Club News

De Juniac at Aviation Club UK

The Aviation Club UK

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Post-Brexit developments and other major challenges confronting the UK will come under the microscope at the Aviation Club monthly lunch on Wednesday week, 8 November, when IATA director-general Alexandre de Juniac addresses the audience …..

 

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Club Committee attend CAPA Aviation Awards Gala Dinner

The Aviation Club UK

Members of the Aviation Club UK Committee and guests attended the CAPA Aviation Awards for Excellence Gala Dinner on 12 October 2017 at the Sofitel Hotel, Heathrow T5.

There evening hosted nine award categories: Regional, Medium and Airport of the year; Airline start-up of the year; Airline Turnaround of the year; Regional Airline of the Year; Low cost airline of the year; Airline of the year and Airline executive of the year, plus the CAPA Legend Award.  Recipients included Dublin Airport, TAP Portugal and Air Baltic.

It was particularly pleasing to see several Honorary Club members receiving Awards.  These included Bjorn Kjos of Norwegian, who collected the award for ‘Airline of the Year 2017’ for Norwegian and Andres Conesa, who received the award for ‘Airline Executive of the Year 2017’.  The ‘CAPA Legend Award’ went to Willie Walsh, IAG.

Our thanks go to CAPA for their invitation and congratulations on a splendid event.

 

Embraer To Go Turboprop?

It took a bit of prodding by a journalist, in this case Robert Wall of the Wall Street Journal, but Embraer is seriously looking at an up to 70-seat turboprop for production in the next decade.

It all came out at last week’s London Aviation Club lunch, and followed a get-together of Embraer operators in Amsterdam, who briefed about the proposal.  Guest of honour at the club was Embraer CEO John Slattery whose speech did not mention turboprops.

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Embraer Considers Building a New Turboprop Plane Unveiled- announced at Aviation Club UK – Article by Robert Wall

Embraer Considers Building a New Turboprop Plane  Thursday, September 14, 2017 03:10:00 PM (GMT)

By Rober Wall      LONDON — One of the world’s biggest plane makers, Embraer SA, is in talks with airlines about potentially developing a turboprop regional airliner amid signs demand in the U.S. for such aircraft may be ready to rebound.      The company this week hosted two days of talks in Europe with airlines from around the world to gauge their interest in a new plane to satisfy demand for the next 20 to 30 years, said John Slattery, president of Embraer Commercial Aviation. “We are at the early stages of assessing what the business case could be,” he said Thursday.      The plane principally would compete with Canada’s Bombardier Inc. and ATR the European turboprop maker owned by Airbus SE and Italy’s Leonardo SpA.      Mr. Slattery said current turboprop designs now being sold are “decades old” potentially opening the door for a plane featuring a new airframe, engines and other enhancements. “We are serious about it,” he told the Aviation Club in London.      The Brazilian aircraft maker is best known for making 70-seat to 100-seat regional jets heavily used on routes with not enough demand to warrant operating larger Boeing Co. or Airbus planes.      Mr. Slattery said the feedback from the so called airline advisory board was instructive. Plane makers typically hold such meetings to get customer feedback and refine their aircraft concepts before formally offering new aircraft designs for sale.      Embraer would likely introduce more than one version to cover different passenger numbers. The exact sizes haven’t been defined yet. He wouldn’t say when Embraer may decide whether to introduce a new turboprop plane.      Turboprops tend to fly fewer passengers on shorter distances. But they typically burn less gas than their regional jet cousins offering airlines a way to cut their fuel bill. Turboprops fell out of favor in the U.S. because passengers generally preferred jets they viewed as more comfortable and modern.      But after a prolonged orders lull, ATR, which has the largest market share, said it has won a preliminary 20 aircraft deal with Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Silver Airways Corp. The first of the planes, being introduced through a plane rental company, could be delivered before year-end, an official for the plane maker said.      Mr. Slattery said the U.S. market for smaller airliners for now likely will remain focused on regional jets, though new turboprop technology could help spur a renaissance.      ATR projects a demand for more than 2,500 turboprops globally through 2035. The company also has considered launching a more than 90-seat turboprop, larger than its existing models, though the company held off on committing to such a design.      Embraer built turboprops from the mid-1980s through the 1990s, though more recently has focused on building regional and private jets. The newest generation of its regional jets is due to enter service next year.      Write to Robert Wall at robert.wall@wsj.com

 

Annual Reception Success at House of Lords

The Aviation Club UK

On the eve of the publication of the Government’s consultation to kickstart the new UK Aviation Strategy, guests from across the aviation industry, parliamentarians and Aviation Club UK members attended the Aviation Club UK’s annual reception at the House of Lords, hosted by Lord Clarke of Hampstead CBE, British trade unionist and Labour peer.

Jane Middleton, Immediate past chairman and chair of Airlines UK, thanked and introduced host Lord Clarke.  Special guest Bob ‘the cat’ Bevan MBE, after dinner speaker, Crystal Palace supporter and raconteur entertained the guests with his sparkling wit and jokes..

Heathrow Airport sponsored the event and Flybe Chief Executive Christine Ourmieres-Widener donated flights.  

Amongst some 130 guests were Geraldine Wilmot of Boeing, who flew in from Seattle specifically to attend the Reception, Orbis UK Chief Executive, Rebecca Cronin and Paul Morris, Senior Manager, Aircraft Field Line Maintenance, FedEx (who donated the current aircraft to Orbis) along with Charity Partnership Manager, Kathryn Sweet. They were delighted to join members at this special event and enjoyed to opportunity to network with guests, including long term Orbis supporter Irena Badelska.

Grayling At Aviation Club UK

Fast-moving political events including last week’s protests following the Grenfell Tower fire and plots against Theresa May promise to make the Aviation Club UK’s next lunch on 12 July 2017 even more topical than usual.

Guest speaker is secretary of state for transport Chris Grayling MP, whose public row with Labour’s John McDonnell over the Grenfell action put him squarely back in the spotlight.

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