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Could aviation Biofuels be competitive?

February 13, 2012
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Today we heard that Bloomberg New Energy Finance have published forecasts suggesting that the cost of some biofuels could be similar to that of conventional jet fuel by 2018.

The International Air Transport Association stated that by 2020, 6% of jet fuel should be made up of biofuels. However, airlines might end up using only a modest proportion of biofuels in their fuel mix in the next few years due to limited availability of low cost, certified bio-fuel.

Harry Boyle, lead bioenergy analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance said ‘If governments want airlines to burn a significant proportion of non-fossil fuel before 2020, they will have either to subsidise advanced-but-not-yet-economic biofuels or, more likely, introduce mandates requiring carriers to use a certain percentage of sustainable biofuels in their mix, and put up with complaints that this is driving up ticket prices.’

Biofuels made from non-food vegetable oils like jatropha or camelina, or from the pyrolysis of cellulosic feedstocks, should be the first types to become competitive after the move to large-scale production. Jatropha, for example, has the potential to produce jet fuel at $0.86 (€0.65) per litre by 2018.

While European carbon credits at the moment are so cheap they have negligible effects on ticket prices, biofuels will be competitive within a decade,’ says Michael Liebreich, chief executive of Bloomberg New Energy Finance. ‘However, available volume is going to be limited and airlines will be in competition for it, so those airlines which move now are likely to have an advantage later.’

Faster, friendlier AviNet Mail

February 13, 2012
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AviNet Mail is the Web-based face of ARINC’s industry-standard Type B messaging service. In a recent survey of nearly 200 users no fewer than 72 per cent said they were very satisfied with the service, more than 60 per cent reported that their Type B bills had fallen after they had adopted it, and nearly all of them said they would be glad to recommend it to others.

Flexibility is one of the key strengths of AviNet Mail. Messages can be read all over the world on wireless Internet-enabled handheld devices like the iPhone and Blackberry. And the service’s infrastructure has “any-to-any” interoperability built into it, allowing customers to select the user interface that best suits their applications without having to worry about compatibility with their business partners.

The new version is even faster and more user-friendly than the one already in full operation with more than 550 customers. They use it for a wide variety of functions, including monitoring flight departures and arrivals, load control, passenger and cargo handling, and arranging ground transportation, wheelchair assistance and special in-flight catering.

“We’re intent on helping our customers to achieve still more cost savings and improvements in efficiency,” says Laura Petrozziello, sales and business manager for aviation solutions at ARINC EMEA. “We listened to their views and have taken them into account in this further development of AviNet Mail.”

The new features include a very powerful desktop client that synchronises customer PCs with ARINC’s Webmail and has additional templates to help users to send the more labour-intensive standard messages quickly and accurately.

“Some of these message formats are very complicated,” says Petrozziello. “Our templates make the customer’s life a lot easier.” The new desktop also has a built-in customer care capability supported 24×7 by a call centre.

“This client is a full ARINC product that we manage end-to-end,” says Petrozziello. “It has all the rules you would expect from a corporate email client like Outlook, so that it’s very straightforward to filter, forward and manage messages.

For more information on Type B Messaging and to calculate if you could save money on Type B Messaging please visit typebcheck.com.

Government delegations and aviation industry leaders to come together

February 4, 2012
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This week has been full of anticipation of the Singapore Airshow Aviation Leadership Summit (SAALS), returning this year as a part of the Singapore Airshow.

SAALS and the Business Forums offer an opportunity for government delegations and aviation industry leaders to discuss key challenges in the business aviation industry.

Held on 12-13 February 2012, the summit will bring together airlines, manufacturers, airports and governments, and a mix of speakers and delegates who will provide both depth and insight into the discussions.

Under the theme ‘Driving Change, Overcoming Challenges Together’, the summit will address long-term growth and sustainability in the aviation business, security and climate change.

Mr Yap Ong Heng, Director-General, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), said: “This year’s theme is particularly pertinent, coming at a time when global aviation is facing a period of significant change and uncertainty which must be addressed through global collaboration. By bringing key global aviation leaders together for collective dialogue, we hope to shape new perspectives that can take the industry forward.”

Following their resounding success in 2010, another highlight of Singapore Airshow 2012 will be the Business Forums. Presented by top aerospace buyers, government officials and industry leaders, the Business Forums will give trade visitors and exhibitors the opportunity to understand procurement trends and strategies to tap potential business prospects and joint ventures in key Asian markets.

Singapore Airshow, Asia’s largest and one of the top three aerospace and defence shows in the world, returns from 14-19 February 2012 at the Changi Exhibition Centre. It has consistently drawn strong attendance from high-level military delegations, senior government officials and leading industry players. With the strong participation this year, the event looks set to be bigger and more spectacular, presenting the finest in aviation technologies and systems from some 900 companies across 50 countries.

ARINC vMUSE at Berlin Brandenburg Airport

February 4, 2012
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ARINC vMUSE Airport Common Use Systems

ARINC vMUSE Airport Common Use Systems

 

This week we wanted to look at the ARINC vMUSE product. We heard in January that ARINC won a contract with Bradenburg contract in Berlin to supply and install the passenger check-in and departure systems for 31 airlines and handling agents, with capacity for 27 million passengers each year, with room for further expansion.
ARINC will install its common use passenger processing system (CUPPS) – vMUSE ¬– as well as its BagLink baggage information distribution system. vMUSE includes self-service kiosks and baggage drops.
 
54 workstations have already been implemented on a live test environment, the hardware installation is expected to be completed in February, and at full operation ARINC will have rolled out vMUSE on 153 workstations for check-in and back office desks, and on 188 boarding gate workstations.
ARINC have also installed its AviNet Airport service at the gateway, allowing for airlines to connect to the host systems immediately.
vMUSE Enterprise, the latest version of ARINC’s well-known MUSE® (Multi-User System Environment) common use platform, combines the security and reliability of vMUSE with advanced virtualisation technology to provide seamless, multi-airline check-in without having to install and manage on-site servers and platform software. This puts the power of common use systems within reach of airports and airlines whose passenger volumes may be too small to justify the investment in traditional CUTE (Common Use Terminal Equipment) infrastructure.

For more information please visit vmuse-enterprise.com.

ARINC Offers Cabin WiFi and Diversifies Data Applications

January 17, 2012
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ARINC In Flight Broadband Technology

ARINC In Flight Broadband Technology

ARINC has already joined the crowded market for wireless Internet access in airline cabins with the unveiling of its new Cabin Connect suite of products, using Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband connection. The service allows passengers to connect online with their own portable electronic devices, through either free access provided by the airlines or prepayment when they buy their tickets.

Other projects at Arinc–a long-established flight-planning and data specialist–include integrating electronic flight bags into the cockpits of Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific’s airplanes, as well as introducing new self-service check-in kiosks at smaller airports such as Belfast City in Northern Ireland, and expanding its GlobaLink VHF datalink network, concentrating on boosting coverage in Asia.
ARINC’s Cabin Connect offers:

  • Next Generation Passenger Connectivity
  • Personal Electronic Device Support

Thanks to the enhanced bandwidth offered by SwiftBroadband and ARINC’s Cabin Connect Solution, airline passengers can now surf the internet, send and receive email, and use universal messaging all through their own portable electronic device, be that laptop, tablet computer eg iPad or Playbook, smart phone or portable gaming devices.

Supporting various commercial models, ARINC works with airlines to find the best unique solution, creating differentiation and increased value that can help to promote passenger loyalty.

More information on Cabin Connect can be found at http://www.cabinconnect.aero/.

VistaJet Expansion Plans

January 17, 2012
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VistaJet, the luxury aviation company for private jet charter and private jet ownership released plans this week to double in size by 2015 across Brazil, India, Nigeria, China and other rapidly growing countries, FlightGlobal reported this week.

VistaJet said China and West Africa will be priorities for 2012, and it is currently the largest international business aviation operator flying into a number of key Russian destinations.

Thomas Flohr, chairman of VistaJet, said: “We have reached a major stage in our development and strategic expansion. We have the opportunity to build on our established position as the world’s leading luxury aviation company, with the largest fleet of business jets outside of North America.”

The company has boosted its Bombardier fleet to 30 aircraft – comprising Global 6000, Challenger 850 and 605, and Learjet 60XR types – with a further $2 billion on backlog, including a pair of Airbus ACJ319s, due to an increase in long-haul demand.

The fleet will double by 2015 to 60 mid- and large-cabin types, VistaJet said.

FAA: US Business jet activity continues to rise

January 13, 2012
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Business Jets Activity Increasing

Business Jets Activity Increasing

2011 saw an increase in business jet activity we heard this week from FLIGHT. Starting in 2009 numbers have continued to rise the US Federal Aviation Administration’s enhanced traffic management system reported.

As of the end of November, the FAA counted 3.6 million business jet operations for the calendar year.This tally would appear to be on track to break the 2010 yearly total of 3.8 million operations by about 3% if December figures follow trends from previous months. The December 2010 to November 2011 operations total was up more than 4% compared with the previous year tally.

The top three business aircraft models in terms of usage since December 2010 were the Cessna Citation XLS family, with more than 320,000 operations through the end of November, followed by the Hawker 750/850/900 series at nearly 300,000 operations, and the Cessna Citation Ultra/Encore line.

Teterboro airport, near New York city, continued to be the top US airport for business jet activity, with more than 123,000 operations in the same period, followed by nearby Westchester County, at 60,000 operations, and Dulles international, at 57,000 operations.

Aviation Weather Systems in the News

January 13, 2012
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We heard this month that IGI Airport will get a new system for better weather prediction. We take a look at this airport and consider the latest weather data systems.

Aviation Weather Systems

Aviation Weather Systems

The Indian Meteorological Department is now acquiring an Aviation Weather Decision Support System (AWDSS) to aid the detection and prediction of aviation weather hazards and communicate minute-wise information to operational users.

The Current system at IGI Airport studies surface atmospheric to predict on fog and wind conditions twice in a day. The new system, which would be in place by next winter, would have a radiometer, a vertical wind profiler, and a terminal weather radar for minute-by-minute vertical profile of the wind movement.

The IMD has set its requirements and an expert company would be finalised through a tendering process by March this year to develop the system for IGIA. The meteorological data under AWDSS would be collected from several sources and integrated to run a series of detection and nowcasting algorithms to be provided to the end-user interface. It will then be used for real-time air traffic control operations as well as the support of operational meteorologist’s work flow.

Weather data is transmitted using a variety of means. One is through ARINC Directs Type B Messaging. AviNet Type B messaging provides reliable and economical messaging for mission-critical communications, including weather data, for the aviation industry.

AviNet Type B provides the highest level of assured message delivery available, based on store-and-forward capabilities and a robust set of IATA standard message routing features built into ARINC’s high-availability message platform. It supports legacy, proprietary, and custom messaging applications, as well as industry-standard IP-based MQ and MATIP formats.

ARINC’s Type B service continues to evolve with the industry while also introducing next-generation messaging standards such as AviNet eXchange a Web Services interface for XML messaging.

And, unlike other providers, ARINC delivers this high performance with a flexible pricing model. AviNet Type B delivers an unbeatable combination of high value and low cost.

For more information please visit: http://www.typebmessaging-avinet.com/

Investigating Common-use Passenger Processing Systems

January 12, 2012
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The choice of common-use passenger processing systems available to airlines and airport operators was significantly broadened four months ago when ARINC’s established vMUSE product achieved CUPPS 1.1 certification.

Common Use Passenger Processing Systems

Common Use Passenger Processing Systems

Endorsed by global organisations such as the International Air Transport Association (IATA), CUPPS (Common Use Passenger Processing System) is the key industry standard designed to promote uniformity in passenger processing platforms. Compliance reduces the time, effort and cost associated with deploying individual airline applications for check-in and other functions at the airport.

vMUSE received the CUPPS 1.1 stamp of approval in September 2010 following a successful beta test programme at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport and extensive formal compliance testing by renowned independent software validation provider Lufthansa Systems. “Independently proven adherence to the specification will assure the success of CUPPS,” says Lufthansa Systems’ Dietrich Hasselhorn, who oversaw the work. “ARINC’s vMUSE successfully passed compliance testing to prove it can successfully run any airline application written to the CUPPS 1.1 standard.”

ARINC installed the world’s first live operational CUPPS platform at Las Vegas in January 2009. Since then it has handled over 250,000 passengers, successfully running multiple airline applications .

Rob Sutton, ARINC global product manager, worked closely with IATA during development of the CUPPS standard and subsequently on the Las Vegas pilot programme and final certification testing.

“CUPPS is the first joint industry recommended practice to have been backed by IATA, ACI (Airports Council International) and ATA the US Air Transport Association,” he says. “It was formally released in November 2009, though our pilot programme at Las Vegas had been running to the initial CUPPS 1.0 standard since January of that year. Lufthansa Systems completed its testing of vMUSE/CUPPS 1.1 in a single week last March, and we have been offering a completely compliant product to the market for the past four months.”

There is at least one other compliant offering on the market, but Sutton is confident that the prospects for many more vMUSE/CUPPS 1.1 implementations are bright. “vMUSE can support both CUPPS and legacy airline applications simultaneously. If an airport operator chooses vMUSE it is covered for all possible scenarios: whatever the application selected by each individual carrier, the airport can be confident that vMUSE will support it.”

The CUPPS standard continues to evolve. Version 1.2, was agreed in 2010, while Version1.3 , which will be released early this year, will focus on printing, with a particular emphasis on Windows spooling and printing. “We’re already working to apply the new versions to VMUSE,” says Sutton. “CUPPS is the future of passenger processing, and we are determined to keep our products aligned with this industry recommended practice.

For more information visit www.vmuse-enterprise.com.

Safety & Security Forecast 2012

January 11, 2012
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Safety & Security Forecast

© Sipa Press/Rex Features

Following the post on Avionics forecast this week we have had a look at the safety and security forecast.

Over the past decade aviation accident numbers have plateaued. This means that forecasting is more difficult. Industry experts have asked us to consider the impact of a shortage of pilots, maintenance engineers and instructors for both specialisations. Combine this with continued pressure on airline profits caused by excess capacity, plus high oil prices, and it seems increasingly likely that there is potential for accident figures to rise.

Other factors in this grim forecast include the atomisation that pilots work with. As they now lack more experience in handling aircraft there is further potential for loss of control in the event of an emergency. It was also noted that training requirements have not been subject to the proportionate level of change as technology.

Bodies such as IATA and the CAA acknowledge these facts.

Regarding security the modernisation of passenger security checks has been promised and improved technologies are in active development, but there is no sign of delivery in the next 12 months.

Indeed, there is a risk the current economic situation will reduce the willingness of government agencies, airports and airlines to invest, pushing improvements further into the future.

The vision of the future may vary according to which security equipment company is describing it, but would involve a passenger walking down a short aisle in which he or she would present a micro chipped passport for automatic scanning, while simultaneously undergoing unobtrusive explosive scanning and biometric identification by facial profiling.

Meanwhile, hand baggage would be fully checked without the need to open it or separate items within it. Finally, if everything tallied, the barrier would drop, allowing the passenger through to airside.

The UK government proposes to replace its “direct and inspect” approach with what it calls an outcome-focused, risk-based approach. The aim is for the aviation industry “to design security processes that deliver specified security outcomes rather than having to follow detailed rules”, says the UK Department for Transport.

All the activity and ideas are certainly a sign of a wish to modernise, but the delivery is not in sight.