look forward to working with SAUDIA to deploy an eVTOL network across Saudi ArabiaAlexander Asseily, Vice Chairman of Lilium said

Additionally, SAUDIA expects assisting Lilium with the certification of the Lilium Jet as well as any other essential regulatory clearances in Saudi Arabia. SAUDIA, the official flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, currently offers world-renowned service and hospitality to a network of more than 100 domestic and foreign destinations. Lilium and SAUDIA intend to revolutionize the domestic air transport industry in the Kingdom by combining SAUDIA's unmatched market expertise with Lilium's distinctive eVTOL aircraft.

Lilium eVTOL jet | Representative | Lilium

SAUDIA, building on its commitment to be an industry leading airline committed to sustainability, consider our eVTOL network project with Lilium to be an undertaking of great significance for the Kingdom’s aviation industry and will contribute effectively to spurring sustainable tourism in Saudi using zero-emission aviation. SAUDIA intends to meet a growing demand for regional air mobility and offer our valued Guests a superior on-board experience. The potential for such an airborne transit network is limitlessCaptain Ibrahim S. Koshy, Chief Executive Officer of SAUDIA said

The parties must complete a feasibility study, agree on commercial terms, sign into binding agreements with respect to those agreements, and satisfy a number of other requirements before the proposed arrangement between SAUDIA and Lilium may proceed.

SOURCE: LILIUM

COVER: LILIUM

Dr Shefali Juneja on Monday was named the chairperson of the Air Transport Committee (ATC) of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a specialized agency of the United Nations, becoming the first Indian in 28 years to do so.

Ministry officials said that India will be chairing the important committee after 28 years and has had the opportunity of chairing the ATC only twice so far.

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“This committee handles a big component of ICAO work relating to air transport as nine technical panels report to it. It is therefore a tremendous opportunity to steer issues in the policy arena and deal with new emerging challenges to carve out a better future for international air transport.”Dr. Juneja.

According to Article 54 d) of the Chicago Convention, the Council appoints and defines the duties of an ATC, which is chosen from among the representatives of the members of the Council.

The ATC is the advisory body of the Council on air transport matters as specified in the Convention and on any other issues affecting air transport referred to it by the Council or on its behalf by the President.

After 28 years, India to chair key air transport panel.

In September last year, Juneja was elected as the chairperson of the ICAO’S Aviation Security Committee (ASC) and made an Indian taking charge of the position after a gap of 12 years. Juneja has been serving as India’s representative in the council of the ICAO since 2019.

Juneja, a 1992 batch officer of the Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax cadre), served as the joint secretary in the ministry of civil aviation (MoCA) before joining the ICAO.

With inputs from hindustantimes.

flynas, the Saudi carrier and leading low-cost airline in the Middle East, announced the inauguration of operating direct flights from Riyadh and Dammam to Mumbai, making the largest city in India to be the 5th destination for flynas in the country.

Mumbai will now join Delhi, Lucknow, Calicut, and Hyderabad on the growing destinations list of flynas as the company continues growing in India, the second most populous country in the world.

Daily direct flynas flights connecting Riyadh with Mumbai started departing from King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh back and forth as of October 20.

flynas Offers Direct Services From Mumbai To Riyadh And Dammam.

"Most of flynas’ aircraft are the brand new Airbus A320neo which have the most efficient and environmentally friendly engines and the largest seat pitch of all low-cost carriers between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and India; this expansion is part of our long-term plan to become the No 1 airline between the Kingdom and India and to serve more direct routes.More growth to be expected, with more destinations in India and more routes.We will also offer connectivity within the Kingdom, where our passengers can continue their flights on our planes to Jeddah or Medina."Stefan Magiera, flynas Chief Commercial Officer.

Meanwhile, flynas flights from King Fahad International airport in Dammam will start on December 2022.

Growing in the Indian market comes in line with flynas’ expansion strategy and its plan launched at the beginning of the year under the slogan “We Connect the World to the Kingdom” after the growth achieved by the company in all its operations during the first half of 2022.

With inputs from airlinersgs.com

Go First said its net loss more than doubled to Rs 1,807.91 crore in FY22 due to US-based Pratt and Whitney’s (PW) delay in supplying engines and multiple waves of Covid-19 that affected air travel.

The airline’s fleet comprises 54 aircraft and approximately 90 per cent of them are A320neo aircraft with PW engines. According to sources, around 20 A320neo aircraft of Go First are currently grounded due to delay in supply of engines.

The airline’s net loss increased from Rs 870.48 crore in FY21 to Rs 1,807.91 crore in FY22, the highest loss incurred by the carrier in at least the last eight years.

Go First blames Covid-19, Pratt & Whitney as losses double in FY22.

Further, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) mandated that all aircraft should have modified engines on both the wings, for which PW had confirmed to both the airline and the DGCA that they would provide modified engines within the time frame specified, it stated.

"Unfortunately, PW was unable to supply the modified engines to meet the obligations of the DGCA and also to supply adequate spare engines to mitigate the Aircraft on Ground (AOG).The company is actively pursuing the matter with PW and is hopeful of early receipt of all pending engines returned for making the AOGs serviceable." Go First noted.

Go First’s promoters -- the Wadia Group -- have arranged a total of Rs 1,320 crore of funds/bank facilities" and continued to strongly support the company. Additionally, the Wadia Group has infused equity of Rs 846 crore during FY22.

Wadia Group has infused equity of Rs 846 crore during FY22.

The company's operating revenue increased by 92.64 per cent from Rs 2,171.75 crore in FY21 to Rs 4,183.77 crore in FY22.

With Covid-19 impact on a decline and vaccinations count increasing, the load factor has improved from 65 per cent in November 2020 to 77-78 per cent in November 2021 to almost 80 per cent in March 2022 to current domestic load factor of 84 per cent.

With inputs from business standard.

The suspension of Boeing’s 737 MAX fleet following two crashes in 2018 and 2019 is now thought to be one of the single biggest aviation insurance claims in history, according to analysts at AviationSource, with reinsurers and retrocession underwriters hit hardest.

At around USD 3 billion, AviationSource notes that the Boeing claim exceeds the USD 2.5 billion paid out after the September 11 attacks on the twin towers. The claim is made up of three factors: the cost of grounding the faulty planes, the costs relating to the crash of Lion Air flight 610 in October 2018, and the costs relating to the loss of Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 just three months later, on March 10, 2019.

These claims come under Boeings manufacturers policy which is led by Global Aerospace but brokered by Marsh. According to analysts, the aviation reinsurers with the largest market share were Swiss Re, Hannover Re and Munich Re.

The portion of loss associated with the Ethiopian Airlines crash is estimated to sit at around USD 2.25 billion, this increasing from USD 990 million, while the costs of the Lion Air element remain unknown, but are thought to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars also.

On March 13 2019, the whole 737 MAX fleet was grounded by the Federal Aviation Authority. It was earlier expected that Boeing would utilise the same USD 2.25 billion limits as the Ethiopian liability losses, however, the 13-month hiatus for the aircraft has seen Boeing present claims with the grounding as an incremental USD 500 million to the main USD 2.25 billion limits.

The combination of this loss and the travel restrictions imposed amid the COVID pandemic has left the aviation market in crisis, but AviationSource analysts remain confident that insurers should be able to raise premiums to an adequate rate now that passenger numbers have returned.

But re/insurers could incur further historic losses depending on the outcome of legal disputes over claims related to the fleet of planes stranded in Russia following the war in Ukraine.

Aercap, the largest global aircraft leasing firm, has sued AIG and other insurers including Lloyd’s business Atrium over the stranded planes after its insurers refused to pay out on a USD 3.5 billion all-risk claims filed in March.

Meanwhile, Gallagher has reported that the incident could lead to losses that are seven times the final loss amount for the World Trade Center attacks in 2001, and four times the initial WTC reserve.

(With Inputs from Aviation Source)

Qantas Airways parked its 12 double-deckers (A380) in the Californian desert, saying they would not be needed for at least three years.

Qantas parked all 12 of its Airbus SE A380s in June 2020 as travel dried up at the start of the pandemic. It’s bringing back 10 of the jets, the world’s largest passenger plane, as international demand rebounds.

Returning just one grounded A380 superjumbo back into the air requires 4,500 hours of work, Qantas Airways Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce said, highlighting the challenge as aviation struggles to meet surging travel demand.

Qantas parked all 12 of its Airbus SE A380s in June 2020 as travel dried up at the start of the pandemic.

At a lunchtime speech in Sydney on Monday, Joyce explained the process of reactivating a plane that’s been sitting in the Californian desert for more than two years.

“Just to wake up an A38O is 4,500 hours, or two months, of manpower. That’s 10 engineers working for two months in the Mojave Desert -- for one plane. They replace all 22 wheels, and all 16 brakes, plus get rid of all of the oxygen cylinders and fire extinguishers. Everything on board the aircraft is replaced.”

“The aircraft is put up on jacks in the middle of the desert. Its gear is tested, and the aircraft’s engines are run in the desert to make sure that they’re all functioning. That’s just to get out of the desert to Los Angeles or to another maintenance facility. When the aircraft is flown out, most of it then goes through 100 days of maintenance on top of that.”

“We will have six of the aircraft back by Christmas, but we won’t get all 10 of them back until well into 2024. That’s how long this takes.”

One grounded A380 Superjumbo needs 4,500 hours of work to fly again.

The Airbus A380 is truly a giant. It has a wingspan of 261.8 feet (79.8 meters), a length of 239.5 feet (73 meters) and a maximum take-off weight of more than 1.2 million pounds (540,000 kg).

While it is the largest passenger airliner ever made, it is not the biggest airplane in the world -- this honor belong to the Ukrainian An-225 Cossack.

A plane this size can potentially carry hundreds more passengers than today's airliners. The A380's two passenger decks (with a cargo deck below) could be outfitted in a single-class configuration to take on up to 840 passengers.

With inputs from economictimes.