MTU Maintenance, global market leader in customized solutions for aero engines and valued customer Saudi Aramco celebrates the delivery of the facility’s 9,000^th engine, a CFM56-7B from the Saudi Aramco fleet. The ceremony was carried out in a virtual ceremony between the two parties due to the on-going pandemic.

Saudi Aramco is the world’s largest listed and a state-owned petroleum and natural gas company based in Saudi Arabia. The company has been sending CFM56 engines to MTU Maintenance since 2004 and relies on MTU for excellent technical support and cost-efficient maintenance solutions for the specific requirements generated as a result of the harsh environment in which they fly. MTU Maintenance also supported Saudi Aramco’s CF34-8E engines before they were phased-out and has been taking care of their LM2500 industrial gas turbines since 2009.

“We are delighted to have achieved 9,000 shop visits and be able to share this special event with our long-term and valued customer Saudi Aramco,” adds Holger Sindemann, Executive Vice President MRO operations at MTU Aero Engines and Managing Director of MTU Maintenance Hannover. “We are engine experts and dedicated to achieving maximum performance and optimal engine life for our customer’s engines. We thank all our customers for their trust in us, without whom, we would have been unable to reach such a milestone.”

MTU Maintenance introduced the CFM56 family into its portfolio in 2000. As the number one independent CFM56 service provider worldwide with over 10 percent market share,  the MTU Maintenance network has serviced well over 2,000 engines in the past twenty years. CFM56 Services are carried out at MTU Maintenance Hannover and MTU Maintenance Zhuhai, and MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg is in the process of introducing  this engine to its portfolio, with the first induction expected this summer.

Source: MTU Maintenance

MTU Maintenance, global market leader in customized aero engine solutions, launches ON-SITE^Plus, a larger group of on-site, near-wing and quick-turn services. This development and rebranding of the portfolio underscores the importance of on-site and near wing activities as a means to reduce maintenance cost and extend on-wing times – a trend that has been particularly prevalent during the COVID-19 crisis and is expected to continue as the industry recovers post-pandemic.

As the industry looks towards recovery, priorities for airline professionals are evolving. Many see airline control over the offer and its distribution as a critical driver for long-term profitability. And greater airline control requires NDC. One such airline making an impact with its NDC distribution strategy is Accelya customer, Qatar Airways.

Qatar recently announced plans to introduce a new platform to enable trade partners to build tailored travel experiences for their customers. Providing a great user experience, Oryx Connect will give travel agents access to rich airline content and better functionality when customizing travel experiences for their customers. In addition to getting content directly from the platform, agents can also access NDC content from various aggregators, including Aarongroup, Duffel, Travelfusion, Travvise, and Verteil.

Qatar will not be penalizing booking via traditional indirect channels with surcharges and other barriers. Rater, Qatar has publicly announced that it is incentivizing travel agents to use its NDC channel. An important stimulus is providing travel agents with excellent offer and order management capabilities from booking, servicing, ticketing, and payment.

Qatar is not alone in pursuing distribution freedom with NDC. According to the Airlines: A Path Back to Profitability report, 68% of airlines use or intend to use NDC as part of their retailing and distribution strategies[1]. Transformation is happening, and the Qatar initiative brings more clarity as to how industry priorities are evolving.

To find out how Accelya helps airline optimize their distribution strategy, please visit Accelya.com.

 

[1] “Airlines: A Path Back to Profitability” report, page 28

 

Source: Accelya

STAR ALLIANCE, NEC AND SITA SIGN TEAMING AGREEMENT, PAVING THE WAY TO EXPAND TOUCHLESS journeyS across member airlines Passengers will soon be able to use their biometric ID as their boarding pass across a vast network of airlines and airports FRANKFURT, TOKYO, GENEVA – 15 June 2021 – Frequent flyer program customers of Star Alliance member airlines will soon be able to use their biometric identity across any participating airline at any participating airport following a new agreement between the world’s largest airline alliance, NEC Corporation and SITA. The agreement announced today is aimed at accelerating the availability of biometric self-service touchpoints across Star Alliance’s member airlines while delivering a faster, touchless airport experience. Connecting to SITA‘s Smart Path solution, the Star Alliance biometrics platform will be able to use SITA’s shared airport infrastructure already available in more than 460 airports. Together with SITA and NEC’s global presence, multiple biometric projects can be delivered in parallel, speeding up the availability of biometric passenger processing to Star Alliance’s member airlines globally. This will be vital in enabling Star Alliance to deploy biometrics faster. A further advantage is the NEC I:Delight platform – which allows passengers who have opted to use the service to be identified quickly and with a high degree of accuracy, even on the move – can be easily integrated with SITA Smart Path. The I:Delight platform is also able to recognize passengers even when wearing a mask, an increasingly important feature for travel during the current pandemic. The platform is already in use by Star Alliance member airlines at several airports in Europe. Uniquely, passengers using Star Alliance’s biometrics platform enroll only once. Passengers then can pass through biometrically enabled touchpoints across multiple member airlines and participating airports using just their face as their boarding pass. This speeds up the passage through the airport while making each step completely touchless, supporting important health and hygiene safety measures in times of COVID-19 and delivering on Star Alliance’s vision of a seamless customer experience. Jeffrey Goh, CEO, Star Alliance, said: “This agreement is instrumental in bringing further scale to our biometrics service, with the inherent benefits of speed and meeting customer expectations for a more touchless and hygienically safer experience across all of our member airlines. Biometrics is a key element of that experience and our strategy of leading the way in digitalizing the passenger journey.” Barbara Dalibard, CEO, SITA, said: “Together with NEC, SITA is pleased to be supporting Star Alliance in bringing the full benefits of biometric identity to their member airlines. Passengers have long welcomed the advantages of control and speed automation brings to the passenger journey; a trend that has been accelerated by COVID-19. With this agreement the benefits of biometric identity will be extended from a single airline or journey to a vast network of airlines. That is truly unique and demonstrates the benefits digital identity can bring to the passenger.” Masakazu Yamashina, Executive Vice President, NEC Corporation said: “NEC is honored to join this three party partnership with Star Alliance and SITA. While the impact of COVID-19 continues, we are pleased to lead the creation of seamless and touchless travel. NEC is committed to providing a safe and comfortable customer experience through our NEC I:Delight identity management solution.” Watch the announcement of the partnership here.   -ENDS-   For further information, (not for publication) contact: SITA  Julius Baumann Head of Media Relations Tel: +41 22 747 6993 Email: Julius.Baumann@sita.aero   Star Alliance   Star Alliance Press Office Tel: +49 69 96375 183 Email: mediarelations@staralliance.com   NEC Corporation of America John Wise Tel: +1 972 413 9176 Email: john.wise@necam.com   NEC Corporation Jasper Joseph Tel: +81 80 2038 9096 Email: j-jasper@nec.com About SITA SITA is the IT provider for the air transport industry, delivering solutions for airlines, airports, aircraft and governments. Our technology powers more seamless, safe and sustainable air travel. Today, SITA’s solutions drive operational efficiencies at more than 1,000 airports while delivering the promise of the connected aircraft to more than 400 customers on 18,000 aircraft globally. SITA also provides the technology solutions that help more than 60 governments strike the balance of secure borders and seamless travel. Our communications network connects every corner of the globe and bridges 60% of the air transport community’s data exchange. SITA is 100% owned by the industry and driven by its needs. It is one of the most internationally diverse companies, with a presence in over 200 countries and territories. SITA’s subsidiaries and joint ventures include SITAONAIR, branded SITA FOR AIRCRAFT, CHAMP Cargosystems and Aviareto. For further information, go to www.sita.aero   About NEC NEC Corporation has established itself as a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies while promoting the brand statement of “Orchestrating a brighter world.” NEC enables businesses and communities to adapt to rapid changes taking place in both society and the market as it provides for the social values of safety, security, fairness and efficiency to promote a more sustainable world where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential. For more information, visit NEC at https://www.nec.com.   About Star Alliance The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance, based on a customer value proposition of global reach, worldwide recognition and seamless service. Since inception, it has offered the largest and most comprehensive airline network, with a focus on improving customer experience across the Alliance journey. The member airlines are: Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Air Portugal, THAI, Turkish Airlines, and United. Overall, the Star Alliance network currently offers more than 12,000 daily flights to almost 1,300 airports in 197 countries. Further connecting flights are offered by Star Alliance Connecting Partners Juneyao Airlines and THAI Smile Airways.   Visit our homepage or connect to us on social media:

Testbed 80 to test the most efficient aeroengines of today and the even more sustainable propulsion systems of the future

Rolls-Royce has officially opened Testbed 80, the world’s largest and smartest indoor aerospace testbed, in a ceremony with the Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng, Secretary of State for the Department of Business Energy & Industrial Strategy, in Derby, UK.

The completion of the project is a major milestone after almost three years of construction and a £90m investment. With an internal area of 7,500m2, making it larger than a Premiership football pitch, Testbed 80 was designed with distinctive technologies and systems which are more capable and complex than any of our other testbeds. The testbed conducted its first run on a Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engine at the test facility in Derby, UK earlier this year.

Warren East, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce, said: “Testbed 80 is the largest facility of its type in the world. However, it is not only big, it is also smart and features the most advanced testing technology we have ever used. As the new global hub of our testing capability, it will support the next stage of our UltraFan programme as we begin ground testing the first demonstrator in 2022. This incredible piece of infrastructure is a very visible sign of our commitment to this site and secures the future of Derby as the home of large engine development, continuing a history that began in the late 1960s with the RB211.”

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, said: “This testbed here in Derby shows that the UK remains a global leader in aeroengine technology. I’m proud that we’re supporting Rolls-Royce’s development of the highly-efficient UltraFan engine, as well as investment in green and cutting-edge aerospace technology here in the UK that will create high-skilled, well-paid jobs for decades to come.

“As the civil aviation market recovers, the innovation of great British companies such as Rolls-Royce and the entire aerospace sector are central to our plans to build back better from the pandemic and end our contribution to climate change by 2050.”

Testbed 80 will support all three pillars of our sustainability strategy. Firstly, continuing to improve the efficiency of the gas turbine. The facility has been designed to test a range of today’s engines, including the Trent XWB and the Trent 1000, but will also have the capability to test the UltraFan® demonstrator, the blueprint for our next generation of engines. UltraFan will be 25% more efficient than the first Trent engine, and we will begin ground testing the demonstrator at the testbed in 2022.

Secondly, we are committed to promoting the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs), which can already be used as “drop-in” fuels in our existing engines. Testbed 80 has been designed to support this commitment – it is equipped with a 140,000-litre fuel tank (you could fill your car up almost 3,000 times with this amount of fuel) for different fuel types, including SAFs. Next year, we also plan to run our first UltraFan demonstrator test using 100% SAF.

Finally, in line with our ambition to pioneer novel, more sustainable technologies, the testbed is designed to have the capability to test the hybrid or all-electric flight systems of the future.

Part of the new technology development for Testbed 80 has been supported by the ATI’s PACE project, specifically for the UltraFan.

Rolls-Royce is pleased to have partnered with MDS Aero Support Corporation of Ottawa, Canada, for the design and construction of this facility.

Source: Rolls – Royce

There has been much speculation on how revenue management should adapt to current market conditions. With the competitive environment changing by the hour, what are airlines doing and how are they innovating? As the revenue management solutions partner to over 80 airlines, Accelya is well-positioned to lift the lid on the key trends and explore changes in the discipline as the ‘rubber hits the road.’

 Before the covid-19 disruption, airlines were already questioning the reliance on traditional approaches to revenue management. There was growing unease with the dependency on limited data inputs and the focus on the airline’s own historical booking, passenger itinerary information, and fare data. The fact that historical data is captured at only 24-25 points over the 365+ days of a flight’s history compounded this concern.

We now see airline revenue management looking much further afield than their own data for valuable insights. They are now including more real-time data, market capacity, competitive fares, look-to-books, shopping data, and many other complementary data sources. 

Quick response time is key to keeping up with a rapidly fluctuating competitive landscape. So, we see airlines employing more automation, such as competitor fare actions and seat optimization strategies. Airlines are also looking to automated actions to override the thousands of bad recommendations (inaccurate outputs) from existing systems due to impaired data.

There is considerable innovation around flight analytics with more focus on real-time KPI scoring. This approach does not just use historical data. It also looks at recent flight booking behavior (e.g., from previous weeks) to create a score so the system can better understand the current situation. We expect to see data science playing a more significant role here in the near future.

Historic demand patterns may have been disrupted. However, we see revenue management making bold and innovative moves to overcome the challenges when put to the test. 

 To find out how Accelya helps airlines make smarter revenue management decisions, please visit https://w3.accelya.com/commercial/airline-revenue-management.

Source: Accelya

Onomo Hotels, the largest African hotel provider in the mid-range segment, has selected Sabre Hospitality Solutions as distribution provider and business partner for its hotels across 13 countries and 22 cities in Africa.

Under the landmark agreement, Onomo Hotels will use Sabre’s platform solution including SynXis Central Reservations for its new distribution strategy. The Group will benefit from the Sabre SynXis Platform’s advanced technology to streamline its operations and grow its footprint in Africa, while securing an effective, future-ready channel strategy that will maximize revenue of both direct and indirect channels.

Through its SynXis Platform, Sabre will support Onomo Hotels’ growth by helping capture more bookings, leveraging the power of online bookings via the SynXis Booking Engine and GDS connectivity, as well as other third-party distribution channels via the Sabre travel marketplace.

“Our objective is to continue to grow Onomo Hotels in Africa, and Sabre’s innovative technology will help us achieve this,” said Souleymane Khol, Chief Operating Officer for Onomo Hotels. “Sabre invests significantly in its technology and is able to scale quickly to meet the needs of a growing business, we are looking in further depth at their wide range of solutions to strengthen our distribution. It also demonstrates a deep understanding of local needs while having a global perspective, making it the right partner for us.”

Thanks to this partnership, the over 2,800 Onomo Hotels rooms will benefit from SynXis Central Reservations and its industry-leading reach with connections to almost 900,000 travel agents and nearly 700 online channels across the globe, including hundreds of online travel agencies (OTAs) and metasearch engines.

“Hospitality providers like Onomo Hotels need access to robust technology solutions as well as a broad network of channels to reach customers where they are and increase conversions,” said Frank Trampert, SVP and Global Managing Director Commercial, Sabre Hospitality Solutions. “At Sabre, distribution is at the core of what we do, and our solutions are among the most widely used and respected. As we continue to invest in our systems and innovate on our solutions platform, we expect that our technology will help Onomo Hotels grow revenue for its partner hotels across the continent.”

The SynXis CR provides distribution of rates and inventory through all online and offline distribution channels; connectivity to global distribution systems, online travel agents, website and mobile booking engines; and seamless integration of critical property, revenue management, loyalty and content systems, providing holistic views of hotel guests and revenue. Sabre’s central reservation system is powered by the SynXis Platform, an open architecture platform that integrates critical hospitality systems to optimize distribution, operations, retailing and guest experience.

Sabre Hospitality Solutions currently has more than 40,000 hotels leveraging its SynXis technology to power distribution, reservations, property management, retailing and guest experience solutions.

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About Sabre Corporation

Sabre Corporation is a leading software and technology Company that powers the global travel industry, serving a wide range of travel companies including airlines, hoteliers, travel agencies and other suppliers. The Company provides retailing, distribution and fulfilment solutions that help its customers operate more efficiently, drive revenue and offer personalized traveler experiences. Through its leading travel marketplace, Sabre connects travel suppliers with buyers from around the globe. Sabre’s technology platform manages more than $260B worth of global travel spend annually. Headquartered in Southlake, Texas, USA, Sabre serves customers in more than 160 countries around the world. For more information visit www.sabre.com.

About Onomo Hotels

Onomo Hotels is a leading African Hospitality group operating 22 hotels in 13 African countries: Senegal, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Mali, Togo, South Africa, Guinea Conakry, Rwanda, Morocco, Cameroon, Tanzania, Mozambique and Uganda. Our latest imminent opening of Onomo Hotel Kampala that features 148 rooms and suites, allows the group to reach a total capacity of over 2,900 rooms. Anchored in a moving Africa, ONOMO Hotels group develops hotels in the heart of Africa and puts Africa at the heart of its hotels. The group’s mission is to offer midscale hospitality that meets international standards while preserving the local particularities of each country, to welcome business and leisure travelers in the best conditions. Providing design hotels in privileged locations, managed by professional and experienced teams in a friendly atmosphere in order to create memorable stays, this is the promise of ONOMO Hotels.

More information on www.onomohotels.com, or on the group’s social networks platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram)

Media Contact:
Marta Dall’Arche

Marta.DallArche@sabre.com

Source: Sabre

• Future secured with CFM56-7B introduction and CF34 licensing agreement with GE
• The most diverse portfolio across the MTU Maintenance network is key to the facility’s stability and success

Ludwigsfelde, June 7^th, 2021 – MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg celebrates its 30^th Anniversary with a small, socially-distanced celebration with MTU management, local politicians, including Brandenburg’s Minister President Dietmar Woidke, and works council representatives, as well as employees who have been with MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg since it was founded in 1991. Over the past 30 years, the facility has developed to become a world leader in the maintenance repair and overhaul of narrowbody, regional, business jet and helicopter engines, as well as being a competence center for industrial gas turbine maintenance and testing for the military TP400-D6 engine.

“We are extremely proud of all the facility has accomplished over the past three decades,” says Reiner Winkler, CEO and Chairman of the Board of MTU Aero Engines. MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg has supported over 400 customers over the past five years and has the most diverse product portfolio within the MTU Maintenance network. “We are also be expanding this to include full CFM56-7B engine overhaul capacity and expect to induct the first engine of this type over the summer. This introduction ensures both the flexibility within our network to meet customer needs as well as the future strength of our presence here,” he adds.

Diverse portfolio ensures success

“We also recently signed an eight-year extension of our GE branded service agreement for the continued maintenance, repair and overhaul of the CF34 engine family,” André Sinanian, Managing Director and Senior Vice President, MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg states. “This was a further and important step in maintaining our position as number one independent service provider for this engine and securing this program for the future of our facility until 2030 and beyond.” MTU Maintenance recently celebrated the redelivery of its 500^th CF34-10E and has carried out 1,400 shop visits for this engine since 2003.

Alongside these engine programs, MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg is specialized in the MRO and field service support of aeroderivative GE LM series industrial gas turbines and their packages. In fact, this area of the business saw around 25 percent growth in 2020, despite the on—going COVID-19 pandemic. “As such, we’ve been expanding our yearly capacity for this engine type and have just introduced hot section repairs for the newest LM variant, the LM6000PF+,” adds Sinanian. But the portfolio additions do not stop there. In 2020, the facility introduced piece parts repairs for the PW1500G/PW1900G and recently completed the first PW800 low-pressure turbine overhaul, for which it is currently the only MRO provider worldwide.

MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg has also been home to the Pratt & Whitney Customer Service Centre Europe (CSC), a joint venture between itself and Pratt & Whitney Canada for the marketing and sales of P&WC engines in Europe, Middle East and Africa, since 1992. “The shop and mobile repair team service 70 engine variants on behalf of P&W CSC,” says Sinanian. “We are particularly proud to have been servicing air ambulance and air rescue customers throughout the crisis, ensuring they maintain critical services throughout.”

Committed to the region Berlin-Brandenburg

Minister President of Brandenburg, Dietmar Woidke, stated during his speech: “After a difficult year due to the pandemic, things are looking up at MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg too. The company has been well managed throughout the crisis. With its stable base of around 850 employees and training program for young people, MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg is a key employer in the region. The company is essential to the continued success of our state as an aviation stronghold in Germany. MTU and Brandenburg go well together.”

In 2019, the facility inaugurated a new 6,500 square meter logistics building and reorganised the layout of its shops to increase efficiencies.

“MTU’s employees are passionate, visionary and drive the company forward. They are the reason the capital city region of Berlin-Brandenburg has been able to develop into an important national and international aviation location over the past decades, in particular in terms of engine technology. We are delighted and grateful that companies such as MTU believe in our state and invested here very early on,” said Brandenburg’s Minister for Economic Affairs, Jörg Steinbach.

“Since 1991, we have invested over 300 million euros in the site here at MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg, 50 million alone in 2021,” adds Winkler. “We remain committed to the region Berlin-Brandenburg, providing our customers the excellent and reliable engine care they’ve come to expect from MTU, as well as our team of employees, without whom none of this 30 year success would have been possible.”

Source: MTU Maintenance

Today, Rolls-Royce and DHL Express have announced they have both signed a TotalCare® agreement for the Trent 700 engines that currently power the eight Airbus A330 freighter aircraft of the worldwide operating logistics company. The agreement will also cover any Trent 700 engines that are added to the DHL fleet in the future.

Our TotalCare service not only provides world-class support to our airline customers but also to our cargo carriers. TotalCare offers more than just an engine maintenance plan; it is a service concept based upon predictability and reliability.

This agreement will give DHL a secured cost of operating and maintaining their Trent 700 engines through a dollar-per-flying-hour payment mechanism. It will also deliver enhanced aircraft availability thanks to our in-depth engine knowledge that draws on our advanced engine health monitoring and on the 62 million flying hours the Trent 700 has accumulated over more than 25 years of operations.

The TotalCare agreement will ensure the continuity of aftermarket support at the lowest possible maintenance cost for the DHL fleet for decades into the future.

The Trent 700 delivers the highest thrust on both of DHL’s freighter aircraft types – the A330-200F and A330 P2F – which translates into extra payload compared to other engine choices. As well as emitting less CO2 and being the most economical engine to operate on the A330, the Trent 700 is also the most reliable option, with 99.9% dispatch reliability.

Hannah March, Rolls-Royce, Vice President Customers, said: “We are delighted to be able to continue to support DHL following a successful collaboration on the RB211-535E4. This agreement is another great example of providing world-class services to DHL, enabled by the best engine for the A330 freighter, the Trent 700.”

Geoff Kehr, DHL, Senior Vice President – Global Fleet Management, said: “TotalCare gives us the opportunity to maintain our Trent 700 fleet to best-in-class reliability standards by leveraging the scale and reputed Rolls-Royce capability through TotalCare support. This frees time and resource so DHL may focus on other fleet maintenance optimisation and operational aspects.”

Source: Rolls-Royce