Flight International - 5 June 2018

THIS WEEK

8 | Flight International | 5-11 June 2018 flightglobal.com

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ROYAL BRUNEI WELCOMES FIRST NEO

DELIVERY Royal Brunei Airlines has received its first of seven

on-order Airbus A320neos, with the narrowbody having been

handed over to the carrier on 24 May. Powered by CFM

International Leap-1A engines, it is configured with 150 seats:

12 business-class, 18 in economy-plus and 120 in economy.

Flight Fleets Analyzer shows the airline’s current fleet includes

six leased A320ceo-series twinjets.

SAUDI PACT BOOSTS RUSSIAN PROSPECTS

MARKETING Irkut and Sukhoi Civil Aircraft will promote their

respective MC-21 and Superjet 100 products in the Middle East

and North Africa through a co-operation agreement with Saudi

Arabian state general investment authority SAGIA. The pact

covers sales and leasing of the Russian-built types, plus local

certification and after-market support. It also could enable the

local installation of interior fittings or aircraft painting.

KAZAKHSTAN UPS SU-30SM BACKLOG

PROCUREMENT Kazakhstan is to increase its air force’s fleet of

Sukhoi Su-30SM two-seat fighters, with a further batch of the

Irkut-built type to be delivered through 2020. Announced at

the KADEX exhibition in Astana on 24 May, the deal is for an

undisclosed number of aircraft. Flight Fleets Analyzer shows

that the Kazakhstan air force has eight Su-30SMs in use, with

another 17 on order prior to the new contract being signed.

UK TO TIGHTEN DRONE RESTRICTIONS

REGUL ATION New laws entering effect in the UK on 30 July

will restrict any drone from being flown above 400ft and within

1km of an airport boundary. The Department for Transport says

there were 89 drone encounters involving aircraft last year. Pilot

union BALPA says the restrictions “need to go much further”.

EMIRATES’ A380 MAINTENANCE SHIFTS GEAR

SUPPORT Emirates Engineering has completed the first entire

landing-gear change on one of its parent carrier’s Airbus A380s.

The Dubai-based airline says that replacement of the aircraft’s

nose and four main landing gears was executed within a 14-day

period, with another two of its superjumbos to get the update

this year. Flight Fleets Analyzer shows that 12-year-old aircraft

A6-EDF is Emirates’ oldest A380 in service.

NO STOPPING MEGGITT AFTER WIZZ AIR DEAL

TECHNOLOGY Central European budget carrier Wizz Air has

selected Meggitt to supply wheels and brakes for its Airbus

A321neo fleet. Meggitt says the airline will become the launch

customer for the assemblies, including its ‘NuCarb’ carbon

brake, and values the agreement at over $50 million from 2021.

Wizz Air has ordered 110 Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-powered

A321neos for delivery from 2019, with options on another 90.

ALITALIA SALE SCHEDULE SLIPS AGAIN

EXTENSION Italy’s senate has approved a decree that extends

the timeframe for the Alitalia sale process until 31 October, and

renews until 15 December the terms of a €900 million ($1.

billion) loan provided to the carrier. “Time to avert bankruptcy is

tight. Buyers need to be properly chosen so as not to disperse a

strategic asset,” says the Five Star Movement political party.

BRIEFING

U

K aerospace trade associa-

tion ADS has warned that ei-

ther of the two customs options

under consideration by the UK

government for border arrange-

ments post-Brexit would cause

“substantial disruption and cost”

for the sector.

In a letter to the UK parlia-

ment’s Committee on Exiting the

European Union and Treasury

Committee, ADS chief executive

Paul Everitt predicts that the gov-

ernment’s maximum facilitation,

or “max-fac”, option could gener-

ate additional “highly damaging”

costs of up to £2.3 billion ($3.1 bil-

lion) for the industry.

In 2017, ADS estimated that

max-fac could generate costs of

£1.5 billion. In raising its forecast,

the trade body cites an “increase

in the value of exports to the EU”.

It adds: “This reflects global

growth and the critical role UK

companies play in highly integrat-

ed European supply chains.”

Everitt argues that “a customs

union combined with a high level

of regulatory alignment between

the UK and EU is necessary to

minimise new costs, maintain in-

dustrial competitiveness, and pro-

tect the high-value jobs our [aero-

space, defence, security and

space] sectors provide”.

He describes max-fac as “inad-

equate” because although it might

ADS chief is concerned about customs process lower in supply chain

Airbus

BUSINESS MICHAEL GUBISCH LONDON

Post-Brexit border

warning sounded

Either of UK’s preferred arrangements would be expensive

and cause serious disruption, according to trade association

cover customs requirements for

shipments, it would not feature

rules of origin, regulatory compli-

ance checks or the continuity of

road-haulage licences.

“Having the best physical and IT

infrastructure to handle customs

procedures would not prevent

compliance checks and queues at

the border,” argues Everitt.

“Relying on technology and

other elements such as ‘trusted

trader’ schemes – including Au-

thorised Economic Operator

[AEO] designation – falls short

and would not guarantee fast-

track movement across the border.

AEO is a complex and heavily ad-

ministrative scheme that does not

suit all companies, particularly

smaller suppliers.”

The government’s alternative

proposal, of a UK-EU customs

partnership, is “untested and pre-

sents several issues”, in Everitt’s

view. Tracking and tracing ship-

ments would be “onerous given

both the volume of parts and the

integrated nature of our industry

and supply chains”, he says.

A customs partnership would

require “huge system changes”

and create “prohibitive” costs.

He concludes that “a customs

union” between the UK and EU

would “minimise new costs to a

far greater extent than the two

models currently proposed”. ■