Nigerian Carrier Expands
Nigerian airline Air Peace has added its
first Boeing 777-21HER, 5N-BVE, to its
inventory. The one-time Emirates aircraftwas repainted in Dublin by International
Aerospace Coatings and delivered to
Lagos on February 23. Air Peace hopesto include London, Guangzhou and
Houston among the new destinations for
its 777.PlaneSense, the US-based fractional firm,
has taken delivery of the first production
Pilatus PC-24 at its Portsmouth home in
New Hampshire. The jet, registered N124AF,
the first of six the company has on order,
was handed over on February 7. “We arehonoured to be the launch customer for the
PC-24 and are excited to add this versatile
and unique jet to the PlaneSense fleet,”
George Antoniadis, PlaneSense founder,
President and CEO, told guests at the
handover ceremony. “We have greatlyadmired the quality and state-of-the-art
design of Pilatus aircraft, and are proud to
have partnered with Pilatus for the last 22
years. This is an exciting day for us, as well
as for our clients who are eager to start flying
in this fantastic aircraft.”
The company’s pilots have gained
type ratings for the PC-24 at FlightSafety
International’s Dallas Learning Center, where
the first full-motion, Level-D, PC-24 simulator
is based. As the official provider of PC-
maintenance training, FlightSafety is also
conducting courses with PlaneSense and
authorised Pilatus Service Centre personnel.
Before entering service, the aircraft will
complete FAA requirements and undertake
a short tour of the US and international
locations for current and potential customers.New Heli-Link for the Scilly Isles
Plans for a new helicopter link from
Land’s End Airport to the Isles of Scilly
have been announced by the Isles of
Scilly Steamship Group. The service,
which is due to start in May, will fly up
to eight times daily under the Island
Helicopters brand, using a ten-seat
AW169 operated by Gloucester-based
Specialist Aviation Services (SAS).
Rotary wing services to the Scilly Isles
were originally launched back in 1963 but
ended in October 2012 after the Penzance
heliport was closed down. Since then,
links have been limited to fixed-wing
flights by Skybus or sea ferries.Chairman of the Isles of Scilly
Steamship Group, Andrew May said:
“We’re thrilled to welcome Island
Helicopters to Land’s End Airport and
look forward to sharing our modern
facilities, which already handle more
than 60,000 passengers a year. We
know there is demand from thousands
of people who have really missed the
helicopter since it stopped in 2012.
“We’ve listened to that demand,
investigated what we believe can work,
and have partnered with SAS to make
it happen. This gives visitors and
islanders more choice over how theytravel and makes the transport network
more resilient, which is exactly what our
customers say they want.”
Henk Schaeken, Managing Director
of SAS, added: “We’re delighted to be
partnering with the Steamship Group to
provide the aircraft and crews for these
new helicopter flights from Land’s End
Airport. The AW169 is a state-of-the-
art helicopter and we’ll be providing
a brand-new aircraft straight off the
production line, offering passengers a
speedy and comfortable service. We
look forward to expanding our operations
in Cornwall.”Qantas has unveiled a special scheme
that pays tribute the Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander People of Australia on its
fourth Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, VH-ZND.
The design takes inspiration from the
1991 painting ‘Yam Dreaming’, created by
late Northern Territory artist and senior
Anmatyerre woman, Emily Kame Kngwarreye.
It has been adapted for use on the aircraft by
indigenous design studio Balarinji.
Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said: “As
the national carrier we’re thrilled to showcase
another piece of indigenous culture on one
of our aircraft, and to reiterate our ongoing
commitment to reconciliation with Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander People.”
The Dreamliner will be named Emily
Kame Kngwarreye in tribute to the artist.It was due to be delivered from Seattle
to Alice Springs on March 2, where it will
be welcomed by Emily’s family before
flying to Sydney and Melbourne for crewfamiliarisation flights on the airline’s
domestic network. It is scheduled to be
used on international routes, including Perth
to London, from late March.Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner VH-ZND undergoing an air test at Boeing’s Everett facility in
Washington State on February 15. Dipankar Bhakta/AirTeamImages.comSpecial Livery for Qantas Dreamliner
Pilatus PC-24 N124AF in PlaneSense corporate colours. PilatusFirst Pilatus PC-24 Delivered
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