Business Buzz
Construction work to expand Al Maktoum International at Dubai World Central (DWC) is expected to start later this year. The capacity of passenger terminal will increase to 26 million annually by 2017 from present level of six million only as Dubai International nears its capacity limit due to the rapid growth of passenger traffic.
Continental Commercial Specialty Tires (CST) is expanding its comprehensive solid tire portfolio. The Continental CS20 is now available in 6.00-9, 7.00-12, and 7.00-15 variants. The tire is ideal for use on tow tractors, especially within airports.
Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (Hactl) – Hong Kong’s largest cargo handler - has received the Transport and Logistics - Silver Award, in the 2014 Hong Kong Awards for Environmental Excellence (HKAEE).
Iberia Airport Services’ handling division has just renewed its contract to serve Switzerland’s Helvetic Airways, which flies from Zurich and Berne to the Spanish islands of Gran Canaria, Majorca, and Minorca, with a total of some 200 flights per year. Iberia’s handling unit serves more than 200 airline customers, and in the past year has signed new contracts and renewed contracts with Lufthansaand Aer Lingus.
LEKTRO kicked off its 70th anniversary in business at the NBAA Maintenance Managers Conference with a dinner cruise on the Willamette River. This year marks a milestone for the electric aircraft tug manufacturer, who recently took its global leadership of the industry to a new level with its 4,500th tug sold earlier this year. In 1945, Wilt Paulson founded Willamette Aircraft and Engine Company in Beaverton, Ore., to repurpose military aircraft for crop dusting and other civilian uses. Moving his company to Warrenton, Ore., to be closer to family in 1948 his business quickly morphed into the electric vehicle company now known as LEKTRO.
Menzies Aviation announced that its Bobba Bangalore team received the Star Performance Award for Outstanding Handling Service during 2014. The team at Bangalore worked on the DHL operations.
Middle East Airlines opened its new $25 million cargo center that was designed to speed up the inspection of goods and handle all types and sizes of imported and exported items. The new cargo center can store 165,000 tons of goods, compared to the old facility's 65,000-ton capacity. The cargo center is built over an area of 20,645 square meters and is equipped with more than 330 closed-circuit cameras, four large scanners, four generators and the latest UPS systems.
Van Nuys Airport (VNY) announces the successful launch of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) services for arriving international flights. A dedicated 1,528-square-foot clearance facility is housed at Signature Flight Support.
New Deals
Fiji Airways, Fiji’s national airline today appointed Aero-Care Flight Support as its new ground handling company across its New Zealand operations. This includes operations related to ramp and customer services, aircraft cleaning and baggage claim in Auckland, Christchurch and the Fijian carrier’s soon-to-be launched Wellington services. Aero-Care will begin handling Fiji Airways flights from Wellington from the outset (June 25), and take over Auckland and Christchurch operations from September 1.
HABCO Industries announces a five-year agreement as an authorized repair and overhaul supplier for specific Honeywell Ground Support Equipment (GSE). Within the agreement, Honeywell has licensed proprietary technical information to support the calibration, test and repair of its GSE.
JLG Industries Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation company and a leading global manufacturer of aerial work platforms and telescopic material handlers, acquired Power Towers Ltd., a leading low level access equipment manufacturer based in Leicester, UK. Power Towers currently offers seven lift models, both self-propelled and push around, that are rated for indoor and, in some cases, outdoor use.
Sanjiv Edward, Head of Cargo Business at Delhi International Airport has been named as the next Chairman of TIACA, with Sebastiaan Scholte, CEO of Jan de Rijk Logistics named Vice Chairman.
Vanderlande has confirmed that it recently has secured orders of more than €200 million – which makes the total order intake €1 billion for the 2015 financial year – for its integrated solutions in the baggage handling and parcel and postal sectors. Changi Airport Group (CAG) has selected Vanderlande as the baggage handling supplier for the Terminal 1 Redevelopment project at Singapore Changi Airport. Vanderlande’s STACK@EASE will be installed in the Terminal 3 Integrated Baggage facility at London Heathrow Airport, forming an integral part of one of the world’s most complex and technologically advanced baggage handling systems. And it has confirmed an operations and maintenance contract for the existing terminal at Al Maktoum International DWC in Dubai.
WASP Inc. purchased FAST Manufacturing, Inc., a producer of high-quality sprayers and liquid fertilizer equipment for the agricultural industry. The merger will increase WASP’s manufacturing capacity by 50 percent in terms of space, machinery and employees, according to Dane Anderson, president and CEO of WASP, Inc.
People
Barfield and AMG strengthen their sales synergies with the first step combining their two sales organizations. John Rogers has been promoted to the position of senior vice president of sales for the new Barfield-AMG sales organization.
Kenneth N. Channel joins Malabar International as its new Director of US Sales and Service. He has over 30 years’ experience in the aircraft maintenance business. Prior to joining Malabar, he held maintenance management positions with Continental Airlines, McDonnell Douglas, Boeing, Certified Aviation Services, and Tracor Aviation.
BGS, an international ground handling and aircraft fuelling services provider, named G. Gumuliauskas chief executive officer at the company and has already started to lead its operations in Lithuania.
VAS Aero Services, a global leader in aviation logistics and aftermarket services, reported aviation industry executive William Kircher has been named chief executive officer of the Florida-based company. Joining VAS from Pratt & Whitney, Kircher was most recently the vice president of Singapore Overhaul & Repair at P&W, as well as the president of UTC Aerospace Singapore.
