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Scotland’s largest airline easyJet has expanded its popular Twilight Bag Drop service to Edinburgh airport. Available for the first time today, the free service provides customers on early morning flights with the option to drop their bags off the evening before, saving time for their journey through the airport on their day of travel by skipping bag drop and heading straight to security. It is expected to be especially popular with thousands of families who are travelling with easyJet for their Easter holidays next month.
The service will be available to all customers on early morning flights departing before 1200 at Edinburgh, which represents around 40% of all flights departing from the airport, and bags can be dropped between 1600 and 2100 the day before they fly.
Customers will now be able to simply drop their bags off the evening before their flight during quieter times and to make it easier, just one family member or one customer on the booking is able to drop the bags off for the whole group if they wish.
Ali Gayward, easyJet’s UK Country Manager, commented:
“We are always looking for ways to make travel even easier for our customers, so we are really pleased to be introducing our free Twilight Bag Drop service at Edinburgh from today. We know the service is already very popular with our customers flying from London Gatwick, Bristol and Manchester and by introducing this in time for Easter, thousands of families set to fly with us on their holidays from Scotland can now benefit by dropping their bags with us at airport the night before, for a quicker and easier journey.”ADVERTISEMENTAdam Wilson, Chief Operating Officer at Edinburgh Airport said:
“Providing options for passengers is a key strand to our overall offering to make the journey through the airport as smooth and efficient as possible – that’s a view shared by our partners at easyJet and it’s been great to work closely with them to bring the Twilight service into operation.
“We know a lot of customers will welcome the ability to check-in bags the night before their flight, meaning they can arrive at the airport in the morning, head straight to security and start their trip that little bit quicker.”
easyJet now offers Twilight bag drop services to its customers across four of its key UK airports:  London Gatwick, Bristol, Manchester, and now Edinburgh.
To find out more visit www.easyjet.com/en/help/baggage/cabin-bag-and-hold-luggage.

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This week the A321XLR development flight-test aircraft (“FT3”, MSN11080) dedicated to the cabin returned from its four-day cold-weather ground testing at Iqaluit in northern CanadaA few weeks earlier, one of the other A321XLR test aircraft (“FT2”, MSN11058) made a similar visit to Iqaluit. On that initial occasion the mission was to test the operation of the hydraulics and other systems at extreme cold temperatures – after an overnight soak at minus 40 degrees Centigrade.
Ground testing the water and waste system“The objective of this most recent cold-weather campaign was to validate the aircraft operation in cold weather for ground operations,” says Tuan Do, Lead Flight Test Engineer.
He notes: “This time around we tested the cabin water and waste system – which required the temperatures inside the unheated cabin to ‘soak’ at below -15 degrees Centigrade overnight. To this end, several cold soaks were conducted over successive nights with the doors left open, while the outside temperature was around minus 20 degrees Centigrade.
In each case different heating and insulation configurations were applied for subsequent comparative analysis by the engineering department.”
As part of this, a new ‘cold weather option’ available for A321XLR operators, was tested in real conditions for the first time – it adds heaters to ensure the system doesn’t freeze-up overnight. The tests also validated the ‘standard aircraft’ configuration – ie. without the optional package activated – and a weight-saving opportunity configuration, with less insulation.ADVERTISEMENTOf course, every airliner cruises at high altitudes where the outside temperatures are much lower. However, inside the cabin the water and waste systems operate in above zero temperatures. This is why ground testing (in a completely powered-down state) is specifically called for – so that the ambient environment inside the cabin and below the passenger deck, where many systems are located, can cold-soak at sub-zero temperatures.

Hydraulics, oil and electrical system testing at -40 degrees Centigrade“During our first five-day visit to Iqaluit a month ago, when we powered-up the aircraft in the morning, we would ‘wake-up’ the hydraulics, electrics, and other systems and see how long it took to operate the aircraft and get it ready for taxiing and takeoff.”
“There were also some flights to validate the landing gear operation in very cold temperatures. Notably, the A321XLR features an uprated landing gear – to support the higher maximum take-off weight of the aircraft (whose MTOW is 101 metric tonnes, vs 97 tonnes for the A321LR). Consequently, the shock-absorbers on this new variant are designed to handle higher loads compared with those on the other A320 Family members.
The test objective was to check the ‘weight-on-wheels’ signal, so the aircraft knows when the main landing gear shock absorbers are compressed or extended.
“There are many systems on the aircraft which depend on the weight on wheels signals to tell them whether the aircraft is in flight or on ground. So during our first visit to Iqaluit we verified how the weight-on-wheels function is affected by the physical changes in the main landing gear, and how shock absorber stiffness is affected by cold temperatures,” recalls Tuan.
Another design feature of the -XLR related to hydraulics which needed to be evaluated in the cold environment were new hydraulic lines which pass through Rear Centre Tank, located aft of the Landing Gear bay. “Our design office colleagues wanted us to check that the routing of the pipes did not significantly affect the hydraulic temperatures and operations after warm-up of the aircraft,” notes Tuan.
Other cold weather challenges, applicable for any aircraft, include ensuring that hatches don’t freeze shut, or that the systems in general don’t freeze up – not only the water pipes, oil and hydraulics systems, but also the electrical system, especially batteries. “Batteries don’t hold as much charge or provide as much power output when they are at low temperatures. Meanwhile, oil and hydraulics become very viscous at very low temperatures which makes it hard to move flight control surfaces around and drive pumps etc. So you need to heat the aircraft up and its pipework to be able to operate the aircraft,” explains Tuan

Human challengesThe challenges behind the cold weather campaign also include human ones,” he notes. “We have maintenance and ground support teams who need to prepare and configure the aircraft, and check everything outside. They need to have the right clothes and equipment compatible with operations outside. But even with those provisions, the wind-chill factor is so strong in Iqaluit that it’s difficult. You can only work for a limited time outside, so we have shifts to ensure that nobody stays outside for too long.”
On-site Airbus for its part, had brought a team of more than 30 people. These included: six flight crew – pilots, flight test engineers, and a test-flight engineer; a cabin specialist engineer; a maintenance team – comprising mechanical specialists, electrical specialists, quality inspectors; instrumentation specialists; systems design specialists; technical photographers; as well as an operations colleague to oversee the logistics for the overall journey.
The human challenges are not simply on-site in Iqaluit, rather, they begin much earlier. The flight-test engineers will have agreed the test requirements with the design engineers’ office several months in advance, and from that will have prepared the campaign mission plan together with the mission flight-crew and ‘test-flight’ engineer colleagues. Together they determine how they need to configure the aircraft inside and out, when to start taxiing and then take-off, and what the ambient and systems temperature conditions should be etc. They will sequence all the testing and planning of the campaign, and of course, ensure that the whole mission is conducted safely.

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Qatar Airways announce their latest partnership with club cricket giants – the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), becoming the Indian Premier League (IPL) team’s Official Front of Jersey Partner.
The Indian Premier 2023 season will take place between 31 March – 28 May, with the Bengaluru based cricket team playing their opening match on 2 April against the Mumbai Indians.  In the presence of 40,000 fans, RCB’s home arena – the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, hosted a special “Unboxing Event” that featured cricket legends, celebrities, team officials and the likes of cricket superstars Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis and Glen Maxwell. Fans watched the RCB squad train in an entertaining atmosphere, after which the Qatar Airways cabin crew greeted the team during a special jersey unveiling ceremony.
The airline’s leisure division – Qatar Airways Holidays, is exclusively launching all-inclusive travel packages, allowing cricket fans to attend an IPL match at the bespoke Qatar Airways hospitality lounge at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. In addition, the packages will enable fans to partake in exclusive experiences such as viewing practice sessions, signed memorabilia, player meet and greet, photo opportunity with Virat Kholi, and more. The Ultimate RCB Fan packages include return flights with Qatar Airways, premium hotel options, IPL tickets and exciting experiences. To secure packages, customers can visit the dedicated link, qatarairways.com/RCB.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said:  “We embark on a new journey with the addition of the Royal Challengers Bangalore to our extensive sports portfolio. The team has a passionate fanbase and a well-represented list of cricket legends that have played for the team. Cricket is a global game with a world-wide audience and is a powerful means of uniting people of different backgrounds. From start to end, our RCB packages will take the fan experience to the next level with a seamless journey to witness world-class cricket and entertainment.”ADVERTISEMENT
“Qatar Airways regards India as an important market where we operate non-stop flights from 13 Indian cities. Our operations from India also serve connections to 13 cities in North America and 35 cities in Europe through our hub – Hamad International Airport, which was awarded Skytrax World’s Best Airport award for the past two years. We are excited to partner with RCB over the next three years in what we trust will be a successful alliance.”

Chairman of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chief Commercial Officer of Diageo India, Prathmesh Mishra, said: “We are thrilled at the potential of the RCB – Qatar Airways partnership. The synergies between both brands serve as a robust platform to build a very strong marketing association over the next three years and beyond. Qatar Airways has a strong demonstrative history of activating world class sports marketing partnerships and we hope the RCB partnership is just as successful. The partnership and its activation will be a benchmark in the Indian sports ecosystem and adds to the aspiration of RCB on its pathway to becoming a global cricketing powerhouse and a lifestyle brand.”

The “Unboxing Event” paved the way for several entertainment activities, featuring musical performances from various acts, including international artist – Jason Derulo, who performed live at the stadium. In addition, cricket legends A.B. de Villiers and Chris Gayle’s jerseys were officially retired by the team as a mark of honour to induct them into the club’s hall of fame.

Qatar Airways has recently launched a new brand campaign in collaboration with world-renowned Indian actor, Deepika Padukone, who encapsulates the premium experience available to customers of Qatar Airways, transiting through the best airport in the Middle East – Hamad International Airport.

Qatar Airways as a brand is committed to supporting global sports, helping fans travel to their favourite events wherever they may be. The airline is a leading global football supporter, with partnerships including FIFA, Paris Saint-Germain, FC Bayern and Concacaf. Additionally, Qatar Airways is the Official Airline of Formula 1®, the Ironman and Ironman 70.3 Triathlon Series, United Rugby Championship (URC), Global Kitesports Association and multiple other disciplines including equestrianism, padel, squash and tennis.Hit for a Six: Qatar Airways Welcomes Cricket Giants – Royal Challengers Bangalore to its Diverse Sports Sponsorship Portfolio

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Air India is expanding its UK presence in a move which reinforces the strong links between the UK and India, as it undergoes a massive modernisation programme to transform into a world-class, premium airline.
The Indian flag carrier is launching four new services from London Gatwick to Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Kochi and Goa, switching them from London Heathrow, and flying on each route three times a week.
Each of the four new services will be operated with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Flights to Ahmedabad and Amritsar started on Sunday, 26 March, with services to Kochi starting today (Monday, 27 March), and to Goa on Tuesday, 28 March.
From London Heathrow, Air India is adding five additional weekly frequencies, with flights to Delhi increasing from 14 to 17 times a week, and to Mumbai from 12 to 14 times a week, effective as of yesterday (Sunday, 26 March).
Air India also plans to upgauge the equipment on its London Heathrow to Delhi and Mumbai routes with Boeing 777 aircraft, expected to be added from May 2023, initially on the Delhi route. This will enable First Class service to be reinstated for passengers.ADVERTISEMENTCampbell Wilson, Air India Managing Director & CEO, said: “We have ambitious yet focused plans to restore Air India to its rightful place as one of the world’s foremost carriers.
“Our substantial investment in customer service, new aircraft and the brand overall will enable us to gain market share on key routes from the UK to India as well as drive more business and leisure travellers to visit India itself.
“We are pleased to be launching services from London Gatwick as well as expanding our Heathrow operation, enabling our passengers to have even more choice on how they enter India.”
Air India also flies from Birmingham to Amritsar and Delhi three times a week on each route. In total, there are 49 Air India flights a week between the UK and India (please refer to the below appended table).
The flag carrier, which has 126 aircraft currently, has embarked upon a major transformation, having recently placed the largest-ever firm orders for a total of 470 aircraft with Airbus and Boeing, with deliveries starting later in 2023.
The orders for new aircraft are in addition to 36 narrow-body and wide-body aircraft that the airline had leased in late 2022, which are already being inducted into its fleet. The airline has also committed over USD 400 million in a project to fully refurbish its entire legacy wide-body fleet, comprising 27 Boeing 787-8 and 13 Boeing 777 aircraft, which will see a complete overhaul of existing cabin interiors.
This will include the addition of latest generation seats and best in-class inflight entertainment across all classes. In addition, the refurbishment will see the introduction of a Premium Economy cabin on both fleets.
As part of the firm orders for 470 new aircraft, Air India has selected 250 new Airbus aircraft, consisting of 40 A350s and 210 A320/A321neos, as well as 220 Boeing aircraft, consisting of 190 Boeing 737 MAX, 20 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, and 10 Boeing 777X.
The first six Airbus A350s are due to arrive by the end of 2023. The fleet order, and expansion at Gatwick, will see an expected 500 new jobs created in the UK due to Air India’s ambitious transformation.
The fleet order, and expansion of its network, signals the swift return of one of the most iconic carriers worldwide. Air India became part of the Tata Group in 2022. The transformation will include major changes to its brand, world-class customer service offerings on the ground and in the air, and more dynamic digital products.
For more details about Air India, visit airindia.com

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Turkish Technic, one of the most prominent players in the global aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) sector, released its financial results for 2022, which marked successful growth and solid strategic acceleration. The company recorded a 37 percent growth compared to the previous year with 1,42 billion USD in revenue and increased its market share to 1.9 percent, reaching the highest growth rate and revenue in the company’s history.
Expanding its capacity and capabilities to meet the needs of the aviation sector, Turkish Technic added new achievements to its service portfolio in 2022. The company has completed base maintenance operations for Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A350 aircraft for the first time during the year and carried out its first Boeing 777-300ER landing gear overhaul. Adding 1.193 aircraft part numbers to its capability in 2022, the MRO leader expanded its maintenance-repair capabilities and the range of services it offers its customers.
On the 2022 performance of the company, Turkish Technic Chairman of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Bolat said: “To meet the growing needs of the aviation industry, we continuously increase our capacity and capabilities and continue to provide high-quality maintenance-repair services to our local and international customers. Closing 2022 with 1,42 billion USD in revenue and 119 million USD in operational profit, we achieved remarkable success in our company’s history. We thank our customers for their confidence in our company and extend our gratitude to our colleagues for their dedication and effort.”
Supporting component and aircraft maintenance operations of many airline companies spread over a large geographical area, Turkish Technic provided base maintenance services to 649 aircraft, completed overhaul operations of 221 landing gears and serviced over 119.000 components throughout 2022.

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Airbus has delivered the first A321neo aircraft assembled at its Final Assembly Line Asia (FAL Tianjin) to China’s Juneyao Air in Tianjin, China. The aircraft is powered by Pratt & Whitney GTF engines and features 207 comfortable seats, 8 in Business and 199 in Economy class. Its delivery flight is to use a ten percent Sustainable Aviation Fuel blend in support of the green aviation strategy in China.  “Since we announced the commissioning of the first A321 aircraft at FAL Tianjin last November, the relevant final assembly activities and tests went on smoothly, showcasing the maturity of FAL Tianjin to quickly adapt to new products,” said George Xu, Airbus Executive Vice President and Airbus China CEO. “The successful delivery of the first A321 aircraft enables Airbus to honour the popularity of the aircraft for the China market and beyond – and the consistent trust and support from our customers. Airbus continues to expand and enhance its comprehensive cooperation with China’s aviation industry, underlining its long-term commitment to China to ensure customer proximity while supporting the global commercial aircraft production ramp-up.”
Airbus has four A320 Family final assembly facilities around the world: Hamburg, Germany; Toulouse, France; Tianjin, China; and Mobile, United States. With the conversion of the Tianjin facility last year, and with the newest facility about to complete its transformation in Toulouse, the global industrial system will be fully A321-capable, creating flexibility and agility to meet Airbus’ ramp up objectives and the rising market success of the A321 model.
Inaugurated in 2008, the FAL in Tianjin was the first Airbus commercial aircraft assembly line outside Europe. In the same year, the first aircraft sections arrived on site. Since its first A320 delivery in 2009, Airbus’ FAL in Tianjin has delivered more than 600 aircraft over its 14 years in operation. The A321neo is the longest-fuselage member of Airbus’ best-selling, single-aisle A320 Family, comfortably seating as many as 244 passengers, with a longest range reaching 4,700nm/8,700km. Featuring the widest single-aisle cabin in the sky, the A320neo Family offers at least 20 percent reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 as well as a 50 percent noise reduction compared to previous generation aircraft, thanks to incorporating the very latest technologies including new generation engines and Sharklets. By the end of January 2023, the A320neo Family had received over 8,600 firm orders from more than 130 customers worldwide.
@Airbus #AirbusChina #A321

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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) is launching a virtual datathon to stimulate the development of data-based solutions to further the aviation industry’s gender diversity.
The datathon builds on the success of IATA’s 25by2025 initiative.
“The launch of the 25by2025 initiative in 2019 prompted the industry to take a closer look at the gender diversity of its workforce and take actions to make sure it is reflective of the societies it serves. The IATA & AWS diversity datathon is intended to further strengthen gender diversity in the industry, which complements the existing IATA Diversity and Inclusion Awards,” said Jane Hoskisson, IATA’s Director Talent, Learning, Engagement and Diversity at IATA.
“We are thrilled to be working with IATA on the virtual datathon, and it is brilliant to see the aviation sector working together to strengthen gender diversity within the industry in this way. Initiatives like this are instrumental in fostering diversity and inclusion globally and will help us all amplify underrepresented voices and empower diverse communities,” said Charlene-Elise Anderson, Leader Intergovernmental Organizations, AWS.
Datathon participants will be asked to address one of two challenges:ADVERTISEMENTHow to demonstrate to a CEO the impact of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion using data and/ or new technologies?How can airlines redress the gender balance on the flight deck and other technical roles through data and/ or new technologies?Who can participate:
Registration for the datathon will start on 22 March and is open to professionals in the airline industry, including airlines, airports, software vendors, start-ups, systems integrators (SIs), and any other organizations working in aviation. All participants will be granted access to an AWS environment which will enable them to build their proofs of concept. Importantly, all teams will be given an opportunity to join training sessions on technical and business topics which will be held by AWS architects and industry specialists from IATA and IATA’s member airlines.
Timelines:
This virtual datathon will run between 22 March and 28 April 2023.
Judging:
Submissions will be evaluated by an independent panel of experts from IATA and AWS. Key criteria taken into account will include the originality of the solution, its applicability in the aviation sector and the value-add it will bring to further strengthen gender diversity of the industry.

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Boeing and Japan Airlines (JAL) have finalized an order for 21 super-efficient 737-8 jets.The versatile 737-8 will position JAL to strengthen its domestic and regional network as passenger traffic continues to return to pre-pandemic levels. JAL intends to begin introducing the airplanes into its fleet from 2026.
“We are delighted to select the Boeing 737-8, a member of the very latest 737 MAX family, to replace our Boeing 737-800s, which make up the largest proportion of the JAL Group’s fleet,” said Yuji Akasaka, president of Japan Airlines. “We look forward to carrying our passengers in the utmost safety and comfort and to moving closer to our 2050 carbon-neutral goals, thanks to a combination of these super-efficient aircraft, operational innovations and new fuel-saving technologies.”
The 737 MAX will provide JAL with greater range and fuel efficiency, reducing both fuel use and carbon emissions by 15% compared to the airplanes the airline is replacing. In addition, the 737 MAX is a quieter airplane, creating a significantly smaller noise footprint than the airplanes it replaces.
“The integration of the new 737 MAX will provide JAL with greater efficiency across its short-haul network, as the airline continues to upgrade its world-class fleet,” said Stan Deal, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “Partnering with JAL to introduce 737-8s into its operations is the latest milestone in our longstanding relationship.”
The 737 MAX family has the latest CFM International LEAP-1B engines, advanced technology winglets and other aerodynamic enhancements to improve performance. More than 50 airlines globally are operating over 900 737 MAX airplanes, which have made over 1.4 million revenue flights totaling more than 3.5 million flight hours since late 2020ADVERTISEMENT

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