Clermont-Ferrand Is First French Airport To Offer SAF

France’s centrally-located Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne Airport is now the first in the country to supply sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The facility is managed by Vinci Airports, the world’s largest private airport operator with 45 airports in 12 countries spanning Europe, Asia, and the Americas. It began pumping SAF last week, with Michelin Air Services as the first customer.

"Allowing airplanes to refuel with less-polluting sustainable biofuels will allow Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne Airport to be at the forefront of innovation while being a role model of progress to help decarbonize aviation,” said Laurent Wauquiez, president of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region.

Between 2018 and 2020, Vinci achieved a 22 percent reduction in gross CO2 emissions across its network. It aims to further this by employing SAF derived from used cooking oil and supplied by Air bp. “Sustainable biofuels are a short-term solution to decarbonize aviation and are an integral part of the ambitious environmental strategy we have been pursuing since 2015 to reduce our carbon footprint and engage our stakeholders in the same movement,” explained Nicolas Notebaert, CEO of Vinci Concessions and chairman of Vinci Airports.

ASG: Dozens of Helicopters in Storage, Crates in China

While China remains the top rotorcraft market in Asia-Pacific—adding twice as many helicopters as the next biggest region—questions remain about how healthy the business in that country really is, Asian Sky Group (ASG) reported. China’s rotorcraft market has been “clipping along” with an annual growth rate of 8 percent.

“The problem is that the China market is not as healthy as it seems, with over 80 helicopters either in storage or still in crates as far as ASG can determine,” the analyst and business aviation services firm noted, saying it appears that 68 are in storage and another 14 still in crates. The concern is that the possibility exists that the aircraft will be turned back into the market for sale, either weakening new orders or driving down residual values.

As for the market in 2020, ASG reported that 4,385 civil turbine helicopters were in operation by year-end with 78 additions in the year, marking a 1.8 percent year-over-year growth rate. Since 2014, the growth rate in Asia-Pacific has been about 3.6 percent year over year with the addition of 830 aircraft. Demand peaked in 2018 but showed signs of slowing in 2019 and fell further in 2020. ASG said the fleet is expected to continue to grow but at an annual rate of only 0.5 percent.

Jet Linx Introduces Joint Aircraft Ownership Program

Jet Linx is offering a joint-ownership program that will serve two owners per aircraft instead of up to 16 under a traditional fractional ownership program, the Omaha, Nebraska-based aircraft management and jet card provider has announced. “We have seen a recent trend towards shared ownership, from both new buyers and existing aircraft owners, to reduce the capital outlay and carrying costs associated with whole aircraft ownership,” said Jet Linx president and CEO Jamie Walker.

Under the program, Jet Linx will source and purchase the aircraft. Also unlike traditional fractional programs, the owners will fly only on the jet they have ownership in and with their own pilots that the company recruits, trains, and employs. When the aircraft isn’t being used by either owner, it will be made available for revenue flights through Jet Linx's jet card program.

“Our joint-ownership program leverages our extensive experience in whole-aircraft ownership and management and brings it to a much larger audience of prospective clients by removing half of the expense and risk of whole-aircraft ownership while providing what's been missing from traditional fractional jet ownership—the enjoyment of flying on your own aircraft with your own crew from a local private terminal and hangar,” Walker said. Additionally, Jet Linx will handle the sale of an owner’s half-interest in a jet when the time comes.

First Large Format OLED 4K Monitors for Bizav Bow

DPI Labs unveiled on Wednesday its SmartCanvas ultra-lightweight, large-format OLED 4K monitors for business and head of state aircraft, making the company “first to bring the OLED large-format display and experience to the business and VVIP industry,” said Scott DeSmet, the California company’s v-p of sales and business development.

Available in 55-inch and 65-inch displays, the ultra-high-definition monitors have a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels, are DO-160 compliant, and PMA is expected within the next month. The first Smart Canvas was installed on a head of state Boeing 767 in January, along with a DPI cabin management system. Unlike LEDs, OLEDs (organic light emitting diodes) have self-illuminating pixels, obviating the need for extra layers within the display, significantly lowering their weight and width over LED monitors.

At under 25 pounds and little more than one-third inch thick, the 65-inch SmartCanvas monitor weighs less than one-third and is five times thinner than a similar-size LED display. Additionally, with a one-meter bend radius, OLED displays can conform to curves such as aircraft sidewall and headliners, the company noted.

New Customers Bolster Air Partner’s Jet Card Sales

The private jets division of aviation services provider Air Partner has seen year-over-year double-digit increases in the sales and renewal of jet cards in the UK and U.S. while also noting gains in new customers during the February to March period. It attributed the increases to leisure travelers preparing for an easing of Covid-19 travel restrictions while seeking alternatives to commercial lift.

In the two-month period, the number of jet cards Air Partner sold and renewed in the U.S. increased 54 percent from a year ago, while deposits from new customers jumped approximately 450 percent to £300,000 ($416,521). In the UK, jet cards sold and renewed in the same span rose 15 percent. Also during the period, jet card deposits from new customers totaled £750,000 ($1.04 million).

“The U.S. private jet market is one vast, domestic market so it has not been subject to the types of restrictions and national lockdowns that we have seen in the UK and Europe,” said Air Partner CEO Mark Briffa. “As a result, we have seen sustained private leisure flying from high-net-worth individuals in the region. It is no surprise to see this demand continue. In an encouraging sign, this has also been the case in the UK as confidence returns to this market ahead of the anticipated easing of restrictions.”

Atlantic Aviation Adds SAF in Aspen

In honor of Thursday's Earth Day, Atlantic Aviation announced it has begun stocking continual supplies of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at its FBO at Colorado’s Aspen-Pitkin County Airport (KASE). For Atlantic, which operates at nearly 70 locations in the U.S., this represents its second facility to continually offer SAF.

The blended fuel, produced by Neste and distributed by Avfuel, is another milestone in the company’s efforts to further goals highlighted as part of its comprehensive environmental, social, and corporate governance program. Atlantic Aviation's other efforts include continuing investment in reduced energy LED lighting, electric ground support vehicles, and replacement of conventional diesel fuel with renewable diesel at its Los Angeles International Airport location.

“The regular availability of SAF at KASE represents the next step in our commitment to renewable energy and the reduction of carbon emissions by the aviation industry,” said Atlantic senior v-p Jay Hamby. ‘The integration of SAF into our operations at KASE is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 800,000 pounds annually.”

Collins Aero Tests Iridium Certus High-gain Antenna

Collins Aerospace said its higher-bandwidth Iridium Certus satcom system will be ready to enter service next year after reaching another critical milestone. Recently, the company was able to connect and transmit data to an orbiting Iridium satellite using the Certus service using a high-gain antenna (HGA) affixed to the roof of its Melbourne, Florida-based aerospace lab.

A similar transmission was recorded in August with Collins’s new active low-gain antenna (ALGA). According to Collins, its Certus systems will offer business jet operators with faster data speeds while offering equipment that has lower weight and a smaller antenna footprint versus legacy satcom systems.

“This marks our second major milestone in our Iridium Certus development in only six months and is a testament to the hard work and expertise we have dedicated to the goal of bringing our customers the uninterrupted and secure data feeds they need to operate most efficiently,” said Collins Aerospace v-p of avionics engineering Leigh Parker. “We are now one step closer to rolling out what we believe will be the premier seamless satcom experience.”

FAA Cautions on LED Landing Light Icing

The FAA has issued an information for operators bulletin (InFO) regarding the use of light-emitting diode (LED) landing lights in an icing environment. It warns that aircraft equipped with LED landing lights might experience icing on the lights or lenses more frequently than those with incandescent bulbs, resulting in reduced light output and potential diminished visibility for pilots.

Operational experience has shown that retractable LED landing lights such as those used on Airbus A319/320/321 models, as well as Boeing MD-88/90s and 717s, can become ineffective during the landing phase due to icing, which can reduce their output by one-third.

According to the FAA, tests demonstrate that it takes approximately 20 minutes for the LED lights to warm to the point that they can begin melting any accumulated ice. The LEDs tested showed a slow initial temperature increase, followed by a relatively linear rise to exceed the freezing point at the center of the lens.

As a result, the agency recommends that operators of aircraft so-equipped should consider modifying their operations during icing conditions to mitigate any effects of the reduced LED landing light output.