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December 2016

New lounge opens in Rio

Star Alliance has opened its new exclusive Alliance Lounge at Rio de Janeiro’s Galeão – Tom Jobim International airport. The brand new facility is located on Level 3 of the new international departures pier in terminal 2 and is accessible to eligible Star Alliance customers around the clock.

The 600 plus square metre facility offers seating for more than 150 guests and provides beautiful views across the airport and beyond, with key Rio de Janeiro landmarks, such as the Sugar Loaf and Christ the Redeemer, visible in the distance.

“This new facility is the latest addition to our line-up of Star Alliance branded lounges, and the only alliance lounge available in RIOgaleão airport,” commented Star Alliance CEO Mark Schwab. “The Star Alliance lounge concept has proved hugely popular with the many customers who want to relax before their flight in an exclusive area that has been specifically designed to meet the needs of today’s international frequent traveller.”

In line with the design concept of Star Alliance lounges, local touches and flavours have been combined with global branding elements. Brazilian natural woods, stone and concrete elements have been used to reflect the architectural heritage of the city while introducing greenery and moments of colour that accentuate the city’s close relationship with nature. Handmade Brazilian furniture from renowned designers add a special touch to the overall design and feel, which can best be described as exclusive and at the same time welcoming.

The lounge was designed by Hong Kong-based architecture firm MSA, which was appointed by Plaza Premium, the company which will operate the lounge for Star Alliance.

December 2016

Kruckeberg Industries enters into agreement with Stinar Corporation

With immediate effect, Kruckeberg Industries has entered into a Management Agreement with Stinar Corporation.

For over 70 years Stinar has been a GSE manufacturer, supplying quality products to both commercial and governmental agencies globally. Primary customers include most major airlines and airport service companies, as well as the US Air Force and Navy.

Kruckeberg Industries is a holding and management company with a top-tier management team. The company pursues strategic mergers and acquisitions, as well as joint ventures and business development turnaround opportunities. Under the Management Agreement, Kruckeberg Industries will provide management and oversight services of Stinar’s day-to-day operations. This represents the first phase of co-operation that will lead to an eventual acquisition of Stinar by Kruckeberg Industries.

“The Kruckeberg team is pleased to have the opportunity to work with Stinar to move the company forward,” noted Craig Kruckeberg, CEO of Kruckeberg Industries.

The initial Stinar management team will include Jim Richards and Christopher Thorpe of Kruckeberg Industries; they will serve as General Manager and CFO respectively. Robert Harvey and Robert Gregor of Stinar will continue as CEO and Vice President of Sales & Marketing respectively.

“Stinar’s brand strength and manufacturing expertise paired with Kruckeberg Industries’ strengths in leadership and marketing are a tremendous fit,” Richards adds. “We will work towards elevating Stinar to a world-class level, one which positively impacts customer service, product quality, and operational performance.”

December 2016

American Airlines launches Dallas-Madrid service

American Airlines announced the launch of a new 787-9 service between Dallas/Fort Worth and Madrid Barajas in Spain.

The widebody service will provide enough space for up to 36 LD3 positions or 12 pallets of freight. Already in operation by the 787-9 is a service from Dallas to São Paulo, with plans to add on the Dallas to Paris Charles de Gaulle route in January next year, followed by Dallas to Incheon a month later.

David Vance, American’s VP Cargo Operations, commented: “The introduction of the 787-9 brings another more fuel-efficient aircraft type with even greater cargo capacity into the American Airlines fleet. On routes where we operate the aircraft, our cargo customers will see notable capacity improvements.” Vance went on to say that increased capacity on the US to Spain route has been in demand for some time.

The airline anticipates the inauguration of four new 787-9s to its network by the end of 2017.

November 2016

Lithium: looking good

Flux Power Holdings, a developer of lithium-ion batteries to replace lead-acid power in forklifts and other industrial equipment, has reported increased sales of its LiFT Pack batteries for Class III “walkie” pallet jack forklifts for its first financial quarter of 2017.

Company CEO, Ron Dutt, commented: “The industry response to our UL listed LiFT Packs continues to build in scope and excitement, with new enquiries, proposal requests or distribution interest being demonstrated almost daily. At this point our growth trajectory over the next few quarters is principally a function of our production, operations and sales execution because anticipated demand from our existing customers and the available market is substantially greater than our planned production levels.

“Having completed design, testing, and OEM certifications early in calendar 2016, we have built out a high-quality assembly and testing capability that now supports the production of over 100 packs per month with a wholesale value of approximately US$300,000. We are now working to ramp production to 200 packs per month, or roughly US$600,000 per month, during the third quarter of 2017. We also completed the first step in a series of planned sourcing, economies of scale and design cost reduction initiatives that will put our LiFT Pack business on a solid and profitable gross margin footing.

“While our current focus is on the lead-acid replacement opportunity, our longer term vision is to position Flux LiFT Packs as a distributor/dealer or OEM option for new equipment sales.

“Additionally, the airport ground support equipment industry offers future growth opportunities in the next few quarters. A major airline carrier recently completed testing of our GSE Pack, and initial discussions have commenced with the carrier and our distributor regarding a significant purchase order. Flux is being supported by a leading ground service equipment distributor that has arranged other trials.”

November 2016

Global Aviation Services in growth mode

Global Aviation Services has announced the acquisition of D&D GSE Support, a leading ground support equipment maintenance provider serving Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International airport. The acquisition further enhances Global’s market position in South Florida and marks the company’s first acquisition. Global has said that it intends to pursue continued expansion by acquiring high quality GSE maintenance businesses across the country.

“I’ve spent nearly 50 years in the GSE maintenance business. We started D&D over 14 years ago to provide really good maintenance at a fair price. We worked hard every day to take care of our customers and to take care of our employees. When we started thinking about selling the business, we knew we had to find a company that shared those same values,” stated Leo Dyke, principal owner of D&D.
Brad Osborn, CEO/President of Global, echoed his comments. “We started Global in 2007, based on the same core values: doing quality work with integrity, earning your customer’s trust and caring for your team. The vision and values of both companies align very well. We have a lot of respect for the work Leo has done. This should be a positive transition for D&D’s customers and we’ll work hard to continue to care for D&D’s employees.”
With immediate effect D&D will become Global Aviation Services. Global’s transition team is already in place, ramping up for the airport’s peak season. The operation will have 14-18 technicians and will serve as a primary hub for GSE maintenance in South Florida and the Bahamas.

September 2016

FSS signs up AA again

FSS opened a new station in Huntington on September 1, this year, providing above and below the wing handling services for American Airlines. This represents a second American Airlines ground handling services city for the handler, which currently provides such services in Redmond, Oregon.

fss-flight-plan-update-september-9-2016

September 2016

Fuel for the future

The interest in alternative aviation fuels continues, with the announcement by KLM that it has signed a three year contract with AltAir Fuels and SkyNRG for the supply of sustainable biofuel. This will be utilised on all flights between Los Angeles International and Schiphol.

September 2016

Self bag drop arrives in the US

There is a new wave about to engulf the US in terms of check-in procedures. The time-honoured methods are beginning to give way to systems that are customer-centric; indeed, today it is the traveller who wishes to take control of his or her journey.

Enter the self bag drop facility, something that is designed to do away with the traditional check-in desk staffed by a handler. IER’s Self Bag Drop is designed as a modular system that allows the airport or airline to integrate the system with the current check-in and baggage handling footprint. It can support one or two-step models, adapting to the requirements of the airline check-in process. Modules can be easily installed in front of existing counters or can be reconfigured to perform a hybrid operation, alternating between self check-in and agent check-in. Helpfully, the modular design supports multiple features and options from printing, RFID, NFC, biometrics and payment.

August 2016

Greener environment at John Glenn Columbus

John Glenn Columbus International airport is benefitting from a program that eliminates the need for fuel-powered equipment at its gates.

Thanks to a US$2.7m VALE grant from the Federal Aviation Administration, delivered late last year, the Columbus Regional Airport Authority has installed pre-conditioned air units at 11 airbridges, in addition to upgrading 13 existing ground power units. Whilst a number of gates had incorporated emissions reduction technology prior to the VALE program, currently all the gates are so equipped.

The change has meant the removal of heating and cooling generators on the ground that burned fuel to keep aircraft systems operational while the aircraft was parked. Work on the project commenced in November 2015 and was completed this month. In all, the new units should result in a total emissions reduction of some 207 tonnes of carbon monoxide over a period of 20 years.

August 2016

M60 IV Aircraft Cargo Tractors

US cargo tractors destined for Africa

Swahili Aviation Aerospace, acting on behalf of NMC Wollard, recently completed the sale of four model 60 cargo tractors of 3,000-6,000 pounds drawbar pull to McEnso in Accra, Ghana. The actual contract was with the Defence Force of Ghana.

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