Good day all
While our friends are basking in the Wisconsin sun at Oshkosh we freeze here in “Sunny SA” this weekend is a pretty quiet one as aviation goes.
The Aero Club of South Africa Transformation and Development will be hosting a Sky diving day at Skydive Rustenburg to introduce people to the PASA. The event forms part of the “Gearing up for 2020 Centenary” Campaign. The plan is to have thirty-two people make an introductory jump.
Kenyan carrier becomes first in Africa to sign parts and services deal with Boeing
Kenya Airways has become the first airline in Africa to contract US aerospace giant Boeing for its Consumable & Expendable Services package. The deal has a duration of five years and will initially cover more than 18 700 parts. In subsequent phases, the number of parts covered by the agreement will rise to 35 700.
The deal also covers services, and these parts and services will support Kenya Airways’ fleet of Boeing airliners. The East African carrier will have access to a worldwide system of on-demand services and parts. This support from Boeing will allow the airline’s maintenance activities to be run at optimal efficiency.
In consequence, it will increase the reliability and reduce the turnaround times for the airline’s fleet. “This programme will provide unparalleled support for our fleet of B737s and B787-8s and we expect to continue to grow our operations with increased reliability and quicker turnaround times,” affirmed Kenya Airways Chief Operating Officer Jan de Vegt.
“Boeing’s Consumable & Expendable Services programme provides the most economical and comprehensive solution for Kenya Airways,” stated Boeing senior VP commercial sales and marketing Ihssane Mounir. “With this programme Kenya Airways can rely on Boeing’s resources and global presence and focus on their core business of serving their passengers.”
Kenya Airways’ Boeing fleet is composed of fourteen B737 single-aisle and eight B 787-8 Dreamliner wide-body airliners. The B737 fleet is subdivided into two B737-300F freighters, four B737-700 airliners and eight B737-800 airliners. The 787s will inaugurate a new non-stop Nairobi/New York service in October.
The only non-Boeing types in the Kenya fleet are 15 Embraer E190 regional airliners. Embraer and Boeing recently agreed to create a joint venture company which would include the Brazilian manufacturer’s commercial jets business.
ExecuJet becomes maintenance provider for Honeywell TFE731 engines
Aviation company ExecuJet, part of the Luxaviation group, is now the provider of major maintenance on Honeywell TFE731 engines in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India.
ExecuJet’s Lanseria based maintenance, MRO facility was awarded the rights by Honeywell International on June 26 2018.
“Our infrastructure at the MRO facility in Johannesburg is primed to support Honeywell’s maintenance operations for the entire EMEAI region,” ExecuJet MRO services executive VP Graeme Duckworth said in a statement issued on Tuesday.
In addition to the TFE731, ExecuJet also carries full overhaul authorisation and on site test cell capability for Honeywell TPE331 engines, commonly found in smaller turboprops.
“Becoming the provider of major maintenance for Honeywell’s TFE731 engines is a credit to the hard work and dedication to excellence of our engineers and technicians. We are delighted that Honeywell recognises ExecuJet’s experience in providing class-leading maintenance, and that we can extend this exclusive service to our customers.”
SAAB to provide RAF’S Typhoons with new self-protection system
Saab has received an order from BAE Systems for development of a new pyrotechnic smart self-protection system for the Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft to defeat radar- and IR-guided threats.
The order is part of a framework agreement with BAE Systems consisting of development, production, support and future sales of the Smart Dispenser System (SDS), a pyrotechnic smart self-protection system for the Royal Air Force’s (RAF) Typhoons and future Eurofighter opportunities.
SDS is the latest generation in Saab´s BOP family of pyrotechnic countermeasure dispensers. BOP is in-service on fighters and other combat aircraft types, and has been proven over several decades including on active operations.
“This new smart dispenser system provides a significant increase in self-protection capability to defeat modern threats by dispensing optimised countermeasure sequences and directions. SDS will significantly enhance the combat survivability of the Eurofighter Typhoon”, says Anders Carp, head of Saab business area Surveillance.
“Saab´s electromechanical self-protection system BOL has been in use on Eurofighter since its inception, and we are now looking forward to strengthening the platform’s countermeasure capability through SDS.”
Saab has been a close partner to the RAF for nearly forty years, providing products and services across the air power spectrum. Counter-measure dispensing technologies have been provided by Saab to the RAF, alongside leading edge radars and sensors, for decades to protect aircraft such as Harrier, Tornado and Typhoon.
The development and integration work of SDS will be carried out at the Saab site in Järfälla, Sweden and will be finished in the 2020 timeframe.
