ISSN 1718-7966 APRIL 1, 2013 / VOL. 382 WEEKLY AVIATION HEADLINES Read by thousands of aviation professionals and technical decision-makers every week www.avitrader.com WORLD NEWS Boeing 787 tests, layoffs Boeing began the first in a series of 787 Dreamliner ‘functional check flights’ on a production model aircraft painted in LOT Polish Airlines livery as it works Uncertainty in Bahrain, to return the plane to commercial as Gulf service. The 50-strong global fleet Air’s MRO of 787s has been grounded since provider, Gulf January over problems involving Technics, has closed its the plane’s lithium-ion batteries. doors In an unrelated move, Boeing said it was set to lay off 800 staff at Seattle area factories that modify Photo: Gulf Air 787 and the 747-8 aircraft. Etihad to buy JAT stake Uproar in Bahrain as Gulf Technics ‘suspends’ operations JAT Airways, the largest airline Hangar project and engineer training scrapped amid heavy losses operating in Serbia, is in talks with Abu Dhabi’s Etihad over a Bahrain’s aviation industry has been register their concern. nance to Bahrain and build a ‘reve- partnership deal that would see thrown into chaos after it emerged nue generating’ MRO to serve both Tamkeen, a government initiative the Middle Eastern carrier take that Mumtalakat, the Gulf state’s Gulf Air’s fleet of some 30 aircraft to foster economic development a 49% stake, incorporating JAT investment arm, has announced as well as third party airlines. in the Kingdom, has to date in- into its alliance with four other the closure of its maintenance, vested close to BHD7m sponsor- GT also had a rotables joint venture airlines (Air Berlin, Aer Lingus, Vir- repair and overhaul (MRO) subsidi- ing over 1,000 Bahraini students with AAR Corp, the US aviation sup- gin Australia and Air Seychelles). ary, Gulf Technics (GT). A memorandum of understand- to become licensed EASA Part 66 port firm, but that deal is believed to ing (MOU) between the two is The move comes just a year after aircraft maintenance engineers, have collapsed in September 2011. due to be signed this month, in GT announced, at the Bahrain Air- as part of a drive to enhance Bah- Neither SIAEC nor AAR chose to a move which will save the debt- show in January 2012, that it had rain’s capability as a commercial comment on the situation. secured a $25m loan from two aviation centre, in line with a re- stricken Belgrade-based carrier Ahmed Elnenaey, head of business Bahraini banks to expand into com- gion-wide push to create a Middle from bankruptcy. JAT also plans development at GT, told AviTrader ponent support. At the same time, Eastern aviation and MRO hub. to cut its workforce of 1,300 and in April 2011, just as the company’s the company also announced that it add six new planes to its fleet. Only a year ago, Mumtalakat’s maintenance operations opened had signed a BHD26m ($69m) deal CEO, Talal Al Zain, said that “Bah- for business, that he thought the Yakutia sends back Superjet with Al-Kooheji. a local contractor, rain’s capability as a commercial MRO sector in the region would see Yakutia Airlines, the Russian car- to build a state-of-the-art hangar at aviation hub continues to grow an upsurge over the next decade, rier, sent one of its two Sukhoi Su- Bahrain International Airport. and a major facet of the sustain- and that Bahrain could become a perjet 100 aircraft for repair after Neither Mumtalakat nor GT re- ability of this growth is support to, ‘gravity field’ to investors. discovering undisclosed technical sponded to inquiries, and the and expansion of, Gulf Technics”. defects, according to a company But the continuing struggles to sus- MRO firm’s website has been sus- spokesperson. The incident is the GT was established in 2010 with a tain GT, coupled by the outbreak pended. But sources in the region fifth so far this year, after four Su- view to providing MRO services to of political unrest in the Kingdom, have confirmed that the business khoi Superjets operated by Aero- Gulf Air, the Kingdom’s flag carrier. have been ‘devastating’, accord- has ceased trading. flot were grounded due to faults At the time, heavy maintenance ing to one industry observer. Gulf found in the chassis and wing flap Some 400 engineering and tech- had been provided by SIAEC, the Air alone is understood to have systems. The four planes’ flight nical students, in training for po- MRO arm of Singapore Airlines, suffered losses of over BHD240m worthiness certificates have since sitions with GT, are understood to through a three-year deal signed in in 2012, leading to the resignation been renewed by the Russian air have been informed of the closure, 2009. GT had been in talks to part- of respected CEO Samar Majali transportation agency. and have appealed to the King to ner with SIAEC to bring all mainte- last December. The Power Lies Under the Surface Financial Solutions Component Solutions Supply-Chain Solutions Maintenance Solutions What you see on the surface is just the tip of the iceberg. What lies beneath is a powerful organization committed to providing solutions to the aerospace industry that impact the bottom line. www.gatelesis.com 3 AviTrader WEEKLY AVIATION HEADLINES AIRCRAFT & ENGINE NEWS News from the Langkawi International Aerospace and Maritime Exhibition (LIMA) Boeing delivers 1,000th airplane to AugustaWestland to supply AW139 and AW180 helicopters to Westar China Aviation Boeing and China Eastern Airlines celebrated AgustaWestland and Weststar Aviation Services announced that a contract for the sup- the delivery of the 1,000th Boeing airplane ply of six AW139 and two AW189 helicopters, plus options, was signed at LIMA. The for China, one of the world’s most dynamic contract was signed by Tan Sri Syed Azman Syed Ibrahim, Group managing director of markets for commercial airplanes. Boeing Weststar and Geoff Hoon, managing director International Business, AgustaWestland. forecasts that China will need 5,260 new airplanes, valued at $670bn, in the next 20 Two Eurocopter EC225 helicopters to be added to Malaysia’s Weststar years. The 1,000th airplane, a Next-Genera- Aviation Services tion 737-800 with the Boeing Sky Interior Eurocopter won an order for two EC225 helicopters from Weststar Aviation Services. painted in special peacock livery, will join The acquisition is part of Weststar’s strategy to build up an extensive helicopter fleet to China Eastern Yunnan Airlines. China East- be deployed around the world. Tar- ern currently operates the largest 737 fleet geting to begin operating their new among Chinese airlines. helicopters in 2014, the EC225s will strengthen their position in the glo- GECAS delivers two Airbus A320s to bal oil and gas market. Tyrolean Airways GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) de- Indonesia’s PT Travira Air to livered two Airbus A320-200 aircraft to Ty- buy S-76D helicopters rolean Airways to expand the airline’s fleet. Sikorsky Aircraft has entered into Tyrolean Airways is responsible for operating agreements to sell two S-76D heli- all Austrian Airlines flights and has a fleet of copters to PT Travira Air, a Jakarta, around 80 aircraft. Indonesia-based charter airline com- Eurocopter’s EC225 helicopter Eurocopter pany. The purchase of the two S-76D Skyworld Aviation arranges lease of aircraft represents the latest addition to the company’s fleet but also represents the an ERJ 135 to JetGo launching of the S-76D helicopter in Southeast Asia. Sikorsky expects to deliver the S- 76D helicopters in 2015. The helicopters will be used in part of an offshore oil configura- On behalf of Republic Airways of the U.S., tion project with which PT Travira Air is associated. Skyworld Aviation arranged the lease of a 37-seat ERJ 135 aircraft to specialist charter and shuttle operator JetGo of Australia. This world Aviation is one of the leading players on the list price of the Q400 NextGen air- aircraft will operate alongside two existing in the Embraer used market, having con- liner, the contract is valued at approximately ERJ 135’s with the operator supporting the cluded over 60 Embraer regional jet related US$134.77m. The four aircraft will be oper- mining industry in Queensland, Australia. transactions to date. ated by airBaltic of Riga, Latvia and will join Serial number 145713 (N836RP – VH-JZG) eight Q400 NextGen airliners ordered directly left Louisville International Airport on Thurs- Nordic Aviation Capital orders four from Bombardier as the airline transitions to day 21st March and flew to Singapore where Bombardier Q400 NextGen airliners an all-Bombardier fleet. it will undergo mainentance prior to its first charter contract due to start at the begin- Nordic Aviation Capital A/S (NAC) of Billund, Other recent transactions undertaken by ning of April. The aircraft will then be mainly Denmark signed a firm purchase agreement NAC and involving Bombardier’s commercial based at JetGo’s operation in Brisbane. Sky- to acquire four Q400 NextGen airliners. Based aircraft include: the sale and leaseback of 10 WWW.PENTAGON2000.COM Visit us at the MRO 2013 April 16-18, 2013 Georgia World Congress Center Atlanta, GA. Booth #: 2924/2926 4 AviTrader WEEKLY AVIATION HEADLINES Q400 aircraft to Marfin Investment Group for airberlin group takes delivery of first Helicopters Ltd., which has been awarded operation by Olympic Air; the sale and lease- Airbus A320 equipped with sharklets the contract by the UK Department for back of eight Q400 NextGen airliners deliv- Transport to provide SAR services to the UK Germany’s airberlin group took delivery of its ered to Eurolot of Poland; and the purchase for 10 years, has selected the AW189 SAR first Airbus A320 equipped with fuel saving of 12 CRJ1000 NextGen regional jets to be variant as one of the central platforms for wing tip devices, called Sharklets.