07 May 2019

North America Newsletter 7 May

AEI acquires Alpine Air Express AE Industrial Partners, LP a private equity investor specializing in Aerospace & Defense, Power Generation and Specialty Industrial businesses, announced 1^st May that it has acquired a majority interest in Alpine Air Express, Inc. a logistics and transportation platform providing regional air cargo services throughout the Mountain Region of the Western United States. Airbus delivers first A321LR to Canada’s Air Transat Air Transat took delivery of its first Airbus A321LR aircraft on 6^th May. The A321LR is one of 15 the Montreal-based carrier is scheduled to receive. Air Transat leases the A321LR from AerCap. Annick Guérard, Chief Operating Officer at Transat said “The Airbus A321LR represents what Air Transat stands for today and what we strive for in the coming years. It reinforces our position as a leader in sustainable tourism, while also offering our passengers a superior on-board experience.” ATSG, DHL Extend Aircraft Leasing and Operating Arrangements Air Transport Services Group, Inc. announced 30 April three-year extensions of agreements under which subsidiaries of ATSG will continue to lease fourteen Boeing 767 freighter aircraft to DHL and operate eight of those 767s within DHL’s North American network. Air Wisconsin Airlines Announces New President Air Wisconsin Airlines announced 6^th May that Robert (Rob) Binns has been appointed President of the airline. Rob will oversee all aspects of operations and performance initiatives for Air Wisconsin and will report directly to Christine Deister, the airline's Chief Executive Officer. ExpressJet Airlines, a United Express Carrier, Takes Delivery of First of 25 New Embraer E175 Aircraft ExpressJet Airlines, a United Express carrier, this week took delivery of its first of 25 new Embraer E175 aircraft in a handover ceremony at the Embraer factory and delivery center in São José dos Campos, Brazil. The carrier will take delivery of new E175s through the remainder of 2019. Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) will serve as the airline's first E175 base, with a second base location to be announced soon. To support its E175 fleet growth, ExpressJet is hiring more than 600 new pilots in 2019. Southern Airways Announces Strategic Minority Investment By SkyWest, New Alliance Between the Companies Southern Airways Corporation, the parent company of Southern Airways Express and Mokulele Airlines, has announced a strategic minority investment by SkyWest, Inc. This strategic investment by SkyWest will enhance Southern’s recruiting capabilities by providing a career pathway from flight school through Southern’s cadet program and ultimately to SkyWest Sydney To San Francisco Announced As Next Qantas Dreamliner Destination Qantas announced 6 May Sydney-San Francisco as the next route for its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner daily effective from 4^th December, replacing the Boeing 747-400 aircraft on the route. Qantas International Acting CEO Naren Kumar said “Our Dreamliner is the most comfortable aircraft we have ever flown. Customer feedback on the cabin environment, from the seats to the anti-jetlag measures, continues to exceed our expectations.” WestJet ratifies five-year agreement with WestJet Encore pilots WestJet announced 2 May that 92 per cent of WestJet Encore pilots represented by the Airline Pilots Association (ALPA) voted in favour of a five-year agreement. The vote represents 90 per cent of the 505 WestJet Encore pilots. The agreement starts January 1, 2019 and expires on January 1, 2024. Willis Lease Finance Corporation Reports Record Quarterly Pre-tax Profit of $27.8 million Willis Lease Finance Corporation reported 6^th May pre-tax profit of $27.8 million and total revenues of $103.8 million in the first quarter of 2019. The Company’s first quarter 2019 pre-tax results were driven by continued revenue growth in the core leasing business, an increase in trading activity and continuing spare parts sales. Aggregate lease rent and maintenance reserve revenues were $73.7 million for the first quarter of 2019. Acumen Aviation © 7 May 2019 All Rights Reserved.