• Reiner Winkler terminates his mandate at year-end
• Supervisory Board appoints Lars Wagner as successor

Munich, May 4, 2022 – Reiner Winkler (60), CEO of MTU Aero Engines AG, will terminate his mandate for personal reasons at year-end 2022, in agreement with the Supervisory Board. This has been jointly determined in today’s Supervisory Board meeting. “After more than twenty years in the management board of MTU, I now see the time has come to pass on my responsibilities. The company’s expected new growth phase and the excellent succession plan at the top of both the Supervisory and the Management Board appear to be a very suitable point in time. I am extremely thankful that I was allowed to help shape the successful development of MTU over such a long period of time.”

The Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Klaus Eberhardt, said: “For more than two decades, Reiner Winkler has contributed decisively to develop MTU into an excellently positioned company with outstanding perspectives for its future. The role of MTU in the worldwide aircraft engine business was essentially strengthened and extended under his leadership. For this, the Supervisory Board expresses its utmost respect and thanks to him.” Winkler’s CEO appointment would have ended on September 30, 2024.

The Supervisory Board has unanimously appointed Lars Wagner (46), Chief Operating Officer of MTU, as future CEO of MTU as of January 1, 2023. “Lars Wagner is an excellent successor at the top of MTU and has been a potential internal candidate for some time. With his comprehensive experience in both MTU and the industry, and his convincing personality, he will lead the company into the future, which will be characterized by far-reaching technological innovations,” Eberhardt said.

Eberhardt will retire as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of MTU Aero Engines with tomorrow’s Annual General Meeting on May 5, 2022. Gordon Riske has been proposed as his successor, and he has already accompanied the selection process for the CEO position. In the coming months, Riske and the further members of the Supervisory Board will shape the search for a female board member as a replacement for the vacant Executive Board position as well as help design the exact division of responsibilities at the Executive Board. According to legal requirements, a woman shall be nominated as the fourth member of MTU’s Executive Board.

About MTU Aero Engines

MTU Aero Engines AG is Germany’s leading engine manufacturer. The company is a technological leader in low-pressure turbines, high-pressure compressors, turbine center frames as well as manufacturing processes and repair techniques. In the commercial OEM business, the company plays a key role in the development, manufacturing and marketing of high-tech components together with international partners. Some 30 percent of today’s active aircraft in service worldwide have MTU components on board. In the commercial maintenance sector the company ranks among the top 3 service providers for commercial aircraft engines and industrial gas turbines. The activities are combined under the roof of MTU Maintenance. In the military arena, MTU Aero Engines is Germany’s industrial lead company for practically all engines operated by the country’s military. MTU operates a network of locations around the globe; Munich is home to its corporate headquarters. In fiscal 2021, the company had a workforce of more than 10,000 employees and posted consolidated sales of almost 4.2 billion euros.

Your contacts:

Eckhard Zanger

Senior Vice President

Corporate Communications and Public Affairs

Tel.: + 49 (0)89 14 89-91 13

Mobile: + 49 (0) 176-1000 6158

Email: eckhard.zanger@mtu.de

Markus Wölfle

Director Corporate Communications

Phone: + 49 (0)89 14 89-8302

Mobile: + 49 (0) 151-174 150 84

Email: markus.woelfle@mtu.de

EAST HARTFORD, Conn., April 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Pratt & Whitney, a division of Raytheon Technologies Corp. (NYSE: RTX) and Air Canada have announced the selection of Pratt & Whitney GTF™ engines to power 30 firm and 14 purchase right Airbus A321XLR aircraft. Pratt & Whitney will also provide Air Canada with engine maintenance through an EngineWise® Comprehensive service agreement. The first aircraft is expected to be delivered in the first quarter of 2024.

“The Pratt & Whitney GTF family of engines have saved operators more than 600 million gallons of fuel and helped avoid six million metric tons of carbon emissions since it entered service in 2016,” said Rick Deurloo, Chief Commercial Officer at Pratt & Whitney. “What’s good for the environment is also good for business, and marquee operators such as Air Canada will continue to serve their customers with the most efficient engines on offer today.” 

In 2020, Air Canada became the first airline in Canada to operate the Airbus A220 family and the first in North America to operate A220-300 aircraft. The airline currently operates 28 A220-300 aircraft with an additional 17 on order. Pratt & Whitney has a long history with Air Canada, dating back to the airline’s first aircraft, a Lockheed Model 10 Electra with Pratt & Whitney Wasp engines. Prior to the A220, Pratt & Whitney powered Air Canada’s fleet of Boeing 767 aircraft.

“Air Canada is pleased to be partnering with Pratt & Whitney by selecting GTF engines for our new fleet of Airbus A321neo aircraft. The GTF’s efficiency and reliability will help us lower costs and also allow us to expand our network. As well, the GTF’s state-of-the-art technology will advance our environmental program by reducing emissions and noise,” said Richard Steer, Senior Vice President, Operations and Express Carriers, at Air Canada.

The Pratt & Whitney GTF™ engine is the only geared propulsion system delivering industry-leading sustainability benefits, mature dispatch reliability and world-class operating costs. GTF engines for the Airbus A320neo family reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions by 16 percent, regulated emissions by 50 percent and noise footprint by 75 percent. The engine’s revolutionary geared fan architecture is the foundation for more sustainable aviation technologies in the decades ahead, with advancements like the Pratt & Whitney GTF Advantage™ engine and beyond. Learn more at pwgtf.com.

About Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft and helicopter engines, and auxiliary power units. To learn more visit www.prattwhitney.com. To receive press releases and other news directly, please sign up here.

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SOURCE: Pratt & Whitney

Finding a balance between maximizing revenue and meeting customer needs is the core challenge of airline schedule building and availability calculation. It’s tough for airlines and distribution partners, yet metasearch seems to get it right. What is their “magic formula”, and what can airlines learn from these digital-first retailers?

Traditionally, the order in which flight options are presented to a customer is determined via a ranking model. The model gives a weight to a series of factors, usually trip length and price, to score a schedule. The system then returns the results to the customer based on that ranking. But this method doesn’t always give customers the “best schedule”, that is, the fare they are most likely to buy.

On the other hand, machine learning-based systems, such as those used by metasearch, consider passenger and trip characteristics such as trip length, stops, featured flight, and rewards to determine booking probability.

To find out which works best, Accelya’s data science team put both approaches to the test.

In traditional schedule building, the response API does not return the “best schedule” for the customer in the first search, preventing the airline from maximizing the booking probability and revenue. The most convenient schedule is often among the lower-ranked options, obscured by other options such as the cheapest.

Accelya’s experiments show that their ML-based model has a 91% prediction success rate compared to 86% with the traditional model. For airlines flying 20 million passengers per year, that 5% difference could significantly increase revenue.

Accelya’s data science team works to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their solutions to ensure their airline customers benefit from advances enjoyed by digital-first players, such as metasearch.

To find out more about Accelya, click here or visit Accelya.com.

The recent CAPA Airline Leader Summit event provided the perfect forum for airline and technology partners to discuss the current distribution landscape and steps needed to meet customers’ growing expectations. Here are some learnings that the Accelya team took away from the event.

It was widely acknowledged that the past two years have been a wake-up call to the aviation industry. Now, two years on, customer behavior has changed how they shop, book flights, and the flexibility they expect, adding to the challenges airlines must meet head-on. As a result, airlines need to move from a cautious operational mindset to one that is more open and focused on retailing.

Accelya’s global head of sales and account management, Bryan Porter, pointed out that airlines need to embrace change at their own pace due to different business models, strategies, and appetite for investment. Airlines will also need to consider solutions that take a hybrid approach to this journey as carriers rarely operate in commercial isolation.

Bryan flagged some of the work Accelya did during the pandemic around NDC, revenue management, and merchandising, assisting airlines in emerging stronger. By the end of 2021, Accelya saw a 73% increase in the number of tickets sold through NDC channels compared to pre-pandemic times.

With several airlines now engaged in ONE Order and a broader appetite for cooperation, there’s an opportunity to move the needle on airline retailing. While aviation has always been a cautious industry, many accept that the cautiousness can remain while change happens alongside it.

Find out more about the CAPA event in Accelya’s latest insights.

Source: Accelya

To meet the needs of airlines and maintenance centers, Safran Landing Systems has added new digital solutions to its support and services offer: Landing Life^TM

During the pandemic, Expert Link, the remote assistance solution introduced by Safran Landing Systems, was tested as a way of continuing to provide operational support and close customer contact. Today, it is widely used in many sectors – technical assistance, training, repair – and highly appreciated by its users.

The application is very simple to use and can be accessed via a tablet or smartphone. It combines a live video feed and a system to share photos, drawings and video recordings. The video feed is fully secure, whether users are out on the tarmac or in the workshop.

Several members of AFRAA have already chosen to use the solution to simplify their communications with Safran Landing Systems.

Abraham Siria – Development Engineer at Kenya Airways says, “A few days ago, I managed to use the latest solution from Safran Landing Systems i.e. Expert Link, to communicate with one of the Product Engineers in charge of B737 Wheels (Jim). The experience was great, this facility reduced the TAT for solutions and is clearer than the many emails that we usually exchange whenever we’re seeking a solution. 

The Expert Link interface was pretty simple to use especially on my phone, the design is great. There were a few connectivity issues but we overcame them and had a fruitful engagement. “ 

Accelya, a leading provider of technology solutions to the travel industry, recently announced that it has been selected to power the digital transformation of one of the world’s fastest-growing airlines, Virgin Atlantic Cargo.

As a result of this agreement, Virgin Atlantic Cargo is updating its enterprise-wide cargo management platform, dubbed ‘Voyager’, with Accelya’s FLX Cargo Platform, aiming at delivering a differentiated product offering and an enhanced customer experience.

Accelya’s FLX Cargo Platform gives the airline greater commercial and operational control, including command over its distribution channels. As a result, Virgin Atlantic Cargo will be able to provide superior experience and value to its growing customer base, enabling the airline to deliver its brand promise.

The integrated Accelya FLX Cargo Platform digitizes every aspect of the cargo process from offer to settlement and will help the airline create, optimize and distribute offers, manage the order lifecycle, and deliver network-wide and ULD operations.

As we emerge from the pandemic, technology-based evolution is at the core of our journey to becoming the most loved cargo airline. The very latest version of Accelya’s FLX Cargo Platform will enable a step change in aiding our customers to connect anytime, anywhere and via any channel. The platform allows us to create new capabilities from which we will continually improve and advance our services and our digital proposition. Our teams are already well advanced on their path to an early 2023 implementation of the first in a series of exciting new developments and features.” added Phil Wardlaw, Managing Director at Virgin Atlantic Cargo.

Find out more information in Accelya’s latest news.

Accelya, a leading provider of technology solutions to the global airline and travel industry, recently announced the appointment of Jim Davidson as its Chief Executive Officer. Davidson succeeds John Johnston, who transitioned from the CEO position in November but continues as a Special Advisor to the Accelya Board of Directors. Davidson will provide a seamless transition from his role of President and Chief Strategy Officer, where he has been leading Accelya over the past three months.

“I’m honored to be named CEO of Accelya,” said Davidson. “Over the past few months, I´ve been able to work with the executive team across all areas of the business and am energized by the Accelya team’s commitment to customer success. We are better positioned than ever to continue delivering innovation and game-changing solutions to the global airline and travel industry.”

Davidson is a recognized industry leader, having taken part in the evolution of airline distribution and commerce for more than 25 years. Davidson has served as President and CEO of NTE, President and CEO of Amadeus Global Travel, North America, Head of Sales and Marketing at System One, and VP of Marketing at Reed Travel Group / OAG. As CEO of Farelogix, before its acquisition by Accelya, Davidson oversaw the building of its New Distribution Capability (“NDC”) solutions and established a DNA of transformative innovation. Today these solutions have become a key element of Accelya´s FLX Platform.

Find out more information in Accelya’s latest news.

2021 saw over 40 new airlines take to the skies for the first time looking to make their mark in a fiercely competitive market. This group includes PLAY, Norse Atlantic, flypop, and Bamboo Airways, which are using Accelya’s revenue management solution to get their airlines from the drawing board to the skies.

Iceland’s newest airline, PLAY, had its inaugural flight from Keflavík International Airport to London Stansted Airport in June 2021 and now flies to numerous European destinations with plans to expand to the US East Coast this year.

Founded in 2021 and starting operations this year, Norwegian entrant, Norse Atlantic, is a low-fare, long-haul carrier that will fly to various European and US cities.

flypop’s vision is to provide low-cost, point-to-point flights between London Stansted Airport and second cities in South Asia, starting with India. The UK newcomer’s operations will come to fruition in summer 2022.

Newly-launched Vietnamese arrival Bamboo Airways invites passengers to explore the world with them and fly to some great spots in Germany, UK, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, and Australia.

Revenue management is essential because its activities influence 65% of an airline’s bookings. With start-up airlines having no historical data, Accelya’s revenue management solution helps them employ multiple data sources to make critical pricing decisions. For example, live booking data, third-party fare data, market capacity, and other sources give these new airlines the insights they need to take on the world.

Find out more information in Accelya’s latest insight.

Accelya recently announced that the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has certified Accelya as the first technology provider for the schema version 20.2 of the IATA Airline Retailing Maturity (ARM) index. The certification reflects the transformational ethos of the new Accelya FLX Platform that will integrate commercial and financial processes across the airline transaction lifecycle.

The IATA designation recognizes that Accelya’s Order Accounting solution now accepts orders as an input for settlement, which benefits airline customers by allowing them to settle NDC transactions while they get ONE Order ready. An extension of the NDC and ONE Order programs, the IATA Settlement with Orders (SwO) initiative seeks to transform the airline business by aligning commercial and financial processes.

The ARMi certification elevates Accelya’s position as a system provider and retailing enabler, boosting transparency about Accelya’s capabilities within the industry.

Commenting on the announcement, Yanik Hoyles, IATA Director, Distribution said: “Congratulation to Accelya! By becoming the first System Provider certified on the new Airline Retailing Maturity index on schema version 20.2, Accelya is helping support the industry’s journey to a fully-realized world of offers and orders, which will create greater value for airlines and travelers”

Accelya has shared more details on what this new certification means and its benefits for the industry. If you want to find out more, please click this link.