16-22 June 2020 I flightglobal.

com

INVESTMENT

Paris propels
A320 successor
French funding could set new
narrowbody soaring by 2033

£3.90 High anxiety Freight expectations

2 4
How pilots are coping as Will cabin cargo adaptations
demand is depressed 10 outlive coronavirus crisis? 24
9 770015 371310
 CONTENTS
Volume 197 Number 5740
16-22 JUNE 2020

Pilots prepare for redundancies

and reduced opportunities P10

Skycolors/Shutterstock
NEWS COVER STORY
BEHIND THE HEADLINES
7 France puts 16-22 June 2020 I flightglobal.com

Murdo Morrison did the €15 billion into INVESTMENT

Paris propels
heavy lifting for our special THIS WEEK aerospace A320 successor
French funding could set new

report exploring how 6 Vaccine can restore A380’s role – Clark narrowbody soaring by 2033

8 PIA probe suggests A320 was not faulty. Comprehensive

innovative carriers have
Airframer data reveals coronavirus impact rescue plan involves
employed their redundant investment, loan
airliners to transport cabin 9 Red Hawk advances after critical design check. guarantees and
cargo during the coronavi- FlightGlobal Premium: delivering for you subsidies to protect

AirTeamImages
rus crisis (P24). And Craig and transform sector
AIR TRANSPORT £3.90
2 4
High anxiety
How pilots are coping as
Freight expectations
Will cabin cargo adaptations

Hoyle heard how A400M 10 US flightcrew face uncertain prospects

9 770015 371310
demand is depressed 10 outlive coronavirus crisis? 24

operators including the 11 Lower fuel prices fail to lift older fleet.
Spanish air force have also IATA forecasts largest-ever airline losses in 2020 FEATURES
been busy countering the 12 Air New Zealand braces for slowdown.
global pandemic (P21) Administrators seek to postpone SAA plan
24 Special delivery
13 Fuel disparity issues prompt 777 change
With most passenger flights grounded, urgent
VIEW FROM THE COCKPIT cargo demand is keeping many airlines solvent.
Airbus Defence & Space

14 How to deal with job market turbulence Will a shortfall of bellyhold capacity drive
DEFENCE passenger-to-freighter solutions?
16 F-35 delivers step change for Australia
17 US Army to test updated engine on Chinook.
Super Hornet takes off with AARGM-ER.
Challenger 650s upgrade Ottawa’s fleet
18 Invictus team forms up for FARA fly-off.
REGULARS New Zealand approves Hercules successor deal
5 Comment
29 Straight & Level NEWS FOCUS
21 How a crisis saw Atlas span the globe
30 Letters
33 Classified BUSINESS AVIATION
US Air Force

34 Jobs 22 Lilium nets $35 million in fresh funding

35 Working Week 23 Bye plans big brother for eFlyer family.
ASL launches VIP service with Embraers US Army set to trial upgraded Chinook engine P17

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flightglobal.com 16-22 June 2020 | Flight International | 3
CONTENTS

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Elizabeth for the first time
on 9 June. Four of the short
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4 | Flight International | 16-22 June 2020 flightglobal.com


Still triumphant
Macron economics
While France has taken a multifacted approach to rescuing its aerospace
industry, there is little sign of action on the other side of the English Channel
rance’s decision to rescue its aerospace in-
F dustry with a €15 billion ($17 billion) bail-
out can be greeted with a variety of reactions.
For example, the purchase of domestically
produced aircraft for government operators
causes the barest of gallic shrugs.
And for the overall package, one cynical
view is that “it is just France trying to be in
charge again”.
Yes, to some extent the intervention is en-
tirely in line with the country’s dirigiste im-
pulses of the past. The very existence of Air-
bus bears testimony to this controlling nature.
However, to dismiss the move as simply
France being France is to miss the point.
When 300,000 jobs are on the line, including
those of 35,000 highly skilled engineers, a
country should act to shore up that industry.
Other strategic imperatives will also have
been at play. For instance, sales of multimil-
lion-dollar aircraft globally help reduce an
otherwise sizeable trade deficit that exports
of cheese and wine will struggle to match.
Although the main focus of the bailout has
been on what it means for industrial giants
Airbus and Safran, the stimulus package also
recognises the importance of preserving a sup-
ply chain comprising thousands of small and
medium-sized enterprises.
That does not mean preserving them in
aspic, however: a substantial portion of the
bailout fund is devoted to modernising the
industry through digitalisation and robotics,
as well as bankrolling consolidation.
Besides, Paris’s proposals are strongly
flightglobal.com
COMMENT
Cargo cult
efore coronavirus, cargo was a wel-
B come but unglamorous component of
most airline business models. Tucked
away in the belly of passenger jets, next to
the baggage, and invisible to the travelling
public and crew alike, freight was often
taken for granted.
All that changed in March, when pas-
senger flights came to a juddering halt and
– like fishing boats and pleasure steamers
Frederic Legrand/Shutterstock
drafted as Dunkirk rescue ships – airliners
were rushed into service as improvised
freighters, their economy cabins crammed
with urgently needed personal protective
equipment (PPE) and medical goods.
Now with the virus in retreat and econ-
omies and air travel slowly reopening,
how could the long and difficult recovery
from this crisis affect the way cargo is
moved around the world?
The desperate shortages of PPE are
abating and a global recession will damp-
en demand for air freight generally. But
caution among the public to start flying
again and airlines over relaunching
focused on the environment. Rather than services could mean a continuing imbal-
simply shoring up the sector against the cur-
rent crisis, the rescue package is designed to
ance between belly capacity and the
volume of goods requiring transport.
prepare the industry for a low-carbon future. This could in turn spark demand for
Some €1.5 billion over three years will fund flexible overhaul packages that allow air-
research and development into new airliners, lines to temporarily strip out seating and
business jets and helicopters, and the low-emis- interior fixtures from passenger jets, or op-
sion propulsion systems powering them. erate them as hybrid aircraft, with passen-
gers and freight sharing the same cabin. In
the longer term, carriers could swap older
Sales of multimillion-dollar types for passenger-to-freight conversions.
aircraft globally help reduce an Even more bizarrely, a combination of
cheap fuel and lack of belly capacity
otherwise sizeable trade could rip up the obituaries of the Airbus
A380 and Boeing 747-400, as unwanted
deficit that exports of cheese examples are given an extended lease of
and wine will struggle to match life as super-freighters.
As with so much else, coronavirus
could shake up the sedate world of air
freight for some time. ■
Contrast this with the UK’s so-far non-exist- See Feature P24
ent support for its domestic aerospace indus-
try, which, according to trade body ADS, sup-
ports 111,000 employees and generates
annual exports of £34.2 billion ($43.2 billion).
If Downing Street does not want the UK to
be left behind, particularly in a post-Brexit
world, it is imperative that it outlines quickly
its vision for the future.
Much as some in power may hate to admit
it, perhaps there is something to learn from
British Airways
the French. After all, Paris does not believe
laissez-faire is the right approach, and nor
should the UK. ■ Not self-loading
See This Week P7
16-22 June 2020 | Flight International | 5
THIS WEEK

BRIEFING
NEW US AIR FORCE CHIEF APPROVED
APPOINTMENT The US Senate on 9 June confirmed General
Charles Q Brown as the next US Air Force chief of staff, approving
him by a vote of 98 to zero. To succeed General David Goldfein
from 6 August, Brown will become the first African American to
serve as a US military service chief. A Lockheed Martin F-16 pilot
with combat experience, Brown is currently commander of US
Pacific Air Forces at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.

GE SHIPS FIRST F414 FOR KF-X FIGHTER

Stefan Holm/Shutterstock
PROPULSION GE Aviation has delivered its first F414-400K
engine for Korea Aerospace Industries’ KF-X fifth-generation
fighter. Six prototypes of the twin-engined design will enter
flight testing from 2023, with GE to supply 15 engines by next
year. South Korea’s development programme is due to finish in Gulf carrier faces huge challenges to business model from pandemic
2026, with its air force aiming to order 120 of the stealthy
aircraft to replace its McDonnell Douglas F-4D/E Phantom and OUTLOOK MAX KINGSLEY-JONES LONDON

Vaccine can restore

Northrop F-5E/F fighters.

FRANCE BACKS INDUSTRY WITH ORDERS

A380’s role – Clark

SUPPORT As part of its €15 billion ($17 billion) support
package for industry, France will order new assets for military
and parapublic use. These include: eight Airbus Helicopters
H225M Caracal heavy-twins for the air force; a pair of H145s for
Securite Civile; and 10 twin-engined H160s – worth €200 mil- Emirates president emphasises the ‘potency’ of ultra-large
lion – to replace a portion of the Gendarmarie Nationale’s 26 airliners in post-coronavirus world if inoculation is available
H125 light-singles. Additionally, Paris will take another three
A330-based Phenix multi-role tanker-transports, plus an ALSR mirates Airline president Tim “would be folly” to exclude large
twin-turboprop surveillance aircraft E Clark expects the Airbus
A380 will continue to be a
widebodied aircraft in the future.
“The A380 has proven to be
F-15E TRIALS B61-12 NUCLEAR WEAPON “hugely potent” tool once the in- hugely successful and if fuel pric-
TESTING The US Air Force (USAF) has conducted initial test dustry begins recovering from the es were to stay at today’s levels, it
flights of a Boeing F-15E carrying inert B61-12 nuclear weapons coronavirus crisis. But he warns is [still] hugely potent,” he says.
developed by Sandia National Laboratories. Conducted in that it will hinge on the roll-out of However, in a scenario where
March, the work involved releasing the roughly 374kg (825lb) a global inoculation programme a vaccine does not become avail-
bomb at almost Mach 1 from above 25,000ft and also at around against the disease. able and the industry has to
1,000ft. The USAF’s Lockheed Martin F-16C/D and F-35 In an interview with consult- adopt the current short-term
fighters and Northrop Grumman B-2 and developmental B-21 ant John Strickland during the measures to counter the virus
bomber will also field the weapon. recent Arabian Travel Market spreading for longer, this “will
virtual event, Clark was asked introduce high level of condi-
FRAMEWORK DEAL BOOST FOR COMAC about the future of large airliners tionality into the drivers of de-
ORDER China Express Airlines has signed a framework agree- such as the A380 following the mand for air travel”, Clark says.
ment with Comac for the purchase of 100 ARJ21 and C919 pandemic. The Gulf carrier's fleet But he emphasises that if a
aircraft. No details of the split between types or contract value of 115 A380s have all been global inoculation programme is
were released. The deal is subject to shareholder approval. grounded since late March. implemented, “then the A380
However, China Express says it “plans to introduce” the aircraft “Much will depend on whether has a place”.
from this year. The pair will also co-operate on other areas, such we’ll get the vaccine and global Clark hints that Emirates will
as aircraft design, maintenance, and market development. inoculation programmes in place, seek to renegotiate the size of air-
and if you get that, [the crisis] will craft orders or their delivery
VIENNESE WHIRL AS LAUDA CHANGES COURSE all be behind us and we’ll get back schedule, but not until it better
STRATEGY Ryanair-owned Lauda has reversed a 29 May to business as usual,” he says. understands the impact of the
decision to close its Vienna base after the majority of pilots and Clark expects that if a vaccine is crisis on its business.
cabin crew backed a new collective labour agreement. Services rolled out quickly, the short-term The airline’s last eight A380s
will resume on 1 July with three Airbus A320s based at the effects of the crisis will “probably had been due for delivery over the
airport, rising to 10 by August. Originally, Lauda intended to last a year while primary [market] next year or so. Clark does not
base 16 A320s in the Austrian capital for the summer 2020 segments – corporate, leisure, disclose the status of the sched-
season, but this plan has been scaled back because of the VFR [visiting friends and rela- ule, but says the first aircraft
coronavirus crisis. Lauda adds that 90% of pilots and 66% of tives] – sort themselves out”. equipped with Emirates’ new
cabin crew backed the new collective labour agreement. But he is confident the busi- premium-economy cabin “is sit-
ness will return and says it ting in Toulouse waiting to go”. ■

6 | Flight International | 16-22 June 2020 flightglobal.com


FINANCE DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON
France puts €15 billion into aerospace
Comprehensive rescue plan involving investment, loan guarantees and subsidies aims to protect and transform sector
he French government has
T unveiled a wide-ranging €15
billion ($17 billion) financial sup-
port package for its aerospace
sector, intended to save jobs and
transform smaller businesses
while underscoring the need for
environmental progress.
The plan includes funds already
unveiled for Air France-KLM
Group and will be a mix of invest-
ment, loan guarantees and subsidy
to protect the “strategic” industry
from a “brutal” downturn.
French economy and finance
minister Bruno Le Maire outlined
the plan during a presentation on
9 June, stating that he did not ex-
pect air traffic to return to last
year’s levels for two or three years.
“The industry produced, it
employed, it innovated,” he
says. “The crisis put a stop to
this growth.”
TECHNOLOGY
‘Carbon-free aircraft’ a vital element within support package
A key plank of the French govern-
ment’s support package is tied to
efforts to decarbonise the sector,
with targets to develop carbon-
neutral air travel by 2035 rather
than 2050.
“France can become the
country of the carbon-free air-
craft,” says economy minister
Bruno Le Maire.
Research and development
funds of €1.5 billion ($1.7 billion)
will made available over the next
three years through civil aviation
research council CORAC.
This aid is intended to enable
development of technologies in
France to cut fuel consumption,
increase electrification, and
explore carbon-neutral fuels.
Airbus’s development of an
A320 successor, to enter service
from 2033, and the design of a
highly efficient regional aircraft
are among the target projects
that are outlined.
The government’s plan aims to
transform the aerospace sector
flightglobal.com
Economy ministry says up to 300,000 jobs – including 35,000 engineers – are threatened by downturn
Le Maire says 300,000 direct
and indirect jobs are threatened,
including those of 35,000 highly
skilled engineers. Without
public aid, he says, some
100,000 jobs will be at risk
within six months.
in order to “master” the integra-
tion of “disruptive” environmen-
tal technologies into aircraft
within a decade.
The strategy will lay the ground-
work for an environmentally friend-
lier successor to the A320, with
research focusing on a 30% im-
provement in fuel consumption
and a full biofuel capability, as well
as the potential for zero-emission
hydrogen-based technology.
This successor, it says, could
take the form of an initial
demonstrator by around 2026-
2028 and enter service between
2033-2035.
“[It] will define new global
standards for airliners in environ-
mental terms,” says the govern-
ment’s plan.
Paris has also outlined the
creation of a new highly efficient
regional aircraft – using either
hybrid electric or hydrogen
technology – to enter service
around 2030, following a
demonstrator in 2028.
He adds that some of the 1,300
French firms involved in aero-
space – particularly in the south
and west of the country – could
face bankruptcy.
Direct financial incentives in-
clude a scheme under which
Airbus Helicopters and
Dassault are also set to benefit
from the funding for greener
aircraft technologies.
Marignane-based Airbus
Helicopters will be supported in
the development of a successor
to the “best-selling” H125 light-
single, which has been in produc-
tion since 1975. This should be
highly efficient – offering fuel con-
sumption 40% lower than at pre-
sent – and capable of using a
hybrid powertrain initially.
Hydrogen fuel is envisaged for
a later version, a demonstrator of
which should arrive in 2029.
Although not specifically
named, Dassault – France’s only
executive jet manufacturer – is al-
most certain to be the recipient of
funding to develop “new business
aircraft running with 100% biofuel
and, in the longer term, powered
in part by hydrogen energy”.
The ministry also promises
funding for a hybrid general
aviation aircraft. ■
16-22 June 2020 | Flight International | 7
COVER STORY
Skycolors/Shutterstock
airlines will have a 12-month
moratorium on reimbursement of
export credit and the government
has also proposed to the European
Commission a temporary relaxa-
tion of reimbursement procedures
for new purchases of Airbus jets.
Small and medium-sized busi-
nesses in the aviation sector will
be the target of two funds: a capi-
tal investment fund of €1 billion
– aided by contributions from in-
dustry – will be active from July
to shore up equity and support
consolidation, plus a €300 mil-
lion fund to support production
transformation.
Some €500 million of this
funding will be available from
July, with the second tranche
available later. The government,
through Bpifrance, will initially
put in €200 million.
Airbus will contribute €116
million, while Safran’s share will
be €58 million. Thales and Das-
sault will each put in €13 million.
A fund manager and other inves-
tors will make up the balance.
“The stakes are considerable,”
says Le Maire, pointing out that
the French aerospace sector must
avoid falling behind Boeing and
rising Chinese rival Comac.
“Our objective is to avoid any
enforced departure of highly qual-
ified employees over the next few
years,” he says. “Falling orders
should not destroy skills that have
been built over decades.” ■
THIS WEEK
INVESTIGATION DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON
PIA probe suggests A320 was not faulty
Lack of Airbus advice after initial inquiry supports theory twinjet’s landing-gear was functioning normally before crash
reliminary information from
P the flight recorders of the
crashed Pakistan International Air-
lines (PIA) Airbus A320 in Karachi
have not indicated any reason for
operators to take safety action.
Airbus has contacted operators
of the aircraft type following the
22 May accident, which occurred
as the PIA jet, arriving from La-
hore as flight PK8303, attempted
to conduct a second approach
after executing a go-around.
Flight International under-
stands that operators have been
informed that Airbus has “no spe-
cific safety recommendations to
raise at this stage of the investiga-
tion”, following an initial analysis
of cockpit-voice and flight-data
recordings, air traffic control re-
cords, and site information.
While the inquiry has yet to
detail the circumstances of the
accident, the absence of any rec-
ommendations in the Airbus
communication provisionally
SALES JON HEMMERDINGER BOSTON DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON
Airframer data shows depth of coronavirus impact
ew figures covering order and
N delivery activity for the big
two airframers during May show
the ongoing impact of the corona-
virus crisis on their operations.
Of the two, Airbus fared mar-
ginally better, shipping 24 air-
craft. Although it booked no new
Boeing gained a commitment for one new 767 freighter from FedEx
8 | Flight International | 16-22 June 2020
International CFM56 engines
there would normally be 57cm
(22.4in) of ground clearance from
the underside of the nacelles.
The A320 had been the subject
of main landing-gear deployment
issues in 2013 that were traced to
actuator jamming. But crew com-
munications with Karachi air traf-
Shahzaib Akber/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
fic control had not referenced any
landing-gear problems.
A320 normal pre-landing
cockpit procedures include a land-
ing-gear down check that typically
accompanies setting the go-around
Only two occupants of flight PK8303 survived the 22 May accident altitude, arming of spoilers, and a
check on the flap configuration.
indicates that there was nothing the final approach such as the After the go-around, the crew
technically unsound about the descent rate. indicated to air traffic control that
aircraft and that its systems But the all-operator communi- the aircraft was unable to hold alti-
showed no unexpected or unu- cation indirectly strengthens evi- tude and had lost engine power.
sual response to crew actions. dence that the landing-gear of the Surveillance video images of the
No specific flight-data recorder aircraft was not malfunctioning aircraft’s final descent, as it at-
information has been released on before the jet apparently touched tempted a second approach, clear-
the status of the landing-gear dur- down on the runway on its en- ly show the landing-gear deployed.
ing the first approach to Karachi’s gine pods and climbed away. Just two of the A320's 99 occu-
runway 25L, or the dynamics of For a parked A320 with CFM pants survived the accident. ■
orders, customers did not cancel tions for 14 737 Max jets during delivered a total of 160 aircraft –
existing commitments.
Boeing, on the other hand, de-
the period and removed another
77 aircraft from the backlog be-
just half of the 313 it achieved in
the same period last year.
livered just four aircraft but cause of accounting adjustments. Boeing delivered no passenger
brought in orders for six 767 For Airbus, overall net orders jets during May, shipping a
freighters – one for FedEx and stand at 299 for the first five 737NG for conversion into a mili-
five for undisclosed customers. months of the year, while Boeing’s tary P-8 maritime patrol aircraft,
However, it recorded cancella- net order figure is in negative terri- one 767F and two 777Fs.
tory, to the tune of 264 aircraft. The new orders for the 767
Airbus’ deliveries included four freighter bring Boeing’s backlog
long-haul aircraft – two A350-900s for the type to 91 jets – enough to
to Air France and Lufthansa Tech- maintain about 2.5 years of pro-
nik, plus two A350-1000s to Brit- duction at the current three-per-
ish Airways and Etihad Airways – month rate.
and 20 single-aisle aircraft Boeing also shifted orders
including five A321neos, 12 between customers during the
A320neos, plus a single A319. month: a 747-8F and two 777Fs
Six of the A320neo-family de- previously scheduled for
Markus Mainka/Shutterstock
liveries went to Indian budget air- Volga-Dnepr were reallocated to
line IndiGo. Airbus also delivered UPS and undisclosed customers,
a pair of A220-300s to Air Canada. respectively. In turn, a 747-8F
Over the five months from was removed from UPS’s exist-
January to May, the airframer ing backlog. ■
flightglobal.com

PROGRAMME GARRETT REIM LOS ANGELES
Red Hawk to advance after
virtual critical design check
USAF trainer moves closer to production as aircraft and key subsystems gain approval
T he US Air Force (USAF) and
Boeing have conducted the
critical design review (CDR) for
the T-7A Red Hawk advanced jet
trainer.
Participants in the three-day
meeting, following 18 months of
development, met virtually, owing
to the coronavirus pandemic.
“This is an important step for-
ward in the life of this pro-
gramme,” says Shanika Sims, the
service’s air vehicle branch chief.
“This design review further so-
lidifies the aircraft and subsystem
designs, bringing the T-7A Red
Hawk closer to production.”
The CDR looked at the plat-
form’s ability to train novice pilots
bound for fourth- and fifth-genera-
tion fighters. Key focus areas in-
cluded the jet’s engine integration,
external pylons and pilot escape
system. Boeing personnel from St
Louis, Missouri, joined air force of-
ficials at Edwards AFB in Califor-
nia, Randolph AFB in Texas and
Wright-Patterson AFB, in Ohio.
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Boeing will supply an eventual 351 T-7As and 46 simulators for $9.2bn
“The combined government
and Boeing team continues to
leverage outside-the-box think-
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lising advanced engineering digi-
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Boeing also foresees opportuni-
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16-22 June 2020 | Flight International | 9
THIS WEEK
APPOINTMENT
CRAIG HOYLE LONDON
Erstwhile RAF
chief chosen as
next CAA chair
ormer Royal Air Force (RAF)
F chief of the air staff Sir Ste-
phen Hillier has received parlia-
mentary approval to become the
new chair of the UK Civil Avia-
tion Authority (CAA), succeed-
ing Dame Deirdre Hutton.
Speaking to the House of Com-
mons’ Transport Committee on 5
June, Hillier identified a smooth
departure by year-end from mem-
bership of the European Union
Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)
as an immediate focus area.
“My task is to make sure that
we continue in the CAA to be a
world-class regulator,” he says.
The coronavirus crisis has ex-
posed a need for the aviation regu-
lator to “generate greater resilience
in the aviation sector”, he adds.
As well as assuming regulation
authority from EASA, Hillier says
the CAA must help aviation re-
cover in an environmentally sus-
tainable way, and “deal with rap-
idly changing technology”, such
as unmanned systems and the
space environment. ■
subscribers were sent an email
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AIR TRANSPORT
OUTLOOK PILAR WOLFSTELLER LAS VEGAS
US flightcrew face uncertain prospects
As carriers adapt to reduced demand in wake of pandemic, pilots brace for job cuts and trainees fret on opportunities
s the US air transport indus-
A try starts to emerge from the
pandemic-induced disruption,
airlines are making difficult deci-
sions about how to right-size for
the current environment while
maintaining their ability to quick-
ly rebuild as demand returns.
Many have announced staff
reductions across the board, in-
cluding pilots, who require a
high level of both initial and re-
current training.
Industry observers expect the
sector to contract by about 30%
in the short term, and a bounce-
back could take up to five years.
This is leading to anxiety, frustra-
tion and resignation among pro-
fessional pilots and those who
had hoped to pursue a career in
commercial aviation.
The pilot shortage that the in-
dustry had long expected has
also, for the moment, abated.
“It’s no secret that this indus-
try is not stable,” says Cameron
Lampert, a 27-year-old certified
flight instructor in California
who wanted to make the jump to
being a regional airline pilot
later this year. “Anyone who
wants to get to the airlines now
will probably need two to three
times as long.”
But the coronavirus, after
bringing global aviation to a near-
standstill, will not stop the thou-
sands of pilot retirements in the
coming years. A mandatory re-
tirement age of 65 will thin the
ranks, meaning airlines need to
make a delicate balancing act
when it comes to furloughing, re-
cruiting and replacing pilots.
They need to bring costs
down significantly to match
their now-reduced operations,
but must also ensure they do not
completely choke off the pipe-
line of potential employees.
Last year, United Airlines
launched its “Aviate” pilot re-
cruitment programme, con-
ceived to train up to 10,000 new
flightcrew in the next 10 years.
The airline says that the plan is
10 | Flight International | 16-22 June 2020
Years of costly training are required to enter the commercial cockpit
still on track despite the down-
turn, as it attempts to replace the
400-800 pilots it expects to lose
to attrition annually.
“We are taking advantage of
this pause to not have to run so
fast,“ says Curtis Brunjes, a Boeing
787 captain and United’s manag-
ing director of pilot strategy.
“The long-term value
proposition for new
people coming in
remains unchanged.
Aviation is still an
attractive career”
Curtis Brunjes
Managing director of pilot strategy,
United Airlines
“The demand is still there, it’s
just depressed a bit in the short
term because of the Covid crisis.
The long-term value proposition
for new people coming in re-
mains unchanged. Aviation is
still an attractive career.”
Since March, some airlines
have cut back on bringing in pilot
candidates, and working pilots in
the lower third of airlines’ all-im-
commercial pilots to have at least
1,500h of flight time before join-
ing a passenger or cargo carrier,
up from 250h previously.
“People who do this have to
love it,” Tennyson says.
So commercial pilots who are
nowhere near retirement age are
worrying that the careers they
spent so much time, money and
effort to build may just disappear
if, as expected, furloughs and lay-
offs kick in later this year.
“As major airlines look at
ways to salvage or save their
Skycolors/Shutterstock
own pockets, the pilot group is
the first on the cutting block,”
says a pilot with a major US car-
rier who asked to remain anony-
mous. The ripple effect after
September will have long-lasting
portant seniority lists are prepar- detrimental effects on careers
ing for the day – perhaps later and livelihoods, even if the in-
this year – when they may need dustry rebounds more quickly,
to find another job. the pilot says.
In April, US commercial carri-
ers took government financial as- LEGAL LOOPHOLES
sistance through the CARES Act, Already today – more than three
designed to help airlines main- months before the government
tain operations even as passen- deadline – airlines are exploring
ger demand fell to near zero. In loopholes that could allow them to
return for the aid, airlines prom- cut costs while ensuring they do
ised no furloughs or job cuts not violate stipulations in the
until the end of September. But CARES Act. Displacement
many have already offered em- anouncements, accelerated aircraft
ployees generous buyout retirements and the folding of re-
schemes, early retirement op- gional carriers Compass Airlines
tions or long-term leave in order and Trans States Airlines and are
to preserve liquidity and manage contributing to pilots’ general angst
their cash. about the immediate future.
It usually takes about seven to Tennyson says the situation can
eight years of training and a be compared to the downturn
sizeable financial investment to after the 9/11 terrorist attacks al-
advance to a US commercial most 20 years ago. “At the time we
airline’s cockpit, says Elizabeth saw a lot of people move on to
Tennyson, executive director of other professions,” she says.
“You Can Fly”, an initiative That uncertainty, however,
launched by the Aircraft Owners does have a flip side that could
and Pilots’ Association (AOPA) to benefit the next generation of avi-
make aviation more accessible to a ators. “What we are hearing from
wider swathe of the population. flight schools is that within
The cost of this training varies, but about a month of going back to
can be as high as $100,000. work, they have about as many
The path to becoming an air- students as they had prior to
line pilot in the USA became this,” Tennyson says. ■
more rigorous following a 2013 See View From The Cockpit
rule that in most cases requires P14
flightglobal.com

REVENUE GRAHAM DUNN LONDON
IATA forecasts largest-ever airline losses for 2020
ATA is projecting airlines will
I post their biggest-ever collective
net loss this year – totalling $84.3
billion – and will remain in the
red in 2021, as the association
made its first forecast of the scale
of industry losses since the
coronavirus crisis hit.
The body had already indicated
global passenger traffic this year
would be roughly half 2019 levels,
as lockdowns and travel restric-
tions brought international
passenger services to a virtual
standstill in the second quarter.
STRATEGY JON HEMMERDINGER BOSTON
Lower fuel prices fail to lift older fleet
Operators put newer, more efficient types back to work first, realising cost benefits and avoiding maintenance expenses
he coronavirus downturn and
T resulting cheap fuel have not
yet led the world’s airlines to fa-
vour older narrowbody aircraft
over newer, more efficient jets, de-
spite predictions to the contrary.
Cirium data shows that amid
the downturn and hints of recov-
ery, carriers are largely operating
efficient, modern types such as
Airbus A320neo-family aircraft.
The trend reflects an effort by
airlines to realise the fuel-effi-
ciency benefits of newer jets and
avoid the expense of maintaining
older aircraft, says Cirium head
of valuations George Dimitroff.
“Despite what anyone may tell
you – [that] low fuel prices mean
older aircraft are going to be in
vogue – it’s not happening,” Dim-
itroff said during an 8 June web-
cast hosted by financial services
company Jefferies. “Older aircraft
are being retired.”
Airlines are putting newer,
more-efficient jets “to work first”
as the industry begins a slow re-
covery, he says. That strategy ena-
bles carriers to realise benefits
from both improved efficiency
and cheaper fuel, Dimitroff says.
Some analysts had speculated
that cheap fuel, which reduces
the financial differential of effi-
flightglobal.com
Revealed on 9 June, the $84.3
billion estimate, which surpasses
the $30 billion loss incurred fol-
lowing the financial crisis in
2008-2009, confirms the extent of
losses suffered by airlines during
the pandemic and brings a 10-
year run of profits to an end. The
airline association had in Decem-
ber 2019 projected industry prof-
its could reach almost $30 billion
this year.
The expected loss virtually
wipes out the cumulative $91.3
billion net profits the industry
ciency, might lead carriers to fa-
vour older over newer jets. Jet
fuel prices have declined by
45% from the levels they were at
a year ago, according to IATA.
But Dimitroff points to data
showing that the passenger air-
craft in storage are, on average,
older than in-service jets.
In the first months of this year,
Cirium data shows airlines
placed some 15,000 passenger
aircraft into storage as the
coronavirus pandemic spread
around the world.
Consequently, the in-service
fleet declined from 28,000 pas-
senger aircraft in January to about
13,000 at the end of April. Air
travel demand has since inched
higher, and airlines now have
about 16,000 aircraft in service,
according to Cirium.
Those in-service aircraft in-
clude roughly 7,540 Airbus and
Boeing single-aisle aircraft: 737s
and A320s plus A220s, which
have an average age of 8.9 years.
By comparison, the roughly
8,500 Airbus and Boeing narrow-
bodies in storage average 11 years
old, data shows. These figures in-
clude 383 grounded 737 Max jets.
The same trend holds for twin-
engined widebodies such as 767s,
has posted over the past three
years.
While IATA expects a sharp
improvement in passenger de-
mand in 2021 – albeit still below
2019 levels – a tough cost and
yield environment will keep air-
lines in the red.
Detailing the latest outlook,
IATA chief economist Brian
Pearce says the outlook is based
on a “phased opening of mar-
kets” and a “cautious” view on
the return of business travel and
passenger confidence.
Around 15,000 passenger jets were stored as pandemic hit demand
777s, 787s, A330s and A350s.
The roughly 2,400 of those
types now in service are about 7.5
years old on average, while the
2,150 in storage have an average
age of 12 years, according to Ciri-
um. About two-thirds of all 787s
and A350s – both newer-genera-
tion jets – are in service, while
only one-third of 767s, a previ-
ous-generation jet, are flying.
Dimitroff says maintenance
costs are among the most signifi-
cant factors influencing this
16-22 June 2020 Flight International | 11
AIR TRANSPORT
The association has also fac-
tored in “the impact of the reces-
sion, which will damage the
ability of people to travel”.
A “significant” rise in reve-
nues is predicted in 2021 allow-
ing airlines to “substantially re-
duce their losses”. However,
carriers will remain $15.8 billion
in the red, he says.
IATA has not forecast beyond
2021, but says that based on the
current recovery trend “2022
looks like it could be a year for a
return to profit”. ■
Adam Melnyk/Shutterstock
trend. A heavy maintenance
check and two engine overhauls
can cost as much as $16 million
per aircraft, he notes.
Faced with those potential
bills, Dimitroff says airlines are
tending to keep aircraft that
might soon need maintenance
checks grounded in the early
stages of the recovery.
“If an aircraft is approaching
one of those [maintenance]
milestones, it’s more likely to be
retired,” he says. ■
AIR TRANSPORT

RESTRUCTURE DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON

Administrators seek to postpone SAA rescue plan

escue practitioners trying to
R save South African Airways
(SAA) are seeking creditors’ ap-
proval for a further postpone-
ment to the deadline for publish-
ing a business plan for the
embattled flag carrier.
The team has previously se- the majority of SAA personnel,
cured four extensions to deadlines
for publishing a plan – the most re-
have sent a letter to the practi-
tioners seeking a further post-
cent to 8 June – since the flag carri- ponement to 15 June.
er entered the rescue process in A draft business rescue plan
December last year. has already been distributed to
But three unions, representing employees and creditors, and
had been awaiting the inclusion
of submissions from the respec-
tive workers’ and creditors’ com-
mittees, following consultations
scheduled for 4 June.
The practitioners state that
there have been “meaningful en-
gagements” with the creditors’
committee regarding the draft
plan, but that the employees’
committee wanted instead to
consult via the “leadership com-
Vytautas Kielaitis/Shutterstock
three unions – metal workers’
union NUMSA, cabin crew asso-
ciation SACCA, and pilot group
SAAPA – have objected to the
business plan being published on
8 June, and have sought the ex-
tension.
“The practitioners thought it
would not be appropriate to pro-
ceed with the publication of the
business rescue plan without
conveying the request of the un-
ions that represent a majority of
the SAA employees,” the practi-
tioners state.
“Should such request be ap-
proved the practitioners will do
everything possible to limit the
negative impact of the extension

pact” which was unveiled on 1 of the publication date.”

May by the government’s depart-
ment of public enterprises.
“This consultation has not oc-
curred,” the practitioners add.
Unions want publication of next steps to be delayed until 15 June Legal representatives for the
They point out that any exten-
sion “will not stop” the practition-
ers from taking necessary meas-
ures to conserve cash and protect
the interests of the airline. ■

OUTLOOK GREG WALDRON SINGAPORE

Air New Zealand braces for slowdown

Carrier makes swingeing cost savings, predicting it will be 30% smaller by 2022 with no quick return of long-haul flights
ir New Zealand (ANZ) has
A painted a stark picture of the
next two years, expecting to be
just 70% of its pre-crisis size in
2022, with long-haul travel a
distant prospect for 2021.
In a letter to employees, ANZ
chief executive Greg Foran
expects that the carrier will fly
just 13 million passengers in
2022, compared with 18 million
and leases for aircraft; executive
roles, office space and even
company vehicles.
“We are leaving no stone
unturned. Our wage bill is down
by a third now but our revenue
has fallen by more than two-
thirds. We need to balance the
scales further.”
The company hopes to cut an
additional NZ$150 million ($98
Jordan Tan/Shutterstock

per year before the coronavirus
pandemic struck.
Cost cutting remains a major
focus for the airline, and 4,000
employees have already departed
the company.
“We have had to start radical-
ly overhauling our cost base,”
says Foran.
“From grounding our [Boeing]
777 fleet to deferring expendi-
ture on new aircraft, hangars and
parking; seeking savings across
contracts in our supply chain
million) from its wage bill. This
will be achieved through leave
without pay, reduced hours, job
sharing and voluntary exits. Re-
dundancies are on the table as a Airline has delayed spending on new aircraft and is cutting wage bill
last resort.
As for international travel, to long-haul flying of any note He adds that the pandemic
Foran believes that initially this until next year. We believe that will permanently change the in-
will only cover trans-Tasman until there is a vaccine, effective dustry: “This event is not a hic-
routes to Australia, as well as to treatment or elimination of the cup; very few airlines will return
the Pacific island nations. He disease in key markets, the New to the former ways of working.
offers a bleak outlook for Zealand government will not The survivors will be more fo-
long-haul flying. fully open its borders for growth cused, lower cost and provide
“We are not factoring a return in long-haul air travel.” better customer service.” ■

12 | Flight International | 16-22 June 2020 flightglobal.com

 AIR TRANSPORT

SAFETY DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON

Fuel disparity issues prompt 777 change

US regulator addresses ‘design flaw’ with quantity-indicating system on centre wing tank after 25 in-flight occurrences
oeing is developing a modifi-
B cation for passenger and
freighter 777s after the discovery
of a fuel discrepancy problem in-
volving the centre wing tank.
The modification follows at
least 25 instances of disparity be-
tween the aircraft’s fuel-quantity
indicator for the centre tank and
the uplifted amount from refuel-
ling trucks – after which the crew
received a “fuel disagree” or “in-
sufficient fuel” message within
3h of departure.
At least 16 of these occurrenc-
es led the crew to continue the
flight, after which six aircraft
arrived safely at their destination
while 10 had to land at a diver-
sion airport.
The 777 has a centre wing tank
of 98,700 litres (26,100USgal)
plus a left and right wing tank

each with capacity of 35,200
litres. The issue only affects the
centre tank.
Investigation of the insufficient
fuel situation has traced the issue
to a “design flaw” in the fuel-
quantity indicating system, says a
US Federal Aviation Administra-
tion (FAA) directive.
This flaw results in improper
fuel density calculation and leads
the indicator to show a different
fuel-quantity to that actually
present in the centre wing tank.
INCONSISTENCY
“In almost all of the events, the
[indicator] showed more fuel
than the actual fuel quantity in
the [tank], resulting in less fuel
on the [aircraft] than the required
fuel load for the mission,” says
the directive.
But it states that the discrepan-
cy can also work the other way,
with the indicator suggesting less
fuel than the total uplifted, and
the aircraft carrying more than
necessary.
The problem is complicated by
difficulties in comparing the fuel
uplifted from the truck, or
hydrant, with the quantity on
board the aircraft.
FAA is mandating repetitive inspections while Boeing works on permanent solution for widebody twin
This is because the fuelling
system uses the aircraft’s indica-
tor to stop the fuelling process
when the requested uplift has
been carried out.
These calculations
are not easy, says
the FAA, and are
“prone to significant
inaccuracies”
Paying for fuel requires a vol-
ume measurement, which in-
volves calculations that consider
the fuel mass and take into ac-
count remaining fuel in the tank
from the previous flight.
These calculations are not easy,
says the FAA, and are “prone to
significant inaccuracies”.
While fuelling procedures re-
quire checks to verify the correct
fuel has been uplifted to the
aircraft, it adds, there is evidence
that such verification is some-
times “not accomplished or
done incorrectly”.
If the aircraft subsequently
departs with insufficient fuel, its
fuel management system will
typically advise of quantity
anomalies within the first 3h of
flight – requiring the crew to
carry out leak checks, or consider
either turning back or diverting.
Opting to proceed with the
flight, the FAA points out,
presents the potential risk of fuel
exhaustion before the aircraft is
able to land at its destination or
reach its diversion airport.
PRESSING NEED
While Boeing has been develop-
ing a modification for 777s, the
FAA says there is an “urgency” to
the situation which requires
interim safety measures.
It is ordering a repetitive
check on the centre wing tank
fuel-quantity indication through
Carlos Yudica/Shutterstock
a new procedure, called
refuelling station door cycling,
to be carried out after any centre
tank fuelling.
This procedure involves
accessing the refuelling station
door on the left wing, closing it
for a few seconds, then opening
the door again and waiting for the
fuel-quantity display to reset.
If the fuel tank’s quantity is in-
correct – outside of loadsheet re-
quirements – then the fuel load
must be adjusted, and the cycling
procedure repeated.
The directive also requires the
aircraft flight manual to be re-
vised to include flightcrew ac-
knowledgement that they have
received notification that the
door cycling procedure has been
carried out.
Once the Boeing modification
for the 777’s fuel-quantity indi-
cating system is developed,
approved, and available, the FAA
says it might consider issuing
additional directives. ■

flightglobal.com 16-22 June 2020 Flight International | 13

VIEW FROM THE COCKPIT
How to deal with job market turbulence
In the latest in our series, we find out how one pilot is coping with redundancy due to the coronavirus-driven downturn
ANDRES
CZAJKOWSKI
FORMER BOEING
737 PILOT,
VIRGIN
AUSTRALIA
s an airline pilot who has
A recently been made redun-
dant, I’m now struggling to find
any type of employment.
Sure, the economy is not look-
ing good and we are in unprece-
dented times, but even the most
“basic” industries must need
people to fill roles (maybe even to
fill rolls).
However, the feedback I have
received numerous times is that I
am “overqualified”. My confi-
dence is definitely taking a beat-
ing; I should be getting calls left,
right and centre but the phone
just is not ringing.
Coming from the airline world,
where gaining and retaining your
qualifications feels like a never-
ending process, I find the rejec-
tion a bit jarring.
After all, I thought I would be
the ideal candidate to drive a
courier van or stack shelves: I
have a strong work ethic, learn
quickly, show up on time and I’m
not afraid of putting in the hours!
KEY ATTRIBUTES
I’ve been dealing with on-time
performance, managing crews,
problem solving, and data
analysis for as long as I’ve been a
pilot.
Most of the roles I’ve applied
for are infinitely less complex
than being at the controls of a
highly sophisticated modern air-
liner and its precious cargo.
So if I am overqualified to
stack shelves or pack boxes, what
roles am I suited to? What can a
pilot bring to the table? Or, know-
ing that there are many others in
my shoes, what can we bring?
Because flying an aircraft has
become such an ingrained reflex,
90% of the tasks I perform on the
flightdeck now require more
14 | Flight International | 16-22 June 2020
Trouble shooting, adaptability and having a plan b could prove vital in helping plan your next steps
instinct than thought.
But it is not those core flying
skills I need to be thinking about:
after all, a courier van doesn’t
have thrust levers, flaps and
landing gear.
Actually, it’s clearly the wider
skill set that will serve me best
in the hunt for non-flightdeck
employment.
Crew resource
management trains us
to have good people
skills: we are strong
communicators and
effective team leaders
As pilots, we are self aware,
have solid intelligence quotients,
and score well on emotional in-
telligence. Crew resource man-
agement trains us to have good
people skills, too: we are strong
communicators and effective
team leaders.
We are detail orientated, as
well as having solid situational
awareness. We analyse data con-
tinuously, trouble shoot and
problem solve; we are adaptable,
can quickly think of a plan b
(sometimes even a plan c, d or e).
These are all skills that we
continuously prove out in the
real world. Sure, they are tai-
lored to a particular occupation,
but are applicable to many other
jobs out there.
One role that was recently
highlighted to me is that of opera-
tional manager. This requires the
ability to manage a project
through to its conclusion, an eye
for detail, critical thinking, com-
munication, adaptability, creativ-
ity, innovation, data literacy and,
most importantly, leadership.
See any parallels yet? Cap-
tains, as well as first and second
officers possess all those skills
and more. Sure, captains have
shinier epaulettes and get to exer-
cise these skills more than the
rest of us, but just because we
have two or three bars instead of
four doesn’t mean we don’t have
the same command endorsement
or the same capabilities.
STAYING POWER
So, I am encouraging myself to
shoot higher, persevere and work
towards a better future, regardless
of what happens in aviation. I
can’t control that, I can only con-
trol my attitude and what I do
about the situation.
I am heartened to think that I
have something of value to offer.
I might have to work harder than
PeterFZ/Shutterstock
the candidate next to me who has
been in a management role for
the past couple of decades, but
what’s new about that? I wouldn’t
have secured a place in the
cockpit if it hadn’t been for my
perseverance, tenacity and never-
say-die attitude. Besides, any role
can be learnt.
I have to believe that someone
will look at my skills and give me
a shot. I would hate to think that I
will have to work in a “brain
dead” job for the next two years.
But if aviation teaches us
anything, it is that we can adapt,
we can conquer and – most
importantly – we can overcome. ■
Andres Czajkowski is a Boeing
737 pilot, most recently
employed by Virgin Australia
at its New Zealand unit. That
operation was closed in April
as a result of the coronavirus
pandemic
If you are a commercial pilot
and fancy writing for Flight
International, we would love to
hear from you. Just send us a
brief outline of what you would
like to cover and we will get
back in touch. We will also be
happy to feature your
contributions anonymously
where needed. Email dominic.
perry@flightglobal.com
flightglobal.com
DEFENCE

FLEET GREG WALDRON SINGAPORE

F-35 delivers step change for Australia

With 17 examples of stealth fighter now in the country, nation is exploring capabilities with first operational squadron
anberra’s acquisition of the
C Lockheed Martin F-35A
marks a huge improvement in ca-
pability, according to the com-
manding officer of the Royal Aus-
tralian Air Force’s (RAAF’s) first
operational squadron for the type.
Wing Commander Darren
Clare, who leads the service’s 3
Sqn, based at RAAF William-
town, New South Wales, says it is
steadily building capability and
understanding of the new asset.
Twelve of the 17 F-35As now
permanently located in Australia
are operated by 3 Sqn, with the

others assigned to the 2 Sqn oper-
ational conversion unit, also at
Williamtown. Another five air-
craft and seven instructors remain
at Luke AFB, Arizona, as part of
the F-35 programme’s internation-
al training system.
Four more F-35As are due to
be ferried to Australia in late July.
Canberra has plans to obtain 72
examples, but could eventually
increase this to 100.
Australia’s Department of De-
fence (DoD) says its F-35s are
cleared to employ a “suite of air-
to-air and air-to-ground weapons”
including Raytheon AIM-120
AMRAAM and AIM-9X missiles,
and GPS- and laser-guided bombs.
Overall, Australia’s fleet has
flown more than 6,500h. Final op-
erating capability will be declared
when it has stood up another two
frontline squadrons: 75 and 77.
Clare – who flies the F-35
about three times per week –
previously operated both the
Boeing F/A-18A/B “Classic” and
F/A-18F Super Hornet.
“The Classic fits like a glove
and is the one that I’ve put the
most hours on,” he says. “But if I
was going to be heading into com-
bat these days, I wouldn’t want to
be in anything besides an F-35. It’s
quite an amazing machine.”
Australia’s move to the more
capable and stealthy F-35A has
involved some tactical changes.
Clare says sensor integration im-
proved when he moved from the
Pilots of Williamtown-based 3 Sqn are learning to manage sensors, formation and signature with type
F/A-18A/B to the Super Hornet,
but that this has been fully real-
ised on the F-35A. Aircraft can
now fly with greater separation,
with pilots receiving fused tacti-
cal information on one screen.
“Changing to a stealthy aircraft
changes your mindset in tactics,”
Clare says. “When I grew up flying
the Classic Hornet, we were basi-
cally shooting AIM-7 [air-to-air
missiles] and dropping some la-
ser-guided bombs, and that was
about it. Tactically [an F-35 pilot]
is more a battlespace manager.
“We do BFM [basic fighter
manoeuvres] and dogfighting, but
we obviously try not to get there in
the first place. You’re managing
your sensors, formation and signa-
tures.” The F-35’s datalinks are
also consistent with the RAAF’s
“Plan Jericho” initiative, launched
in early 2015, to improve connec-
tivity across its military.
BOOM TIME
One major change for pilots con-
verting from F/A-18-series jets is
the use of an air-to-air refuelling
boom. This connects with a recep-
tacle located on the upper fuselage
behind the cockpit, concealed
beneath “a couple of doors”, to
protect the aircraft’s stealthy skin.
“The [previous, hose and
drogue] basket might have been
moving around, but I was the one
in control of when I was actually
going to engage, plug in and get
the fuel,” Clare says. “It requires a
bit more attention to stay in the
right spot so the boom does not
have to work too hard.”
Still, RAAF crews are familiar
with the new technique, and long
delivery transits from the USA
across the Pacific Ocean afford
ample opportunities to practice.
Considerable work has also
gone into working with Austral-
ia’s Super Hornet, EA-18G
Growler electronic attack and
Boeing E-7A Wedgetail airborne
early warning and control system
aircraft units. Clare notes that
since the RAAF is relatively
small, it is easy to work with col-
leagues in such a way.
While the service still has a
strong presence at Luke AFB,
shifting the majority of its train-
ing to Williamtown earlier this
year changed the centre of gravity
for its F-35A activities. All main-
tenance training is now under-
taken in Australia, and the pilot
conversion course has already
Commonwealth of Australia
produced its first graduates.
Maintenance personnel have
been drawn not just from the Hor-
net community, but the full range
of types in the service’s inventory,
and even the retired Boeing 707
tanker and General Dynamics
F-111. They are supported by
Lockheed field representatives
with long experience of the pro-
gramme. “When my team’s got
questions about a maintenance
procedure, they receive expert ad-
vice,” Clare says.
Australia’s DoD acknowledges
that there are challenges with the
F-35’s Autonomic Logistics
Information System, but believes
that the Joint Program Office’s
plan to replace this with a new
Operational Data Integrated Net-
work system will simplify main-
tenance, reduce costs, and also be
easier to upgrade.
Clare describes Australia’s
F-35A experience as a real team
effort. “We’ve done a lot of train-
ing, and continue to do that,” he
says. “We couldn’t do it without
the support of all the other air
force elements, as well as the
contracting industry partners and
the like. That’s really the key to
the success of the F 35.” ■

16 | Flight International | 16-22 June 2020 flightglobal.com


TRIAL GARRETT REIM LOS ANGELES
Super Hornet makes flying start with AARGM-ER
he US Navy (USN) on 1 June
T completed the first captive
carry flight test of a Northrop
Grumman Advanced Anti-Radia-
tion Guided Missile – Extended
Range (AARGM-ER) on a Boeing
F/A-18E Super Hornet.
During the debut sortie, con-
ducted from NAS Patuxent River
in Maryland, the F/A-18E per-
formed a series of “aerial manoeu-
vres to evaluate integration and
structural characteristics” of the
weapon, the USN says. It provid-
ed no further details.
The navy plans to use the data
collected during initial testing to
support further flights, which
PROPULSION GARRETT REIM LOS ANGELES
US Army to test Honeywell’s
updated engine on Chinook
Service will assess T55-714C powerplant’s 25% output boost and increased efficiency
oneywell is to demonstrate a
H more powerful variant of its
T55 turboshaft on the US Army’s
Boeing CH-47F Chinook heavy-
lift helicopter.
The -714C generates 6,000shp
(4,470kW): 25% more power than
the current T55 model, Honey-
well says. The updated design
burns 10% less fuel, and would
also have lower operating costs
and be easier to maintain, it adds.
Uprated turboshaft is based on version currently in use with CH-47
flightglobal.com
will continue over the next sev-
eral years to prepare the weapon
to reach initial operational capa-
bility in 2023.
Northrop was awarded a low-
rate initial production lot one
contract in April 2020 to begin
manufacturing the AARGM-ER.
The USN has not disclosed the
number of missiles to be deliv-
ered under this order.
The AARGM-ER is designed to
destroy enemy air-defence sys-
tems, such as surface-to-air mis-
sile batteries and radar sites. Im-
provements over the in-service
AARGM weapon include a new
rocket motor and warhead, says
The test effort comes after the
US Army launched an activity
last year to demonstrate GE
Aviation’s T408 powerplant on
the twin-engined Chinook.
Producing 7,500shp, this was
developed for the US Marine
Corps’ Sikorsky CH-53K heavy-
lift helicopter.
Honeywell claims the upgrad-
ed T55 would be easier to install
than the T408.
US Air Force
the USN, which has not disclosed
details of its enhanced range.
Current plans call for the
AARGM-ER to be integrated with
the navy’s F/A-18E/F and EA-18G
Growler electronic-attack aircraft
“Because the engine is based
closely on the version currently
in use, almost no airframe chang-
es are required – the same intake,
exhaust and engine airframe
mounts are used,” the company
says. “This provides the army
and national guard with a major
engine improvement without the
need to retrain their maintenance
and operational staff.”
Honeywell plans to offer the
US Army new-build examples of
the -714C, or will retrofit existing
T55s to the enhanced standard.
Under a co-operation research
and development agreement,
Honeywell plans to demonstrate
the updated T55 on a CH-47F at
Fort Eustis in Newport News, Vir-
ginia. The activity will be super-
vised by the US Army Combat
Capabilities Development Com-
mand Aviation & Missile Center.
The first T55 engines were de-
livered to the US Army in 1961
for installation on a CH-47A,
with the Lycoming design gener-
ating 2,050shp. ■
16-22 June 2020 | Flight International | 17
DEFENCE
Extended-range
missile can target
US Navy
air-defence systems
fleets. Eventually, the weapon is
also to be qualified on the service’s
Lockheed Martin F-35C, as well as
the type’s A- and B-model variants
for the US Air Force and US
Marine Corps. ■
MODERNISATION
GARRETT REIM LOS ANGELES
Ottawa acquires
Challenger 650s
in fleet upgrade
ombardier is to supply the
B Royal Canadian Air Force
with two Challenger 650 busi-
ness jets, with their delivery
scheduled for mid-year.
Announcing the deal on 6
June, Ottawa’s Department of Na-
tional Defence said the aircraft
should achieve initial operational
capability “by fall 2020”.
Acquired for C$105 million
($78.6 million), also including
initial training and spare parts,
the new aircraft will replace a
pair of Challenger 601s intro-
duced 35 years ago.
Cirium fleets data shows the
air force also operates two Chal-
lenger 604s, each 18 years old,
under the designation CC-144.
Canada has employed its Chal-
lenger fleet in a utility role for a
variety of missions, including
international reconnaissance, liai-
son missions with foreign coun-
tries, medical evacuation and re-
patriation and VIP transport.
The Challenger 650 has a
maximum range of 4,000nm
(7,400km) and can accommodate
up to 12 passengers. ■
DEFENCE
ROTORCRAFT GARRETT REIM LOS ANGELES
Invictus team forms up for FARA fly-off
Nine-strong group takes shape to supply prototype of Bell armed scout contender’s components, software and services
ell has struck agreements
B with nine companies to sup-
ply parts, software and services
for the 360 Invictus; its candi-
date for the US Army’s Future
Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft
(FARA) programme.
The rotorcraft manufacturer
and its team must move quickly
to build a first prototype, since
the US Army wants to see its two
FARA contenders flying by the
fourth quarter of fiscal year 2022.
The army in March 2020 se-
lected Bell and Sikorsky to build
and fly competing designs. Bell’s
candidate is a conventional heli-
copter incorporating a short wing
to provide additional lift in for-
ward flight and an auxiliary
power unit intended to help it
achieve a minimum required
cruise speed of 180kt (333km/h).
The 360 Invictus manufactur-
PROCUREMENT GARRETT REIM LOS ANGELES
New Zealand approves Hercules successor deal
he New Zealand government
T has approved the purchase of
five Lockheed Martin C-130J tac-
tical transports for $1.52 billion.
All to be produced in the
stretched-fuselage -30 configura-
tion, the airlifters will be deliv-
ered from 2024, with all five to be
in operation by 2025, says de-
fence minister Ron Mark.
The new transports will replace
the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s
five in-service H-model Hercules,
which will be retired gradually.
“Last year, cabinet selected
these aircraft as the preferred op-
in association with:
18 | Flight International | 16-22 June 2020
ing team includes Astronics,
which will provide a modular
framework for airframe power
generation, conversion and dis-
tribution, plus avionics hardware
and software integration partner
and mission systems supplier
Collins Aerospace.
ITT Enidine will provide pas-
sive liquid inertia vibration elim-
inator units for use during all
modes of flight. The rotorcraft
will also be equipped with a Wes-
cam MX-15D multispectral imag-
ing camera and targeting sensor
from L3Harris Technologies.
Mecaer Aviation Group will
provide a fully retractable tail-
dragger landing gear system, and
Moog flight-control computer
electronics, software and flight
control actuation.
The 360 Invictus’s main rotor
centrifugal force bearing, tail rotor
Nation’s C-130Hs will be replaced by J-models beginning in 2024
tion to replace the current Hercu-
les fleet,” says Mark. “Procure-
ment of the Super Hercules has
been my highest-capability priori-
Download the 2020
Wo r l d A i r Fo r c e s R e p o r t
w w w. f l i g h t g l o b a l . c o m / w a f
US Army wants airborne
demonstrations in 2022
Bell
tension torsion strap, rotor damp- grate a health awareness system in
ers and active vibration control support of Bell’s proposal.
system will come from Parker Scheduled to be introduced by
Lord. TRU Simulation + Training 2028, the FARA platform will suc-
will produce a high-fidelity simu- ceed the army’s Bell OH-58 Kiowa
lator. GE Aviation will provide its Warriors – the last of which were
T901 turboshaft engine to each of retired in 2017 – in the armed
the competitors. GE will also inte- scout and light-attack role. ■
aircrew and maintainer training,
plus a full-mission flight simulator.
New Zealand’s configuration
will include a wide-bandwidth,
high-speed satellite communica-
Royal New Zealand Air Force
tions system and an electro-
optical/infrared camera.
Besides providing cargo, trans-
port and humanitarian relief ca-
pabilities, the type will also re-
supply New Zealand’s research
base in Antarctica. Its defence
ty as minister of defence,” he adds. ministry notes that the C-130J’s
To be completed via Washing- 2,400nm (4,440km) range with a
ton’s Foreign Military Sales pro- 15t payload is about 33% greater
gramme, the deal also includes than its current H-model’s. ■
flightglobal.com
BUSINESS AVIATION
FINANCE DOMINIC PERRY LONDON
Lilium nets $35 million in fresh funding
Start-up prepares all-electric vertical take-off and landing design for return to flight testing after gaining new investment
erman start-up Lilium has
G been bolstered by further
funding, netting $35 million from
Scottish investment firm Ballie
Gifford, as it eyes a possible re-
sumption of flight testing of its
Lilium Jet later in the summer.
Although the first demonstra-
tor of the all-electric aircraft was
destroyed by a battery fire in
February, the Oberpfaffenhofen-
based firm believes it now fully
understands the cause of the
blaze and is confident there is no
underlying design fault.
Minor improvements have
been incorporated into the sec-
ond demonstrator aircraft, says
Lilium, although it stresses there
are no “fundamental” changes.
Chief executive Daniel
Wiegand says the enhancements
mostly relate to the Lilium Jet’s
powertrain rather than its aerody-
namics; “ultimately the flight
physics are the same”, he says.
Lilium’s design features 36
tilting fans spread across two
sets of wings: 12 at the front and
24 at the rear.
A restart of flight-test activity
hinges on the relaxation of social-
distancing measures in place due
to the coronavirus pandemic. The
company has switched to home
working for the majority of its 450
employees, with a “core team” of
50 engineering staff on site.
Wiegand acknowledges a “lit-
tle bit” of an impact from the
22 | Flight International | 16-22 June 2020
Covid-19 restrictions, but stresses
that “we are fully committed to
our [operational] launch in 2025.
There is no change – we are fully
on track with that target.”
That schedule has been bol-
stered by the European Union
Aviation Safety Agency, which
has recently published its means
of compliance for developers of
electric vertical take-off and land-
ing (eVTOL) aircraft under its new
SC-VTOL certification category.
Discussions are also ongoing with
the US regulator, says Wiegand.
“We’re in an excellent
position and can make
full-speed progress
with the design of the
serial aircraft”
Daniel Wiegand
Chief executive, Lilium
“We now are in an excellent
position having certainty against
what we have designed. We now
can make full-speed progress
with the design of the serial air-
craft,” he says.
Negotiations are also continu-
ing with potential launch cities,
although Wiegand declines to re-
veal details “for obvious reasons”.
Since last summer, Lilium has
been working to a “classical aero-
space development” methodolo-
gy, says Wiegand. Although he
declines to say whether the air-
craft has passed the preliminary or
critical design review milestones,
he says the company has complet-
ed around one-third of the work
required for certification.
That change has been seen
throughout the business, which
Wiegand now describes as an
“aerospace technology company”.
“We are transitioning away
from that start-up style of work-
ing where you fail fast and move
on,” he says, noting the tight reg-
ulatory requirements of the aero-
space industry which require
“full traceability” and “qualified
ways of working”.
Despite forecasts that funding
for eVTOL or urban air mobility
projects is likely to dry up in the
wider recessionary environment,
Lilium continues to attract invest-
ment. The $35 million from Ballie
Gifford – a company whose track
record includes financing start-
ups including Amazon, SpaceX
and Spotify – takes total invest-
ment to more than $375 million.
“I think we are very fortunate to
obtain such funding and especial-
ly from such a credible investor,”
says Wiegand. While he acknowl-
edges that the wider economic sit-
uation is difficult, the backing
“shows there is big confidence,
both in the physical product, but
also in the business case”.
Minor changes to powertrain
have been made following
February battery fire
Lilium
In fact, he is at pains to
differentiate its aircraft from
other eVTOL designs. Rather
than short intra-city hops, the
Lilium Jet, with its 162kt
(300km/h) top speed and 162nm
(300km) range, is being pitched
against ground transport modes
such as high-speed rail.
VALUE PROPOSITION
“We don’t believe in flying
people less than 15km because
the customer value proposition
for time saving is not there,”
Wiegand says.
“We are completely focused on
regional air mobility – it is very
different to the usual discussion
about urban air mobility flights.”
Transport with the Lilium Jet
offers the same benefits to the
customer as a “high-speed train –
but we can deliver this connec-
tivity at less than 2% of the infra-
structure cost,” he claims.
Wiegand is also considering
the prospects for the business
over the longer term: “By the time
we are entering the market hope-
fully the crisis is gone – or at least
much less severe.”
While he hopes that the
“colourful” nature of the seg-
ment will “stay for longer”, he
recognises that consolidation is
likely to occur: “We have to be
realistic that those 200 compa-
nies in the space will not all
make it to certification.” ■
flightglobal.com

PROGRAMME KATE SARSFIELD LONDON
Bye plans big brother for eFlyer family
Six- to nine-passenger aircraft set to join two- and four-seat models as all-electric alternatives to conventional types
ye Aerospace is planning to
B expand its family of eFlyer
all-electric aircraft with a six- to
nine-passenger model that could
take on traditional executive tur-
boprops and light business jets.
Details of the new programme
are being kept under wraps, but
chief executive George Bye says
the aircraft is in the concept de-
sign phase. “We are excited about
this project and will announce it
publicly before too long.”
He says the “momentum is
growing” for low-cost and sus-
tainable products, and electric
aircraft “perfectly fill that niche”.
Entry into service of the new
model “is several years out”, Bye
says, by which time he expects
battery technology to have im-
proved dramatically, giving the
aircraft the range and perfor-
mance to compete in this sector.
“Battery technology is getting
better all the time, as work on our
current [aircraft] programmes
proves,” says Bye.
Its debut model, the eFlyer 2,
finished its critical design phase
VENTURE KATE SARSFIELD LONDON
ASL launches ‘boutique’ service with VIP Embraers
elgian business aviation
B services company ASL has
created a new division dedicated
to providing “boutique” sched-
uled services to European desti-
Brussels-Ibiza route will be operated under the ‘Fly Executive’ brand
flightglobal.com
Company has been flying proof-of-concept version since April 2018
in early June, and Bye says the
company will start assembling
the first production-conforming
aircraft before the end of the
third quarter.
The firm, based in Denver,
Colorado, has been flight testing
a proof of concept version of the
two-seat aircraft since April
2018. US Part 23 certification
scheduled is set for mid-2021.
Targeted at training schools and
private owners, the eFlyer 2 is
powered by a 120hp (90kW)
nations using a pair of VIP-
configured Embraer regional jets.
Operating under the brand ASL
Fly Executive, the first route will
launch on 4 July connecting Brus-
ASL
BUSINESS AVIATION
Bye Aerospace
Rolls-Royce RRP70D electric
motor, delivering speeds of over
135kt (250km/h) and an endur-
ance of more than 3h.
Bye says the eFlyer 2 will cost
“only $23 per flight hour to oper-
ate”, compared with around $110
for competing piston-singles such
as the Piper Archer and Cessna
172. Similarly, the in-develop-
ment eFlyer 4 will offer he says a
“highly cost-efficient and sustain-
able alternative to advanced
trainers and short-haul air taxis”.
sels to Ibiza, with flights departing
Saturday and returning the fol-
lowing Wednesday. The service
will initially operate for eight
weeks using a 30-seat ERJ-135LR
and 42-seat ERJ-145LR.
Maxime Wauters, ASL’s mar-
keting manager, says the decision
to launch the first service to Ibiza
followed demand from the local
population and some charter cus-
tomers. “Ibiza is a very popular
leisure destination in the summer
months,” he says. “Europe is grad-
ually opening up after lockdown,
and people are looking for safe
ways to travel to the island.”
Wauters says by connecting to
fixed-base operations (FBOs) at
Brussels Zaventem and Ibiza
16-22 June 2020 | Flight International | 23
Operating costs for the four-
seat model – which is in its pre-
liminary design phase, and
scheduled to enter service in
2022 – will be around $30 per
flight hour, against $150 for
similar-sized models such as the
Cessna 182 and Cirrus SR22.
“We have already received
tremendous interest in the eFlyer
4 as an air taxi, with the model
accounting for a large share of the
330-strong eFlyer orderbook,”
says Bye.
Customers declared include
US start-up Quantum Air, which
announced an order last year for
26 aircraft, of which 22 are eFlyer
4s, and on-demand charter mar-
ketplace BlackBird with a com-
mitment for up to 100 aircraft.
Details of the eFlyer 4’s engine
have not been disclosed, but Bye
says the aircraft will have a cruise
speed of 175kt and an endurance
of 5h. The aircraft will also have a
full-fuel equivalent payload of
400kg (850lb) and feature an air-
frame ballistic recovery parachute
“for added safety”. ■
airports, passengers can bypass
busy commercial terminals and
airlines “leaving them less ex-
posed to the [corona]virus and
saving a great deal of time at both
ends of the journey”.
ASL is looking to add extra
routes, potentially including
Brussels to Geneva, and to
London City airport.
The Embraers were added to
ASL’s fleet in May 2018 and Au-
gust 2019, following conversion
from passenger airliner to VIP
configuration. The pair are also
used for large-group transport.
“We will add more aircraft to
the Fly Executive fleet if there is
enough demand on our routes,”
says Wauters. ■
NEWS FOCUS
CORONAVIRUS CRAIG HOYLE LONDON
How a crisis saw Atlas span the globe
Tactical transport’s operators stepped forward, moving people and equipment as bulk of commercial services stopped
s passenger numbers plum-
A meted and airlines grounded
the bulk of their fleets at the
height of the coronavirus out-
break, military operators stepped
in to support national efforts to
fight the disease’s spread.
Air forces swiftly employed
medium, tactical and strategic
transports to perform medical
evacuation and repatriation
flights, and to ferry the huge vol-
umes of personal protective
equipment (PPE) critically need-
ed to protect health workers.
The ongoing crisis in particu-
lar has marked a coming of age
for the Airbus Defence & Space
A400M, with coronavirus relief-
flights having been conducted by
all its current operators: France,
Germany, Malaysia, Spain, Tur-
key and the UK.
Lieutenant Colonel Jose Garcia
Paniagua, operations group com-
mander at the Spanish air force’s
Zaragoza-based 31 Wing, says
conducting two PPE missions to
China served as a “stress test” for
the service’s new airlifter.
Each roughly 35h-duration re-
turn mission to Shanghai in-
volved having two crews per air-
craft, with en route stops in
Yekaterinburg, Russia on the first,
amended to Riga, Latvia for the
second, prior to delivering sup-
plies to Torrejon air base near Ma-
drid. Strict regulations meant
Spanish personnel made an over-
night stop in China on board what
they nicknamed the “Atlas Hotel”.
Madrid currently has eight
A400Ms operating with its 311
Sqn, alongside 10 aged Lockheed
Martin C-130Hs flown by 312 Sqn.
SLOW TRANSITION
Paniagua notes that the air force
received its first A400M in late
2016, but says a slow delivery
rate, the late arrival of key tactical
capabilities and the parallel use
of its remaining Hercules have
made the introduction “not a
very easy moment”.
However, “Right now, we are
flightglobal.com
Turkish A400M delivers medical supplies at RAF Brize Norton in UK
starting to efficiently use the
A400M. We have transitioned
from an analogue aircraft to fly
‘computers with wings’,” he says.
“We have proficiency in terms
of logistical missions and air-to-
air-refuelling, and we are working
very hard to have all the tactical
capabilities, as soon as Airbus
gives us new aircraft.” Pending
advances include full clearance to
operate from unprepared landing
strips, airdrop supplies and use
defensive aids system equipment.
“By mid-March we
were as prepared as
you can be for such
a pandemic”
Stephan Miegel
Head, Airbus Military Aircraft Services
Paniagua expects 31 Wing to re-
ceive its ninth A400M later in
2020, with this to be followed at a
rate of around three per year until it
reaches full strength of 14 aircraft.
Meanwhile, 312 Sqn’s Hercu-
les are due to retire in December
2020. “When we decommission
the C-130, we should be able to
perform all the missions that it
was performing… [but with] a
bigger range, more payload and
less reaction time,” he says.
Other recent Spanish A400M
flights have included transport-
Crown Copyright
ing Airbus Helicopters Cougar
rotorcraft to and from Iraq, and
recovering a damaged Boeing
F-18 from the Canary Islands to
the Spanish mainland. In addi-
tion, 311 Sqn returned personnel
from Nellis AFB in Nevada after
the cancellation of a Red Flag ex-
ercise, and performed a medevac
mission from Djibouti. This in-
volved dividing the cargo hold
into three areas, respectively for
its crew, one coronavirus patient
and those who had worked in
contact with the individual.
On 4 June, detailing further op-
erations performed by A400M
customers during the coronavi-
rus response, Airbus Military
Aircraft Services head Stephan
Miegel said the company began
making contingency plans during
February. “We started to move
spares and consumables from
central warehouses to ones in the
different nations. By mid-March
we were as prepared as you can
be for such a pandemic,” he says.
Airbus also supported a swift
certification activity, enabling the
French air force – which lacked a
medevac fit for its Atlas fleet – to
employ equipment already
cleared for use on board its A330
Phenix tanker/transports. Miegel
says France’s A400M fleet has
been operating at 30% above its
normal monthly rate, including
missions flown to the Antilles
and Tahiti.
16-22 June 2020 | Flight International | 21
Also amid the crisis, Paris took
delivery of its 17th example of
the transport, via an electronic
acceptance process.
Germany, meanwhile, em-
ployed the type and A310 trans-
ports to repatriate coronavirus
patients from France. Its air force
now has two A400Ms available
with equipment capable of pro-
viding intensive care-standard
support for up to six patients.
The European programme’s
lone export customer, Malaysia,
called on its four-strong fleet to
deliver medicines and PPE to
Sabah and Sarawak.
Turkish air force A400Ms have
also been heavily employed, in
late January repatriating Turkish
and other nationals from Wuhan
– the source of the outbreak –
and transporting medical sup-
plies to several Balkan-region na-
tions, the UK and the USA.
LONG-RANGE MISSIONS
UK Royal Air Force activities in-
cluded making two high-profile
flights from Turkey with PPE sup-
plies early in the crisis. Its assets
also transported medical equip-
ment to the Falkland Islands, re-
patriated personnel and made
medevac flights to locations in-
cluding Ascension Island and the
Turks and Caicos islands. “Since
13 March we were able to deliver,
together with the Royal Air
Force, 100% of the task lines that
were requested,” Miegel says.
Miegel points to the scale of
the operating challenges which
Airbus faced at the height of the
pandemic, which including
separating workers into ‘red’ and
‘blue’ shifts to safeguard against
spread of the virus. At one point,
around 80% of his unit’s
engineering personnel were
working from home because of
lockdown restrictions.
“Our customers continue to
operate – and so do we,” Miegel
says. “These operations show
the versatility of the aircraft,” he
adds. ■
CORONAVIRUS CRISIS
Special
delivery
With most passenger flights grounded, urgent cargo
demand is keeping many airlines solvent. Will a shortfall of
bellyhold capacity drive passenger-to-freighter solutions?
MURDO MORRISON LONDON
ne of the strangest sights of the
O coronavirus crisis has been airlin-
ers jetting into near-deserted air-
ports, their cabins brimming with
cardboard boxes secured with netting, either
atop seats or stacked on the floor of a
stripped-out interior. While lockdowns and
travel restrictions have cleared the skies of
passengers, air cargo demand – particularly
for personal protective equipment (PPE)
manufactured in Asia and desperately need-
ed in Europe and North America – has been
racing ahead of capacity.
But that is not because more goods are
moving around the world. In fact, the global
economic slowdown prompted by the pan-
demic saw air freight volume plunge by al-
most 28% year on year in April, according to
IATA. About half of all air freight normally
travels as belly cargo on passenger aircraft,
Virgin Atlantic says it has increased cargo-only flights by more than one-third to 600 in June
24 | Flight International | 16-22 June 2020
and the sharp reduction in flights has seen
forwarders scrambling to transport urgent
consignments – not just of PPE and other
medical items, but also goods crucial to just-
in-time global supply chains. The collapse of
airline networks means there simply are not
enough aircraft to shift the items consumers,
businesses and governments need.
For many airlines, with their cash reserves
dwindling from a lack of passenger revenue,
freight has been a godsend. Emirates chief
executive Tim Clark admitted earlier this
month that the critical need for cargo capacity
was helping prevent a financial disaster for the
Dubai-based airline after it halted all but a
handful of its passenger flights. “We’ve convert-
ed ourselves to a mini UPS,” he says, with 85 of
Emirates’ Boeing 777-300ERs operating as
stand-in freighters, in addition to its 11 777Fs.
Virgin Atlantic says it has increased its car-
go-only flights by more than one-third to near-
ly 600 during June, after breaking its record
Virgin Atlantic
Collapse in passenger traffic has
seen KLM delay retirement of
two 747-400M combis
for freight carried in May. The troubled UK
airline has been introducing daily services to
Brussels and Beijing from London Heathrow,
as well as thrice-weekly flights to Atlanta,
Chicago and Mumbai.
“While the impact of the Covid-19 pan-
demic continues to restrict passenger flying,
our cargo operation has never been more im-
portant both to our business and in keeping
vital global supply chains running,” says
chief executive Shai Weiss.
“Because we are offering an
STC rather than a temporary
exclusion, this is something
you could do permanently”
David Kelly
Vice-president, marketing and strategy,
HAECO Americas
Finnair was one of the first European air-
lines to add to its cargo capacity by removing
economy-class seats from the cabin of two of
its Airbus A330s, doubling available space, ac-
cording to the Helsinki-based carrier. The con-
version is fairly straightforward, taking less
than two days at its in-house technical services
flightglobal.com
 CARGO CONVERSIONS

began operating cargo-only flights on passen-

ger aircraft in March, initially with cargo on
seats. However, it says that clearing the inte-
rior will free a further 100cb m (3,530cb ft)
on the Boeing twinjets. The airline says that,
together with its sister organisation, IAG
Cargo, it had by late May operated more than
80 charter flights carrying freight, mainly
PPE and ventilators for the UK National
Health Service.
Many of these services were made possible
by updated guidelines from the European
Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and
other authorities to exempt airlines from the
normal limits on transporting critical cargo in
passenger cabins during the coronavirus cri-
sis. One of the main changes is that crew
members are able to monitor the cabin in the
absence of the required smoke detectors and
fire suppression equipment. However, the
EASA exemptions are only for eight months.
Beyond that, any change from passenger to
cargo use will require a supplemental type
certificate (STC).
Several MRO houses have been anticipat-
ing that requirement by working on STCs for a
longer-term conversion to cargo. They in-
clude the US arm of Hong Kong-headquar-
tered HAECO, which has come up with a con-
cept that could see the revival of the “combi”,
allowing airlines to combine passenger and
cargo in the main cabin. Greensboro, North
KLM

Carolina-based HAECO Americas says its

STC is applicable for any widebody or nar-
arm, explains Mikko Tainio, managing director ing seats for cargo-only flights to destinations rowbody aircraft. The company has already
of Finnair Cargo, with business-class seats, including Hong Kong, Mumbai, New York sold it to one unnamed customer and is in
bulkheads, lavatories, galleys, and overhead and Shenzhen. Before the crisis, the “advanced talks” with three others, says vice-
bins remaining in place and netting secured to Lufthansa subsidiary was only offering freight president marketing and strategy David Kelly.
the seat tracks. When passenger traffic demand services as belly cargo. Combis have been largely out of fashion for
increases, the aircraft can be easily returned to British Airways is one of the latest airlines decades, with Air France-KLM at the out-
passenger operations, he says. to dispense with seating to increase capacity, break of the coronavirus crisis bringing for-
using two grounded 777-200s. The carrier ward by a year the retirement of KLM’s five ❯❯
REPURPOSED
Finnair has also each day during the crisis
been using at least five and as many as eight of
its 15 A350s on dedicated cargo flights to
Asian cities including Bangkok, Beijing,
Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Incheon, Osaka,
Shanghai and Tokyo, as well as Brussels, Dub-
lin, Tallinn and New York. On the larger
widebodies, the seats have not been taken out,
but this is an option Finnair is considering,
says Tainio. Like Clark, he says this quick ad-
justment to a new business model has helped
the world recover from the impact of the pan-
demic, and “we’ve been able to keep more of
our planes in the sky and people employed”.
Icelandair also removed seats from aircraft
to turn them into instant freighters, this time
with 767-300s. In April it reconfigured three
of the widebodies to operate cargo services
British Airways

between Shanghai and Munich and from

Shanghai to Chicago, via Reykjavik. Swiss
adapted its fourth 777-300ER in May, remov- British Airways began moving goods with two 777-200s in March and plans to remove seats

flightglobal.com 16-22 June 2020 | Flight International | 25

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS
Kenya’s 748 Air Services is first Dash 8-100 operator to repurpose the aircraft for freight
❯❯ 747-400Ms – one of the few surviving
combi fleets – along with the rest of the
Netherlands-based airline’s jumbos. Since
then, however, two of the combis have been
granted a reprieve to operate cargo-only
flights to China. The 747-400M, which has
been in service with KLM since 1989, has a
capacity for 268 passengers, with a locked
bulkhead on the main deck separating the
cargo area from the forward passenger cabin.
SHARED SPACE
HAECO’s solution does not involve creating a
partition between cargo and passengers, how-
ever. Instead, they share the cabin. One option
involves removing the seat backs and bases
but retaining the seat frame as a restraint for
the cargo, which is then secured with netting
attached to the seat track. Another option
leaves the seats intact, with a further choice to
remove them completely. The company says
it can complete the conversions itself or issue
an instruction manual as part of the STC for
customers to carry out in house.
Kelly says that, while demand for air cargo
continues to outpace capacity, as passenger
flights resume and the urgent need for PPE
and medical equipment declines, airlines will
26 | Flight International | 16-22 June 2020
De Havilland Canada
be increasingly looking at how to use their
aircraft more efficiently. “Because we are
offering an STC rather than a temporary ex-
clusion, this is something you could do per-
manently,” he says. Why would airlines look
to do this now? “Load factors have been so
high in recent years, there has not really been
HAECO’s ‘combi’ STC can be adopted on a range of types and is already gaining traction
the need. But the economics could look very
different as we come out of this, and this gives
airlines flexibility,” he says.
As 2020 began, one year on from Airbus’s
decision to axe production of the world’s larg-
est airliner on the back of a dwindling order-
book, who might have predicted a second life
for the A380 as a freighter? In the early 2000s,
Airbus launched a cargo-only version of the
superjumbo, with FedEx lined up to take first
delivery of the A380F in 2008. However, while
the variant never made it to production, one
forecast made at the time might now come to
pass. The US parcel giant suggested that 2020
would see passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conver-
sions of older A380s arrive on the market.
Lufthansa Technik has completed a tempo-
rary cargo conversion of an A380 for an un-
named customer under the EASA eight-month
exception. The project includes removing seat-
ing from both decks, although the lower pas-
senger deck is able to carry more cargo. While
not a true P2F, Henning Jochmann, aircraft
modification base maintenance senior director,
says an STC is possible by July or August, after
consultations with EASA. He believes that the
A380 has potential as a freighter. “At the mo-
ment the oil price is very good, and there are
logistical limitations, but I expect to see more
A380s on the market,” he says.
The German MRO group says it has had
interest from more than 40 airlines in its techni-
cal and engineering services for temporary op-
erational changes from passenger to cargo air-
craft, with “more than 15 projects for different
aircraft types” in progress during May. Joch-
mann says the company is working “flat out” to
obtain STCs for a range of aircraft, stressing that
conversions involve “much more than just tak-
ing out seats… You need engineering experts
who know exactly what the challenges are and
how to document the technical solutions
correctly so the aviation authorities agree”.
HAECO
flightglobal.com

Airbus has launched its own modification
scheme to convert A330s, A340s and A350s
into auxiliary freighters by removing economy
seats and fitting pallets onto the seat tracks,
with the benefit, says the manufacturer, that it
will remove from the customer the headache of
securing regulatory approvals from EASA. The
modification involves bringing PKC pallets,
each capable of holding 260kg (573lb), through
the passenger doors and attaching them to seat
tracks. About 30 pallets can be installed on an
A350, or 28 on an A330.
E-COMMERCE BOOST
The coronavirus crisis has, of course, seen a
spike in demand for medical equipment, but
national lockdowns have also boosted
e-commerce as consumers turn from shop-
ping in high streets and malls to online, ac-
celerating a two-decade-long trend. This has
prompted some to suggest that, despite a
looming recession, demand for purpose-built
freighter aircraft could remain strong even
after many of these auxiliary cargo aircraft
return to passenger service.
Alex Krutz, managing director at consult-
ing firm Patriot Industrial Partners, proposes
that the US government considers a scheme to
convert Boeing 737NGs into freighters,
through aerostructures specialist Spirit Aero-
Systems. It would, he says, address demand
for cargo aircraft and support both companies,
as well as domestic airlines saddled with sur-
plus aircraft. A public-private partnership,
backed by private equity, would allow the
government to purchase the 737s from air-
lines, as long as they were replacing them
with newer Max aircraft, and sell them on to
cargo carriers or federal agencies, he says.
The two main manufacturers of turboprop
passenger aircraft are also pushing their own
freighter conversions. De Havilland Canada is
offering what it calls “simplified” packages
for the in-production Dash 8-400, as well as
legacy -100/200 and -300 variants, having se-
cured approval from Transport Canada in
May. Kenyan operator 748 Air Services will
be the first to convert its four Dash 8-100s and
has also ordered conversion kits for three
Dash 8-400s. Canada’s Jazz Aviation was the
launch customer for the -400 conversion.
The programme involves removing seats
and seat track covers and can be done over-
night, says chief operating officer Todd
Young. “The freight market has always been
interesting to us, but with the Covid situation,
we decided to come to market with a simpli-
fied freighter. Our product line is focused on
regional cargo, and that’s where the volume
and higher-frequency flights are needed. The
advantage of our aircraft is that they can also
go into remote areas,” he says.
Young notes that the start-up is also looking
at offering a P2F conversion of the Dash 8-400
flightglobal.com
Finnair’s rapid conversion of its A330s replaces seats with netting and takes under two days
with a larger cargo door and is in “active dis-
cussions with the market”. The age profile of
the fleet – the Dash 8-400 went into service in
the early 2000s as the Bombardier Q400 –
means it now makes economic sense for many
to move into a “second life” as dedicated
freighters, he says. “However, we would want
a launch customer to go down that path.”
“Our product line is focused on
regional cargo, and that’s
where the volume and higher-
frequency flights are needed”
Todd Young
Chief operating officer, De Havilland Canada
Rival ATR is also offering an instant con-
version programme for its 42 and 72 variants,
to help get back into service some of the inac-
tive aircraft, which account for just over half
of the almost 1,300-strong global fleet. Guil-
laume Huertas, head of leasing, asset manage-
ment and freighters, says the Airbus- and
Leonardo-owned airframer began work on the
conversion as the pandemic struck in March
and it was ready within a month. The Tou-
louse-based manufacturer developed the
STC, which involves removing seats and se-
curing shipments with nets attached to the
seat tracks, with external suppliers AKKA
Technologies and PMV Engineering.
ATR began offering a P2F conversion
around 20 years ago and there are about 130
“full freighters” in service, just under 20 of
which have been retrofitted with a larger
cargo door. It also offers a combi version of its
ATR 72 with 44 passenger seats and the first
seven rows removed to create space for four
containers, doubling the freight capacity of a
conventional ATR 72. Huertas says in a
freighter configuration, the turboprops often
CARGO CONVERSIONS
Finnair
offer a much more cost-effective solution than
a narrowbody on a thin passenger route and
also have the advantage of being able to access
smaller and more remote airfields.
Making a pitch for any increase in demand
for smaller freighters from a booming
e-commerce sector will be Textron Aviation,
which embarked on a flight-test programme for
its new Cessna SkyCourier in mid-May, despite
the challenge of lockdowns. The Pratt &
Whitney Canada PT6A-powered twin utility
turboprop offers a 2,220kg payload in freighter
configuration and comes with a large cargo
door and flat cabin floor able to handle three
LD3 containers. In 2017, FedEx signed up as
launch customer with an order for 50 examples
– and options for 50 more.
It remains to be seen how long the shortfall
in cargo capacity will last beyond the current
crisis peak, when many states were caught
woefully short of the supplies of the PPE need-
ed for health, care and other key workers and
which is almost exclusively manufactured in
Asia. Passenger flights are slowly resuming
and that will mean more belly capacity. That,
coupled with a slowdown in global trade gen-
erally as a result of the economic carnage
caused by lockdowns, could mean many of the
quick-fire freighter conversions could arrive on
the market just when demand is levelling off.
On the other hand, the only way seems to
be up for e-commerce, with consumers de-
manding a quicker journey from factory to
doorstep than many supply chains – catering
for delivering large consignments of invento-
ry to bricks-and-mortar retail networks – are
geared up for. And combi configurations
might find favour with airlines nervous about
relaunching routes with aircraft that are too
large before sufficient passenger demand re-
turns. For some passengers, sharing an econo-
my cabin with consignments of freight might
be something they have to get used to in the
coming months and years. ■
16-22 June 2020 | Flight International | 27
STRAIGHT&LEVEL
From yuckspeak to tales of yore, send your offcuts to murdo.morrison@flightglobal.com
Last flying
MiG-17 for sale
Fancy becoming the owner of
the last airworthy Mikoyan-
Gurevich MiG-17?
The Soviet fighter has been
restored to its original condition
by former US Navy officer Jon
Blanchette and has appeared at
several US air shows. Capable of
performing a full aerobatic
routine, including inverted
flight and tight 8g turns,
Blanchette’s example dates from
December 1960 and served in
the Polish air force until 1966.
The one-time General Motors
engineer rescued the aircraft –
serial number 1D-0620 – from a
Polish scrap yard in 1993 and
spent 15 years rebuilding it to
airworthy condition.
“It has been the biggest
passion project of my life,”
Blanchette says. “I am incredibly
proud of what I was able to
accomplish with this aircraft,
and I hope that it will bring the
same amount of joy and
fulfilment to its next owner.”
Developed in the early 1950s,
the type was a key asset for the
Soviet air force in the early years
of the Cold War. It was assigned
the name “Fresco” by NATO
after being spotted in 1956. The
MiG-17PF variant also became
the first jet fighter to be flown by
the North Vietnamese air force.
Known for its speed and
manoeuvrability, the type was a
formidable adversary of US
opponents such as the
McDonnell Douglas F-4
Phantom II.
Mad dog calls it a day
flightglobal.com
Jon Blanchette
Feline duty bound
Twenty cats have been
attached to the R.A.F
parachute and
clothing store at
Kidbrooke,
Kent, which has
been overrun with mice.
The Air Ministry approves
“the expenditure of 4d. per
cat per week on food.”
There is speculation at
Kidbrooke, according to
the Daily Mail, as to
whether “separation
allowance” will be issued.
‘You looking for a fight?’
Speed demon
Being the first engine to
Potential buyers should Delta had intended to retire pass the official type test in
contact Vlad Drazdovich at both types later this year, but the new gas-
vlad@redbanyan.com accelerated its plans because of turbine
the coronavirus. In February this category, the de
year, it had 47 MD-88s and 29 Havilland jet-
Barked up MD-90s operating. propulsion unit, known as
On 2 June, Delta Air Lines said a The airports the airline serves the Goblin, powers the de
premature farewell to its Mad will certainly be quieter without Havilland jet fighter, the
Dogs, with its remaining them, but they have their fans. Vampire, which is reported
McDonnell Douglas MD-88 and DL88 was reportedly sold out, to exceed 500 m.p.h and is
MD-90 aircraft completing their with many passengers tweeting believed to be the fastest
final commercial flights. DL88 pictures of the flight and aircraft in the world.
and DL90 arrived in Atlanta memories of their first
from Washington Dulles and experience on the jet. Friendship bomb
Houston, respectively, before One person was killed and
heading to the breaker’s yard at 12 were injured when an
Blytheville, Arkansas. Alphabet soup explosive device
Delta was the aircraft’s launch In case you’re not keeping up blew up in a
operator and is the last US with the game of musical chairs Fokker
airline to fly the short-haul going on in the regional jet sector, Friendship of
workhorses – at its peak it here’s an easy-to-follow ABC on Philippine Airlines on June
operated a combined fleet of the state of play. 2. It is believed that the
185, on around 900 daily flights. A builds big jets and didn’t chief of police of Bacolod
The MD-88 entered service with like the small jets built by B, not City, who was on board,
the carrier in 1987 and the the usual B with the big jets, but was the target of the attack.
longer and re-engined MD-90 the B that built small jets that
eight years later. started with C but which it XV-15 back in Paris
doesn’t build any more, because Bell Helicopter Textron’s
it’s sold them to M, except, that XV-15 tilt-rotor technology
is, the other jet starting with C, demonstrator is
which A bought because it likes making its
the small B jet after all, but second
which doesn’t start with C any appearance at
more because it now starts with the Paris air show, alongside
A, while the other B – the one the Bell Boeing V-22
with the big jets – was going to Osprey, which it preceded.
buy small jets built by E, some of The XV-15 had its Paris
which are called E-Jets, although debut in 1981. The V-22 is
it makes other E-Jets too, called being flown for the first time
Delta Air Lines
E2s, and might have been called at an international
B Jets but won’t be because, you aerospace show.
know, the whole thing’s off.
16-22 June 2020 | Flight International | 29
flight.international@flightglobal.com
We welcome your letters on any
aspect of the aerospace industry.
Please write to:
The Editor, Flight International,
1st Floor, Chancery House,
St Nicholas Way, Sutton,
Surrey, SM1 1JB, UK
Or email:
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The opinions on this page do not
necessarily represent those of the editor.
Letters without a full postal address sup-
plied may not be published. Letters may
also be published on flightglobal.com
and must be no longer than 250 words.
Low-cost for all
Rather than seeing the demise of
the low-cost carrier (Flight Inter-
national, 2-8 June), we are likely
to see their further rise.
The labels “low-cost carrier”
and “legacy airline” are out of
date. The reality is that airlines
fall into one of two new catego-
ries: profitable and well run, or
loss-making and poorly run.
The well-run airlines
consistently make profits, have
capital to sustain a downturn
and resilience to adapt to a
rapidly changing market.
The so-called legacy airlines
may have finally caught on to the
low-cost model as the only one
that actually works. They will
need to restructure quickly if
they are to be viable businesses.
Captain Martin Peel
via email
Is Clark right
about A380?
Interesting that Emirates’ Sir
Tim Clark prewdicts that the
future of the Airbus A380 could
be excellent if a vaccine for
coronavirus is found reasonably
%JGEMQWV(NKIJV+PVGTPCVKQPCNoU+OCIG5VQTG
Browse or customise a gift or memento from our %76#9#;#4%*+8'
30 | Flight International | 16-22 June 2020
LETTERS
then to check the speed and ad-
RESEARCH just power.
Would such recovery actions
What is NASA chasing? work with the kind of modern air-
Your comment: craft that Mr Lonergan described?
“Boom time” Peter Gray
regarding NASA’s Redhill, Surrey, UK
X-59 Quiet
SuperSonic
Technology aircraft Packing them
Lockheed Martin
research (Flight
International, 9-15
back in
June) is welcome. Contrary to the view of Peter
NASA’s business A boom in funding Carey (Flight International, 2-8
is to keep NASA in June), “sardine-class” will be
business – by any means possible. Although it has recruited back as soon as the 14-day quar-
few civil service aeronautical researchers in recent years, it still antine for returnees is dropped.
has a significant (and ageing) number to keep employed. To His suggested 1+2+1 layout
do this it “investigates” anything that can persuade Congress would require an increase in seat
to continue the funding.
It also has a multiplicity of centres (Ames, Glenn and Langley)
pitch, ridiculously low passen-
ger numbers and resultant high
that are still active in aeronautics. These are protected vehe- fares. And there would be no
mently by the local congressional representatives, because the point, when at their destination,
local community (with the exception of Ames) could do with the everybody is crammed into a
money. Ames is a bit different as it occupies significant real coach for transfer to hotels.
estate in Silicon Valley, which, if made available to, say, Google, Resorts and airlines are al-
would bring in more money from taxes than its NASA funds. ready preparing for the return to
A final point is that most researchers think that their value is “normality”, so get the cases out
in knowledge, and are loath to change their discipline. The of the loft.
value of good researchers is their ability to gain insight into Peter Gambardella
complex problems, even if these lie outside the boundaries of Farnborough, Hampshire, UK
their PhD topic.
David Nixon
Los Altos, California, USA Time to test
pilot quality
quickly (Flight International, After reading Dave Byass’s
9-15 June).
Keeping the letter: “Balancing Atlas Crash
This is in direct contrast to the right attitude Factors” (Flight International,
pessimism recently expressed by 21-27 April), I now believe we
yourselves in Straight & Level. I refer to William Lonergan’s are not only encountering
I wonder… Plenty of room on excellent letter: “Battling against commercial pilots who cannot,
board to space out a more automation” (Flight or will not, fly manually, but
economical load of passengers? International, 2-8 June). also those who respond to gut
A much nicer travelling As a helicopter flying sensations instead of their
experience? Fewer precious slots instructor, I would tell the instruments in instrument flight
required than twins tackling the student or examinee to close rules conditions.
same demand? their eyes. I would then put the With such suspicions of
Let’s wish Sir Tim happiness aircraft in an unusual attitude, incompetence, is it now time we
on his way to retirement – and a tell them to open their eyes and had an extensive review of pilot
typically canny prediction recover the aircraft. They were training and commercial pilot
would no doubt help that. taught that the first reference qualification worldwide?
David Stevens must be to the artificial horizon Malcolm Bowden
Woking, Surrey, UK and to level the aircraft on that, McDonald, Tennessee, USA
of more than 1000 aircraft drawings
YYYƃKIJVINQDCNKOCIGUEQO
flightglobal.com

WORK EXPERIENCE IGOR BORZOV
Cargo helps to score new business
While the coronavirus has caused a collapse in Lithuanian charter firm KlasJet’s main markets, Igor Borzov,
vice-president of sales for the Middle East and head of football projects, is looking for a rapid bounce back
How did you get into the
aviation industry?
I developed a fascination for
aviation early on, thanks to my
father, who worked as a naviga-
tor. I knew I wanted to pursue a
career in this industry, so as soon
as I finished high school, I
trained as an aircraft engineer.
How has your career progressed?
I have been lucky to have held
several different roles, which has
given me a broad understanding
of the market. These include a
spell as a ramp agent at Vilnius
airport, with duties ranging from
aircraft de-icing, fuelling and
loading passengers. I also carried
out aircraft weight and balance
calculations for well-known air-
lines such as Thomson and Vir-
gin Atlantic at Manchester air-
port. I moved back to Lithuania
and joined KlasJet as ground
handling manager, before mov-
ing to become head of charter
flights and then to my current
position of vice-president of
sales for the Middle East and
head of football projects.
What is your role and what are
your responsibilities?
I lead sales in the region by
generating revenue, building
long-term relationships, attract-
ing customers and exploiting
new opportunities and segments.
I am responsible for bridging the
gap between our company and
stakeholders in the market.
Can you describe the effect of
coronavirus on your business?
The impact was immediate and
rather harsh. Early on, only the
Asia-Pacific region was affected
flightglobal.com
Learning fast is vital in a rapidly changing environment, says Borzov
– but within a month, the crisis
had spread to Europe and
stopped people from commuting
by air on a regular basis. Sched-
uled carriers and seasonal
charter operators were first to feel
the impact, followed by the non-
scheduled charter providers. A
lot of our business comes from
transporting sports teams, but
the pandemic led fixtures and
events to be cancelled or post-
poned. Business trips have also
been canned, with meetings
moving online via video confer-
ences. Coronavirus has created
the biggest obstacle the aviation
industry has ever had to over-
come. The challenges are huge.
How have you adapted your
business during the crisis?
Obviously, for the sake of every
individual in the company, we
KlasJet
are working hard to find new
opportunities. We are trying to be
more involved in segments that
we were never in before, one of
which is freight transport. We are
looking for clients and carriers
with spare aircraft. We are con-
solidating loads and obtaining
permits. We are acting as a cargo
agent or freight forwarder, as well
as an operator, all in one. We are
now a one-stop shop for anyone
wanting to bring cargo to Europe.
What are the challenges?
The biggest challenge now is to
learn quickly, because we cannot
lose a minute. Time is very
precious. Fortunately, we have
the perfect sales team, who are
going the extra mile. They are con-
stantly communicating, sharing
their experiences, issues, ques-
tions and situations with each
16-22 June 2020 | Flight International | 35
WORKING WEEK
other, which makes learning easi-
er. The travel restrictions caused
by coronavirus are also posing a
major challenge, with bans on
flights to certain countries, numer-
ous quarantine-based restrictions
for crews, limited transport and
rest opportunities. All that turns
every simple flight request into a
real puzzle. After all this, we have
to convince the customer that we
can make the flight happen. Of
course, most of the flights we are
currently performing are either
freight or repatriation and we have
gained valuable experience
operating in these markets.
What do you enjoy most about
your job?
Probably the fact that it is always
unpredictable. You never stop
learning by being part of an
airline like KlasJet – or any carri-
er, whether it is VIP, charter or
legacy. Each flight we arrange is
unique and often complex. Every
year brings new challenges that
you have to overcome. Constant
growth and the search for new
ventures, people, teams and
colleagues – all that makes a job
in aviation like a constant and
never-ending action movie. Life
would be gloomy and dull
without aviation.Q
Looking for a job in aerospace?
Check out our listings online at
flightglobal.com/jobs
If you would like to feature in
Working Week, or you know
someone who would, email
your pitch to kate.sarsfield@
flightglobal.com