The goal is to use the Salicornia oil processed at the Takreer Research Center for conversion into aviation biofuel. Once the process is complete, the biofuel will be mixed at low concentration with regular jet fuel to power a flight by Etihad Airways on a Boeing aircraft sometime in February 2018.
Dr. Alejandro Rios G., Director of the SBRC, led a team of Masdar Institute researchers in harvesting the first crop of the biofuel feedstock Salicornia, which took place at a two-hectare SEAS pilot facility in Masdar City, where seafood and sustainable biomass are being cultivated using saltwater and desert land to contribute to the UAE’s sustainable food and fuel security.
Harvesting the Salicornia is the first in a series of steps before the oil collected from its seeds is ready to be refined. The steps include drying and grinding the plants, winnowing out the seeds, extracting the oil from the seeds by pressing, and finally cleansing the oil to remove any impurities.
Dr. Steve Griffiths, Interim Executive Vice President for Research, Khalifa University of Science and Technology to which Masdar Institute is a part, said: “In achieving this key milestone, the SBRC is closer to establishing a truly sustainable model for aviation fuel production using only our local resources. The success of the SEAS pilot facility, and the collaborative research effort that has supported it, exemplifies our commitment to providing sustainable solutions to the UAE’s food security and energy needs.”
Peter Baumgartner, Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airways , said : “Alternative sustainable fuels are a key facet in ensuring the future of aviation. This milestone, leading to our first flight on a truly sustainable homegrown biofuel,is are flection of the
commitment not just of our airline and the SBRC partners but of Abu Dhabi.”
Bernard Dunn, President, Boeing Middle East, North Africa and Turkey, said: “This is another critical step in achieving our joint ambition of developing sustainable aviation biofuel. As Abu Dhabi takes ambitious steps in this direction, the SEAS facility is showing solid results that will help make our collective future more secure.”
Dr. Mikael Berthod, Vice President, Takreer Research, said: “Takreer, from the beginning of the project, looked forward to this step as the Salicornia oil obtained from this harvest will be the feedstock that will be processed in the research center, to produce the first ever biojet fuel 100% made in the UAE.
With this new fundamental step, the dream to produce biofuel from the desert and the sea is now becoming a reality and will allow us to achieve the expected future jet fuel specification.”
The SEAS pilot facility has six aquaculture units that use seawater to raise fish and shrimp. The fish farm produces a nutrient-rich effluent, which is directed into the halophyte fields where it fertilizes the oil-rich Salicornia plants.
The leftover effluent from the process is then diverted into the cultivated mangrove forests, which further purify the water and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere while sheltering fish nurseries that live around their underwater roots.
Food security is a challenge for desert regions, especially as populations rise. Close to 70% of the UAE’s seafood is currently imported, and SBRC’s integrated system, with extensive aquaculture as a key element, will not only support the need for aviation biofuels, but also support growing food demand in a sustainable way.
FRANKFURT: The DoaSch Temperature Solutions GmbH is expanding its fleet of Opticoolers also known as the flying “smart warehouse” with 50 new RAP-containers.
The flying “smart warehouse” only needs one electrical outlet to fully charge the energy storage after a flight and to ensure that always enough power is available to deal with unexpected events. A full charge, from 50 to 100 percent, can be achieved approximately within two hours.
It was originally developed exclusively for Lufthansa in 2004 but was later made available for other airlines in 2014.
The Opti cooler provides reliable transport conditions for shipments across continents and climate zones or during unexpected events, for goods that must be kept within a very
strict temperature range.
Now 500 active “Made in Germany” containers are globally available and more units are expected to push ahead with further expansion.
These shipments mainly include pharmaceuticals such as insulin, vaccines and other bio-pharmaceuticals, but also high-tech equipment.
Equipped with battery powered cooling compressors and heaters as well as a self-regulating temperature control, the internal temperatures consistently stay well within range at any point in the storage area.
Temperatures between 2-8°C or 15-25°C for example can be maintained, regardless of the ambient temperatures, that may vary between -30°C during a Canadian winter or +50°C during a middle-eastern summer.
“We are proud, that our products have proven worthy in the day to day air cargo business and that we can offer our customers an extremely reliable product. We therefore provide a solution to tackle the difficulties in the global cool chain logistic,” said Andreas Seitz, managing director of DoKaSch Temperature Solutions.
LUXEMBOURG: Cargolux Airlines International S.A. has safely flown a shipment of high-value horses from Luxembourg to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan in mid-September for the Equestrian Jumping competition at the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games.
Working in cooperation with Peden Bloodstock, a charterer specialized in horse transportation, the horses were also safety flown back to Luxembourg after the competition.
The games, which were awarded to Ashgabat by the Olympic Council of Asia in 2010, involved 6,000 athletes and officials from 65 teams. Equestrian Jumping was introduced as an Olympic sport at the Paris 1900 Games.
Relying on the proven support of its handling agent, LuxairCARGO, the experienced Cargolux team used its state-of-the-art HMC horse stalls that offer increased safety and comfort for its four-legged VIPs.
The HMC not only provides higher stability but its double layer pallet base also reduces the motion feeling for the horses, greatly reducing the stress the animals feel compared to single layer pallets.
Cargolux, a member of the Animal Transport Association (ATA) is a major industry player in the transportation o f horses by air. The airline’ s dedicated team of experts regards each animal as a special responsibility that has to be treated with utmost care.
With its vast knowledge and experience, gained from worldwide horse transports in over 45 years, Cargolux fully integrates international standards in animal care, treatment and transport. Utilizing the superior H M C stalls, Cargolux sets the standards in transporting valuable horses.
DOHA: Qatar Airways Cargo will start flying to Pittsburgh with a plan to haul in 200 tons of cargo a week to Europe and the Middle East from Pennsylvania.
The company says Pittsburgh will be its 5th freighter destination in the Americas and cargo will be routed between Doha, Luxembourg, Atlanta and Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh International Airport agreed to provide a one-year financial incentive to Qatar and waived its landing fees in exchange for the deal which Pennsylvania manufacturers see as easing their freight costs in exporting products to the Middle East and Europe.
Before the deal was struck , Pennsylvania businesses rely on trucking their goods to New York or Chicago before it can be flown to other destinations across the world.
Christina Cassotis, CEO of the Allegheny County Airport Authority which operates Pittsburgh International, was quoted in the local media as saying, “It’s a game changer for the region.”
She explained that Qatar Cargo flights will enable manufacturers in Pittsburgh and nearby areas direct access to the Middle East and Europe, without incurring additional freight or transportation costs.
Once known as the “Steele City”, Pittsburgh now exports computer and electronic products, fabricated metal products,nonmetallic minerals, petroleum and coal products.
Pittsburgh was America’s 35th largest exporter in 2015 with goods valued at $9.1 billion transported to its major trading partners such as Canada, India and the European Union.
JOHANNESBURG: Airports Company South Africa, which owns nine airports in the continent, posted revenue growth of 3.4 percent year-on-year through March 31, 2017, resulting to 10 percent increase on its profits valued at R2 billion (about US$150 million).
ACSA said its revenues in the year ending on March 31, 2017 grew 3.4 percent to R8. 6billion (about US$644.234 million) compared to R8.3 billion in 2016.
Return on equity was 11.3% compared to 11.5% in the previous period. Capital expenditure reduced by 31.3% to R893 million.
Bongani Maseko, Chief Executive Officer of Airports Company South Africa, said the company continued to be resilient meeting about 76 percent of its key indicators, despite the sluggish economic growth in Africa.
“The overall financial position of the Company therefore remains healthy despite regulatory uncertainty and difficult economic conditions .Operationally, we are adapting well to a new tariff regime from the regulator which required a 35.5% reduction for the 2018 financial year with increases in the following two years of 5.8% and 7.4%,” said Maseko.
The Company reported a total of 20.0 million (2016: 19.4 million) departing passengers from the nine airports it owns and operates.
While domestic passenger growth was subdued at 2.2%, the Company reported strong growth of 6.1% in international departing passengers.
For the first time, Cape Town International Airport reported a total of more than 10 million arriving and departing passengers, with King Shaka International Airport reporting a total of more than five million passengers for the first time.
Aircraft landing volumes were flat for domestic flights and up by 2.5% for international flights, indicating higher passenger utilisation of scheduled flights.
Maseko noted that Airports Company South Africa has managed to significantly reduce its debt levels over the past five years.
Debt, primarily in the form of bond issues, stood at R9 billion at the end of the period, significantly down from R17 billion in 2012. As a result, the Company’s gearing ratio has reduced from 59% in 2012 to 25% in the 2017 financial year.
Aeronautical revenue contributed 63% to total revenue but the Company remains committed to continue to grow the non-aeronautical revenue contribution . Non – aeronautical revenue is derived from sources such as retail space, advertising, office rental, parking and car hire.
ABU DHABI: Airports at the UAE capital posted a 65 percent increase in earnings before interest, depreciation and a mortization ( EBIDA ) /operating profit from January-August 2017 resulting to a two – digit rise on its operating revenues compared to the same period in 2016.
Abdul Majeed Al Khoori, Acting CEO of Abu Dhabi Airports said the company grew its operating revenue by 26%, which impacted the 65% EBIDA increase for 2017.
One of the key contributors to this increase is the passenger facilitation charge introduced in July 2016.
Previously, UAE airports were some of the few around the world that didn’t implement transfer passenger fees. In response to market change, the government approved the charges and hence these were implemented across all airports in the second half of 2016.
Abu Dhabi Duty Free and Abu Dhabi Airports Free Zone were other key contributors to the revenue increase through the growth trend registered in passenger spend, and the addition of new retailers and concessionaires, as well as the increase in property and space rentals across Abu Dhabi Airports.
“ We are very proud of our performance this year. Abu Dhabi Airports’ mission and goals revolve around a highly effective and efficient management of resources and manpower to maintain positive trend in profit growth . Supported by planning a smart and versatile strategy, we were able to turn challenges into opportunities and register record achievements in all aspects of our business,” said Al Khoori.
2017 has proven to be yet another challenging year for the Middle East aviation industry, with the ripple effect of the Chinese austerity drive, the global political climate, and their influence on commodity and foreign exchange markets . Abu Dhabi International Airports has been affected by these external factors, which have impacted passenger traffic and aircraft movements.
2017 has also seen an 11% increase in the operating expenditure compared to the same period in 2016. These increases are a result of both planned operational requirements as well as a rise in the cost of third party services.
Such requirements included the expansion of air navigation outsourcing to ensure the airport has adequate resources to handle the dynamic change in traffic movement. Facility management and utility costs have also increased due to service provider fees.
“Abu Dhabi Airports is committed to utilizing all resources and manpower available to increase its efficiency and profitability. I would like to take this opportunity and extend the team’s gratitude to our wise leadership, whose continuous support have played an instrumental role in the success that Abu Dhabi Airports is delivering,” Al Khoori noted.
ADDIS ABABA: Africa’s largest airline group,Ethiopian Airlines, has renewed its passenger reservations system with global travel technology provider, Sabre Corporation (NASDAQ: SABR), with deals for a suite of new technology solutions to support its continued growth as a world-class carrier.
Consistently posting record profits for the past seven years, Ethiopian Airlines has been using Sabre’s technology for its core reservations, network planning and ecommerce since 2005.
Despite the daunting challenges in African aviation, Ethiopian Airlines has continued with thriving successes and has become the leading Aviation group in Africa, nine years ahead of its 15 years strategic growth roadmap, Vision 2025.
“Our focus towards availing the latest Information Technology and travel system solution is one of the pillars in our long term growth plan, Vision 2025. Consequently, we have made huge investments in Information
Technology to create a seamless passenger experience. Moreover, Sabre’s technology partnership and expertise has been invaluable, which is now further flourishing with cutting-edge technology that helps us ensure better customer experience and remain to be an airline of choice among travelers around the world,” said Ethiopian Group CEO Tewolde GebreMariam.
Dino Gelmetti, vice president Airline Solutions at Sabre, described Ethiopian as “one of aviation’s most compelling success stories, having overcome industry challenges to drive rapid and sustained growth on a continent where profitability in aviation is extremely rare.”
The next phase of development for Ethiopian Airlines is in enhancing its passenger experience. Among the new technology that Ethiopian Airlines will introduce is Sabre’s Intelligence Exchange . Airlines currently sit on a goldmine of data, yet only use 12% of it to engage with passengers; Intelligence Exchange enables airlines to turn that remaining 88% of data into actionable insights.
MUSCAT: Oman Air’s market share in Malaysia continues to grow with figures showing a 46 percent rise on passenger traffic in 2016 compared to 2015 after the airline doubled its weekly flights between Muscat and Kuala Lumpur.
With 14 flights a week, the 90,000 passenger traffic in 2015 rose to over 132,000 in 2016, according to Muscat’s state-owned airline.
The increase was also attributed to Oman Air’s code-share partnership with Malaysia Airlines, connecting their guests to an even wider range of destinations across Malaysia, China and Australia.
Oman Air CEO Paul Gregorowitsch underscored their gains in the oil-rich Asian country during a recent visit to Kuala Lumpur where he met with the media & other industry stakeholders. In India, Gregorowitsch said Oman’s open sky air service agreement with the country resulted to a number of new routes and more flights.
The airline now serves 21 weekly flights to Delhi , Calicut and Hyderabad and 14 flights a week to Lucknow. Last month, Oman Air introduced a third daily flight from Mumbai to Muscat, raising the overall weekly frequency of flights to India from 154 to 161.
In Zurich, the CEO said the airline’s new codeshare agreement with Germany’s Lufthansa Airline resulted to more daily flights from Muscat to Geneva via Frankfurt.
“We look forward to building on our strong relationship with these nations for many more years to come and to boosting the economic and tourism prospects between our countries,” said Gregorowitsch.
RIYADH: SAUDIA expanded its network in India with an eighth destination in Kerala’s Trivandrum (TRV) – the airline’s latest destination and 88th destination overall.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia now flies five times a week to Kerala capital—three from Riyadh and two from Jeddah, satisfying both religious and business segments as well as
facilitating holidaymakers to the state.
An Airbus A330-300 i n a two – class configuration with a total of 298 seats, including 36 in Business Class and 262 in Economy Class, are used on the routes.
I n a d d i t i o n t o Trivandrum, SAUDIA flies to the following cities in India: Kochi, Hyderabad, Delhi, Bangalore, Lucknow, Mumbai and Chennai.
The maiden flight SV 756 touched down in Trivandrum at 12:15 hrs local time on October 1 and received a ceremonial traditional water salute.
His Excellency Dr. Saud Mohammed Al-Sati, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the Republic of India; the Governor of Kerala State; and airport authorities expressed theirdelight in the start of the new operation, a further reinforcement of the existing close ties and excellent relations between the two countries.
Director General of Saudi Arabian Airlines, His Excellency Eng. Saleh bin Nasser Al Jasser commented how the new route will enable further development of the well- established economic ties: “The airline continues to expand its network to include routes which provide economic growth opportunities benefitting both nations. With the addition of Trivandrum, SAUDIA now counts eight destinations in India among its network of international business cities.”
SAUDIA was named the 2017 ‘World’s Most Improved Airline of the Year’ by Skytrax at the World Airline Awards at the Paris Air Show this past June.
All next – generation aircraft in SAUDIA’s fleet include its inflight entertainment and connectivity system, which includes WiFi services on board, and over 3000 hours of movies, television programs, games, music and more. All entertainment and WiFi facilities are available across every class of travel
ISTANBUL: After a volatile 2016, Turkey’s logistics industry bounces back in 2017 with 11 percent growth and the government’s resolve to create a logistics master plan for the country.
The plan, set to be unveiled at year’s end, combines technology and upgrades in the industry to enhance trade with other countries as companies start investing on intelligent solutions with the advent of digitalization and Industry 4.0.
The Turkish Association of International Forwarding and Logistics Service Providers (UTIKAD) said the 11 percent growth in the logistics sector, thus far, isa good sign that the industry is up for the challenges.
At the upcoming logitrans 2017 happening at the ifm Istanbul Expo Center on November 15-17, exhibitors will highlight opportunities in Turkey’s logistics market.
“This positive development opens up opportunities for international logistics specialists to benefit from the rebound in this market. logitrans provides the perfect opportunity for this. For example, to make contacts with major players in the logistics sector,” said Gerhard Gerritzen, Executive Board member of Messe München GmbH.
Many German companies value the Turkish logistics market and will be presenting their services at logitrans 2017.
On the German Pavilion supported by the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy, companies like Dachser, Fährhafen Sassnitz, Logistics Alliance Germany, Schenker, Schmitz Cargobull and Univ ersal Transport are participating.
“We’re already active in the Turkish market and in the region through our branch in Istanbul. logitrans is the ideal platform for us to maintain existing contacts and expand our network,” said Holger Dechant, Managing Director of Universal Transport.
Harm Sievers, Managing Director of Fährhafen Sassnitz GmbH, adds, “logitrans is a permanent feature on our calendar and we’ve been able to make many contacts through our long-standing participation. Among other things, one company has established a factory for the production of plastic pipes at our site, as a result.”
Technology has made the world smaller and faster.Real time communication with people from all over the world at different time zones through phones and gadgets
