Flight International – 6 August 2019

BUSINESS AVIATION

18 | Flight International | 6-12 August 2019 flightglobal.com

B

ombardier’s Singapore service

centre has installed and certifi-

cated a new cabin management

system (CMS) on a Global Express

XRS, as the company beefs up its

presence in Southeast Asia.

The work focused on the addi-

tion of a Lufthansa Technik nice

HD CMS and new wi-fi system

on board a 10-year-old aircraft

operated by an undisclosed cus-

tomer, says Bombardier.

It is a first for such an installa-

tion on a Bombardier jet in the

Asia-Pacific region.

Work is under way to quadru-

ple the size of the service centre,

based at Seletar airport in Singa-

pore, to 40,000sq m (430,000sq ft);

inauguration is targeted for 2020.

The expanded site will have

new customer facilities, a paint

shop, interior finishing capabili-

ties, and provide services such

as training, sales, and customer

support. It will allow for broader

MRO work, including heavy

structural and composite

repairs. ■

MRO

GREG WALDRON SINGAPORE

Bombardier set

for expansion in

Southeast Asia

H

awaiian start-up operator

Wing Spirit is expanding its

fleet of HondaJet Elites to 15 air-

craft, as it seeks to plug a gap in

the archipelago for short-haul be-

spoke transportation.

The announcement came less

than a month after the Honolulu-

headquartered company took de-

livery of two Elites, marking the

debut of the HondaJet on Hawaii.

The six-seat aircraft are used for

bespoke VIP charter and inter-

island transportation.

Wing Spirit is also exploring

an air ambulance role for the

light-twin, with the aircraft serv-

ing in this capacity to be outfitted

with custom medevac configura-

tions – another first for the

HondaJet programme, says

Greensboro, North Carolina-

headquartered Honda Aircraft.

Some of the Elites could also

be used to expand the high-end

offering of All Nippon Airways

(ANA) in the USA. Called ANA

OPERATIONS GREG WALDRON SINGAPORE

Wing Spirit grows HondaJet

Elite fleet for Hawaii service

Start-up boosts orders by 15, with designs on VIP charter and potential medevac roles

Initial pair of HA-420s arrived at Honolulu operator earlier in summer

Honda Aircraft

Business Jet, the service was

launched in October 2018, in

partnership with Japanese trad-

ing house Sojitz, using a fleet of

HondaJets to provide onward

travel in the USA for the airline’s

premium passengers.

So far, two aircraft are serving

ANA customers flying from

Tokyo to Chicago O’Hare and Los

Angeles International airports.

Cirium’s Fleet Analyzer re-

cords deliveries of 131 HondaJets

since the aircraft entered service

in December 2015, including 27

Elites. The $5.3 million model

was launched in May 2018, en-

tering service three months later.

It features an auxiliary fuel tank

to increase range by 230nm

(426km), to 1,440nm, a 45kg

(100lb) rise in maximum take-off

weight to 4,860kg, and a

revamped interior.

Honda Aircraft says it has a

“healthy order backlog” and

plans to deliver up to 50 aircraft

this year. ■

R

egulators have lifted a tempo-

rary grounding of the Mahin-

dra Aerospace Airvan 8, after

new information on the fatal

crash of an aircraft (SE-MES) in

Sweden on 14 July found the

type is not unsafe to operate.

The Textron Lycoming IO-

540-K1A5-powered Airvan 8 was

en route to drop parachutists

when it crashed close to Umea air-

port, in the northeast of the coun-

try, killing all nine occupants.

Preliminary information re-

vealed the Airvan 8, formerly

known as the GippsAero GA8,

suffered structural failure at an

altitude of 13,000ft, with a wing

separating from the airframe.

Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety

Authority (CASA), which is the

certification lead on the Morwell,

Victoria-built aircraft, issued the

grounding order on 20 July, which

was due to run until 3 August.

“CASA has now received fur-

ther information that there is no

evidence to indicate a potential

unsafe condition associated with

the aircraft and as such the GA

aircraft type can be safely al-

lowed to return to normal opera-

tions,” it says.

Lifting the ban, the European

Union Aviation Safety Agency

says that physical inspection of

the wreckage indicates that the

aircraft had been exposed to aer-

odynamic loads “beyond those

for which the type design is cer-

tificated. No evidence was found

to indicate that an unsafe condi-

tion exists, or could develop that

would warrant [airworthiness

directive] action”.

New Zealand’s civil aviation

regulator has also lifted the

restriction; China has yet to

rescind its grounding order,

however. ■

INQUIRY KATE SARSFIELD LONDON

Airvan 8 grounding lifted as aircraft deemed safe

All nine occupants died in 14 July crash of Swedish piston-single

Erik Abel/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

FIN_060819_018-019.indd 18 31/07/2019 11: