Rolls-Royce is proposing to increase the scope of ITP Aero’s supply chain activity, engineering and manufacturing capabilities. This comes as part of the ongoing detailed review of our Civil Aerospace facility footprint, as we focus on protecting key skills and technologies, reducing costs and positioning our business for recovery from the dramatic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global commercial aviation. The actions we are proposing will enhance the position of ITP Aero, currently wholly-owned by Rolls-Royce, as a major global aerospace company that will, in future, be able to compete for business from other players in the aerospace industry and target new opportunities.

On 20 May 2020 we announced a major restructuring, predominantly of our Civil Aerospace business, to achieve total annual pre-tax cash savings of at least £1.3bn by the end of 2022. As part of the restructuring, we are reviewing our global footprint. Today we are providing an update to our people on further proposals from this extensive review.

First, we are proposing to transfer our facility and workforce in Hucknall, UK, into ITP Aero. Hucknall, which manufactures a range of aero-engine parts, will bring ITP Aero new capabilities and become a critical part of the enlarged business, helping to secure the future of the site. As part of ITP Aero, the Hucknall site will, in future, have the potential to unlock new growth and investment opportunities.

Second, we are proposing to consolidate the manufacture of aero-engine structures into ITP Aero. Due to the significant reduction in global demand for our products and services from commercial aviation customers, which is forecast to last several years, we must reduce our manufacturing capacity and cost base in order to protect our remaining workforce. ITP Aero, currently undergoing its own restructuring, offers a more cost competitive option than our existing structures facility in Barnoldswick, UK. We are commencing consultation on a proposal to close the structures facility on the site. While this will be hugely upsetting news for our colleagues in Barnoldswick, this does not mean we are closing our Barnoldswick site. Following our proposal in August to relocate part of our fan blade manufacturing, Barnoldswick will be the home of a product development and technical support centre for wide chord fan blades and continue to manufacture blades for a range of Defence and Civil Aerospace applications.

As announced alongside our half year results in August, we have identified a number of potential disposals that are expected to generate proceeds of more than £2bn in order to strengthen our balance sheet, and these include ITP Aero. Preparation work is under way and we will provide an update as appropriate. Any potential disposal is, of course, dependent on market conditions. Notwithstanding the outcome, ITP Aero is a key partner for Rolls-Royce and we will retain a long-term relationship with the business – including the operations we are today proposing to place within it – across our Civil Aerospace and Defence programmes. ITP Aero works with other large commercial and business aviation engine manufacturers and a disposal could unlock new growth and investment opportunities, including by enabling it to attract further work from third parties.

Third, we have today informed our colleagues in Inchinnan, Scotland, that our objective is to continue the manufacture of aero-engine turbine blades and compressors aerofoils in our facility there. We have signalled our intention to discuss with the Trade Union options to make the site more competitive, reduce operating costs and define the medium-term direction for the site. Due to the continued reduction in demand for aero-engine shafts, however, we unfortunately no longer have the workload to maintain production in multiple locations and are today proposing to consolidate their manufacture, some of which was previously carried out in Inchinnan, into our other site in Derby, UK.

Fourth, we have today informed our colleagues in Ansty, UK, that our objective is to continue the manufacture of aero-engine fan cases in our facility there. We have signalled our intention to discuss with the Trade Union options to make Ansty more competitive, reduce operating costs and define the medium-term direction for the site.

Any impact on jobs across our business as a result of today’s announcement is included within the figure of at least 9,000, across Rolls-Royce, announced in our restructuring of 20 May 2020. We remain committed to mitigating the impact of any proposals, where possible, through the use of voluntary severance and relocation.

Chris Cholerton, President – Civil Aerospace, said: “Since the beginning of the pandemic we have taken swift action to protect our business by both reducing our spending and costs, and by raising additional funds. But despite the prospect that business will eventually return to normal, sparked by recent news of vaccines, the pandemic has created a once-in-a-generation shock to the whole of commercial aviation and it is going to take years to recover. By completing the restructuring of our Civil Aerospace business we can emerge as a stronger, more efficient and sustainable business able to tackle some of the world’s toughest technological challenges.”

“The proposals we are laying out today will provide an opportunity for our workforce in Hucknall to benefit from being part of an enlarged global aerospace leader that can compete for business with other engine manufacturers. But I understand that the announcement will be hugely upsetting for our colleagues in Barnoldswick. This is a very difficult proposal to make, but we cannot afford to retain every Rolls-Royce factory that was supported by demand that has been dramatically reduced by the pandemic. No government support scheme can replace sustainable customer demand and no government can sign-up to extending the sort of short-term measures we have been very grateful for, over multiple years.”

“The impact and pain of the pandemic on Civil Aerospace is not only being felt by our colleagues in the UK. We have already announced proposals to unfortunately reduce our Civil Aerospace workforce in Germany by almost a quarter due to the reduction in demand from customers, while in Singapore several hundred jobs have been impacted as part of our global restructuring and we are consolidating the assembly and testing of our widebody engines into the UK. We have also announced the closure of a whole Civil Aerospace manufacturing site in the US, which is less than a decade old, and the work it used to carry out will now be done in the UK.”

Source: Rolls-Royce

The COVID-crisis has uncovered a need for airlines to change, and fast. There is an upside to this new imperative. There has never been a more necessary time for far-reaching transformation in our industry than now. And to be successful, the airline voice needs to be at the center of new thinking and technology. That’s why Accelya and Farelogix, now an Accelya company, have launched the Air Transformation Lab, a series of activities to explore the current state of airline commerce and uncover the DNA of a profitable future.
The Air Transformation Lab project has yet to reach its conclusion, but as Headline Sponsors of T2RL PSS2020, Accelya dug into the latest findings to coincide with the event. So, let’s dive into these key themes and explore!

• Transformation is Now

The negative impact of the COVID-crisis cannot be overstated. Nonetheless, the majority of airline leaders acknowledge some positives. They believe this period to be an opportunity to transform commercial technology/processes, improve inter-departmental collaboration, and try new things.

• Customer-Centric Flexibility Gets ‘Priority Boarding’

Decimated demand has elevated customer-centric change to a strategic priority. Airlines moved quickly to enable more efficient servicing as the COVID-health emergency unfolded, and most airlines have now abolished change fees. Airline leaders report this shift is here to stay and for a good reason. The customer has changed.

With business demand at an all-time low, the leisure traveler is now the lifeline of the airline. Many are seeing important, new customer segments emerge, such as less seasoned travelers and younger customers. As a result, a spotlight is shining on customized products and bundles. Early data from the Air Transformation Lab survey reveals a two-fold increase in interest in “personalization” as airlines pursue greater offer relevancy.

For some airlines, Continuous Pricing will play a role in building a profitable future. As continuous pricing is executed outside of fare-filing, airlines will have more price points to meet the changing customer need. For example, this strategy will enable customers who book closer to departure to receive more attractively priced offers.

• More Revenue or Reduced Cost? Yes, to Both!

It has never been a more critical time for airlines to be everywhere it makes sense. According to Air Transformation Lab participants, that means more content, an emphasis on core channel relationships, and a laser focus on cost reduction. When the Air Transformation Lab team asked what is more important, revenue optimization or cost reduction, the resounding answer was, “Yes, to both”.

The current situation has grown the appetite for airline controlled offers, and many executives are looking to NDC to deliver over the next 12 – 36 months. For the NDC-leaderboard airlines, as many as 1:3 tickets are now sold through NDC-channels.

Which sales channel-related changes do airlines anticipate? Airline professionals expect to see a continued shift in sales to their direct digital and tech aggregator channels between 2020 and 2023, predominantly at the expense of traditional indirect channels.

To read the full article, please click here.

To find out more about the Air Transformation Lab, please visit Accelya.com/lab.

Source: Accelya

A new project led by Rolls-Royce with support from the ATI Programme will make future aerospace servicing technologies a reality.

Engineers will work on 20 technologies that will reduce disruption for airlines and lessen our environmental impact by repairing components rather than scrapping them. Other industries such as nuclear and off-shore renewables will also benefit from the project.

Technologies include:
• Snake robots which travel inside jet engines to access complex parts, enabling repairs which are not possible with today’s tools;
• Engine sensors which send us data from the sky and allow us to better predict when engines need maintenance;
• Inspection and analysis tools to inspect parts buried deep within engines while they are being repaired;
• Advanced automated repair technologies targeting parts which cannot currently be repaired, meaning they do not need to be scrapped.

Miniature maintenance and inspection tools as well as new repair technologies will be used on our existing engines such as the Trent XWB, while engineers will explore how to repair and maintain aerospace materials and components for future low-carbon engines, including electric technology.

They will work on inspection and repair solutions for composite fan technology, which reduces the weight of a jet engine and will be used in our next-generation engine design, UltraFan®.

The new technologies have the potential to avoid substantial amounts of CO2 every year by:
• increasing the time engines are available to fly, avoiding unnecessary maintenance;
• reducing scrappage by repairing more components, rather than replacing them;
• reducing the movement of people and parts by using more digital inspection techniques and key-hole surgery for engines.

Some of the technologies will have multiple uses and will benefit several other industries. For example, miniature chemical analysis tools can be used in nuclear power generation where human access is restricted. High-tech cameras and algorithms will help to identify damage on components in sectors as diverse as security and off-shore wind turbines.

Dr Ian Mitchell, Chief of Technology – Repair and Services, Rolls-Royce, said: “Our latest engines are quieter and cleaner than ever before, substantially reducing CO2 emissions. This programme will take that one step further by improving how we service our engines, creating technologies which will reduce waste, avoid emissions and minimise disruption, while laying the foundations to service the gas turbine and hybrid-electric engines of the future.”
Mark Scully, Head of Technology for Advanced Systems & Propulsion, ATI, said: “Through-life services are a critical aspect of ensuring propulsion systems continue to perform efficiently and with minimum impact on the environment. The ATI welcomes this project to the ATI Programme portfolio and are pleased to see a wealth of expertise from the supply chain and academia supporting this important development.”

Ian Campbell, Executive Chair of Innovate UK, which is the funding agency for the ATI Programme, said: “This project represents the coalescing of aerospace innovation excellence in the UK supply chain and academia, and is the culmination of research and development to deliver technologies that place the UK at the forefront of in-service engine performance.”

Work has begun on the project – known as REINSTATE – in Derby, UK and will continue for more than three years, in conjunction with universities and SMEs including Roke Manor Research, BJR Systems, Clifton Photonics, the Manufacturing Technology Centre, the University of Nottingham, the University of Sheffield, and the University of the West of England.

The REINSTATE project is supported by the ATI Programme, a joint Government and industry investment to maintain and grow the UK’s competitive position in civil aerospace design and manufacture. The programme, delivered through a partnership between the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Innovate UK, addresses technology, capability and supply chain challenges.

For further information, please contact:
Emma Fahy
Communications Manager – Civil Aerospace
Rolls-Royce plc
Tel +44 (0)7552 213 555
emma.fahy@rolls-royce.com

Daisy Omissi
VP External Communications – Civil Aerospace
Rolls-Royce plc
Tel +44 (0) 7500 990 583
daisy.omissi@rolls-royce.com

Source: Rolls-Royce

Accelya has embarked on a project, the Air Transformation Lab, to identify what is required to build profitability in the airline industry.  As a part of the Air Transformation Lab initiative, Accelya is carrying out a survey, in partnership with Atmosphere Research Group, to understand airline professionals’ perspectives on the state of airline commerce, the bottlenecks to progress, and the path to growth. Click on this link to participate https://w3.accelya.com/lab

In-depth interviews, think tanks, and a series of virtual boardroom discussions with airline leaders will enrich the study. These activities aim to ensure the airline voice is at the center of new thinking, strategy, and technology that’s needed for long-term profitability.

The results of the Air Transformation Lab will be published in a whitepaper prepared by Atmosphere Research Group. This whitepaper will be the first major report examining the future of airline commerce since the start of the COVID health emergency.

Source: Accelya

SITA, the technology provider for the air transport and borders industry, today released a Positioning Paper detailing its latest generation of smart border solutions to facilitate the implementation of the new European Union Schengen Zone border controls planned for 2022. 

SITA’s new TS6 Automated Border Control (ABC) Kiosks have been developed to accommodate future upgrades and changing requirements, such as the use of new biometric capture devices or the introduction of a printer to provide receipts to travelers. 

The new EU Entry-Exit System (EES) is designed to ensure robust and consistent checks on travelers along the entirety of Europe’s external borders. SITA’s next-generation solution uses the biometric data captured at its ABC kiosks to expedite processing at the ABC gates, reducing congestion and improving passenger flow while providing high-quality data to governments and border agencies. SITA has extensive experience designing and implementing digitally-enabled 21^st Century borders for airports, seaports, and land border crossings. These solutions address the entire border control ecosystem – enabling governments and border agencies to leverage passenger data, conduct risk assessment, and manage traveler identities across the full-spectrum of border control operations.

Jeremy Springall, Vice-President Border Management, SITA said: “The introduction of EES will bring significant benefits but also presents operational challenges for EU member states to achieve smooth and effective border processes. Maximizing the value delivered by the introduction of EES requires an approach that goes beyond the initial acquisition of gates, kiosks, and biometric devices. Member states now have a unique opportunity to positively transform their border operations through the intelligent integration of new and existing border management systems.”

With SITA Border solutions in place, arriving travelers in the Schengen Zone will be able to confirm their registration in the Central EES system at the kiosk, update their travel record with any new travel document or visa details, confirm their biometric data and make declarations specific to their journey. The biometric data can then be used to identify the traveler at the ABC gate – enabling them to proceed directly through the gate by facial recognition alone. This innovative approach is expected to significantly improve processing times at border crossing points for arrivals compared to traditional processing. 

Combatting COVID-19 through timely facilitation of travelers

The additional requirement to collect biometric and biographic data for all Third Country Nationals (TCNs) entering the Schengen Zone, will increase time spent at the border crossing point – potentially creating queues and unfavorably impacting upon traveler experiences. While the temporary reduction in traveler numbers relating to COVID-19 has alleviated the burden on travel infrastructure, new social-distancing guidelines will require authorities to avoid bottlenecks at border crossing points to minimize the risk of infection.  

SITA’s two-step process tackles this issue by enabling parallel processing of travelers: while face capture and matching begin the moment a traveler enters the gate, the next traveler can already be scanning their travel document in readiness to enter. This solution accelerates the process and provides a walk-through experience that saves on average five seconds in passenger processing time.

Boosting passenger confidence

COVID-19 presents the most significant challenge the travel industry has faced and technology that can support evolving safety regulations and fluxes in passenger volumes will be key to boosting passenger confidence. 

Passengers are also demanding faster and more automated journeys. SITA research conducted in January and February 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic had its full impact on global air travel, examined responses from nearly 7,000 passengers across 27 countries globally, representing 75% of global air traffic. Over a third of passengers (34%) claim that technology to support digital identity management would add the most value to their journeys, superseding more widely discussed technologies like 5G and artificial intelligence. 

The report also showed passengers opt to use technology that helps them automate their entire journey and enables a more fluid travel experience. This trend falls into line with the industry’s COVID-19 response, helping to ease congestion and reducing the interaction points between staff and passengers through contactless touchpoints. 

Facing facts 

SITA can effectively apply the biometric quality standards prescribed by the EU while supporting governments to tailor and adjust their solutions. This approach leans on extensive experience working with transport infrastructure operators to ensure appropriate environments for face image capture.  

Significant efforts have also been made to ensure the fine-tuning of face capture and matching algorithms to ensure that the process works for the widest possible range of travelers. This has been proven across several SITA projects to date – where success rates of over 99% have been achieved across a traveler cohort of several tens of thousands. SITA technology today supports border operations in more than 45 countries globally.

Integration with new and existing border management systems

Many government authorities and transport infrastructure operators have introduced ABC equipment to alleviate pressure on border agents and improve the speed of facilitation. While travelers report greater satisfaction when using self-service touchpoints to clear immigration, the liberation of border guards to focus on travelers requiring greater scrutiny enables these highly trained officers to make the best use of their time and skills.

The integration of the border control point with existing government and international systems – such as watchlists, identity databases, national document registers, and visa management databases – is also critical to ensuring that travelers can be processed with the richest possible set of data upon which governments can make decisions. 

SITA has extensive experience in the deployment of ABC solutions across both EU and non-EU states with over 5,000 self-service kiosks deployed worldwide. Moreover, SITA’s existing support network – with a presence in over 200 territories – can be leveraged to ensure the ongoing maintenance and servicing of kiosks, providing customer peace of mind. 

To find out more download the ‘Strengthening the Common Border’ Positioning Paper here

Source: SITA

Predictive Mobility, the leading provider in Africa of marketing planning solutions, and partner of AFRAA since 2013, is announcing that it has been nominated as one of the Top 10 Big Data Company Worldwide in 2020. Since its creation in 2010, the company has created the largest aviation market intelligence database, including macro and micro economic indicators, origin-destination and leg-segment traffic, revenue, and capacity data, or multimodal information including rail, cruise, or express bus transport. This wealth of information is used to help airlines worldwide to monitor their competitors, build their schedule, optimize their fleet and network, as well as make pricing decision every day.

This award represents the recognition of our focus on research and development, and directly benefit our customers with more accurate analysis, regular enhancements and new functionalities, and a focus on delivering measurable benefits to our clients, including but not limited to Air Senegal SA, LAM Mozambique, Mauritania Airlines, and Air Austral in Africa. In addition, our team is pleased to work on AFRAA’s strategic Route Network Coordination project to facilitate intra-African air connectivity and airlines partnerships.

About Predictive Mobility Holdings Ltd: Predictive Mobility Holdings Ltd is a software company that commercializes under its brands Predictive Mobility and Milanamos aviation market intelligence, scheduling, fleet and network planning; and pricing and revenue management solutions. Founded in 2010, its primary focus is to provide advanced technology for airlines to implement an engaging commercial approach, grow their revenue, and expand their world globally!

Source: Predictive Mobility

Accelya is delighted to introduce the Air Transformation Lab, a series of activities aimed at fostering the collaborative transformation of airline commerce and putting the airline voice at the center of industry survival, recovery, and long-term growth.

In partnership with Atmosphere Research Group, Accelya will shed light on the current state of retailing and explore the required transformation journey ahead through an online survey and a series of in-depth interviews. In addition to customer and industry think tanks, a series of virtual boardroom discussions will enrich the study. The project will culminate in a report that delves into areas relating to the full retailing lifecycle, from offer and order through to settlement, and will uncover the DNA of a profitable future. Folks who get involved will be invited to an exclusive briefing by Henry Harteveldt, President, Atmosphere Research Group, regarding the findings.

If you would like to have your voice heard and play a part in shaping the future of airline commerce – or just want to keep abreast of the project – please click and subscribe to updates.

Source: Accelya 

Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport has introduced nearly 50 of SITA’s mobile-enabled kiosks, becoming one of the first airports in India to deliver a completely contactless way for passengers to check-in for their flight.

The technology allows passengers to use their mobile device to interact with kiosks. This significantly reduces the need to touch surfaces in the airport and meets the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s (MoCA’s) new passenger processing guidelines aimed at reducing the risk of spreading COVID-19 infections.

Developed in response to rapidly changing passenger requirements as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the application is a cost-effective alternative to significant investment in new low-touch infrastructure. The solution leverages existing common-use kiosks and does not require changes or modifications to airlines’ existing IATA CUSS standard check-in applications.

Mumbai Airport handles more than 47 million passengers a year. With this technology, travelers passing through Terminal 2 of the airport can now simply scan a QR code on their mobile phone or tablet to operate the kiosks. After scanning the QR code, they can then use their mobile device as a trackpad to control check-in and self-bag drop kiosks to print their boarding passes and bag tags.

Rajeev Jain, CEO, MIAL, said: “With the focus on passenger convenience, the new contactless technology has been developed in response to the rapidly changing passenger requirements due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We want to reassure our patrons of their safety at the airport and are willing to go the extra mile to alleviate any fear of travel during these challenging times.”

Maneesh Jaikrishna, SITA Vice President for the Indian Subcontinent, Dubai, Eastern & Southern Africa said: “In the aftermath of COVID-19, we are focused in delivering technology solutions that help our customers quickly deliver a safe and smooth passenger journey. We are pleased to have supported Mumbai Airport with this, and we’re subsequently rolling this solution to other airports in India too.”

SITA has developed a broad range of solutions to help airports through the post-COVID environment, detailed in the recent ‘Runway for Future Operations’ report. SITA President for Europe, Sergio Colella, will also be discussing the aviation industry’s recovery at the upcoming World Aviation Festival 2020.

Source: SITA