Recent News

Doha, 03rd June 2024: Qatar Airways has opened up a new gateway in Africa, connecting the DRC with Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The inaugural flight from Doha to Kinshasa landed at N’djili International Airport on Saturday, 1 June 2024, bringing the total number of African destinations served by the airline to 29. The new route promises to connect Kinshasa to the world via Qatar Airways’ Doha hub, Hamad International Airport, the ‘World’s Best Airport’ as voted by Skytrax in 2024.Additionally, this strategic move by the airline will improve air connectivity across the African continent and will forge stronger economic and business prospects as well as cultural ties. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, said: “At Qatar Airways, we recognize the immense potential in Africa. We are dedicated to enhancing connectivity throughout the continent, enabling seamless access to business and leisure opportunities. We look forward to offering our passengers travelling to and from the DRC convenient travel options through our award-winning hub, Hamad International Airport.” The four weekly services will also increase capacity to Angola, raising the number of flights to Luanda from one to four. The addition of Kinshasa also complements the airline’s over 170 weekly flights across Africa, emphasising Qatar Airways’ commitment to enhancing connectivity throughout the continent. There has been a strong growth in the market with nine new destinations operated by Qatar Airways in Africa since December 2020. Abidjan, Abuja, Accra, Kinshasa, Harare, Kano, Luanda, Lusaka, and Port Harcourt are the African cities newly added to the extensive Qatar Airways network, while Cairo and Alexandria were resumed. In addition, Qatar Airways schedules in most of the Africa markets have been optimized in the last 12 months to ensure convenient connectivity to China. It is also the case with Luanda, and now Kinshasa with this new flight that conveniently connects with key markets such as Belgium, France, Portugal and the Middle East. Kinshasa, which is the capital of the DRC, is the third largest city in Africa, after Cairo and Lagos. Also serving as the economic hub of the country, Kinshasa presents different opportunities for investment and tourism. The bustling city, nestled along the Congo river, is also known for its cultural diversity, lively music scene and pristine nature, attracting both urban explorers and nature enthusiasts.

Delhi, 28th May 2024: Akasa Air has commenced operations from Prayagraj connecting it to Mumbai with daily non-stop flights. The inaugural flight on 25 May 2024 departed from Prayagraj airport at 13:40 hrs arriving at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport at 16:00hrs. The new route strengthens Akasa Air’s presence in Uttar Pradesh as Prayagraj becomes the fourth city from the state to be added to the airline’s growing network. Commenting on the announcement, Praveen Iyer, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer, Akasa Air said, “Prayagraj, our fourth destination in the dynamic state of Uttar Pradesh is known for its numerous iconic landmarks and historical sites. The city has experienced a significant increase in tourism, driven by the efforts of the government to improve tourism infrastructure in the region. Our daily flights connecting Prayagraj and Mumbai will not only enhance connectivity, but also create new trade and tourism opportunities. As India’s fastest-growing airline, we continue to deliver on our promise of providing customers with seamless and affordable travel options.” Commenting on the launch, Belson Coutinho, Co-Founder and Chief Marketing & Experience Officer, Akasa Air said, “We are excited to bring the signature Akasa experience to Prayagraj, a city soaked in rich history and culture. At Akasa Air, we take great pride in our commitment to providing customers with an exceptional travel experience, and our industry-leading and customer-friendly products and services such as Pets on Akasa and the popular Café Akasa, have redefined air travel for Indians in a short span of 20 months. Moreover, our leadership in on-time performance makes us the most reliable airline in the country, today. We look forward to hosting travellers on the route and are confident they will appreciate our distinguished service.”

Stuart, Florida, May 22, 2024: Stephen Stasiak has been appointed as the General Manager of Daher’s U.S. facility at Stuart, Florida, which is one of the company’s largest industrial sites worldwide – producing aerostructures for Boeing and Gulfstream Aerospace. Stasiak’s career in the aerospace and defense sectors included vice president and general manager positions at Safran, Viking Air, and L3 Harris. A graduate of Webster University with a Master’s Degree in Business and Finance, he was a U.S. Army aviator – flying OH-58 Kiowa helicopters. Daher’s operation at Stuart builds aerostructures for the Boeing 767 and 777 airliners, the KC-46 aerial tanker, as well as for Gulfstream’s 650 business jet.Stasiak reports to Alain-Jory Barthe, the CEO of Daher’s Industry division.

Singapore, 21st May 2024: In one of the rare mid-air turbulence faced by Singapore Airlines flight number SQ321, which took off from Heathrow Airport in London on Monday and was headed to Singapore, “encountered severe turbulence” en route. The aircraft was diverted to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport, where it landed at 3.45 pm (local time) on Tuesday. As per the reports, the plane – Boeing 777-300 ER having 211 passengers and 18 crew members on board faced severe turbulence which left 30 passengers severely injured and one pax killed.The death has been confirmed by Singapore Airlines. The statement says,”We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing… Our priority is to provide all possible assistance to all passengers and crew on board the aircraft. We are working with the local authorities in Thailand to provide the necessary medical assistance, and sending a team to Bangkok to provide any additional assistance needed.” As reported by various media,Tracking data captured by FlightRadar24 showed the Singapore Airlines flight cruising at an altitude of 37,000 feet. Just after 0800 GMT, the plane suddenly and sharply pitched down to 31,000 feet over the span of some three minutes. The aircraft remained at 31,000 feet for just under 10 minutes before rapidly descending and landing in Bangkok in just under half an hour.

US, 20th May 2024: AviaAM Leasing, a global aviation holding company engaged in tailored aircraft leasing and trading services, announces the delivery of a Boeing 737-800 aircraft to KlasJet, a well-known charter company and a part of Avia Solutions Group, the world’s largest ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance) services provider. The aircraft commenced operations on May 11, 2024. This delivery highlights AviaAM Leasing’s commitment to providing high-quality leasing solutions that facilitate the operational growth of its clients. With this addition, KlasJet continues to enhance its ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance) capacity. The expansion aims to better serve airline’s fleet growth plan across Europe and beyond. With the Boeing 737-800, KlasJet strengthens its position in the ACMI sector, offering unmatched flexibility and premium service quality.

India, 14th May 2024: Aeroplanned and Airways Aviation Group announces their strategic partnership aimed at elevating global flight training standards. In response to the escalating demand for pilots worldwide, Airways Aviation Group has a rapidly expanding network, currently spanning 12 locations globally offering a wide set of training capabilities. With this expansion, and a global network, Airways Aviation faces distinct operational requirements, a challenge Aeroplanned is delighted to help address. With Airways Aviation diverse locations, and each base delivering different programs with unique flying conditions, Aeroplanned allows each base to operate with their own individually configured platform, whilst providing standardised reporting to ensure management have consistent, relevant data to make the best possible decisions. Aeroplanned’s innovative platform empowers users at each location to accurately track student progress and strategically plan remaining training to achieve targets. With all the data in one place, Aeroplanned enables Airways Aviation global team to access consistent reporting on student performance metrics, including on-time performance, any anticipated delays, and proactive measures to address any issues. As Airways Aviation continues to expand and enrolment of student pilots grows annually, Aeroplanned’s software also proactively identifies available capacity and flags potential resource bottlenecks. This critical information, along with the ability to quickly run scenarios, ensures optimal resourcing decisions are made well in advance. Jen Liddle, CEO of Aeroplanned, is delighted to embark on this journey with Airways Aviation: “Collaborating with the Airways team is an exciting prospect. We’re dedicated to meeting the needs of each of their bases as well as their overarching management, ensuring collective oversight for optimal results. Airways Aviation unique operating model presents a fascinating challenge, and we’re committed to contributing to its success.” Alexandre Alves, Global COO & CCO of Airways Aviation, highlights Aeroplanned’s significance in enhancing operational visibility: “At Airways Aviation, informed decisions hinge on comprehensive insights from each of our bases. Aeroplanned will deliver this seamlessly. As we continue to expand, having visibility years into the future is pivotal for strategic expansion, planning and delivering what our extensive B2B and B2C customer base needs. We’re thrilled to embark on this journey with Aeroplanned that started early this year in our operation in Australia and it’s now being implemented in France and soon throughout our network.”