AIR TRANSPORT
Businesswire | May 05, 2023
CDB Aviation, a wholly owned Irish subsidiary of China Development Bank Financial Leasing Co., Ltd. (“CDB Leasing”), announced today the delivery of the first of two A321neo aircraft fitted with Airbus’ Cabin Flex (“A321NX”) to its long-standing customer, Volaris (Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación, S.A.B. de C.V.).
The delivery is part of the lease agreements signed with the airline in 2021, which forms part of the 13 total number of CDB Aviation aircraft on lease to Volaris. The carrier is expected to take delivery of the second A321NX by the end of 2023, with an additional three A321neos and two A320neos slated for delivery throughout 2023 and 2024.
“We’re thrilled to be celebrating with the Volaris team this inaugural delivery of a GTF-powered A321NX from our orderbook,” said Luís da Silva, CDB Aviation’s Head of Commercial, Americas. “With the latest technologies that improve efficiency and sustainability, this aircraft is ideally suited to expand the reach of Volaris’ market-dominant domestic brand to markets in North and Latin America.”
“We appreciate the ongoing partnership with our colleagues at CDB Aviation in meeting the needs of our fleet renewal strategy that will ensure our airline’s sustainable growth in the long term,” commented Holger Blankenstein, Volaris’ Executive Vice President. “With one of the youngest, most fuel-efficient fleets in the
Americas, our team remains committed to bringing the region’s passengers the best flying experience and the most modern technology aircraft.”
Jie Chen, CDB Aviation Chief Executive Officer, concluded: “Our commercial team’s goal is to be a partner that our customers can trust and rely on to execute. We’re very pleased to continue deepening our relationship with Mexico’s largest domestic carrier as they are positioning their leading brand to benefit from a rapid resurgence of post-pandemic air travel in North and Latin America.”
About CDB Aviation
CDB Aviation is a wholly owned Irish subsidiary of China Development Bank Financial Leasing Co., Ltd. (“CDB Leasing”) a 38-year-old Chinese leasing company that is backed mainly by the China Development Bank. CDB Aviation is rated Investment Grade by Moody’s (A2), S&P Global (A), and Fitch (A+). China Development Bank is under the direct jurisdiction of the State Council of China and is the world’s largest development finance institution. It is also the largest Chinese bank for foreign investment and financing cooperation, long-term lending and bond issuance, enjoying Chinese sovereign credit rating.
About Volaris
Volaris or the “Company”, is an ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC), with point-to-point operations, serving Mexico, the United States, Central and South America. Volaris offers low base fares to build its market, providing quality service and extensive customer choice. Since beginning operations in March 2006, Volaris has increased its routes from five to 202 and its fleet from four to 120 aircraft. Volaris offers more than 550 daily flight segments on routes that connect 43 cities in Mexico and 28 cities in the United States with one of the youngest fleets in The Americas. Volaris targets passengers who are visiting friends and relatives and cost-conscious business and leisure travelers in Mexico and in selected destinations in the United States, Central and South America.
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AIR TRANSPORT
PRneswire | March 23, 2023
Flight Safety Foundation will set up the new Asia Pacific Centre for Aviation Safety in Singapore to help aviation stakeholders in the Asia-Pacific region raise safety standards and capabilities to restart and ramp up operations safely as air travel recovers to pre-pandemic levels. Supported by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), the Centre will develop an annual work programme to meet the needs of regulators and industry in the region and undertake projects and studies to provide a deeper understanding of safety challenges and build capabilities in technology, data analytics and safety management processes. The establishment of the Centre was announced by Mr. S Iswaran, Singapore's Minister for Transport and Minister-in-charge of Trade relations at the inaugural Asia Pacific Summit for Aviation Safety organized by the Foundation and CAAS.
The Centre will adopt a data-driven approach in its studies and projects. Through the collection and analysis of safety data and information, the Centre seeks to provide insights and recommendations to advance safety in the region. For a start, it will work on three key projects in 2023:
• Regional Safety Assessment. This project will pull together available safety data across regulators and industry to identify region-specific risk areas, review safety indicators and occurrence trends, and develop targeted safety solutions.
• Safety Culture Leadership. This project will study the essential elements of knowledge and capability needed to maintain effective safety leadership and organizational effectiveness in the Asia-Pacific region, considering cultural differences.
• Pilot Competency and Training Capabilities. This project will study best practices on pilot training methodologies to better screen, recruit and train pilots to meet rising demand and support the growth of air travel.
More projects will be added to the annual work programme in consultation with regulators and industry in the region. CAAS will help fund the Centre to support the initial set-up and its activities for the first five years.
The Foundation has appointed Mitchell A. Fox, a former airline pilot and long-time executive with the International Civil Aviation Organization, to serve as Centre Director. He will be based in Singapore. During his 30 years with ICAO, Fox served as the Chief of the TRAINAIR Programme, Chief of the Operational Safety Section and Chief of strategic planning and regional affairs coordination within the Office of the Secretary General. He also served in the United Nations (U.N.) as the Director of Air Transport Service, managing the more than 200 aircraft that support U.N. peacekeeping missions worldwide.
Mr Han Kok Juan, Director-General of CAAS, said: "Aviation safety must be a top priority of the Asia-Pacific region as air travel recovers to pre-pandemic levels. It requires close collaboration amongst regulators and industry across countries, given its cross-border nature. The setting up of the regional safety centre is timely and provides a common platform for such collaboration. Singapore is deeply honoured to host the centre to do our part to contribute to thought leadership and aviation safety standards in the Asia-Pacific region."
Dr. Hassan Shahidi, President and CEO of the Foundation, said: "As commercial aviation in the Asia Pacific region rebounds and recovers from the pandemic, it is important that all stakeholders have the resources and capabilities they need to ramp up operations safely. Working with aviation stakeholders in the region, the Centre will aim to accelerate regional aviation safety enhancements and support the safe growth of the aviation sector in the region."
About Flight Safety Foundation
Flight Safety Foundation is an independent, nonprofit, international organization engaged in research, education, advocacy and communications to improve aviation safety.
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DEFENSE AND SPACE
Businessiwire | May 11, 2023
Archer Aviation Inc. today announced the formation of a Government Services Advisory Board to support Archer’s planned expansion of its existing relationship with the U.S. Department of Defense (“DoD”). Over the last few years, Archer has completed several projects with the DoD and has several still underway. As Archer’s Midnight aircraft progresses toward commercialization, it is garnering significant interest from the Department of Defense as a result of its performance specifications, including Midnight’s payload of ~1,000 lbs.
This advisory board will further build on Archer’s expertise and perspective of government programs and procurement strategies to allow Archer to more fully engage with U.S. government and public safety agencies to explore additional opportunities to commercialize eVTOL aircraft. In addition, the board members will assist and facilitate Archer’s direct engagement with appropriate government agencies and officials to advance both consideration and implementation of eVTOL aircraft technologies.
The initial appointees to the board are 6 highly decorated and distinguished military leaders: Retired 3-star General David A. Krumm, Retired 3-star Vice Admiral Ron Boxall, Retired 2-star General Clayton M. Hutmacher, Retired 2-star General Bill Gayler, Retired General Steve Townsend, Retired Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael J. Durant. Archer’s Head of Government Relations, Dr. Michael Romanowski, a former 14-year veteran at the Federal Aviation Administration with over 20 years of executive leadership-experience in aerospace who joined Archer last August, will serve as chairperson of the board.
“We understand the importance of fostering strong and purposeful relationships across the whole-of-government to enable and support the safe integration of eVTOL aircraft in the U.S.,” said Adam Goldstein, Archer’s Founder and CEO. “The development and commercialization of AAM technologies must remain a strategic national priority and having such decorated and informed military veterans advising us will help us ensure that is the case.”
Here are the biographies of the six initial appointees:
• Retired Lieutenant General David Krumm is a trusted executive leader and widely known as a strategic planner with demonstrated success spanning over 32 years of military service. He recently completed a diverse military career with his concluding assignment as the Commander of Alaska North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) Region, Alaska Command, and the 11th Air Force. A career fighter pilot, he has over 3,000 hours in a variety of aircraft including the F-22 and F-15 C. Retired Lieutenant General Krumm possesses relevant and practical experience in a wide range of government, national security, and defense-related areas to include acquisition, requirements and budget programming. He is a graduate of Auburn University and holds a bachelor’s and master's degree from the institution. Retired Lieutenant General Krumm also attended Harvard University in the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs Program and is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Seminar 21 program.
• Retired Vice Admiral Ron Boxall is a lifelong leader and expert in Navy and joint military capabilities and requirements. He has commanded some of our nation’s most advanced deployed maritime forces–the USS John C. Stennis Aircraft Carrier Strike Group as well as two other Aegis warships. In the Pentagon, he served in seven different Navy and joint assignments. Admiral Boxall was the Director for Surface Warfare at Navy Headquarters, where he prepared a nearly $20 billion annual portfolio and the requirements for surface ships, weapons, maintenance, training, and operations. Additionally, he has served three tours for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, most recently as the senior military officer overseeing the nearly $800 billion military investment in the defense budget for the Joint Chiefs. Working closely with the Secretary of Defense staff, Combatant Commanders and all Military Services, he was the military officer who released the nearly $800 billion DoD investment in all domains–air, maritime, land, space and cyber–and released the DoD budgets for 2021, 2022 and 2023 to the international media outlets, Congress and the public. Admiral Boxall currently serves as an advisor, consultant and board member for several corporations in and out of the defense industry.
• Retired Major General Hutmacher is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. He retired in 2018 from the United States Army having served more than 40 years. As an Army Special Operations Aviator, he commanded at every level during his three tours with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, where he served as the MH060 Direct Action Penetrator platoon leader, company operations officer, executive officer and commander of 1st Battalion, Regimental Commander, and the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command. His last active-duty assignment was the Director of Operations in the U.S. Special Operations Command in Tampa, Florida and before that deputy Commanding General of the United States Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Retired General Hutmacher holds a bachelor’s degree in aerospace management from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, a master’s degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval Command and Staff College, and a master’s degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College.
• Retired General Bill Gayler currently serves as the Senior Strategic Advisor to PeopleTec Inc, Advisor to Warrior Performance Framework, Independent Consultant, Co-Chair of the Screaming Eagle Aviation Association, and volunteers his time with the Wounded Warriors In Action Foundation. He is a decorated Master Army Aviator and Standardization Instructor Pilot in the AH-64A Apache and the AH-64D Longbow and has commanded at every level up to two-star General. He has over 4,000 flight hours in scout reconnaissance and attack aircraft with numerous operational and combat deployments around the world. His last command assignment was as the Commander of the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Branch Chief for Army Aviation. After 33 years of military service, he retired in 2021 as the Chief of Staff, U.S. Africa Command in Stuttgart, Germany. Retired General Gayler holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from North Georgia College, a master’s degree of Military Art and Science from the US Army Command and Staff College, and a Masters of Science in National Policy and Strategic Studies from the U.S. National War College, National Defense University.
• Retired General Steve Townsend is self-employed as a consultant, advisor and public speaker. He volunteers his time with the American Battle Monuments Foundation and supports various wounded warrior events. He retired in 2022 having served over 40 years in uniform. As an Army infantry officer, General Townsend served in Airborne, Light, Ranger, Stryker and Air Assault formations, in both peace and war, leading and commanding war-fighting units at every level from a 40-soldier rifle platoon to a 92,000-soldier Army Corps and two combined/joint task forces during operations overseas. As a 4-star general, he commanded the U.S. Army’s Training and Doctrine Command responsible for all recruitment, professional military training and education, and the development of concepts and doctrine to prepare the Army for the challenges of the future. His last assignment was Commander of U.S. Africa Command where he was responsible for all U.S. military forces, operations and activities throughout the continent of Africa. General Townsend holds a bachelor’s degree from North Georgia College, and master’s degrees from the U.S. Army Command and Staff College and the U.S. Army War College.
• Retired Chief Warrant Officer (CW4) Michael J. Durant is currently the Board Chair of Pinnacle Solutions, Incorporated, an engineering and services company that he founded. He retired in 2001 after completing 22 years of active-duty service. Michael’s assignments include the 470th Military Intelligence Group, Fort Clayton, Panama, Flight Training and UH60 Blackhawk Qualification Course at Fort Rucker, Alabama, the 377th Medical Evacuation Company, Seoul Korea and the 101st Aviation Bn, Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He joined the 160th Special Operations Group in 1988 where he performed duties as Flight Lead and Standardization Instructor Pilot. He participated in combat operations Prime Chance, Just Cause (Panama invasion), Desert Storm (Liberation of Kuwait), and Restore Hope (Somalia). Michael is a 2008 Army Aviation Association of American Hall of Fame Inductee and the National Veteran-Owned Business Association 2013 Vetrepreneur of the year. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Professional Aeronautics and a Master of Business Administration in Aviation degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
About Archer
Archer is designing and developing electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for use in urban air mobility networks. Archer’s mission is to unlock the skies, freeing everyone to reimagine how they move and spend time. Archer's team is based in Santa Clara, CA.
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