Sun Country will start cargo service with a big first customer: Amazon
Minnesota airline will add 10 planes, 70 pilots under 6-year cargo service deal.
Amazon is hiring Sun Country Airlines to fly packages around the country, a windfall deal that thrusts the Minnesota carrier into the cargo business.
The six-year deal, announced Tuesday, will immediately create a massive expansion for Sun Country. From the first flights next spring, the new cargo service for Amazon Air will quickly grow to represent 20% of all of Sun Country’s flying.
It is the first time Amazon has hired a commercial passenger airline for air service.
Sun Country will add 10 airplanes to its fleet and hire an additional 70 pilots to its existing force of 350. The Twin Cities-based airline will also hire more maintenance workers and 20 to 30 headquarters staffers to support Amazon Air operations.
“These are pretty highly compensated positions. … We are very excited about this,” Jude Bricker, Sun Country’s chief executive, said Tuesday. “This is going to be a great growth opportunity for our company, and the important thing for the Twin Cities is it will make us a better airline for Minnesota leisure travelers.”
Amazon is hiring Sun Country to fly shipments under its Amazon Air business. The six-year deal puts Sun Country into the scheduled cargo business for the first time. It will hire 70 pilots to fly the routes.
Czech Republic becomes first international customer to purchase mixed fleet of H-1 aircraft
WASHINGTON D.C. (Dec. 13, 2019) – The U.S. Secretary of Defense, Mark Esper, and Czech Republic Minister of Defence, Lubomir Metnar, signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance finalizing the foreign military sale by Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. (TXT) company, of H-1 helicopters to the Czech Air Force.
“We are privileged to support the Czech people and applaud the Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces of the Czech Republic for selecting AH-1Z and UH-1Y helicopters.” said Vince Tobin, Executive Vice President of Bell’s Military Business.
The H-1 mixed fleet shares 85-percent commonality between parts, reducing the logistics, maintenance, and training costs of the AH-1Z and UY-1Y helicopters while offering a lethal combination of integrated weapons systems to counter ground, air, and maritime targets effectively. The AH-1Z is the only helicopter in production equipped with the AIM-9 Sidewinder providing the most advanced air-to-air combat capabilities.
“This mix allows the Czech Republic to accomplish a diverse mission set, from humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to close air support and air-to-air warfare,” said Joel Best, Director of Military Sales and Strategy, Europe. “The advanced capabilities of the H-1 program help ensure the safety and security of Czech sons and daughters for years to come.”
The purchase of four AH-1Z and eight UH-1Y military helicopters represents the first foreign military sale of a mixed H-1 fleet. Bell anticipates the delivery of the first H-1 aircraft to the Czech Republic will begin in 2023 and complete delivery by 2024.
Melbourne, Florida, November 25, 2019 – Embraer Services & Support announces the expansion of its Executive Jets Service Center at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (KFLL). As of November 1, Embraer has expanded its service capacity through a lease agreement with Jetscape Services for a dedicated hangar.
“We are thrilled with the added capacity to better serve our customers, whether they are based in the region or just traveling through Florida,” said Frank Stevens, Vice President, Global MRO Centers, Embraer Services & Support. “Our expansion in South Florida allows us to further elevate the customer experience for aircraft owners and fleet operators alike, in addition to creating 40 new high-tech jobs for the community.”
Embraer’s presence in Florida is strategic to its Executive Jets customers throughout the Southern United States, the Caribbean and Central America as well as to those whose travel frequently brings them through South Florida.
“We are proud to offer Embraer the infrastructure for their customer support expansion in Florida,” said Troy Menken, Jetscape President. “Since 2002 we have served customers from around the world with aircraft of all sizes, and we are confident that our ground support expertise will ensure that Embraer customers will enjoy a premium experience.”
Embraer’s owned service center in South Florida is also the base for the Embraer Airworthiness Management program, where customers can meet with the team to learn how the program can be customized to deliver peace of mind and drive aircraft value retention. The program provides customers with a dedicated Certified Airworthiness Manager to plan, coordinate, and monitor all maintenance and airworthiness requirements throughout the aircraft’s lifecycle.
The Embraer Airworthiness Management program ensures the full regulatory compliance of aircraft maintenance and records through MyEmbraer.com, in addition to providing negotiation and dispute resolution services with suppliers to maximize cost savings for the customer. Smoother operations are a key benefit of the program’s advanced planning service, especially for customers with a tight operational schedule.
About Jetscape
Jetscape is a full-service, boutique fixed based operator (FBO) at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (KFLL). We provide a private terminal for general aviation traffic, aircraft fueling services, and aircraft storage facilities. Founded in 2002, Jetscape has over 17 years of demonstrated success in providing customer service, aircraft ground support, and property management.
Jetscape operates on more than 21+ acres at FLL with more than 100,000+ square feet of combined hangar space. We serve a broad spectrum of aircraft ranging from small single-engine piston aircraft to the world’s largest cargo carriers and we are the exclusive U.S. Military and Federal Government contractor at FLL.
Our mission is to create an unforgettable customer experience that is second to none. We aim to provide a bespoke, state-of-the-art gateway for business and tourism, to be an employer of choice, and a model of efficiency. We are excited to be your provider of aviation services, to support your business needs, and to share in your vision for customer and employee experience. We look forward to your arrival.
RENTON, Wash., Nov. 22, 2019 – Boeing [BA] marked a key milestone as thousands of employees gathered for the debut of the first 737 MAX 10 at the company’s Renton, Washington factory. During a ceremony, Boeing leaders highlighted the team’s accomplishments and recognized their efforts in completing production of the newest member of the 737 MAX family.
“Today is not just about a new airplane. It’s about the people who design, build and support it,” said Mark Jenks, vice president and general manager of the 737 program. “This team’s relentless focus on safety and quality shows the commitment we have to our airline customers and every person who flies on a Boeing airplane.”
The 737 MAX 10, the largest variant of the MAX family, can seat up to 230 passengers and offers the lowest seat-mile cost of any single-aisle airplane ever produced. The airplane will now undergo system checks and engine runs prior to first flight next year.
“I’m honored to take this airplane on its first flight and show the world what you’ve put your heart and soul into,” 737 Chief Pilot Jennifer Henderson told the employee crowd.
The 737 MAX 10 currently has more than 550 orders and commitments from more than 20 customers around the globe.
Dubai, UAE, November 19, 2019 – Embraer announced today, at the Dubai Airshow, that Falcon Aviation’s newest facility located at Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC), Dubai’s new airport, has been approved as an Embraer Authorized Service Center (EASC) to expand their support for Legacy 600/650 and Lineage customers in the region.
Falcon Aviation, the UAE’s leading business aviation services, charter, MRO and aircraft management company, may perform scheduled and non-scheduled maintenance, component and part exchange, types of inspections at different levels of complexity for those aircraft platforms.
“We are humbled to extend our partnership with Falcon Aviation and offer owners and operators the best maintenance solutions at Dubai’s newest airport, a strategic hub for our customers in the region,” said Frank Stevens, Embraer’s MRO Global Vice President Services & Support.
“Being part of Embraer’s global network of Authorized Service Centers is a strong endorsement for our services, and we are proud to extend our capabilities by offering support to customers at Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport”, said Capt. Raman Oberoi, the COO of Falcon Aviation Services.
Embraer Services & Support has more than 2,300 people positioned in the world to support the customer with all their needs and an award-winning network of more than 80 owned and authorized service centers, field support representatives, flight simulators, as well as two 24-hour Customer Care Centers.
SEPANG, 13 November 2019 – AirAsia has unveiled a special ‘Save our Malayan Tiger’ aircraft livery in support of the government’s campaign to save the fast-disappearing Malayan tiger.
The ‘Save Our Malayan Tiger’ livery forms part of AirAsia’s ongoing sustainability efforts to support conservation and environmental programs, and would encourage millions of people to pledge their support for the cause.
The Airbus A320 aircraft livery was unveiled by the Minister of Water, Land and Natural Resources Yang Berhormat Dato’ Dr Xavier Jayakumar alongside AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes, AirAsia Group President (Airlines) Bo Lingam and AirAsia Malaysia CEO Riad Asmat here in Sepang today.
AirAsia Group Head of Global Affairs & Sustainability, Shasha Ridzam said, “Malayan tigers are a majestic symbol of strength and part of our national identity. We would never want our children to grow up in a world where the Malayan tiger exists only as an image on the coat of arms. That is why we must play our part in protecting them. I hope this new livery helps to bring the government’s wildlife conservation campaign to life.”
AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes also added, saying, “Congratulations to the Ministry of Water, Land and Natural Resources for taking proactive measures in protecting our Malayan tigers, and we’re proud to be able to do our part in helping this campaign.”
Minister of Water, Land and Natural Resources YB Dato’ Dr Xavier Jayakumar said, “We are proud to take the Save Our Malayan Tiger and Hutan Kita campaigns to new heights with AirAsia. The alarming decline of our national symbol is clear evidence that we need to do more when it comes to conserving our tigers. Our Hutan Kita campaign is an important cause as well, as without our forests, there will be no tigers and wildlife. We hope with AirAsia’s support, we will further raise the awareness on these important messages not just in Malaysia but in the region as well and be the vehicle of change for our tigers.”
AirAsia has also extended its support to the Ministry of Water, Land and Natural Resources’ environmental campaigns by sponsoring return flights for 10 orang asli to attend the Hutan Kita Exhibition Launch in August 2019, in addition to supporting a visit to the National Wildlife Rescue Center (NWRC) in Sungkai, Perak for its Allstars in October 2019.
AirAsia’s sustainability efforts include guest education, carbon reduction and waste management, the collection and separation of recyclable items on board and community-based tourism programmes such as JourneyD. AirAsia also fosters social enterprise initiatives across Asean through its philanthropy arm, AirAsia Foundation.
Low-fare carrier, Frontier Airlines, today, introduces the newest aircraft tail to its fleet, Wellington the Black-Footed Ferret. The addition of the Airbus A320neo aircraft, Wellington, grows Frontier’s fleet to 95 Airbus aircraft. The tail’s namesake calls attention to the town in Larimer County, Colorado and the local recovery efforts for one of the most endangered species in North America.
“We’re excited to welcome Wellington the Black-Footed Ferret to our fleet,” Barry Biffle, President and CEO of Frontier Airlines said. “The animals on the tails of our aircraft are part of Frontier’s DNA and Wellington is a special addition to the fleet because of its connection to Colorado and its endangerment. As America’s Greenest Airline, we feel a great responsibility to support the efforts of the National Black-Footed Ferret Conservation Center and we look forward to continuing our partnership with them.”
“It’s incredible to see how far we’ve come together on our journey to bring this species back from the brink of extinction,” said Noreen Walsh, Regional Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “This success is due in large part to the strength of our partnerships with states, local communities, tribes, ranching families, and now, Frontier Airlines.”
“On behalf of the town of Wellington I would like to say thank you to Frontier Airlines for choosing Wellington the Black-Footed Ferret as the animal on the tail of its newest aircraft”, Mayor of Wellington, Troy Hamman said. “It’s an honor for me as the town mayor of Wellington to help represent our black-footed ferret and an awesome airline such as Frontier.”
Black-footed ferrets are the only ferret native to North America. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Black-Footed Ferret Conservation Center, along with many partners, coordinates efforts to recover the species and monitor overall population health.
Frontier Airlines has partnered with the conservation center to support their efforts and call attention to endangered species. To learn more about the center and about black-footed ferrets, visit www.blackfootedferret.org.
Frontier operates 95 A320 family aircraft and has the largest A320neo fleet in the U.S., delivering the highest level of noise reduction and fuel-efficiency, compared to previous models. The use of these aircraft, Frontier’s seating configuration, weight-saving tactics and baggage process have all contributed to the airline’s average of 39% fuel savings compared to other U.S. airlines (fuel savings is based on Frontier Airlines 2018 fuel consumption per seat-mile compared to the weighted average of major U.S. airlines).
With over 150 new Airbus planes on order, Frontier will continue to grow to deliver on the mission of providing affordable travel across America. Frontier’s young fleet also ensures that the company keeps fares low and that customers will enjoy a pleasant and reliable experience flying with the airline.
Leonardo’s KRONOS family of radar products are multi-functional, multi-mission solutions
The KRONOS LAND radar is highly mobile and quick to deploy: it can be brought into operation in the field in just 15 minutes
The Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) has ordered Leonardo’s KRONOS LAND radar to provide air surveillance, allowing operators to detect and track targets in tactical environments. Leonardo has announced the contract at BIDEC (Bahrain International Defence Exhibition and Conference) tri-service exhibition, which is taking place at Manama (Baharain) from 28 to 30 October.
Leonardo will also supply communications equipment, twelve months of technical support services, spare parts and a comprehensive training programme for Bangladeshi Air Force personnel with modules in Italy and Bangladesh. As a complete package, this contract will enable the BAF to develop a long-term maintenance capability and preserve the functionality of the system.
Completely designed and developed by Leonardo, the KRONOS LAND is a multi-functional, multi-mission 3D radar for air surveillance and defence, based on latest-generation Full Active-Electronically-Scanned-Array (AESA, also known as E-scan) technology. Leonardo has sold more than 40 KRONOS family systems worldwide.
The contract to supply KRONOS LAND to the Bangladesh Air Force bolsters Leonardo’s presence in Bangladesh. It follows the earlier provision of the RAT31 surveillance system to the BAF for early warning and air defence.
Oct 31 (Reuters) – VietJet Aviation has ordered 20 Airbus long-range A321XLR aircraft that the budget carrier hopes will support its international expansion as Vietnam’s aviation market heats up.
VietJet expects the first aircraft to be delivered in 2023, it said in a statement on Thursday, adding that it will be the “first carrier in the world” to operate the new long-range version of the single-aisle A320neo family jets.
Industry sources said VietJet would be among the first to put the XLR into service.
Vietnam’s largest conglomerate in August applied to launch an airline next year, intensifying competition in one of the fastest-growing aviation markets.
The sector includes Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar Pacific Airlines and Vietnam Air Services Co.
The airline also signed a separate agreement in Toulouse, France, for two A320/A321 aircraft simulators.
VietJet’s order book for Airbus aircraft now totals 186, the airline said.
In September, Reuters reported that Airbus sold 15 A321XLR jets to VietJet.
Airbus on Thursday confirmed that VietJet had placed a new order for 15 XLR and said another 5 would be converted to the new jet from the A321neo model.
VietJet CEO Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao said Thursday’s order will “modernise VietJet’s fleet as we look to strongly grow our international flight network.”
The airline currently flies to destinations including Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, China and India.
(Reporting by Nikhil Kurian Nainan in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Jason Neely and Dan Grebler)
FORT WORTH, Texas — American Airlines has announced it is hiring an additional 165 aviation maintenance technicians (AMTs) and support positions in 2019, resulting in more than 1,000 new Tech Ops positions added to the company in 2019. These new jobs underscore American’s commitment to operational excellence and performing more maintenance work in-house than any other airline.
The newest positions will be at the airline’s maintenance base in Tulsa, Oklahoma called Tech Ops — Tulsa. Tech Ops – Tulsa is the world’s largest commercial aviation base maintenance facility and American recently announced 400 new Tech Ops positions to assist with additional work coming to the base.
The new team members, primarily Federal Aviation Administration-licensed mechanics, will focus on interior modifications to Boeing 737-800 and Airbus A321 aircraft to drive operational reliability and create a consistent product across American’s fleet.Previous
A Boeing 737 undergoing maintenance at Tech Ops — TulsaA Boeing 787 enters the hangar at Tech Ops — Tulsa.An aviation maintenance technician (AMT) works on a CFM56-7B engine at Tech Ops — Tulsa.Aviation maintenance technicians at Tech Ops — Tulsa.An AMT working on aircraft components at Tech Ops — TulsaA hangar at American’s maintenance base in Tulsa, Oklahoma, also known as Tech Ops — TulsaThe Airbus A321 for American’s Stand Up to Cancer campaign received final wrap work at Tech Ops — Tulsa.
“The work we do in Tulsa is an important part of maintaining and delivering safe and reliable aircraft for American’s customers and team members,” said Erik Olund, Managing Director of Base Maintenance for American. “With these additional positions, we’ll be situated to provide the best operational performance and consistent experience that our customers expect and deserve.”
This year American has added more than 1,000 Tech Ops positions in both frontline team members and support staff, further demonstrating its commitment to ensuring its Tech Ops team is positioned to provide the best service and product for customers and team members. American employs more than 15,000 Tech Ops professionals around the world.
Working for American’s Tech Ops team is a rewarding career that offers the opportunity to support the airline’s nearly 1,000 mainline aircraft, to be part of a team that values the safety of its customers and team members, and to ensure the reliability of American’s product. American offers competitive pay and benefits, including excellent health and flight benefits. Interested candidates can find the available positions and requirements at jobs.aa.com.
