#GCASPODCAST Ep. 28: Managing Air Cargo Operations at Frankfurt Airport During a Pandemic
On this episode of the Global Connected Aircraft Podcast, we caught up with Max Conrady, Senior Vice President Cargo, Fraport AG to discuss what it’s like to manage air cargo operations at one of Europe’s busiest airports during a global pandemic.
While the travel restrictions from the outbreak of COVID-19 have caused a dramatic reduction in the number of passenger flights occurring right now, the volume of air cargo operations has remained relatively similar to the levels they were at during this time a year ago.
According to Conrady, who oversees all of the air cargo operations at Frankfurt Airport, they’re still managing about 250 air cargo flights per day. The Fraport executive also discusses how they’re managing parked aircraft and some of the regulatory and data exchange challenges they’re dealing with.
Have suggestions or topics we should focus on in the next episode? Email the host, Woodrow Bellamy at [email protected], or drop him a line on Twitter @WbellamyIIIAC.
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#GCASPODCAST Ep 27: Saudia Airlines COVID-19 and Connectivity Fireside Chat
During the 2020 Global Connected Aircraft Cabin Chats series, Azman Ahmad, GM Product Management, Saudia Airlines, joined program chair Mark Holmes for a discussion on how he sees the airline passenger experience changing amid the impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
The national carrier is slowly starting to resume flights and has been posting updates on social distancing and cleaning measures occurring on its aircraft via the company’s official Twitter account. Ahmad discussed how the airline is starting to return some of its grounded aircraft to service.
Saudia’s in-flight entertainment offerings include more than 4,000 hours of content and the airline is a customer of SITA FOR AIRCRAFT L-band connectivity managed through its UON service. The Middle Eastern airline operates a fleet of 142 aircraft, including such models as the Airbus A320 and Boeing 787.
Ahmad confirmed that the airline never turned its connectivity service off while reducing flight operations in recent months and believes travel demand will begin to rebound within the next year.
Have suggestions or topics we should focus on in the next episode? Email the host, Woodrow Bellamy at [email protected], or drop him a line on Twitter @WbellamyIIIAC.
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#GCASPODCAST Ep. 26 PODCAST SERIES: Aerospace Industry Outlook Under the Coronavirus Pandemic – Pt. 5 BONUS
On this bonus episode, we feature some of the unreleased interviews from our recent coverage of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic’s impact on various segments of the aviation industry.
Guests and speakers on this episode include the following:
- Ed Bastian, chief executive, Delta Air Lines
- Paul Jacobson, chief financial officer, Delta Air Lines
- Richard Koe, managing director, WINGX Advance GmbH
- Glenn McDonald, senior associate, Aerodynamic Advisory
At 1:53, you’ll hear the opening remarks delivered by Bastian and Jacobson during their 2020 first quarter earnings call.
At 16:12, Koe joins the podcast to discuss trends in business aviation intelligence data and flight activity.
At 31:10, McDonald joins the podcast to discuss how the decline in passenger demand and COVID-19 travel restrictions will impact the aerospace industry supply chain.
Have suggestions or topics we should focus on in the next episode as part of this new series? Email the host, Woodrow Bellamy at [email protected], or drop him a line on Twitter @WbellamyIIIAC.
Listen to this episode below, or check it out on iTunes or Google Play If you like the show, subscribe on your favorite podcast app to get new episodes as soon as they’re released.
#GCASPODCAST Ep. 25 PODCAST SERIES: Aerospace Industry Outlook Under the Coronavirus Pandemic – Pt. 4 CONNECTIVITY
On the fourth and final episode of this new four-part podcast series, we feature discussions with connectivity professionals on various aspects of how the COVID-19 coronavirus global pandemic is impacting aviation.
Guests on this episode include the following:
- Tom Schmutz, CEO, Flyht Aerospace Solutions Ltd.
- Mike Pigott, Senior Vice President Connectivity Solutions, Global Eagle Entertainment
- Jason Wissink, Senior Sales Director, Connected Aircraft, Honeywell Aerospace
At 1:38, we feature comments made by Schmutz during the FLYHT Aerospace quarterly earnings call that occurred Apr. 9, where he discusses how the COVID-19 travel restrictions and impact on the airline industry is impacting his company’s ability to supply technologies and how he sees the impact playing out moving forward.
At 13:40, Pigott describes how Global Eagle has been working in support of airline customers that are grounding their airplanes and his expectation for the long-term appetite airlines will have for operational and passenger-facing connectivity.
At 35:55, Wissink provides some insight on how Honeywell recently supported the connected enablement of a reconfigured Boeing 767-300 normally operated by the New England Patriots that was used to transport more than one million N95 masks to the U.S. from China.
Have suggestions or topics we should focus on for our next episode? Email the host, Woodrow Bellamy at [email protected], or drop him a line on Twitter @WbellamyIIIAC.
Listen to this episode below, or check it out on iTunes. If you like the show, subscribe on your favorite podcast app to get new episodes as soon as they’re released.
#GCASPODCAST Ep. 24 PODCAST SERIES: Aerospace Industry Outlook Under the Coronavirus Pandemic – Pt. 3 SOLUTIONS
On the third of this new four-part podcast series, we discuss some solutions that can help operators work through the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus global pandemic.
Guests on this episode include the following:
- Nicole Noack, head of the Independent Aircraft Modifier Alliance (IAMA)
- Val Miftakhov, founder and CEO, ZeroAvia
- Harvey Meharry, Chief Pilot, Flight Department Manager, Southern Multifoods Inc.
At 2:04, Noack describes how the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has impacted aircraft modifications and how her organization is helping airlines update paperwork associated with maintaining the airworthiness of their airplanes while they’re grounded. IAMA has established a virtual think tank to keep its aircraft modification companies connected to airlines remotely.
At 22:22, Miftakhov provides some perspective on how the COVID-19 travel restrictions have impacted its ability to research and develop a hydrogen-powered electric powertrain as an alternative to both conventional aircraft engines and battery-based electric motors. And what you’ll learn from this discussion is how the coronavirus has impacted companies that are developing innovative future facing technologies, as well as how the use of the technology ZeroAvia is developing could potentially lower the cost of operating an aircraft in the future.
At 38:09, Meharry provides the perspective of a Hawker Beechcraft 400A pilot and corporate flight department manager whose operations have been grounded by the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, and how he and other pilots are still flying and maintaining their currency under the new social distancing and work-from-home policies implemented in Texas, where Southern Multifoods Inc. operates from.
Have suggestions or topics we should focus on in the next episode as part of this new series? Email the host, Woodrow Bellamy at [email protected], or drop him a line on Twitter @WbellamyIIIAC.
Listen to this episode below, or check it out on iTunes. If you like the show, subscribe on your favorite podcast app to get new episodes as soon as they’re released.
#GCASPODCAST Ep. 23 PODCAST SERIES: Aerospace Industry Outlook Under the Coronavirus Pandemic – Pt. 2 BUSINESS AVIATION
On the second of this new four-part podcast series, we discuss the operational impact of the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus global pandemic on business aviation.
Guests on this episode include the following:
- Ian Moore, Chief Commercial Officer, VistaJet
- Per Marthinsson, Founder and EVP, Avinode Group
- Peter Antonenko, COO, Jetcraft
At 01:30 Moore discusses how the outbreak of coronavirus and the travel restrictions placed on commercial airlines in March actually lead to an increase in demand for VistaJet charter flights, and how he expects the industry to operate under the new reality as well as what a recovery could look like and when.
At 24:40 Marthinsson discusses how Avinode saw enormous jumps in demand for air charter as a result of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Avinode is an online marketplace for available business jets for any given trip, connecting air charter operators and brokers, representing over 3,000 aircraft that are actively available for charter and handling more than 450,000 charter requests between brokers and operators per month.
At 45:20 Antonenko explains how the outbreak of the crisis actually makes it an ideal time to find and buy a pre-owned business jet, and how an online business jet dealer such as Jetcraft is continuing to operate amid the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Have suggestions or topics we should focus on in the upcoming episodes as part of this new series? Email the host, Woodrow Bellamy at [email protected], or drop him a line on Twitter @WbellamyIIIAC.
Listen to this episode below, or check it out on iTunes. If you like the show, subscribe on your favorite podcast app to get new episodes as soon as they’re released.
#GCASPODCAST Ep. 22: Aerospace Industry Outlook Under the Coronavirus Pandemic Pt. 1 – AIRLINES
On the first of this new four-part podcast series, we discuss the economic and operational impact of the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus on the commercial airline industry.
Guests on this episode include the following:
- Brian Pearce, chief economist, International Air Transport Association (IATA)
- Mike Blades, Vice President of Aerospace, Defense, and Security Americas Region, Frost & Sullivan
- Timothy Kuder, Senior Commercial Aerospace Industry Analyst, Frost & Sullivan
After a brief introduction and some updates, at (time stamp), Pearce gives a breakdown of what the organization describes as a “liquidity crisis” that the airline industry is facing as a result of the travel restrictions that have been established by civil aviation regulators across major flight information regions such as Europe, the Middle East, and North and South America.
By clicking here, you can access the presentation that Pearce is referencing in his comments and follow along to the information that he is referring to.
After Pearce’s presentation, we gain more insight into how the COVID-19 coronavirus is impacting airlines during a discussion with Blades and Kuder of Frost & Sullivan.
Have suggestions or topics we should focus on in the upcoming episodes as part of this new series? Email the host, Woodrow Bellamy at [email protected], or drop him a line on Twitter @WbellamyIIIAC.
Listen to this episode below, or check it out on iTunes. If you like the show, subscribe on your favorite podcast app to get new episodes as soon as they’re released.
Don’t forget to check out www.gcasummit.com for more information on the Global Connected Aircraft Summit, as we determine how to safely proceed with the event.
#GCAPODCAST Ep. 21: Connected Aircraft Cybersecurity 101 With the Satcom Guru
On this episode of the Global Connected Aircraft podcast, we spoke with Peter Lemme, an aviation industry consultant, blogger and former Boeing engineer who wears many hats including supporting the research and development of standards by the Seamless Air Alliance, which just published Release 1.0.
Lemme provides a connected aircraft “Cybersecurity 101” style overview of what types of cyber risks and potential threats operators face as the deployment of in-flight connectivity and its use cases continue to advance and scale up across the globe.
Among the topics discussed with Lemme include the following:
- How in-flight Wi-Fi is an open public hotspot with attack points that can compromise passenger personal information.
- Best practices associated with protecting connected aircraft systems from potential threats
- Aircraft Interface Device functionality and how it helps protect aircraft systems from connected electronic flight bags
- The advancement of the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) network and the ACARS over IP concept
The opening panel discussion at the 2020 Global Connected Aircraft Summit will feature cybersecurity leadership from three prominent North American airlines – Alaska, American and United – discussing the challenges and advancements they’re experiencing and making in protecting their connected aircraft systems from cyber threats.
Listen to this episode below, or check it out on iTunes. If you like the show, subscribe on your favorite podcast app to get new episodes as soon as they’re released.
Don’t forget to check out www.gcasummit.com for more information on the Global Connected Aircraft Summit, coming up June 2-3 in Denver, Colorado
#GCAPODCAST Ep. 20: Talking IFEC With Virgin Atlantic’s Mark Cheyney
On this episode of the Global Connected Aircraft podcast, we spoke with Mark Cheyney, Virgin Atlantic’s head of in-flight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) development, for a look at how the airline’s use of connectivity continues to evolve.
Cheyney explained Virgin’s perspective on business models for passenger access, how and why the airline uses multiple IFEC service providers, and how many in-flight internet sessions passengers have used on their new A350 this year through Inmarsat’s GX Aviation broadband solution.
Listen to this episode below, or check it out on iTunes. If you like the show, subscribe on your favorite podcast app to get new episodes as soon as they’re released.
This episode is sponsored by Collins Aerospace. Collins is dedicated to tackling the toughest challenges facing the aviation industry. Their products and services link touchpoints across aviation — including airlines, passengers and airports.
© 2018 Collins Aerospace, a United Technologies company. All rights reserved.
#GCAPODCAST Ep. 19: Valour’s Daniel Welch Talks Global Airline IFEC Equipage Rates
On a regional basis, airlines with hubs in North America have the highest rate of in-service airplanes featuring in-flight Internet in the world, according to the latest available data from Valour Consultancy’s in-flight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) tracker.
Established in 2012, the U.K.-based consultancy is a provider of market intelligence services, providing expert insight and analysis to the aviation industry as well as a number of other markets including maritime and drones among others. Through the IFEC tracker provided by Valour, the commercial aviation industry is able to gain a better understanding of what airlines are investing in what type of technologies for what purposes in various flight information regions (FIRs).
On this episode of the Global Connected Aircraft Podcast, we discussed regional IFEC equipage trends with Daniel Welch, a senior consultant for Valour.
“Today, 80 percent of North America’s commercial active fleet is equipped with an active IFC service. As a result, 7 North American airlines feature in the top 10 connected global fleets table,” Welch said. “It is well documented that this installed base was kick started by Gogo’s ATG network and airlines across the globe, not just in Asia Pacific are still playing catch up. The installed base in Western Europe actually sits at a similar level to the rest of Asia Pacific, with 25 percent of the regions commercial active fleet equipped with an active IFC service at the time of writing. But we expect both regions to be responsible for growth in IFC adoption in the coming years.”
Listen to this episode below, or check it out on iTunes. If you like the show, subscribe on your favorite podcast app to get new episodes as soon as they’re released.
