China Direct

Airbus celebrates 10 year anniversary in China & announces new AVIC tie up

 

Building on celebrating their 10-year anniversary in China earlier this month, CBI member Airbus reports further success having signed a cooperation agreement with the Chinese aviation State-Owned Enterprise, the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).

 

The agreement between Airbus and AVIC focusses on research and development on electronically conductive composite materials for application on aircraft.

 

It is hoped that the pair can develop a composite material which is both strong & light-weight whilst retaining good conductivity qualities. Due to the fact that the latest generation of materials do not perform well in terms of conductivity, they are currently not applied to aircraft which restricts fuselage design and efforts to make aircraft more environmentally friendly.

 

Airbus and AVIC hope to re-energise the aviation industry and aircraft design with this new composite which should help to reduce the weight of aircraft, protect against lightning and ice, be easier to maintain and have a longer life span than current composite materials.

 

Composite materials are becoming increasingly essential in aircraft manufacturing. The Airbus A350 comprises of 52% composite materials, with the Boeing B787 coming in slightly lower at 50%. Even China’s COMAC 919, which is considered a far less technologically advanced project than its foreign counterparts, has a construction which uses 30% composite materials.

 

The two companies hope to test the feasibility of a new composite material next year but anticipate that it will take 5-10 years before it has been verified for use on aircraft.

 

Please ead more here.

First direct Scotland-China flights announced

The first ever direct flights from Scotland to China will begin in June following an announcement in Beijing this morning.

The ground-breaking announcement will see Hainan Airlines flights to Beijing Capital International Airport beginning from 12^th June, flying 4 weekly on an Airbus A330-300.

It’s part of an innovative flight model which links in three capital cities – Beijing, Edinburgh and Dublin. The route will fly from Beijing to Dublin and then onto Edinburgh and then back to Beijing on Thursdays and Sundays, flying to Edinburgh and then Dublin and then back to Beijing on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

For more information please read the link below:

https://www.edinburghairport.com/about-us/media-centre/press-releases/direct-route-from-edinburgh-to-beijing

THALES wins Hong Kong Airport business

 

 

CBI member Thales will contribute to the expansion of Hong Kong International Airport. With the construction of a new runway and a new terminal, Airport Authority Hong Kong is redefining mobility in and around this major transport hub.

Thales, in cooperation with Niigata-Transys Co., Ltd. (NTS), an IHI Corporation Group company specialised in Transportation System, will play a key role in the project by extending the existing lines of the Automated People Mover (APM) system, a driverless train system that links the different terminals of the airport and the Sky Pier ferry terminal.

Thales will also supply all the signalling equipment installed on board the new APM trains.

Please read more here.

Mott MacDonald appointed in Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 5 Project

Singapore's Changi Airport Group (CAG) today announced the appointment of the master building consultants, comprising three teams (and including CBI member Mott MacDonald), that will provide architectural design and engineering consultancy services for the development of Changi Airport’s Terminal 5 (T5).

It also announced the appointment of the master civil consultants for the T5-related landside and airfield works.

Please read more here.

Thales & Hainan Airlines fly high with A350 entertainment deal

Hainan Airlines, a global SKYTRAX Five-Star airline for seven consecutive years, continue bringing excellence to their passenger experience. To achieve this, they rely on CBI member Thales to provide state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment and connectivity solutions for a remarkable experience upholding Hainan Airlines prestigious brand.

This commitment was further enhanced today with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding positioning Thales as the strategic inflight entertainment and connectivity provider for the Airlines new wide body A350 fleet. This move is a further demonstration of the carrier’s trust in Thales to support their ambitions in offering an exceptional passenger experience.

Through this initiative, Hainan Airlines and Thales extend their cooperation and deepen their long term partnership. Delivering on Hainan’s own strategic vision, Thales will further provide its leading expertise, latest Inflight Entertainment and Connectivity solutions with the newest features, user interfaces and innovations.

Please read more here.

Zodiac Aerospace partners with Chengdu Haite High Tech

CBI Member Zodiac Aerospace Services is proud to work together with Sichuan Haite High Tech, in an effort to strengthen the aerospace and the MRO industry in China and relocate repair capabilities closer to Chinese operators.

The two companies have signed a long-term agreement to combine their expertise and strengths to provide Chinese operators with a local repair service for toilets, evacuation slides, technical seats and Electrical Inserts.

Until now, this reliability, quality, safety and punctuality was only available through the component manufacturer’s repair shops. Construction of the repair facility has already begun in Chengdu, where HAITE’s deep understanding of local operators’ needs and lean and efficient organization will be combined with Zodiac Aerospace Services’ technical expertise.

Please read more here.

Rolls Royce flying high at the Singapore Airshow

 

 

 

CBI member Rolls-Royce today signed contracts with Singapore Airlines at the Singapore Air show covering Trent 1000 and Trent 700 engines. Singapore Airlines formally confirmed a $1.7bn order for Trent 1000 engines to power 19 Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, which will be covered by Rolls-Royce’s flagship TotalCare® engine support service.

 

The order, originally announced in February 2017, was in addition to an order for Trent 1000 engines for 50 aircraft, made by SIA Group, in 2013. The signing comes as the airline prepares for the entry into service of its first 787-10 aircraft powered by the latest version of the Trent 1000, the Trent 1000 TEN (Thrust, Efficiency, New Technology).

 

A full-size Trent 1000, which is on display at the Rolls-Royce stand and has been a great attraction for visitors, provided the backdrop for the signing.

 

Please read more here.

 

Airbus's A350-900 flying high in Malaysia

 

Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB) has taken delivery of its first A350-900, leased from Air Lease Corporation (NYSE: AL) (ALC), becoming the 17th airline to operate the world’s newest, most modern and efficient twin engine wide-body airliner.

The delivery was celebrated upon arrival at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. ALC receives its first A350-900 out of an order for 29 A350 Family aircraft. Eventually Malaysia Airlines will operate six A350-900s, all leased from ALC.

Malaysia Airlines will initially deploy the aircraft on flights within Asia. From the first quarter of 2018, the A350 will fly on the airline’s premier long haul service from Kuala Lumpur to London. Malaysia Airlines is the first carrier to offer a First Class cabin in the A350-900.

The aircraft is configured in a three class cabin layout with a total of 286 seats. This comprises four in First Class, 35 in Business, featuring convertible seats to fully flat beds and 247 in Economy.

Please read more here.

DLA Piper helps China Eastern fly high

Dear CBI members & partners, firstly an apology for fewer China Direct updates than normal over the past 1-2 weeks. This has been due to restrictions on global Internet access during the current Congress. We hope that normal service will soon resume and thank you for your patience.

CBI member DLA Piper has advised China Eastern Airlines (CEA), one of the largest Chinese airlines operating domestic, regional and international routes, on its strategic investment in Euronext Paris listed Air France-KLM (AFK).

Through this transaction, CEA and SkyTeam alliance member Delta Air Lines (Delta) have each acquired a 10 percent stake in AFK’s share capital within the framework of reserved capital increases. The transaction closed on 3 October 2017.

The new partnership will help AFK secure more access to the booming Chinese air travel market, especially to Shanghai, where CEA is headquartered, and which is also China's biggest business market. It will also help strengthen AFK’s control over trans-Atlantic flights.

Please read more here.

Standard Chartered announces aviation leasing platform in Tianjin

 

CBI member Standard Chartered announced that through Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited, it has established an aviation leasing company – Pembroke Aircraft Leasing (Tianjin) Limited (“Pembroke”) – in the Dongjiang Free Trade Port zone (DFTP) in Tianjin, China. This makes Standard Chartered the first foreign bank to set up an aviation leasing business in the DFTP.

With this set up in the DFTP, Pembroke will be able to offer Chinese airline clients a greater selection of aircraft leasing solutions to enhance their business operations. Standard Chartered and Pembroke Capital Limited (the Bank’s wholly-owned aircraft leasing company) provide comprehensive aviation financing and leasing services to support the global aircraft leasing business.

It currently manages a fleet of over 130 aircraft, serving major airlines in 29 countries around the world.

Please read more here.