PICTURES: Austrian goes back to the ‘80s with A320 retrojet

Austrian Airlines has joined the “retrojet” club with the introduction of an Airbus A320 adorned with the livery the carrier flew in the 1980s. Austrian The aircraft (OE-LBO) has been applied with the distinctive livery featuring an angular chevron, grey belly and traditional red/white/red flag on the tail. This scheme adorned the airline’s Airbus A310 […]

source http://www.ncairways.co/aviation/pictures-austrian-goes-back-to-the-80s-with-a320-retrojet/

​PICTURE: Icelandair’s first 737 Max 9 arrives, leased from BOC

Icelandair has taken its first Boeing 737 Max 9, which has been delivered on lease from BOC Aviation. BOC Aviation/Boeing The aircraft, which is also BOC’s first Max 9, joins Icelandair’s existing fleet of four 737 Max 8s, according to Cirium’s Fleets Analyzer. “Following the successful induction of the Max 8 into our fleet last […]

source http://www.ncairways.co/aviation/%e2%80%8bpicture-icelandairs-first-737-max-9-arrives-leased-from-boc/

No Respite from ED Questioning; Vadra not to be left behind in Politics

Vadra had filed a petition in the court on Saturday that ED has been interrogating him on the basis of documents seized, so he should be made available to him.

source http://www.ncairways.co/india-news/vadraa/

Makkal Needhi Maiam growing in stature : Kamal Haasan

Tirunelveli (TN): Addressing a party rally late on Sunday night, Haasan, without directly naming any outfit, said he was being targeted as his party was growing in stature.

One of the attacks was calling his party “the BJP’s B team,” he said.

Rejecting the claim that his party was BJP’s “B team,” Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan said it was being targeted as they were growing in stature.

Refuting it, he said, “I am not a B team for anyone, this is Tamil Nadu’s A team.”

Days ago, the DMK organ ‘Murasoli’, had alleged that he was accusing it of corruption due to “BJP’s pressure”.

During such times, only his party would stand upright – without giving room for horse trading – for the Tamil Nadu people, he said.

His party’s voice will be heard in such a situation, he said, adding “we cannot say what is going to happen,” an apparent reference to the Lok Sabha poll outcome.

During such times, a voice should be heard saying that at least the Prime Minister should be changed, Haasan said.

“Let us see if there is humility if another person takes over,” he said in an attack perceived to be aimed at the BJP.

He said that he was not facing the Lok Sabha election alone and pointed to the huge crowd and sought donations from them to face the polls.

“It will be an investment for the future,” he said.

Describing himself as a fan of Mahatma Gandhi, he said the Father of the Nation was his mentor and because of him, he founded the party.

On a sword being gifted to him, he said it was an old practice, adding only “ahimsa is a big valour.”

Outlining his party’s principles, he said: “People’s welfare alone is MNM’s ideology.”

Redeeming the lost political dignity and ethos of the Tamil people, upholding secularism, poverty alleviation and ensuring the education of international standards are among the party ideals, he said.

…

AWA signs MoU with South Africa Airlines to widen connectivity for passengers

Indigenous carrier, Africa World Airlines (AWA) and South Africa Airways have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalise and deepen corporation between the two Airlines.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Minister for Aviation Kofi Adda said “through this affiliation, we are able to move from Ghana to other parts of the world.

The ability to move from parts of Ghana like Kumasi and Takoradi out of Ghana seamlessly is a much-welcomed effort and ties in with our vision of making Ghana an aviation hub.”

With this Strategic agreement, SAA’s ongoing operations with AWA in Ghana will offer its long haul customers from North America and South Africa further reach to domestic Ghana and West Coast on Africa World Airlines Network.

Chief Executive Officer of South Africa Airlines Vuyani Jarana explained that the partnership was going to expand connectivity for Africa.

He said, “we are a firm believer that for Africa to be connected, it is not going to be just one airline but it will take such partnerships and collaborations between airlines like ours and this will create better and wider connectivity.”

Mr Vuyani also stressed on the need to cut down costs for both Airlines through further discussions and planning.

Similarly, Africa World Airlines will get to offer its customers more reach within the continent, that is, destinations outside the scope of AWA but on the SAA route as well as flights beyond the continent.

Co-founder and Chairman of Africa World Airlines Togbe Afede said this strategic partnership is part of the Airline expansion strategy to the benefit of the continent.

He said, “The link will help us bring to Ghana, people who will ordinarily not come to Ghana. With this, we are working directly into the government’s plan of making Ghana an aviation hub and improving commercial activity between African countries.”

Togbe Afede underscored the Airlines’ readiness and potential to contribute to the establishment of the Home-based carrier.

Also Present at the signing of the MOU was the Deputy Minister for aviation Kwabena Otchere Darko Mensah, High commissioner for South Africa Lulu Xingwana, Board Chairman for AWA Togbe Afede, Ceo of AWA John Quan DG for The Ghana civil aviation authority Simon Allotey, MD for the Ghana Airports company limited Yaw Kwakwa , Directors at the ministry for Aviation and Other Industry Stakeholders.

He further appealed to the two Airlines to sustain the MOU to ensure that the Airline industry sees sustained growth.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) covers scope to introduce partnerships, including functional areas such as interlines, code-share and other related projects.

The relationship between the airlines will thus allow passengers to purchase single tickets from any destination served by either SAA or AWA, and transfer seamlessly between the airlines to their final destination.

This will create an expanded network for both airlines, and allow travel between city pairs that did not previously have good connectivity options bringing about ease for the travelling populace

The relationship between the two Airlines goes as far as 2015 when Africa World Airlines was identified as South Africa Airlines partner Airline in Ghana for regional cooperation to feed and defend the SAA long Haul Flights using the Kotoka International Airport as the main connecting hub to the West Coast.

Based on growing demand from the partnership between the two Airlines on the Ghana Market, SAA further plans to introduce one additional flight on its Washington DC route bringing it to 5X weekly beginning 2nd April 2019.

WHAT IS A CODE SHARE?

A codeshare is a business arrangement, common in the aviation industry, whereby two airlines sell flights operated by each other under their own flight numbers.

One airline will be the operating carrier while the other will be the marketing carrier and vice versa. A seat can be purchased from an airline on a flight that is actually operated by another airline under a different flight number or code.

For example, Africa World Airlines flight AW 465 may be sold as South African Airways flight SA 7465. This allows both airlines to sell seats on the same plane and offer more flight choices to customers.

HOW DOES THIS BENEFIT PASSENGERS?

Passengers benefit from the ability to purchase a single ticket for their entire journey and will enjoy seamless connections at both SAA’s hub in Johannesburg and AWA’s hub in Accra.

There will be no need to collect baggage and check-in again when connecting between the airlines unless at the first entry point into the country to clear customs and immigration

Also Read : Africa: Four Top African Airlines to Take On Ethiopian

BAGGAGE

In Code Share flights, the baggage policy will be set by the airline that issued the ticket.

For example, a passenger can purchase a single ticket from Kumasi to Washington via Accra. They can then check-in at Kumasi airport with their full international baggage allowance, and collect their baggage upon arrival in the USA.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Big projects planned for Gladstone

Automotive Industry Against Balearic Islands’ Energy Transition To Achieve 100% Renewable Energy

On February 12 the parliament of the Balearic Islands approved a pioneer Law on Climate Change and Energy Transition, whose ultimate goal is to free the islands of fossil fuels and achieve 100% renewable energy by 2050. Although the law places the islands at the forefront of clean energy transition, it has angered the automotive sector as it will prohibit the access and sale of vehicles with diesel from 2025 and with gasoline from 2035. So much so, the Spanish Association of Vehicle and Truck Manufacturers (ANFAC) has requested the European Commission to initiate proceedings for infringement of EU law.

It was last year when Francina Armengol, the socialist president of the Balearic Islands announced the controversial law. Ever since, the Balearic Government has not hesitated to defend the legislation, arguing that citizens will “gain in quality of life and seal a guaranteed future for the Islands,” Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera. For that, the objective for 2030 is to reach 35% renewable energy, a 23% reduction in energy consumption, and a 40% reduction of polluting emissions. The Balearic Islands will be “a pioneer at a national and also European level,” said the councilor of Energy issues in Baleares, Marc Pons.

It is, without doubt, a very ambitious plan that sets an example for other islands across the EU. In fact, last February 18, 26 European islands (including Ibiza, Mallorca, and Menorca) officially launched their clean energy transition with the support of the European Commission.   The objective is to help EU islands to exploit the renewable resources at their disposal becoming more self-sufficient, prosperous and sustainable. “By embarking on this path, not only will they become more energy self-reliant and prosperous, but also provide inspiring examples for other islands and Europe as a whole,” said Dominique Ristori, Director-General for Energy at the European Commission.

At first sight, Balearics’ law seems to fit perfectly with the EU transition strategy but there are discordant voices that call into question the legality of the measures adopted.

Sustainable mobility versus a profitable automotive industry  

According to Government estimates, 35% of CO2 emissions in the Balearic Islands come from road traffic.  In order to mitigate the negative effects on climate change, the Government made the ban on the circulation of diesel vehicles from 2025 and gasoline vehicles from 2035 one of the law’s pillars. Only citizens who reside in the Balearic Islands will be allowed to circulate with no restrictions as far as they use vehicles already registered. However, all the tourists that go with their own car using maritime transport will have to respect the new mobility limitations.

This is why the law also addresses the islands’ car rental companies, which from 2020 must progressively introduce electric vehicles in the fleets (2% initial) until becoming all-electric by 2035. To facilitate the transition, the Government will install 1,000 electric vehicle charging points in 2025 and allocate more than €8.5 million ($9.64 million) in aid to companies, individuals, and local administrations for the installation of self-consumption systems like photovoltaic panels. According to Armengol, all sectors of society must make efforts so that the law can be implemented effectively.

However, the car industry has claimed that the automotive sector bears most of the law’s burden, so last January the Spanish Association of Vehicle and Truck Manufacturers (ANFAC) denounced the islands’ decision to prohibit the circulation of combustion vehicles before the European Commission. The Association described the measure as “arbitrary, unsuitable, and disproportionate,” and requested the EU Executive to initiate proceedings for infringement of EU law as they considered that the Balearic legislation “seriously affects the normal functioning of the market and the freedom of movement of goods in a burdensome and harmful manner.”

According to ANFAC, manufacturers are widely committed to the decarbonization and are investing billions in research to achieve increasingly cleaner propulsion technologies. However, they consider that the law proposal goes far beyond the European framework which is focused on support and impulse the transition from a broad point of view, with the contribution of all sectors and not by prohibition.

The Association has also pointed out that the prohibition would be a “serious obstacle to the unity of the Spanish market,” and would have very negative effects for the automotive sector. For example, although there are still six years left until the ban comes into force, the announcement of the bill last year provoked a much slower pace in the market for the sale of new vehicles in the Balearic Islands (which increased by 1.6% in 2018) comparing to the rest of Spain (which increased by 7% during the same year).

One step ahead of the Central Government

When the Spanish President, Pedro Sánchez, reached the Government he announced the National Law on Climate Change and Energy Transition, which foresees the prohibition of registration and sale of combustion cars (diesel, gasoline, and hybrids) by 2040 in order to reduce CO2 emissions.

The fact that Sánchez did not approve the bill when he arrived at ‘la Moncloa’ (the presidential house) was criticized by the Spanish Green Party, Equo, that had repeatedly expressed the urgent need to initiate processes. Meanwhile, some organizations such as Greenpeace, have pointed out that “the Balearic law should serve as an example for the Law of Climate Change and Energy Transition that the central government has not yet presented.”

The surprise came last Friday when the Spanish Council of Ministers finally approved the draft bill on climate change, although it is very likely that it will not see the light of day since Sánchez has called for early elections on April 28. For the Spanish green party, this decision is an “authentic tease” and will remain dead letter as there is not enough time for Congress to process the bill.