Aviation updates you might have missed!

Saudia joins the Aviation Challenge 2024

As part of The Aviation Challenge 2024, an industry-wide initiative led by SkyTeam with the goal of promoting innovation and sustainability across the global aviation sector, Saudia, the national flag carrier, successfully operated flight SV 215 from Jeddah to Amsterdam. Saudi Arabia is taking part in the challenge for the third year in a row, which strengthens its significant sustainability initiatives.?

In keeping with the goals set forth in Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals, Saudia's participation in The Aviation Challenge 2024 is consistent with its strategic vision of advancing sustainability and operational excellence. This pledge highlights the airline's commitment to environmentally friendly operations and its role in advancing the long-term goals of the global aviation sector.

Saudi Arabia won two major honours in this international sustainability challenge last year: "Best Employee Engagement and Collaboration" and "Most Innovative Ground Operations." Additionally, the airline received a nomination as a finalist for the medium-haul "Greatest Carbon Reduction" category.

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IndiGo Airlines Eyes New Narrow body Order and Its Not Airbus A320

IndiGo Airlines, owned by Interglobe, is negotiating with aircraft manufacturers to order a new narrow-body aircraft. Even though these are merely rumors and not verified news, the fact that they come from a trustworthy source makes it significant. With a fleet of 410 aircraft (including those on temporary lease) and ATRs, IndiGo Airlines mostly runs Airbus aircraft. In addition, it leased a few Boeing planes during the Airbus A320s' grounding because of Pratt & Whitney engine issues.

VT-VSC, also known as Aviatorflyboy, is an Indian pilot who frequently shares news and updates on Indian aviation dynamics, according to the post he made on X. He wrote, “Strong rumors IndiGo might announce a big aircraft deal in the near future. And it’s not Airbus 320 or ATR.”

The post has received 30,000 views and comments from a wide range of aviation specialists and analysts. Among them is Sanjay Lazar, who has nearly 40 years of expertise and is considered the ruler of Indian aviation. In addition, he wrote the book ‘On Angels Wings’, which is based on the bombing of Air India Flight 182, which claimed the lives of 331 people, including 86 children.

Air New Zealand and LanzaJet Unveil Study on SAF

Promising initial findings from a joint feasibility study examining the use of woody waste and low-value wood materials to make sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in New Zealand have been released by Air New Zealand and LanzaJet.

By utilizing New Zealand's renewable resources to locally generate a substitute for fossil-based jet fuel, this project, which was unveiled with support from the New Zealand Government, Scion, Z Energy, and WoodBeca, has the potential to establish a new benchmark in aviation sustainability. The findings of the study show how SAF production might supply up to 25% of domestic aviation fuel demand in New Zealand, promoting job creation, economic expansion, and improved fuel resilience.

SAF provides a feasible substitute with a lower carbon footprint over its lifetime as global aviation struggles with the environmental effects of fossil fuels. In response, nations and airlines throughout the world are looking into ways to boost the production and use of SAF; in New Zealand, Air New Zealand and LanzaJet are now spearheading these efforts.

Indonesia’s TransNusa Operates Longest ARJ21 Flight

The longest ARJ21 commercial flight was operated by TransNusa Airlines, an Indonesian carrier that used the Comac regional jet on flights between Manado and Guangzhou. According to flight monitoring data, the route is also the longest commercial flight performed by an ARJ21, taking around 4 hours from Manado to Guangzhou and 3 hours and 50 minutes on the return trip.

Comac praises the ARJ21's "important milestone" in a statement released after the inaugural flight. The Shanghai-based airframer states that “the launch of the new route... marks a new journey for the international operations of [Chinese-produced] commercial aircraft." With the goal of ramping up frequencies to daily flights by the end of November, TransNusa said it will start operating three weekly flights between Manado and Guangzhou using the ARJ21.

The first foreign operator of the ARJ21 is TransNusa, which is linked with the Chinese lessor CALC. The airline began operating ARJ21 flights between its hub in Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur in July 2023, which was the first international flight of the type. In September, the airline, which has two ARJ21s, then started operating in Johor Bahru in southern Malaysia.

Emirates Signs Strategic MoUs with Vietnam Airlines & VietJet

The MoU establishes the foundation for the growth of the two airlines' existing cooperation. This includes the possibility of adding reciprocal loyalty benefits and improving connectivity on routes beyond the current interline. In order to improve connectivity and provide additional travel options between Dubai and its Vietnamese gateways, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, Emirates has inked two MoUs with Vietnam Airlines and VietJet.

The MoUs were signed during the Vietnam-UAE Business Forum, which took place on October 28 at the Hilton Dubai Palm Jumeirah Hotel in Dubai. Along with government officials, ministries, and business representatives from both nations, Adnan Kazim, the Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer of the Emirates, was present at the signing event.?

In his keynote address, Orhan Abbas, Senior Vice President Commercial Operations, Far East at Emirates, emphasized the airline's dedication to expanding its footprint in Vietnam, a market it has been operating in since 2012, fostering trade and tourism ties between the UAE and Vietnam, and providing passengers with convenient travel choices.